New Guy!

[Swimmerboy]

Hey guys.

Name's Brian and i'm looking to get a bike. I have never ridden before and was prompted by my cousin to look at the Suzuki Katana (he had one a few years ago). Well, I think I am convinced I want a Katana.

I pretty much have no idea what I really should be looking for... Is the 600 better than the 750? etc.

Guess I need some advice, although I am reading as much as I can!

Not sure if anyone here is from the Lehigh Valley are in PA but that's where I am.

I am big into Toyota 4x4's so I am familiar with working on vehicles.

Here's some of my Toyotas.





Hoping to put a Katana into the picture soon!

[diavolo]

Welcome to KR, Brian!

[black&blue]

HILUX FTW

Welcome to KR - there's lots of great information in the riding techniques section and lots of useful information in the mechanics section as well.

Sounds like you're at where I was 6 months ago - except instead of a Toyota, I was rocking this:

1993 Ford Explorer Sport 5-speed 4x4. NOT stock. lol.

check out meetup.com for local rides in your area, and if you haven't yet, look into taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's BASIC rider course. It's a little spendy, but worth it.

Since this will be your first bike, I'd suggest opting for the slightly less powerful 600 over the bigger displacement 750 or the mighty 1100. Katanas were built from 1988 through what, 2009? There are three basic generations, 1988-97 (identified here as a pre), 1998-2003? (identified here as a post) and then 2004?-2009? are also considered post as they are very similar to 1998-03 models.

Seems there are lots of Post kats available in the midwest, so I'd be looking for one of those.

Generally speaking, the Katana makes 79-81hp in 600cc form regardless of what year you pick.

Buy the bike in the best shape you can, but consider that this is a learner bike, you may not want to buy the prettiest thing out there because you WILL drop the bike. Probably several times. I've dropped mine several times in the 5-6 months I've owned it, but it's important to note that while I've dropped it, I've never been "down" on it, the difference being falling over while stationary vs falling over while moving.

That said, summer's fast approaching, and with it, bike prices go up.

One more thing to note going into this:
The Katana, while quick and relatively nimble, is not a sport bike. It's a TOURING bike made to comfortably travel long distances but will happily tear up your nearest twisty road.

Ride within your limits. As Drake says, you only live once (yeah, I just applied YOLO to a different context than Drake's "**** it why not" context) so you may as well stave off that death as long as possible.

One of the things that was really powerful for me to stay safe was reading Hunter S. Thompson (author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and ridiculous Gonzo journalist and general all-around badass and Moto aficianado)'s piece, Song of the Sausage Creature.

The sausage creature is what YOU can become if you crash - especially so if you crash without wearing gear - you can become this awful f---ed up mutant that looks like a lumpy sausage with no teeth, f---ed up for the rest of your life - which is a crueler fate than death.

but hey, get past the fear of death and learn to ride responsibly and it'll be one of the best things you'll ever do for yourself.

The world is more open, and you really begin to appreciate the beauty of your surroundings, and the clarity of your own thoughts outside the distraction-laden bubble of your car/truck. Oh, and the big savings on gas money are a nice plus, too.

Welcome to KR.

[Woodmysta]

Welcome to KR!

[Swimmerboy]

Welcome to KR, Brian!

Thanks!

HILUX FTW

Welcome to KR - there's lots of great information in the riding techniques section and lots of useful information in the mechanics section as well.

Sounds like you're at where I was 6 months ago - except instead of a Toyota, I was rocking this:

1993 Ford Explorer Sport 5-speed 4x4. NOT stock. lol.

check out meetup.com for local rides in your area, and if you haven't yet, look into taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's BASIC rider course. It's a little spendy, but worth it.

Since this will be your first bike, I'd suggest opting for the slightly less powerful 600 over the bigger displacement 750 or the mighty 1100. Katanas were built from 1988 through what, 2009? There are three basic generations, 1988-97 (identified here as a pre), 1998-2003? (identified here as a post) and then 2004?-2009? are also considered post as they are very similar to 1998-03 models.

Seems there are lots of Post kats available in the midwest, so I'd be looking for one of those.

Generally speaking, the Katana makes 79-81hp in 600cc form regardless of what year you pick.

Buy the bike in the best shape you can, but consider that this is a learner bike, you may not want to buy the prettiest thing out there because you WILL drop the bike. Probably several times. I've dropped mine several times in the 5-6 months I've owned it, but it's important to note that while I've dropped it, I've never been "down" on it, the difference being falling over while stationary vs falling over while moving.

That said, summer's fast approaching, and with it, bike prices go up.

One more thing to note going into this:
The Katana, while quick and relatively nimble, is not a sport bike. It's a TOURING bike made to comfortably travel long distances but will happily tear up your nearest twisty road.

Ride within your limits. As Drake says, you only live once (yeah, I just applied YOLO to a different context than Drake's "**** it why not" context) so you may as well stave off that death as long as possible.

One of the things that was really powerful for me to stay safe was reading Hunter S. Thompson (author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and ridiculous Gonzo journalist and general all-around badass and Moto aficianado)'s piece, Song of the Sausage Creature.

The sausage creature is what YOU can become if you crash - especially so if you crash without wearing gear - you can become this awful f---ed up mutant that looks like a lumpy sausage with no teeth, f---ed up for the rest of your life - which is a crueler fate than death.

but hey, get past the fear of death and learn to ride responsibly and it'll be one of the best things you'll ever do for yourself.

The world is more open, and you really begin to appreciate the beauty of your surroundings, and the clarity of your own thoughts outside the distraction-laden bubble of your car/truck. Oh, and the big savings on gas money are a nice plus, too.

Welcome to KR.

Wow what an awesome brick of advice there!! Nice Explorer by the way!

I plan on taking the safety course and ALWAYS wearing a helmet and riding gear. As you put it, I would not like to become a sausage creature...

Thanks for all the great info!! I hope I don't drop the bike too many times as i'm the type of person who likes to keep vehicles in near perfect condition... haha I probably picked the wrong type of motorsports then!

Welcome to KR!

Thanks!

[davea7]

Welcome to KR! My caged ride is a 2010 Toyota Tundra and I'm from PA also but the Gettysburg area.
Welcome!

[Swimmerboy]

Welcome to KR! My caged ride is a 2010 Toyota Tundra and I'm from PA also but the Gettysburg area.
Welcome!

Thanks for the warm welcome! Nice choice with the Tundra!

[Swimmerboy]

Well a friend of a friend is selling a Katana. I think i'm going to pass on it though. Here's what he told me;

1994 Suzuki Katana
11694 miles
Cracked Fairing

Possible bad clutch? He says that it feels like when you're riding, the clutch will grab and release like it isn't adjusted right. He said that happened when he came down too hard after a wheelie (that really turned me off when he said that).

He is asking $700, it has a good title. He is selling because he bought a bigger bike.

What do you guys think?

[05RedKat600]

Hehe.

[Wild-Bill]

Let's see, cracked fairing, blown clutch, history of being ridden way harder than a Katana's supposed to be ridden. Tires probably need replacing, forks will need new seals and there's going to have to be a whole bunch of work done. Maybe $500 but no more. $300 is probably more like it.

At least that's the story I'd be telling while waving around some cash. Fairings can be repaired, the clutch cable probably needs to be adjusted and unless the forks are leaking you can leave them alone. Tires may need to be replaced depending on how old they are and how much tread is left. If it's been sitting for a while then the carbs may need to be cleaned. The clutch is probably fine but it's not difficult to replace if it's shot. Costs around $100 for parts.

Welcome, by the way.

[cintidude04]

Welcome to KR

Red, that yota is close to the one I used to run.

[Swimmerboy]

Hehe.

That's SO clean!

Let's see, cracked fairing, blown clutch, history of being ridden way harder than a Katana's supposed to be ridden. Tires probably need replacing, forks will need new seals and there's going to have to be a whole bunch of work done. Maybe $500 but no more. $300 is probably more like it.

At least that's the story I'd be telling while waving around some cash. Fairings can be repaired, the clutch cable probably needs to be adjusted and unless the forks are leaking you can leave them alone. Tires may need to be replaced depending on how old they are and how much tread is left. If it's been sitting for a while then the carbs may need to be cleaned. The clutch is probably fine but it's not difficult to replace if it's shot. Costs around $100 for parts.

Welcome, by the way.

hmm... yeah I know it seems like a decent deal i'm just not sure how much abuse these things can take before they break.

It just makes me nervous is all.

Welcome to KR

Red, that yota is close to the one I used to run.

Thanks!

[Wild-Bill]

They'll actually take quite a bit of abuse. Coming down too hard after a wheelie tends to blow out the fork seals ($20 to replace seals, another $12 for a bottle of fork oil and $2 for a PVC coupler to drive the seal into place. It helps if you've got access to an impact driver to get things apart.) and letting the bike sit for too long tends to gum up the carbs from dried-up gas.

[Swimmerboy]

They'll actually take quite a bit of abuse. Coming down too hard after a wheelie tends to blow out the fork seals ($20 to replace seals, another $12 for a bottle of fork oil and $2 for a PVC coupler to drive the seal into place. It helps if you've got access to an impact driver to get things apart.) and letting the bike sit for too long tends to gum up the carbs from dried-up gas.

Hmm that's somewhat reassuring. I do have access to a whole shop full of tools (I repair welders and plasma cutters for a living). So that's no big deal. Also a buddy has a stand if need be.

The guy said he had the carbs cleaned just last year and he says the bike runs but he will just have to charge the battery.

Does it seem like a decent deal to you?

[Wild-Bill]

Lie I said, I'd come at him with the absolute worst-case scenario and a low offer. See if he bites or if he doesn't want to flex at all on the price. Just because the carbs were cleaned a year ago doesn't mean that they aren't clogged up with a year's worth of dried up gas or even that the job was done right.