Question about Katanas.

[hartas]

I was thinking of buying a used katana 600 for my first bike. I have been hearing from others how this bike is not a good beginners bike. They say this bike is heavy compared to other 600s. I was also courious if this would be a good buy for me.

Its a 1999 Katana 600 with 24,000 miles on it , for 3,000.

Please let me know what you think and if I should purchase this bike.

Thanks,
Hartas

[hellcamp]

The Kat is an excellent beginners bike. Yes, it is heavier than your regular SS bikes, but that's exactly why it is more forgiving to a beginner. This topic has been discussed in great detail on the forum. Search for it.

Is the bike you're looking at modded in any way ? Assuming it's all stock, for a '99 stock Kat with 24K miles on it, $3K is probably ok. I'd talk the seller down to about $2.5K to make it a really sweet deal. Use www.kbb.com to look up a starting price for your bike.

[katana bob]

that is a good price if the bike is in decent shape. alot of people will tell you to buy smaller and work your way up (ie 250cc bike) but personally I see nothing wrong with a kat 600 as a first bike. I have seen many people who got the 250cc bike only to want a bigger bike soon after thier riding skills improved a little. yes they are heavy compared to other 600cc bikes, but thats a good thing imo. they also have less horsepower (also good for a beginner) and are more stable/rider friendly than say a gixxer 600. I would get the kat and sign up for a motorcycle safety course in your area.

[Bulletproof Enemy]

Im selling my kat, id like $3500 for it, and its got WAY less miles than that, and has WAY more mods to it. PM me if interested

[tzortn]

Here are some useful threads:

http://www.katriders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13232

http://www.katriders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18631

[The CyberPoet]

From one of the above listed threads (or probably from both of them):

NOTE: STANDARD REPOST

Standard advice:

As a newbie, my advice is to look at cheap used bikes in the 400 to 500cc range. Find a bike that fits your build well, where you can put both feet on the ground and lean the bike between your thighs left and right a bit. The bike should be cheap -- $1k - $2k price range (preferably something you can afford in cash), physically light and nimble, and not all that powerful. If you wreck it during your learning curve, you won't cry at the financial penalty of it, and if you don't wreck it, you'll be able to get out of it whatever it cost you in the first place... It'll also teach you better riding habits.

To quote myself:

the Ninja 250 & 500's, Bandit 400's, Suzuki GS500 are an ideal starter bikes... [Newbie "riders"] would learn far better habits on the smaller bike than on a typical Katana (for reasons I'm about to explain):

There are certain great advantages to starting out on a small, nimble, high-rev'ving bike with a low total cost. Among others, you will learn to use the handling and power with far more finess and far more skill than you would on a larger, more powerful bike like the Kat. To put that into terms that make sense to someone coming from the car world:

When Colin McRae, the world-champion WRC (world rally cup) driver first started to drive (age 12 - 14), he did so swiping his dad's 1972 Ford Fiesta/Escort with a miniscule 1.2 or 1.4 liter engine. It had power nothing -- manual steering, manual brakes, and high-rev'ing engine with little torque. This taught him everything from precise handling to carrying speed through corners, finess and control, matching shift-speeds and proper gear selection. If his father had owned a Cadillac Eldorado with a 501 cubic inch engine and automatic-power-everything, he would have never had the opportunity (or the need) to learn proper gear selection, finess in handling, traction and handling loss of traction, etc. -- the huge engine and huge car just never require it of the driver. In the same sense, a larger, heavier and more torque-rich bike never require you to learn certain fine nuances of riding... you can just punch out in whatever gear for a passing maneuver, you don't need to carry speed through corners, etc. And there's the crux -- if you learn these skills as habits with your first bike, they go with you for the rest of your life. On the other hand, if you don't learn them at the beginning, unlearning mediocre and poor habits and learning the better/advanced habits later is very difficult and something many never master...
Thus, for all the same reasons that McRae went on to be the winningest rally champ in history, I say to you, get the Ninja 250 or 500, or a bandit 400, a nighthawk 450, etc., and start there. By the time you move up in a year or three, you'll be riding circles around at least half the guys who started on a Katana, and doing so with great confidence.

Just my two cents worth...
And in part because I just buried a friend who didn't take that advice when he should have (RIP JASON05), and in part because I'm a former German driving instructor -- I just want to see you ride happily into old age...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Bigbody45]

get the 600 my first bike was a gsxr 600 and i had it for a year and didn't wreck it.

[WildKat]

Beginner bike or seasoned veteran bike, you'll be more than happy on a Kat. It's a great choice.

The extra weight is not such a hinderance as people think. If they really sat back and thought about it you can see the benefits of it. It's a very stable bike, and very forgiving to new riders. Its comfortable, easy to handle, and generally a fun bike to ride.

That's not to say that you cant get into trouble on a kat as easy as any other bike either so don't be fooled by its sport tourer design. She'll keep a grin on your face, no doubt about that.

[KatanaSoldier]

Just get the Kat! You will love her forever, LoL!!

[SKNL2]

I think the weight issue comes into play if you already have a frame of reference. If you are practicing with your bike as you should be, you will become adept at stopping it as you would any other bike. It is a myth that heavy bikes won't stop as quickly as lighter ones given the same braking skill on the rider's part. Now, nibleness is another thing entirely.

Being a heavy 600 you may more easily drop it but dropping your bike isn't a sin, ending up under it is.

I am with CP and the others on this, though. 250 or 500 for your first ride. It will force you to learn technique to have the fun you're looking for since it isn't replaced with horsepower. The Katana is a great bike, just a little more than a green rider should be on.

[hartas]

Thanks

I will take in consideration that I am a beginner. Here is a pic of the bike.
It has 750 on the side but its a 600.

[hartas]

Thanks

I will take in consideration that I am a beginner. Here is a pic of the bike.
It has 750 on the side but its a 600.