[WildKat]

Yes, make sure that you buy a BLUE one, they are the fastest. Check the statistics, they come that way from the factory.

Wrong! Wind tunnel tests, dynos, and track runs have proven over and over again that yellow is the fastest color. Just wearing a yellow helmet gives you 5 more horses!

Wrong again, stickers give you 5 more hp

[canzures]

Has anybody here ever been rejected on their credit application? Because I have. Applied for the suzuki credit and they said that I have too many open accounts. I was hoping that I was going to be able to bring home the SVS.

I guess I'm gonna have to wait until after I refinance my house at the end of the month and pay off my other credit cards and close them permanently and then go back to the dealer and try again.

I have been looking around ebay for deals on bikes but most are just too far like over 150 miles. I have found some but the prices were off the wall...for 2k more or less I might as well buy one new...what a predicament....

[Anonymous]

Been there....Sorry about the set back.

[harrye]

I was impressed with how smooth the bike is. The engine felt fine in 6th gear in the 35 mph range.

I don't hit 2nd till at least 35 mph

Normally I would not say anything...but you need to change gears HIGHER in the rv zone...it is not a car...shift aroung 5-6000 and the bike is COMPLETELY different.

...if you ever had to accelerate rapidly (some accidents can be avoided by SPEEDING up and OUT of the harm), you would not be able to. DO NOT be afraid to 'wring it out", bikes like that much more then what you are doing. 8). Once you get comfortable, shift at around 10K and see how much fun that is...trust me...you will be amazed at what it can do.

Thanks for speaking up Range. Advancement and improvement sometimes will not happen unless someone speaks up.

This is a new bike. I was starting with less than one mile on the odometer.
But I knew I was driving differently from how others would. I was surprized to find that I was in top gear in the upper 30 mph range. I couldn't tell what gear I was in. I kept trying for seventh during each run thru the gears. I would have happily shifted to tenth by about 50mph if I could have. Then I realized that if I want to go faster, I am going to have to twist that throttle grip. But the engine was purring smoothly at 37 or so in 6th. It was not lugging or bucking. The owners manual shows the shift up schedule from 5th to 6th to be done at 37 mph. The 6th to 5th downshift is at 25 mph per the schedule. So if you don't intend to accelerate, this bike can be driven slowly in the upper gears.

About that shift schedule, I bought new bikes before in the early 1980's and I remember those shift schedules in those owners manuals. I used to think that there was some mistake. Both my 400cc and my 175cc bikes had about the same shift points. The 175cc two-stroke being slightly higher getting into the upper gears. My 1981 Yamaha XS 400 has shift points per the manual that are exactly the same as my 2004 Kat; 12, 19, 25, 31 and 37.

With my Yamahas I used to think that they were probably sold in 3rd world countries as well, and some poor guy had a large family to support and the motorcycle was the only family vehicle. Fuel economy would be utmost in that guy's mind, thus the low speed shift points. Nowhere in the world does that scenario seem possible with respect to the Katana.

The owner's manual for the Kat says to vary the engine speed during break-in, and I intend to do that. Today I got the bike up to about 70 mph for a brief period. Like a true racer, the faster you go the more stable the katana feels. The manual also says to keep it below 5,500 rpm for the first 500 miles, so I will do that too.

I wanted to drive slow yesterday because I was driving on county roads for the first time this spring, and I wanted to check for potholes. Happily, there were none, which bodes well for future trips. But there were so many deer out toward the evening. I must have seen 20 or 30, grazing in the fields like cattle. Car drivers have been known to hit two in one day. My last excuse for driving slowly was that I am using my 23 year old helmet, and sometimes when I was driving my older bikes, if I turned my head sideways for some reason at 50 or 60 mph, the visor would pop open and try to yank the helmet off my head. I resorted to drilling a hole near the bottom of the face shield and tying the shield down against the chin bar with a shoe lace. A new helmet is my highest priority now, that and a leather jacket, and padded gloves.

But there is no denying it. I prefer to drive slowly. I had 255,000 miles on my last car when I gave it away, and it ran great. My 1981 bikes are doing fine too, and they are driven slowly. The exhaust system got clogged a few years back on the two-stroke however.

I know what you mean about the dangers of driving too slowly in higher gears on the bike. I'd have to do a lot of quick downshifting to get moving fast. But there is not a lot of traffic where I drive. yesterday evening I probably met 3 cars and was passed by none.

There's one place where driving slowly has been a problem for me, and that is snowmobiling. Being from Canada, Range, you might know about this sport. There are no speed limits on the groomed trails in my area, and I can't (or won't) drive at even one third the pace of most of the other (groups of) riders. When women carrying small children zoom past me on snowmobiles, I know what humiliation is. I installed side mirrors on my sled, and I use them always. I'll use them with my bike too.

I intend to run my Kat's engine into the 10k range when broken in. I know the thrill. I wouldn't have mentioned the Formula One and Indy car engines if I didn't . But for me, knowing about it and thinking about it are sometimes all that is necessary. Actually doing it isn't always necessary.

More than you had time to read, I am sure. For me the 10k that I get the most enjoyment from is the word count.

[WildKat]

It takes time to get used to it, for you and of course for your bike to get broken in, but once you do, you'll be totally amazed at what your Kat can do for your grin factor

[harrye]

I guess I'm gonna have to wait until after I refinance my house at the end of the month and pay off my other credit cards and close them permanently and then go back to the dealer and try again.

I have been looking around ebay for deals on bikes but most are just too far like over 150 miles. I have found some but the prices were off the wall...for 2k more or less I might as well buy one new...what a predicament....

If refinancing means getting some of the equity out of your house in the form of cash, you wouldn't have to "try again" when you go back to your dealer. You could go back and write a check for the full price of the bike.

Closing those other credit cards permanently is as important for your personal finances as is driving safely when you are on a motorcycle.

I'm not sure what the problem is with the 150 mile distance as opposed to a dealer 5 miles from you. If the deal is right for a used bike, do you know someone with a pickup truck? My new Kat was delivered 100 miles on the dealer's pickup. No problem.

[Range]

I read every word Harrye...and I understand...but here is a little thing on "breaking in the engine".

I am from the camp where you ride it hard from day one....LOTS of engine breaking to seat the rings and get it all worked in together. I have heard this is the best practice from several people who's thoughts on this I believe.

My bike has just past its 1000 km...and MAN is it sweet!