Somebody jump in & help defend the Kat...

[vdaily89]

http://forums.sportbikes.net/forums/showthread.php?t=278842

Another "why all the hate for the Kat" thread...

[KatanaO215]

good luck on that one

[Anonymous]

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.

[KatanaO215]

actually, aside form a few stupid comments that thread is ok so far

[trinc]

i'll take that any day: heavy - but rock solid.

tim

[OtLa]

Temptf8 jumped in there with some valaid points, and overall the thread is not over the top...

To each his own. Those that dog the Kat have obviously never ridden for longer than 1 hour.

[WildKat]

yeah, its ok.. just consider the source w/ the tards that rag on it.. as long as you like ur bike, it doesnt matter what anybody else says.

[irenekat]

i clicked on that link in one of the posts and it froze my computer up. arghh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[taz]

replied

[Anonymous]

Who istaz?

(just don't go start any board wars!)

[stevnmd]

Yeah, I don't see anything wrong with that thread at all. Most people were actually defending the bike, not ragging on it.. Pretty much an "it is what it is" thread...

[The CyberPoet]

It seemed like a reasonable discussion to me...

Someone who is a member might want to post this:

The Katana 600 (GSX600F), by Suzuki, has been called (to quote one press source) "a boring but capable sports-tourer with teapot styling." Personally, I think the bike suffers more from the economies of price competition than from inherently boring or poor design. To achieve the price-point that this motorcycle sells for, Suzuki cuts a few corners here and there, and this is to be expected for such a low entry price into the 600 class. Fortunately for us, virtually every such corner that was snipped can be rectified easily (and cheaply) enough to make it a bike worthy of the high praise it commands. Don't think the Can-A-Tuna deserves praise? It ranked 38th in Bike Magazine's top 100 bikes of all time, according to a reader survey of over 10,000 entries (although, to be fair, it was the only bike that made both the 100 best list and the 10 worst bike list in the same issue).

So how can you justify a bike that made both the best bike and the worst bike list? Isn't that a true contradiction? Well, yes, and no. As it ships stock from the factory, with it's sleeved down GSX-750 motor and lean carborator settings, it's pretty crappy tires and it's generic rain catching seat (98-02 models), it deserves to be on the worst list. But stick in around $700 worth of the following upgrades, and suddenly you have a bike that handles with the best of them, tours like a demon and is good for 600 - 1200 mile days, accelerates and stops hard enough to catch eyes (and astound your friends who think poorly of the Katana).

Basically, installing such upgrades elevates into a new class (and thus, those who have driven it upgraded are the ones who voted it to the best bikes list). The only thing that really can't be cheaply remedied is the curb weight, and for off-track, real-world sport touring, that same weight bias provides a stable, robust sport touring platform, helping soak up bumps and potholes, while keeping the traction going to the road. More-over, if you look closely at the performance specifications, this bike produces almost the same or slightly betters specs than you would find on any early 90's sports 600.

Now there inevitably people out there who will say, hey why buy a Katana, since this or that model motorcycle is better for (insert desire: long-haul touring, inner-city commuting, canyon carving, weekend beach trips). Actually, it's probably true that there is a better contender in each and every category. BUT there is no other motorcycle as well versed to all of these roles available at anything approaching the same price point, even after you factor in the upgrade costs. You can pick up a Katana for $6250 -- or less -- out the door if you shop wisely (tax, tag, title and transfer fees included), and even cheaper if you're willing to take one a year or two old but still brand new-in-box. Willing to go used? Get one with a few thousand miles in good shape for $4500 or less.

And then there are the list of pluses that make ownership a dream:
- No water! A simple, oil cooled engine means one of the primary sources of away-from-home failures has been eliminated.
- Dual headlights, both high and low-beam, provides better lighting than most sports bikes.
- Huge underseat cargo storage areas, as big or bigger than any other 1000cc or under bike I've seen.
- Simple electronics that are wet-weather friendly (won't conk out in a rain storm).
- The most rock-solid rear view mirrors of any bike on the market.
- Simple maintenance and cheap service visits.
- Hyper-reliable engine (based on the GSX750 engine design).
- 6k to 12k miles on a set of tires (compare that to every 2k - 3.5k on a Hayabusa OR SP1)
- Very low total cost of ownership on a per-mile basis.
- Doesn't wake (or piss off) the neighbors every time you come and go.

(reposted from one of my webpages )

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Mojoe]

i didn't see too much ragging on it. i only read the first page, but it seemed reasonable.

[WildKat]

I'll do it CP !

edit - Done !

Hey is that Taz that posted on there as istaz ?

[Mr. Clean]

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.