new guy w/some questions

[fryeg7]

i just wanted to introduce myself and ask a question or two . i've been lurking here for a week or two sucking up info. i found this forum while searching for used bikes, specifically katanas . . . .

my major question is: 600 or 750? (i'm leaning towards 750, see below)

a little history and my intended use should help you all help me make a smart choice. i sold my first bike, a '96 GS500E, about three years ago due to a coming baby and a money crunch and i've been wanting another bike ever since. i liked the GS500, it was fun to ride in town and on limited highway rides. but, it was way underpowered and sucked on the highway due to the buzziness and lack of wind protection (and power . . . .).

now, i'm looking at katanas. i want a sporty bike, but not a sportbike. i'm 6'4" and want something comfy for travelling, but still fun to ride in town and on the back roads. i probably won't be riding two-up very often, but it will happen occasionally when i can talk the wifey onto the back of the bike. but i do plan on making some long trips on the bike once i get some luggage for it.

does the 600 have enough power for long highway trips with a 180# rider and a full load of luggage? is it buzzy? i'm not a speed junkie by any means and a pretty tame rider, so my interest in extra power is more practical than simply getting my rocks off (although that will be done sometimes ). i'm sure i'd be happy with a 600 if i was just running around town and riding for fun, but i really want a bike fully capable of sport-touring as well as zipping around town.

FWIW, the extra weight of the 750 doesn't bother me at all.

i've seen several decent deals locally on 600's, but the 750's are few and far between.

thanks in advance for any advice and i've really enjoyed the forum so far. you all have a great place here and you'll be seeing me around.

frye

PS i'm in louisville, KY and looking for a kat if anyone knows of anything close by

[nimblekat]

I have a 2002 Katana 600 and I am very happy with it. I am 6'0" and 260 and it has all the pick up & go I need. I hade my 14 year old on the back 5'9" 150 it does just fine. I have to admit I do like it more when there is not a passenger on it. But as far as performance goes I basically work off the lower half of the RPM scale. I have never driven the 750 but I am very happy with the 600.



2002 Katana 600
2001 Honda XR200 (Son's ride)
1999 Caravelle 209
1990 Ford F150
2001 Mercury Sable LS (Wifes ride)

[oiksy05]

i have a '95 Katana 750, and have made 4 200 mile trips on it and commute 60 miles daily with it. it is very comfortable (6'1", 190#) and handles both the backroads and the highway very well. only been 2-up once, and it was fine. i upgraded from a '95 Ninja 500, and the difference is amazing. the "buzz" is still there when i get up in the revs, but one of my cylinders is really low on compression, so i am thinking it has something to do with the imbalance of the engine. other than that i LOVE my Kat! and the full set of Cortech luggage fits much better on it.

can't comment on your major question, but there's my 2 cents.

[Alley_Kat]

I have a 2006 750. I an about 190 and 6ft.
It fits me fine and I do not get much buzz. I am not a speed freak, but the bike does great at 80 and is smooth at 90 to 95.
I have yet to ride 2 up on it since it us just out of the break in and I am wnating to get more comfortable before I take someone else with me, but the seat is roomy for 2 (more roomy than my 750 shadow)

[fryeg7]

thanks for the responses so far .

i just called on an '04 600 with less than 2000 mi. and i'm waiting for a call back. i've been doing some research and the 600 only makes 13hp and 10ft./lbs. torque less than the 750, which isn't that much (although the torque is more significant to me than the HP). this small difference in power seems like it could easily be made up for with a little work and some parts.

and when i talk about long highway trips, i'm talking kentucky to texas type trips. something that might not bug you over a few hours might really bug you after 1200 miles . this isn't something i plan on doing on a regular basis, but i want the bike to be capable of it without driving me nuts, numbing my hands/ass or destroying my back in the process. i do plan on making modifications with touring in mind ASAP on whatever bike i end up with.

anyone made any long hauls on a 600? any tips on luggage options and mods for comfort for extended riding?

frye

[KatanaSoldier]

My 600 fits me fine and I occasionaly will be 2 up with absolutely no problems. It does not give any particular buzz and is quite smooth. I have not ridden the 750 but I can imaging it must be even smoother since it has more power. Since you are only occasionally going 2 up, I think the 600 would suit you fine, even with luggage. If you think the wifey will be going more often than not, I would grab the 750.

[fryeg7]

this may seem like a silly question, but are the 600 and 750 the same size in terms of ergonomics and simply the engine is larger on the 750, or are there differences? are they the same bike, but one has more displacement?

frye

[Black_peter]

anyone made any long hauls on a 600? any tips on luggage options and mods for comfort for extended riding?

frye

Cyberpoet does long miles.. Honestly if I were eating up big miles I would go ZX10 or FJ1200.. Sure older but longer and softer...

[blkpitbull]

this may seem like a silly question, but are the 600 and 750 the same size in terms of ergonomics and simply the engine is larger on the 750, or are there differences? are they the same bike, but one has more displacement?

frye

They are almost identical. The 750 has alittle higher bars and rubber inserts in the bars for less "buzz" that you were asking about. Besides that the 750 has a 1000 rpm higher redline and different peg assemblies, (but the position is the same). Believe me the 13hp 10lbft difference is a marginal difference. Ive ridden both and the 750 is definately stouter than the #'s say it should be over the 600.

Get the 750 and you will definately be happy.

[starspan]

I can tell you at 6'4" and 250lbs the Kat 750 fits me well. According to your post you are the same height as me, but, I got you by about 70lbs. You would have no problem on a Kat 750. I can't imagine how the GS500 fit you.

[madkatana]

I'd say go with the 750. Better torque and horsepower curve, better anti vibration fixes like bars on rubber pads, better shock with more adjustability... Get the burgundy and silver the 2006 model, it was the best and sadly the last of its kind...

[The CyberPoet]

this may seem like a silly question, but are the 600 and 750 the same size in terms of ergonomics and simply the engine is larger on the 750, or are there differences? are they the same bike, but one has more displacement?

The frames are the same basic frame (interchangable). The steering angles, rake, and trail are pretty much identical. Even the wet curb-weight only varies by about 10 - 15 lbs.

The major differences are in the foot pegs and the upper triple-tree arrangment where the handle-bar extensions attach. But even these would be considered minor differences by anyone outside the Katana-knowledgible. There are also minor differences (heel kick plates for example) that really have no functional difference.

and when i talk about long highway trips, i'm talking kentucky to texas type trips. something that might not bug you over a few hours might really bug you after 1200 miles

I eat those kind of miles on mine (currently an '01 600; previously on an '00 600 that laid back about 40k before the swap to the newer one). There are a few mods that you really need to make to be able to do that distance well:
1. The most critical one: a better saddle. I use a corbin, but there are other options out there as well (RickMeyers for example). Given your size, you'll want what I want -- a saddle that is wide in the rear to support your full butt and upper thighs.
2. Some form of throttle lock or cruise-control. I use the ThrottleMeister bar ends, but would get the AudioVox electronic (non-vacuum) solution if I had to do it again.
3. Luggage big enough to support the journey. I use Givi hardsided saddlebags on the Kat (48 liters per side), but there are other options that are cheaper and less permanent. If you tend to trip alone (not two-up), I'd suggest keeping your eyes open for a set of used BBags on eBay (offered new as SpeedPack via BBags.de, and previously [currently?] carried by ChaseHarper as well).

Then there are upgrades that you will want to seriously consider but aren't really mandatory:
1. Fumoto oil drain valve ($27 or so). This valve will let you do an oil-change on the road in about 4 minutes with only an allen key (to open the access door to the oil filler cap). It replaces the drain bolt with a petcock valve. It will also let you do a partial oil-change (when I'm doing very long rides, I drain a liter every 1k miles and throw in a new liter to replace it -- knowing there is always some fresh oil in the mix).
2. Oil temp gauge (CyberPoet's All-weather/open-cockpit 200 degree C / 400 degree F Oil Temp Gauge solution - under $100). Although the Kat is particularly good at eating long distances at highway speeds, it isn't particularly happy to come up on traffic jams after cruising for hours at a goodly clip in hot weather. The gauge lets you know when you need to get off the road or shut down before you do any damages.
3. A better toolkit. Spare fuses, a leatherman tool, flashlight, an metric allen-key assortment on a fold-out tool, tire plug kit, etc. So far, I've only needed the tire plug kit for my own bike (well, aside from a zip-tie to hold a saddlebag closed after ruining the lock by dropping off a tall counter where we were staying), but I've used other parts of my kit on many other bikers' rides to get them going, and they could just as easily apply to me if I wasn't so anal about preventative maintenance on my bike. There's a good thread around here with an example of what I carry under my seat...
4. Great tires. If, like me, you are an all-weather rider, a set of Metzeler Z6's (my pref) or Pirelli Diablo Stradas (almost identical) will make a radical difference, esp. in wet-weather handling. Plus you are very unlikely to end up burning through a set in 10k miles, so a 3k road-trip is nothing...
and finally:
(5) some form of automated chain luber (I use the Pro-Oiler these days), or at least a can of permatex 80075 chain lube (fits under the seat). If you lube manually, lube a couple seconds worth of spray every time you take on fuel.

Everything else is just gravy to make it more enjoyable...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[fryeg7]

wow . . . talk about service . thanks everyone for the great and honest info .

i'm still looking/waiting for a phone call. no luck locating a later 750 locally yet, though. 600's are easier to find and certainly not out of the question.

if anyone has or knows of a good kat (either cc) within a few hours of louisville, KY, i'd love to hear about it .

frye

[Alley_Kat]

There is a new 750 Kat at Americas Motorsports in Madison TN close to the Rivergate Mall (about 30 Miles north of Nashville)
It is marked down to 5999.00 They will negotiate prices.
The one they have is the dark red.
They are good to deal with. After I bought mine they took me to the service area after they got it ready to go. The service manager sat with me for about 20 minutes and went over everything on the bike.

[fryeg7]

There is a new 750 Kat at Americas Motorsports in Madison TN close to the Rivergate Mall (about 30 Miles north of Nashville)
It is marked down to 5999.00 They will negotiate prices.
The one they have is the dark red.
They are good to deal with. After I bought mine they took me to the service area after they got it ready to go. The service manager sat with me for about 20 minutes and went over everything on the bike.

i'm actually looking for a used bike, but very late model one, simply for economy. i'll let someone else take the hit of the immediate depreciation that happens when you ride away from the dealer.

i did stop by a local dealer today to check up on the used bike inventory and saw the new bandit 1250 . . . i can't say for sure, but i think it was talking to me. . it was a thing of beauty and almost made me consider sitting down with the salesman and talking about some financing . i've always like bandits and that style of bike is very much what i'm looking for. the only full-faring bikes other than full-blown tourers that i have much interest in are katanas, YZF600's and interceptors. my cousin has a '95 interceptor that i've ridden and like.

if i was going to buy a brand new bike, i'd probably end up with the updated bandit. it looks great in person and has gotten very favorable reviews in the rags and online.

frye