Hey there

[Hellecuen]

Hey, I just got a 2002 Katana and have been reading this forum since. It seems to be full of useful information, so I joined. I am thinking I'll streetfighter it at some point though. The fairings were all scratched up already, when I got the bike, but got an awesome deal on it. I traded a 94 Virago 250 straight across for it.

[KatanaGSX92]

Welcome to KR!

[zuma]

Yes, welcome indeed!

[Slammer46]

Yep welcome and I know you will get great info

[Major Voltron]

Welcome to the madness! !

[shpielers]

welcome! I think you won that trade

[Hellecuen]

welcome! I think you won that trade

Yeah, I think I walked away with a more versatile bike, but the one I gave him was in surprisingly good shape. Not a scratch on it. I took the Katana to Sport Tech Cycles here in San Jose the next day because he had no idea on the maintenance or service that had been done after it had been downed by the previous owner. The person I traded with only had the Kat for like 3 days before he traded me. To me, other than some cosmetic damage to the fairings (which I would have wanted to remove even if in pristine condition) it seemed fine. Just had excessive vibration in the left handlebar. Any suggestions on where I can get handlebar weights greater than 14 oz?

[TheCheetorProject]

Welcome to KR!

[shpielers]

whoa, wtf? Somehow I missed you're in San Jo. Howdy neighbor!

You only have vibrations in the 1 bar? That seems a bit odd. Usually the stock bar ends work much better than aftermarket ones from what I've seen around here. Apparently the aftermarket ones are usually lighter. If the carbs need syncing, the motor will vibrate more/harder, so it might be worth it to do that.

FYI these bikes naked...don't usually look that great. Some bikes look fine. Kats...meh... but hey, if you dig the look that's what matters.

Generally speaking, it's not a bad idea to just assume that the PO didn't do any normal maintenance and work your way through it. If you're having the shop do things, that can get expensive real fast. If you do it yourself, things are usually pretty inexpensive. You can download the service manual from the wiki (top left), it'll have maintenance intervals as well as how to's. + we're always here for answering Q's. And I'm just down the street so if you need help with something, just holler.

[Hellecuen]

Yeah, I know the shop can get expensive, but I did save some cash in the trade. I took it there to get a good baseline. They're doing a tune up and valve adjustment, plus fork seals. I'm planning on doing most of the general maintenance and service from this point forward. I thought it was weird that it was only on the left too. I was thinking about putting in risers, but think I should get the weight thing sorted out first. Any advice on risers? Clip on risers vs a solid bar?

[JIB]

Welcome to KR

[shpielers]

Do you have a 600 or 750, and how much rise are you looking for? Different suggestions depending on the answers.

[Hellecuen]

I've got a 600 and I'm thinking about 3 inches.

[shpielers]

3" your best bet is going to be something like Rox Risers. You can get adjustable angle ones so you get pull back (moved bars closer in to you) as well as higher. I think they usually run ~$100. You can also use a solid bar and a clamp, the triple tree can be drilled to bolt it in. Either way, you will need new brake lines, throttle cables, clutch cable, and choke cable. They all have enough slack for about 3/4" raise, but that's it.
Motion Pro sells custom length cables, for just barely above the price of OEM cables.
This:

http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=92494

Is a good place for brake lines. I've already used them once (for my 600) and am in the middle of using them again (for my 1100)

If you go with the bar/clamps, you'll want to get some lead shot or something similar to fill in the bar, helps dampen out the vibrations. They will be more prevalent as you would be bolting metal to metal, whereas the stock setup has some rubber cushioning. Whichever was you go, shouldn't be too hard or terribly expensive. $2-300ish.

If you want to do it a little cheaper, you can get ahold of the appropriate year 750 triple tree and top clamp and use those - it's ~3/4" higher and the 750 uses the same exact cables, so you won't need those. Route the brake lines differently and the stock ones should be long enough.

[Hellecuen]

Cool, thanks for the info I can tell it will be most helpful. I can tell some of these mods I would like to do will probably take some time lol. When I do install the risers and bars, I will probably get cables to accommodate a higher rise and pull back. Just on the chance I want a bit more of a rise a little down the line.