750 Katana should I or not

[miller7170]

I have a delima......I thought I wanted a 750 (currently have an 05 600) then I learned from here they are not much more powerful and area almost the identical bike, with the exception of the pegs and bars. I was looking at a 04 750 (blue) that ony has a few scratches on one side and has 12k miles and new tires and battery. Everything else is stock, so I would swap my 05 600's D&D exhaust. I was going to pass it up, as it is the end of the season, but he is down to $3500 (I think I can get it for $3200). NADA is $3400 to $4400 here, and KBB is $4300 avg. If I can get that good of a deal I am now rethinking this purchase.....as I can sell either one in the spring for at least what I have in them.
Any thoughts?
Not sure what to do!

[Enjay386]

I too intended on upgrading to the 750 next summer but heard there isn't much of a change. In my opinion, I'd rather keep the bike you have - you know how you take care of it, and wait out the decision until next season. No sense in rushing it and it will give you time to decide if that the right move for you. Good luck.

[miller7170]

Enjay,

Thanks. I am so on and off of the fence. I keep thinking that if I can get it for a steal....... try it out a while then see what I want to do in the end. Financially it might not be the best move right now too! Maybe you are right!

Side note, how do I get my bike pic to show under my name?
Thanks again.

[BIGKAT1100]

I think that Katanas are great "spring-board bikes. That is to say, once you get your "bike legs" under you good, you can move to something else pretty easily. You can find out if SS bikes will be your thing or cruisers or anything in between. To me, unless you are really into Katanas (and there is nothing wrong with that as it is a solid bike), most people upgrade to what they really want.

[miller7170]

I had a 2006 yamaha vstar 650, but it was too under-powered and I was not comfortable on long rides on it. The 600 is very comfortable to me, can ride 400 to 500 miles a day on it. I am pretty much a Katana guy I am thinking, dont think I will go to a Sport Bike... too old for the too! So, about all I could do is upgrade to a 750, or work on the 600 and stay with it..

[ATOMonkey]

I just noticed you live in Indy. What part of town?

I'd pass on the 750, unless you also plan on selling your 600 in the spring. No sense in having two nearly identical bikes. Do you have cash for this deal or will you be borrowing money?

[Helmet_Hair]

I suppose if you really wanted a bike with more "legs", and you don't mind being a little "dated" (retro is a better word, I suppose) there's always the 1100 Kat if you can find one. Plenty of legs there. Going a little newer/updated there's the 'busa of course...much more $$, but a great bike that handles well.

[The CyberPoet]

What you would be doing is gambling that the bike will increase in value over the time you have it parked up at your place and that nothing will happen to decrease the value (i.e. - no garage-floor accidents, kids scratching it, fuel getting old & causing the need for a carb rebuild, no tires dry-rotting, etc.).

IMHO: Do not buy a 98+ Kat for "resale in the spring" for anything over $2500, and preferably a bit below that if you want to make a profit in the spring. You're far better off finding a $1500 needs-attention special and working it up to a $2500 or $3k bike across the winter.

Kat values have been dropping heavily lately due to the power-levels and carbs, plus the fact that it's a now "obsolete model" as far as the Suzuki line-up is concerned. The fact that the engine effectively remains unchanged between '98 and '06 means there is little to differentiate the later models sufficiently to justify $1k or more over that bottom-line price I listed above unless it's still new-on-floor (so the factory warrantee applies). It's just not a wise investment as far as I'm concerned.

If you want to make $$ on a bike purchase, find a dealer to sell you an '08 Ninja 250 at '08 prices, trailer it home & park that in the garage instead. The '09s are going up in price without any changes to the design at all, and the '08s are near unobtainable (plus you could flip the '08 immediately if you wanted to simply by selling into a different market [like Florida] where they are truly unobtainable any more).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

______________________
CyberPoet's KR Specials
Suzuki Stratosphere - 6 Cylinders, the new Katana?
The Best Motorcycle Metal Billet Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[miller7170]

I appreciate everyones comments. In taking all of them in, I figured to staty away from a 750, not much of a gain. I will work on the 600's lower fairing this winter and get all looking near perfect, and keep riding her and enjoy what I have, and it is paid for so that is better too. If I am going to upgrade I think I will go with a bigger sport touring bike.
Thanks again to all.