First Ride On The Kat....Finally

[Shockwave3724]

Well, I thought I would tell everyone how my first ride on my 90 katana 750 went. I have had the bike for two weeks and have been waiting impatiently for parts to be ready for it. I have cleaned the carbs, put on a new blinker and mirror, new spark plugs, new air filter, oil change and filter, drained the gas tank of the gas that had been in there for two years, got a new front tire, and had new fork seals and wipers put on. So anyway, yesterday I was supposed to get the forks back from the shop to put them on my bike. The guy called me at midnight and told me that they were done, so I went over picked them up, and put them on the bike. Finished around 2 am this morning. I was going to go for a ride but it was 28 degrees out, so I figured I would wait until morning. Got up for school and drove the kat, it was about 50 degrees so it wasnt too bad. Then I went for a ride in the evening with a buddy from school that has a Honda 600rr and had a blast! Its been a while since I had ridden at all and I loved how the katana handled, no problems in corners or anything, felt very solid. The acceleration left me with a big smile on my face, but it still felt manageable. Unfortunately, I dont have a riding jacket yet, so I wore my carrhart jacket which left me with red raw marks on my neck from riding. I am planning on getting a jacket within the week, I looked at the shops in the area, but they didnt have anything that I liked. Well, by the time the day was over, I put 200 miles on my kat for its first day, which I dont think is too bad. I had a great day riding and the kat ran great and I cant wait til it warms up a little more.

I got around 40 mpg with it, is this about normal for most 750s?

[KatanaSoldier]

Sounds like a nice day!
40+ MPG I get on my 600 so I would think you are right on target with that.

BlackPeter just got an armored leather jacket for less than 100 bucks. That is insanely cheap for leather.

[Shockwave3724]

My buddy has an Icon Timax Jacket that I found very comfortable and liked the armor and looks. I am going to try to find one online for a good price, but if anyone knows where to find a good deal on another jacket, let me know.

[jessepryor]

I did a good deal of searching around for ICON jackets last week. The best prices I found were at: http://www.metricbikes-superstore.com/icon35.php

I ended up going with a Fieldsheer armored leather jacket from a local bike shop and it ended up costing 209.99 which I thought was an ok deal.

[Jhonyquest97]

200 miles on the first day, sounds like 400 for the second day!

Look on ebay for a jacket if your not going to buy it from a store you can try it on. A lot of the auctions look expensive but just email the sellers that have the option of making an offer. They usually have a guaranteed low price.

[thecynic]

I'd check out newenough.com. they usually have some great deals in the clearance section.

[Shockwave3724]

Unfortunately, its supposed to rain for the next 4 days up here. I figured I better ride it while I can.
As far as a jacket, I am looking for an all purpose jacket, something with a removeable liner so I can take it out when its hot out. I want something that has good protection too. Out of the jackets that I tried on at the stores around here, the Icon Timax fit the best. The only problem is that I havent found the new Timax2 style to try on around here. I have a budget of about 200 so I am trying to stay within that. I found a couple of Joe Rocket jackets I liked online, but I cant find them around here to try on. I am hoping to get something that has the elbow, shoulder, and back armor. The Timax has the CE certified elbow armor, and then their own armor for the back and shoulders. I am still looking around at different ones so if anyone comes across a good deal, let me know.

[Cale_Kat]

Congratulations Shockwave3724. Your story reminded me of how much fun my first ride was about this time last year.

Seeing how you're in Maine and I'm up north too (just a bit west in Seattle, WA) I thought I'd make a jacket suggestion.

Check out the Fieldsheer Hydro Tour at kneedraggers (dot com). It was my first jacket and I'm getting a ton of use out of it. You will probably want to get two jackets eventually, one for hot days and one for cool (cold?) and rainy days. The Hydro Tour is a excellent inexpensive cold/wet weather coat. It's not much in the way of style but the longer length is nice in the rain and I couldn't find a better price on any jackets that combine waterproof, CE armor, lots of pockets/adjustments and decent vents. You can pick one up for $132 before shipping.

Also, check out the Fieldsheer Apollo pants ($89). In fact, I've got a brand new pair (3XL) that kneedraggers sent when they screwed up a RMA and never got charged. If you're a big guy you can have these for $40 + postage. Send me a PM.

The Fieldsheer stuff is sized a bit smaller than some other brands so make sure you check out the sizing charts and take careful measurements before you order.

If you're on a budget with a lot of expenses (helmet, jacket, gloves, pants, boots, tank bag, ...) like a lot of new riders, saving money on the jacket and pants is a big plus. Like I said, you're probably going to end up getting a second jacket anyway because it hard to find anything that handles both hot and cold temps well.

BTW, the Fieldsheer held up well in a nasty low side I took last year.

[Shockwave3724]

Thanks Cale_Kat, I'm a smaller guy so I will have to pass on your offer. I just looked at the fieldsheer jacket and it looks like something that I would be interested in. The Super Sport TX jacket below it caught my eye too. I will have to do some research on those.

Whats the difference between the CE certified armor, and something like the dual density or EVA foam armor?

[Cale_Kat]

Whats the difference between the CE certified armor, and something like the dual density or EVA foam armor?

CE is a clothing (armor) protection standard. Clothing with CE rated armor has passed a certification process. The Fieldsheer Hydro Tour has CE rated foam armor. My guess is that a lot of manufacturers use armor that is just as good (dual density, EVA, others?) but don't pay for the CE certification. Doesn't mean the other stuff is as good. It might be just as good, better, or worse.

There are also other standards for rating armor and I just don't have a clue what the current standards are. I did some research recently and read something about a jacket with "Europe standards (that) are based on EN CE 13595 "Protective Clothing for Professional Motorcycle Riders"."

If I could make one suggestion. The most important thing to protect is your head. After that, you really should wear protective pants, boots and good gloves with that protective helmet and jacket. I think these other items are important even if that means your budget doesn't allow you to get the highest rated protection for the jacket. Just my $.02.

[Shockwave3724]

I have a HJC helmet that I bought last year that is DOT and SNELL approved and have a pair of motorcycle gloves that I wear. My next purchase is going to be a jacket and I want something that has a good level of protection.