[SKNL2]

Kasner,

I agree about the power of the Seca II and you are the person I have been looking for on this subject, someone that went from a Seca to a Kat. I will definitely try a non-modded Kat at my first opportunity.

Anyone selling one nearby, drop me a PM.

[skasner]

SKNL2...

I got rid of my Seca II when my fiance's stepdad took me through my first set of nice twisties. It felt very unstable when cornering hard and it had a horrible habit of skipping out of gear when I got on the throttle hard in second gear.

I was going to get a CBR F4i to replace it, however my insurance would have gone up quite a bit. After frolicking around the local stealerships I ran across the Kat I have now. It's not a super-sport so the insurance is very bearable, and once you put a nice set of tires on it (i have pirelli diablo stratas) it will hold a corner very well, even it the pooring rain.

If had had the money, i'd get a supersport (GSXR750) in a heartbeat just because I'd like to be able to have fun on a track, but if you are on a tight budget you can't beat the insurance and comfort of a post-98 "gently used" katana. Don't buy a brand-new one because it's not worth it.... mine is a 99 and it's pretty much the same as the 06 with the exception of the tail plastic... which can be swapped out easily if you desire to do so.

[SKNL2]

The Seca does perfectly what it was designed to do -- riding slow. It's a fantastic commuter bike. 50+ in the city and I have had 65+ 2-up on the highway.

Mine corners great on the twisties, unless there are imperfections in the pavement. Hit a bump in a corner and it feels like a wet noodle. It has a lateral motion and the front end likes to squirrel. Still, the Kat I rode made my Seca's handling feel great by comparison.

The input here is enough to make me want to ride another, unmodded bike. The Kat fits in so many ways, I can't give up on them yet.

Thanks for the posts.

[meanstrk]

You do know that the Bandit is available as a 600, right? What is your price range? The Katana and Bandit 600 can be had for extremely reasonable prices.

[BobKat2002]

Re: Test rode a Kat and hated it. Maybe you can change my mi

Hi guys,

The guy that was selling it lowered the stanchions in the fork clamps around 1.5-2 inches,
.

One and a half to two, inches?

Now, carefully take aim at this gentlleman's Genitals and with all of the velocity you can muster...
...plant your foot square in his package.

I've heard of lowering 3/4" in the front but, I've chosen to keep mine at 5/16.

[JaxKat]

My stock 06' 750 handles beautifully in the twisties and tight turns, with no problems. It even does well on the country gravel roads. Just watch out for the COW SHIATE.

[SKNL2]

Ron,

After your post, I investigated the Bandit a bit more and am now aware of the 600 as well as the 1200. I like the styling of the Katana better, but if a test of an unmodded bike proves to be a failure, then I will try out the Bandits.

Thanks for the heads up.

[slayergsxf1]

The Seca is a whole world diff than the Kat.A good bike though.Like everyone has said the mods on the Kat you test rode are probably the reason for its drag in handling. Did you ever ask if the frame was bent?Of course the owner wont tell you if hes honest he might. But look inside and poke around.

[DooD]

2001.

Here's what I know about bicycles in relation to their front end geometry:

Slack headtube angles cause the bike to be generally more stable, ie. straight line. Steep headtube angles cause the bike to be less stable, ie. twitchy. Lowering the forks steepens the headtube angle. 1" in the frontend will equate to 1 degree in headtube angle. 1 degree is a lot when talking about a bike's geometry.

I am wondering how that translates to the gyroscopic effect a motorcycle's wheels have on it's handling in relation to a bicycle. I fully understand the concept of counter-steering. I just cannot imagine that it was intended to require this much counter-steer on a bike that a lot of female riders start out on.

I am searching for a non-lowered Kat to test out. I don't want to mess with a local dea....stealer but will if that's my last option.

It's turning out that the guy wants too much for the bike in its condition anyway. $3500 for a 2001 600 with 13000 miles on it that has lived outdoors and been dropped on both sides is steep.

LOL, you sound like you've been reading my posts from Pinbike.com...

It's true that a mountain bike's geometry does change at about that rate, but most mountain bikers don't know much about rake vs. trail, and how the two effect each other, as well as the handling.

The problem with mountain bike geometry is that not too many people DO drop the fork in the crowns to acheive a different head angle, and instead, they base their opinions on non-camparable changes, such as switching from (this is a generality) an 8-lb., 7" travel Shiver WC, to a 13-lb, 8" travel Monster T. Therefore, everyone says that that 1 degree or so makes a HUGE difference on the handling, when in fact, they've essentially added 10% to the bike's overall weight, which DOES affect the handling in a large amount. (Not to mention that the switch to a Monster T is usually accompanied by a 2.8+" front tire, heavier wheel and hub, etc. Really, it's difficult to compare a bike to a bicycle, because you'd have to get into the effects that wheel size and weight have on gyroscopic effect, vs. the overall weight of the bike, and how THAT all relates to the center of gravity....

In this case though, the majority of the change if affected by rake. Motorcycles are designed around the fact that they'll function well in most situations (as per the class of bike) with a certain rake, and large changes WILL have more of an effect on the handling - especially since a downhill rig will weigh about 50 lbs., and that Kat is almost 500. So in reality, you can be very sure that the 'funny' handling of the kat is brought on by the lowered front end - the bike will tend to dive into corners really quick, but it'll be much harder to follow a line. Methinks you'd better try it again at a "proper" setting - I think you'll find that the Kat is actually quite stable through the corners!

[SKNL2]

I have been around bicycles all my life. Raced road and mountain, worked in shops, used as primary transportation, etc. I don't know what "pinbike.com" is. I wasn't only talking about mountain bikes. All bikes are affected by changes to their geometry. In fact, differences in roadbike geometries are more noticable. Riding a race bike is a lot different than riding a touring bike, as I am sure you know.

I know there are other forces at work on a motorcycle and understand the gyroscopic effect of the wheels on a motorcycle, combined with increased speed is exaggerated and sought to get some input as to how the two different machines are related.

From what I can gather, motorcycles are designed to right themselves and want to go straight. Input from the rider make them turn. Once this input is stopped, they want to return to center. The modded Kat I rode wasn't following this rule of design.

I am quite happy to find out that the lowering mod is most likely to blame for the handling issue and am actively looking for a Kat to ride/buy.

Thanks to all for your help and input!

[SKNL2]

Confirmed: It was the modification to the front end

Well, I have been riding my new-to-me Katana 600 around all day and I have been able to confirm that, while they are heavy compared to true sportbikes, Katanas handle quite well. LOVE IT!!!!

If anyone is in the Charlotte area and would like to ride, shoot me a PM sometime.

Later and thanks to all for the good advice.

[The CyberPoet]

Re: Confirmed: It was the modification to the front end

Well, I have been riding my new-to-me Katana 600 around all day and I have been able to confirm that, while they are heavy compared to true sportbikes, Katanas handle quite well. LOVE IT!!!!

If anyone is in the Charlotte area and would like to ride...

Hope to see you at the Rally!

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[trinc]

now that you've gone through all that...

raise the fork tubes up 1/4" .
it really makes the steering more 'neutral'


enjoy
tim

[WildKat]

Re: Confirmed: It was the modification to the front end

Well, I have been riding my new-to-me Katana 600 around all day and I have been able to confirm that, while they are heavy compared to true sportbikes, Katanas handle quite well. LOVE IT!!!!

If anyone is in the Charlotte area and would like to ride...

Hope to see you at the Rally!

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

Thats great news, glad to hear you were able to experience riding a Kat and get a true feel for it. See, we told ya so !

[slayergsxf1]

Nice!