Old kat needs some help

[dustinb]

Hi i just bought a 96 katana 600. The bike had been sitting for a few years prior to me buying it. So what should i do to freshen it up a bit for a season of riding. It has only 7000 miles as it is right now and appears to be all stock. The battery is shot so my only means of firing it up are jumping it. I did clean the carbs and now it runs "alright" opposed to horible. it seems to hesitate too much if i gun the throttle. If you can give me some advice and help me out i would appreciate it.

thanks

[BarMatt80]

congrats on the bike.

here are some things that should help and save some headaches.

-get rid of old gas - replace with new good gas 87 octane will do
-disassemble and clean the carbs, check conditions of the carb parts
-change/clean airfilter
-Put dielectric greese in the electrical connections
-put antisieze on all header bolts, joints, etc.
-put in new oil that meets the recommended specs
-new oil filter
-replace brake lines
-replace brake fluid
-check for rust in the gas tank, if present use por-15 to treat it.
-replace tires before even pushing it down the road if stock from 1996
-metzeleler z6 is an awesome choice IMHO
-replace spark plugs, stock ngk is a great plug


that is all i can think of now. others will chime in to help you out man

oh yeah, get a good helmet and some gear. atleast a jacket, then pants, boots, and gloves.

and lastly ----post up some pics.

welcome to kr.

also buy a manual, however I got the pre98 600 already downloaded I can burn to disk and mail out tomorrow if you want it. just got to let me know, I will find it. let me know before 8 am tuesday.

[BarMatt80]

oh yeah if you jump the bike....make sure that the car that is doing the jumping is off. or else you could be replacing some electric parts. as for a new battery I recommend a yuasa for your bike: YB10L-B2. found on their website: http://www.yuasabatteries.com. they don't list a maintance free battery, but someone might let you know which one would work if any.

[dustinb]

thanks alot man, i will start cracking at that list now. What size tires would you recommend and where to get them from also. the tires are stock and they are not good at all.

Thanks

[BarMatt80]

the pre98 600 are different than the pre98 750's but just give it a while....someone will chime in. www.ronayers.com was running a special on shipping, that is where i got my z6's and alot of people recommend. www.americanmototire.com


check and see if local shops will mount and balance tires from a 3rd party first.

[BarMatt80]

also where you located at? because you might have some fellow kr members that would be possibly willing to help you out.

[md86]

Tire size ..... 11/80 f and 140/80r were stock for the 600 . Get you some 11/80 or 120/70 front and 150/70 rear . I like Americanmototire.com personally . And I like Diablo Stradas , which are VERY similar to the Metlzers .

[AllLostThings]

I have a very simaila situation with a 92 I'll be getting in a few weeks. This helps a lot, thank you

[KatanaSoldier]

Add some seafoam to the tank.

[The CyberPoet]

-put in new oil that meets the recommended specs

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[dustinb]

Thanks for all the help, the katana will be running great very shortly.

[BarMatt80]

i was just thinking of this thread the other day and wondering how it was going. I remembered something that was relatively important to add to the list, but once again i forgot, hopefully i can remember.

[VifferJim]

i was just thinking of this thread the other day and wondering how it was going. I remembered something that was relatively important to add to the list, but once again i forgot, hopefully i can remember.

Check/replace fork oil and seals.

Check/replace brake pads.

I got a '96 Kat 600 in pieces and you hit on just about everything else I went through.