Getting a Katana (maybe)

[Anonymous]

Im a new rider and taking my MSF in a couple of weeks, still un decided about what to get its between a yzf600r and a Kat 600. Im leaning towords the Kat for a few reasons. I want a new bike not used.My question is though im going to look at new Kats in a few days what is a good price for a 05 or if i can find a 04. What should i pay, what price should i walk away from?

[Katgirl]

Actually we just recently had this discussion, and it was half and half. Some will tell you to go Yammi, some will say go with the Kat

http://www.katriders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6501&highlight=yzf+600r

[The CyberPoet]

Power Sports of Clearwater (Florida) is blowing out '05 Kat 750's for $6200 right now.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[SlipKid]

I would get the Kawasaki ZZR600 for $200 more MSRP than the Yamaha YZF. It's a much more modern and capable machine for not much extra cash. Another way to look at it is that you can't mod the Kat or YZF with the price difference and touch the Kaw.

[harrye]

Re: Getting a Katana (maybe)

...what is a good price for a 05 or if i can find a 04. What should i pay, what price should i walk away from?

I am a little reluctant to say exactly what I paid for my 2004 Kat 600 in late March of this year. The MSRP for the 2004 per Suzuki's web site was $6,299. Maybe the market improves once the riding season begins in ernest. Maybe dealers have blow out sales, if they get worried about a slowing economy. I don't know what area of the country you live in. There may be a lot of young people in your area with money to buy bikes.

But the out to door price (excluding sales tax) should be several hundred dollars below the MSRP. States probably have different title and license fees, but they should not be too large.

Does anyone have any comments about freight charges by a dealer? I've seen some high charges, but I paid none.

I had a quote of $6,040 out the door, before sales tax, for a 2005 Kat 600, but got a 2004 a little cheaper from a different dealer based on intangible factors as well.

I'm thinking a YZF 600R will be over $1,000 more out the door. Maybe $1,200 more. If you are not a large person, or unsure of handling a heavy bike at slow speed, U-turns, pushing it in the garage, etc., (thats where the problem is), the Yamaha is a better bet for you. The yamaha is technologically superior on paper, to the Kat (see the topic referred to above). But thats on paper. When you are riding, who's to know?

But the Kat is rock solid stable at high speed, and comfortable.

If you only care about your own opinion, and are not looking for aclaim from other sportbike riders who you don't know, the Kat provides the least expensive way to get the sportbike experience.

[Anonymous]

I am more worried about getting somehting like the YZF and not being able to handle it. I know that Kat is heavier but is it more managable to a newbie or should i spend the extra grand and learn on the YZF. Or will I like the Kat so much i wont want something else. Also i havent really looked at the Kawi yet, any more ideas or opions. Thanks for all the advice keep it coming :-k

[WildKat]

The YZF is a great bike, and if you're a careful about riding, especially since you're still new to it, you'd do fine w/ either one.. but since ur katriders.com , well Im gonna say go w/ a Kat

[The CyberPoet]

I am more worried about getting somehting like the... not being able to handle it [as]... a newbie

Standard advice:

As a newbie, stop looking at "new" bikes. 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 are an ideal starter bike... [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.
Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Lagmo]

If you want a good learning bike, try looking for a old solid bike, seriously consider getting an old, small bike like a Honda CB400/500, Kawa 305 EX, or suzuki GS400/500.
You'll most likely be able to find one for those for 500$ or less! (recently saw a 1986 Kawasaki 305EX in perfect running order minus the battery on ebay go for 76 Eur ~100$! )

They're cheap to own/run, they hardly cost anything to fix when they get abused by a inexperienced rider.

Just can ride that for a few months and beat the living daylight out of it
(What if it breaks down? - Good time to learn a bit of DIY motorcycle mechanics )
Once your're comfortable riding that, swap it out for a USED Kat 600/750

There's no reason to buy a brand new bike untill you've been riding for a few years first time you drop it/crash or scratch it(which WILL happen at some point) it's a truckload of $$$ down the drain but by then you'll be able to afford cheap insurrance anyways because of your excellent driving/claim record hehe

Start small, it might save your life or atleast your wallet 8)

Personally i started riding on a '73 CZ 175ccm 2 stroke piece of junk from hell. Might have been the ugliest bike on the block, but you still get waves from other riders(and heartfelt sympathy from some as well) and it took every kind of abuse i threw at it: over-reving(no rpm gauge), missed shifts, clutchless shifts, dumping(5 times, mostly cause of a bad kickstand), 2 minor crashes & a major one(also the kickstand )

Rode it for about 8000Km in all kinds of weather and besides gas/insurrance/registration i think i only spent about 300$ on it total (including two engine swaps, 3 sets of grips, a new front light, two taillights(dun' ask) and a complete frontend make-over.
Afaik the bike still runs, it's sitting in the back of a shed somewhere out back...

Just my humble and overly long oppinion :smt015

P.S. - Cyberpoet +1

[harrye]

I am more worried about getting somehting like the YZF and not being able to handle it. I know that Kat is heavier but is it more managable to a newbie or should i spend the extra grand and learn on the YZF. Or will I like the Kat so much i wont want something else. Also i havent really looked at the Kawi yet, any more ideas or opions. Thanks for all the advice keep it coming :-k

Taking the advice of the prior two posters and starting with a smaller bike is really what you should do.

But just for the record, you do have it backwards about the YZF and the Kat. The YZF is an easier bike to handle. Its lighter and maybe not so top heavy, and has a shorter wheelbase. Forget the higher power and torque ratings of the YZF, you don't have to use it. It won't over power you. Its like drivings a grandma's V-8 Cadiliac, it can go slowly too.

"Or will I like the Kat so much i wont want something else."

That's my story. I love the doplhin style of the seat and gas tank. Kats are not so common in the rest of the biking world. They are unique, and so are their riders.

Regarding the Kawisaki, one poster from that earlier topic discussions wrote about the ZZR 600, and it seems to have even more muscle than the YZF. But all this if for your dreams and plans now.

Are you ready to start thinking about which of the smaller bikes you want? That's fun too.

[Black_peter]

A big Plus 1 to [b]Lagmo[b]!
a very good post!

[Lagmo]

SUMMA SUMARUM

http://www.katriders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7244&highlight=

I think this just about says it all