... on a new 750 Kat -- Lord willing and the creek don't rise, that is.
I've been on a long, long hunt to replace The Big Blue Blob (my '04 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic) with a SPORT-touring rig, and I think I've found it in the Katana 750. I know what I like about it, and I've seen very little not to like about it. It's heavy, and it's an old design, sure. But that just means it's a classic along the lines of the YZF-600R. And it's weight is actually a plus in my book -- it should smooth out the ride better on some of the rough backroads I ride. Old school? GREAT! I can work on it myself!
The Katana's underrated -- and doomed to obsolescence, probably -- but still a great, great ride. Basically the only thing I don't like about it right now is the style of the headlights... But hell, Suzuki's in the business of building distinctive bikes -- the 'busa and the V-Stroms sure generate a wide range of opinions about their front ends.
My question for you folks is: What are the downsides to this bike? Is there anything -- anything -- I need to know about it before I bring it home? Any inherent flaws? Any mods you have to do as soon as you get it home (like the KLR650 and it's 'doohickey')?
I'm not just talking about personal preference stuff here, either. I'm talking about "I can't believe Suzuki still hasn't fixed this" stuff -- safety issues, reliability issues, etc.
As proven as this design is, I think I'd have heard something if there were major problems with it... but you never know. Of course, teh interwebs have a way of bringing out all the horror stories... but this is a forum for fanatic KatRiders, so I figure I'll get some pretty objective responses.
Thanks in advance.
I've been on a long, long hunt to replace The Big Blue Blob (my '04 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic) with a SPORT-touring rig, and I think I've found it in the Katana 750. I know what I like about it, and I've seen very little not to like about it. It's heavy, and it's an old design, sure. But that just means it's a classic along the lines of the YZF-600R. And it's weight is actually a plus in my book -- it should smooth out the ride better on some of the rough backroads I ride. Old school? GREAT! I can work on it myself!
The Katana's underrated -- and doomed to obsolescence, probably -- but still a great, great ride. Basically the only thing I don't like about it right now is the style of the headlights... But hell, Suzuki's in the business of building distinctive bikes -- the 'busa and the V-Stroms sure generate a wide range of opinions about their front ends.
My question for you folks is: What are the downsides to this bike? Is there anything -- anything -- I need to know about it before I bring it home? Any inherent flaws? Any mods you have to do as soon as you get it home (like the KLR650 and it's 'doohickey')?
I'm not just talking about personal preference stuff here, either. I'm talking about "I can't believe Suzuki still hasn't fixed this" stuff -- safety issues, reliability issues, etc.
As proven as this design is, I think I'd have heard something if there were major problems with it... but you never know. Of course, teh interwebs have a way of bringing out all the horror stories... but this is a forum for fanatic KatRiders, so I figure I'll get some pretty objective responses.
Thanks in advance.
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