'95 Katana 750cc for sale, 20k+ miles, $1300. worth it?

[newrider1991]

I've heard mixed things about a 750cc katana as a beginner bike in terms of safety. just saw this bike with a for sale sign. since i was in traffic when i saw it called the phone number on it, (bluetooth in car ftw) gonna go check it out very soon and see whats up. guy says its mechanically sound (of course), but of course i have to go see how much life certain components have (chain, sprockets, brakes, bearings, etc) but the seller says there's an inconsistent idle due to the carbs not being synced even though they were cleaned. now, is syncing the carbs yourself really that easy for a beginner? more info on bike to follow after i pay it a visit.

[Kreylyn]

I've heard mixed things about a 750cc katana as a beginner bike in terms of safety. just saw this bike with a for sale sign. since i was in traffic when i saw it called the phone number on it, (bluetooth in car ftw) gonna go check it out very soon and see whats up. guy says its mechanically sound (of course), but of course i have to go see how much life certain components have (chain, sprockets, brakes, bearings, etc) but the seller says there's an inconsistent idle due to the carbs not being synced even though they were cleaned. now, is syncing the carbs yourself really that easy for a beginner? more info on bike to follow after i pay it a visit.

Carb sync is extremely easy with the proper tools and setup. An alt fuel source instead of the fuel tank, and a proper sync tool makes it a matter of a couple of mins to do.


As for beginner bike... I started on a Kat 750... probably wasn't the best choice for a starter bike, but ... I'm still around and still have the same bike. Can't say all the parts on that bike are the same....


Krey

[newrider1991]

Carb sync is extremely easy with the proper tools and setup. An alt fuel source instead of the fuel tank, and a proper sync tool makes it a matter of a couple of mins to do.


As for beginner bike... I started on a Kat 750... probably wasn't the best choice for a starter bike, but ... I'm still around and still have the same bike. Can't say all the parts on that bike are the same....


Krey

thanks. the fact that it was that easy and it wasn't done already kinda worries me. but you said you started out on a 750 and it probably wasn't the best bike. what about it would make it not the best beginner bike?

[skjeflo]

thanks. the fact that it was that easy and it wasn't done already kinda worries me. but you said you started out on a 750 and it probably wasn't the best bike. what about it would make it not the best beginner bike?

Don't skip past what Krey said about having the proper tool. Those who don't have (or can't make) the proper tool will end up just not doing it.

As for what might make the 750 not a good beginners bike, well, your right hand and your brain have much to do with that. If you can honestly keep both of those under control then it may not be a bad first bike, but few can until they are older and wiser.

OK, maybe not wiser, just more realistic about how fast their body will heal if/when they do something potentially stupid.

[shpielers]

It's heavy and it's got a fair amount of power that can take an inexperienced rider by surprise. It's far better than trying to learn on a GSXR though.


In my area, that'd sell for 2x that price, if not more.

[ErrEs]

I started riding on a '98 750 and it was the ideal beginners bike for me. It's a very stable bike that gives you plenty of warning long before things get past the point of no return. It's not that easy to maneuvre on low speeds because of the geometry and weight but it is very stable, and the engine allows you to ride in low revs without any surprise. You'll need to go into the second half of the rpm range before she starts kicking but you can easily grow into that kind of riding.
If the bike is in good nick and the price is good, you won't be disappointed.

[YakuzaEmpire]

I actually just did the same exact thing 95 kat 750 needed carb work... 10k miles. Got them cleaned bench synched, then tuned for $85. Now it runs like a beast! Oh yeah and I changed spark plugs... unless you're recording your every move I'd let a shop take it apart and put it back together.. I still have 4 left over screws. Lmfao. Fml. Cost me 1450.

Oh yeah and it's my first REAL bike and it hasn't scared me one bit yet SINCE I've been riding it.

[elsueco]

I've heard mixed things about a 750cc katana as a beginner bike in terms of safety. just saw this bike with a for sale sign. since i was in traffic when i saw it called the phone number on it, (bluetooth in car ftw) gonna go check it out very soon and see whats up. guy says its mechanically sound (of course), but of course i have to go see how much life certain components have (chain, sprockets, brakes, bearings, etc) but the seller says there's an inconsistent idle due to the carbs not being synced even though they were cleaned. now, is syncing the carbs yourself really that easy for a beginner? more info on bike to follow after i pay it a visit.

Welcome to KR!

I think that's a fair price for that age of bike in decent shape. Regardless, be ready to spend a few hundred bucks more on things it may need like brake pads, chain/sprockets or new tires.

It'll be a good starter bike if you're not stupid. Like others have said, it gives you plenty of warning before getting squirrely. Once you have a bit of experience under your belt, it has more power than you need. Seems to me to be a better choice than starting out on a 250 and quickly outgrowing it.

If it will idle, that's saying something. Syncing the carbs isn't difficult, but will be a pain in the ass the first time, especially as a newbie to the bike who is still learning where everything is. Download the manuals from the wiki and do a lot of searching/reading on this site; there's a lot of info here. Oh, and I vote for making your sync tool out of glass bottles and tubing; it works really well.

If it were me, I'd want to deep clean the carbs again myself so I know that everything has been done correctly. You might want to just sync them for now so you can get to riding (hopefully) and leave the carb cleaning for this winter if you decide to do it. It's not difficult, but there are a lot of bits and pieces to keep track of.

As for Yakuza-san's clean/sync/tune(?) for $85, I doubt they were very well cleaned for that price. That's only an hour of shop labor where I live. I can see a shop hosing the thing down with carb cleaner and taking the float bowls off, but I doubt they would have removed the jets and pilot screws for that price. Still, it's running like a beast, and that's all that matters.