[harrye]

...- Simple maintenance and cheap service visits...

I am still aprehensive about my upcoming 662 mile initial service visit, and it $300+ cost.

The service visits for Kat are cheap? Is it more costly to service a Gixxer, Ninja, or R6? Are valve adjustments required for the supersport bikes as well, and are they more difficult and costly? Hydraulic valve lifters aren't used on any sportbikes?

[Range]

I hate the Katana, I'll never own one let alone put another $1000 on top of buying it new into building a beast of an engine for one. The color yellow sucks.

I agree with you Mister!

[Zukiman]

Did not notice too much Kat slamming. Most seemed to agree that the Katana is a good, solid bike. Thats what I got out of it anyway.

[Black_peter]

This quote was a little short on facts:

I dropped 18 pounds off my bike getting rid of the stock exhaust system and that was noticeable instantly

Unless he means he removed the exhaust and never replaced it...

[AHF]

I hate the Katana, I'll never own one let alone put another $1000 on top of buying it new into building a beast of an engine for one. The color yellow sucks.

I agree with you Mister!

I hate Range!

[katrider]

actually, there was only like 2 posts that were truley "hate" posts...the other one's I actually agreed to and thought that thread was pretty thoughtful as far as the responses go.

The guy that says "I bag on them all the time" (Rino451) is himself the "poser" and is obviously into motorcycling for image alone.

Sounded positive to me...believe me, I've seen Kat rage and it's not pretty. Most of what was said is true, the bike is a bit top heavy due to the steel frame, and a tad underpowered for torque, so no lies there...

[WildKat]

is waiting for a, "I'll punch you in the throat" comment

surprising how many people on SBN are actually defending the kat for what it really is, instead of bashing it. there's alot of squids on SBN, but also alot of responsible riders as well.

[HS2020]

I would reply there but it say I can't and I am a member there as well. Hey Matt post up a Good pic of my bike over there and ask them what they think it is.

[Anonymous]

Showoff!!

[WildKat]

Yeah, you tell him Joe !!!

[lucifers_ride]

I was gonna post up on there....... but I think you guys pretty much took over that thread........ Nobody every says anything when I first ask them what they paid and then I tell them I paid $800 for my bike and the only things I have done are tires, chain, and flush mounts on the rear (other than upkeep).

[The CyberPoet]

...- Simple maintenance and cheap service visits...

I am still aprehensive about my upcoming 662 mile initial service visit, and it $300+ cost.

The service visits for Kat are cheap? Is it more costly to service a Gixxer, Ninja, or R6? Are valve adjustments required for the supersport bikes as well, and are they more difficult and costly? Hydraulic valve lifters aren't used on any sportbikes?

The service visit for the 600 mile service is exactly the same as the service visit for a 15,000 mile service. Almost all of that visit cost is labor (all but about $50 - $60), and can be avoided by doing it yourself. If you want to break it down (these times assume a professional mechanic -- expect parts to take you longer, significantly longer if it's your first time), it goes like this:

Remove upper & lower fairings, gas tank & related plumbing, seat, cross bar, coils -- just to access valve covers: 1/2 to 3/4 hour.
Remove valve covers, check valve adjustments, adjust if necessary: 30 - 45 minutes.
Change oil and filter: 15 minutes
Check 29 to 32 critical bolts for proper torque: a minute each? Let's say 20 minutes total.
Check brakes, clean/adjust/lube chain, check/adjust/lube throttle/choke/clutch cables, top off all fluids as necessary: 20 minutes.
Reassemble everything: another 30 to 45 minutes.
Post-labor test drive: 5 minutes.
Let's see, by my break-out, that's between 2-1/4 to 3-1/4 hours. Suzuki says it's a 2.7 to 2.9 standard-labor-hour service for a full 600/15k service. So, that seems about right. Multiply that by the shop labor rate (usually $65 - $80, depending on the area), add in the replacement oil and oil filter, any old-oil disposal fees, applicable sales taxes, and you're right around the $300 mark for the full service.

Is it more expensive to service a water-cooled bike? Depends on a variety of factors, such as how many valves (more valves=more time), what the valve adjustment procedure is, how much time is required to get at them (if the fairings & tank are faster to access, then the price falls), and whether the cooling system has to be drained/refilled/burped as a result.
That valve adjustment procedure plays into it heavily:
for Ducati's with their desmo valve system, add more time and include a mandatory belt or chain replacement for the service (all but the first visit);
for late model Honda VFR's (with the VTech), the valve adjustment process is so convoluted that it runs to a 6+ hour service (adjust all the valves a first time, rotate the engine around, insert special tools to activate the VTech positions, adjust all the secondary valves again, remove the tool, recheck the positions).
for most water-cooled bikes, there is a mandatory water pump/gasket/thermostat replacement every so often/so many miles (2 years and/or 20k miles isn't uncommon if you want reliability), plus a cooling system flush every major service.

Finally, hydraulic valves only work reliably on valves that don't crest more than about 7k - 8k RPMs. Thus, you can find hydraulic valves used in large-bore low-RPM V-twins, such as many of the cruisers, as well as in older, lower-RPM-ceiling bikes from the 70's and early 80's (some parallel twins for example), but for sports and sport-touring bikes which reach 10k to 16.5k RPM's (depending on the bike), this simply is not an option.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[SweetLou]

I think I will stay away from the Honda Engines with the VTEC Crap.

[The CyberPoet]

I think I will stay away from the Honda Engines with the VTEC Crap.

I'm really psyched about the new VFR/Blackbird follow-on that uses the V5 engine, but if it has the same VTEC system as the current VFR, I will avoid it as well (there is a different implimentation method used in the cars that's not nearly as difficult to do the adjustments on -- if they use that, then I'll give it serious consideration). Personally, I think VTEC for a motorcycle is like a skateboard for a dog -- sure, you can do it, but why bother? (and before anyone jumps in and says something -- I know the why -- it's just an EX-UP valve makes better sense to accomplish something very close without nearly the same complexity).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[SweetLou]

When is the new blackbird being released, and do you have any links to a page with pics?