[squiggy]

You might be able to get a 1st Gen Bandit 1200 for your high range.

I know that the now discontiued Yamaha YZF600R makes similar HP to the Kat's 750. It has fully adjustable, front and rear, suspension. It does not have a gas guage, however. It just has a low fuel light. The ergos appears to be equal to the Kat 600.

What I can't say is what price they're going for.

[greeneyedream]

I love mine also and its my first bike. Get a 750

[scottynoface]

You might be able to get a 1st Gen Bandit 1200 for your high range.

I know that the now discontiued Yamaha YZF600R makes similar HP to the Kat's 750. It has fully adjustable, front and rear, suspension. It does not have a gas guage, however. It just has a low fuel light. The ergos appears to be equal to the Kat 600.

What I can't say is what price they're going for.

The price is comparable, however the Thundercat doesn't have the torque, reliability, or the 2up comfort that the Katana does. I almost got one as my first bike, but 2nd gear is made of butter and they are prone to electrical nightmares. For 2up I think the Kat 750 is a much better machine, solo the YZF wins.

And yeah, having no gas gauge sucks...

[Psycho1]

Not having a gas guage isn't really that big of a deal once you figure out how far you can usually go before having to hit reserve. My Fazer just has the light, and it turns on when I get down close to a gallon, then the fuel pump shuts off when it reaches .8 gallons leaving me around 30-35miles to get to a gas station once I hit the reserve switch that turns the fuel pump back on. I've only had the light come on twice so far in 1500 miles of riding, even though I only get around 130 miles from topped off to reserve (tank only holds 3.6 gallons total).

[Wild-Bill]

From a purely ergo standpoint the 750 would be the better choice. It has higher handlebars, a slightly longer wheelbase (i think - don't quote me on that) and for some model years apparently the Corbin saddles aren't available for the 600. If you go with the 600 check on the Corbin availability before you buy (your wife will appreciate it) and you may want to retro-fit the 600 riser/bars.

[The CyberPoet]

From a purely ergo standpoint the 750 would be the better choice. It has higher handlebars, a slightly longer wheelbase (i think - don't quote me on that) and for some model years apparently the Corbin saddles aren't available for the 600. If you go with the 600 check on the Corbin availability before you buy (your wife will appreciate it) and you may want to retro-fit the 600 riser/bars.

On the 750 vs 600:
Wheelbases:
88-97 Kat 600: 1430 mm
98+ Kat 600: 1470 mm
89-97 Kat 750: 1470 mm
98+ Kat 750: 1465 mm
Between the 98+ 600 & 750 and the pre-98 750, you are unlikely to notice the 5mm difference.

The 750 gets a different upper-triple-tree cover system that includes an extra layer of rubber to isolate the handlebars more; side-effect is that it does raise the handlebars by about 3/4". In my experience, this makes the 750 more comfy under 55-60 mph, the 600 more comfy over 55-60 mph, at my particular torso height, because of how the wind hits my chest and unloads my wrists (the 750's position has you more upright); you get approximately the same distance/rise change on the 600 when you swap to the Corbin saddle (which drops you closer to center-mass of the bike).

Additionally, the 750's driver footpegs are supported via the heel-guard, which itself is rubber isolated; the driver footpegs on the 750 are also significantly heavier than the 600's, with inset weighting on the underside and screw-in rubber on the top-side. The 600's driver footpegs mount directly to the frame for 98-00, and move to a bolt-on bracket-support system in '01 (not sure about the pre-98 600's front footpeg mountings).

Whether the 750 engine causes a need for the extra isolation of the controls against vibes, or whether these things are strictly upgrades as up-sell points, is debatable. I tend to think of them as a combination of both, with most of the benefit given to "upsell".

On the engine side, the 600's get 11.3:1 compression ratios, while the 750's have 10.7:1 compression ratios. As noted previously, this means the HP spread between them isn't as large as one would normally imagine for the displacement differences. On the other hand, torque is almost perfectly linear with displacement, so the 750 is the torquier engine. There are sprocket gearing differences as well that affect these differences.

On the maintenance side, they all generally get the same maintenance and intervals, consume the identical supplies -- with one exception: the 91 - 96/97 Kat 600's use shim-based valve adjusters instead of nut-adjusters, and that makes the valve adjustments for them quite a bit more of a PIA by comparison.

In terms of body-styling, the 98 and later years get a much larger, more bulbous fairing system that provides more bad-weather coverage and better air-cutting (less drag at speed) -- although many do not like the look compared to the earlier models (I'm not one of them). The 98+ also gets the benefit of larger, dual headlights, which if you're riding at night, can make an astounding difference.

You can't go wrong with either bike for the purpose you listed (long-range two-up touring), especially if you fit a set of hard luggage and an aftermarket saddle. IMHO, I'd take the latest model-year example that you can find in great shape within your price-range, favoring condition & lack-of-age over the differences in engine sizes.

Now you said you were also considering the Honda VFR, which is an exceptional choice as well, better in many respects than the Kat (but at a price that reflects the difference, and an engineering level that is much harder to get home if it fails in the field although it's unlikely to fail in the first place).
If you do decide to go that route, I would heartily recommend the '00-'01 models [5th Generation], which have the benefits of fuel-injection with closed-loop O2 sensors [or the 98-99 models (4th Generation) which get fuel injection (but not the O2 sensor control], but do not have the complicated (and convoluted maintenance) of the VTec system that appears in the later models.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[Psycho1]

One other thing , the pre 750 windscreen is about an inch and a half longer than the one for the pre 600, but they are interchangable. I also believe the post 750's have the best rear shock from the factory. Pre rear shocks (at least on the 600) use a 5 position stepped ramp adjustment for preload, the post 750's use threaded collar adjustment for preload, and have more dampening adjustments available.

[Wild-Bill]

Leave it to CP to give you a novel on the specific differences! Great info there. Probably ought to paste that into the Wiki.

[Ericker]

I have a 2002 750 and besides the engine size I believe the 750s come with a slight rise to the handlebars that the 600 does not come with from the factory. I find that it helps keep my hands more comfortable on long rides and lends to a more upright seating position. I would go for the 750.

[H-2 CHARLIE]

Get the 750 but dont pay extra or get one with alot of miles on it ...even a 600 is good with low miles ...my 600 is great its like a rocket but not a super rocket

[Guitarman]

Thank you so much everyone for the information. One of the reason's i own a DRZ-400 and and SV650 was because of thumpertalk.com and svrider.com and it appears that katriders.com is the same type of support system for Katana's. I believe i am looking now at whichver model i can find with the newest year and lowest model. I honestly think in my area it will end up being a 600 but i'll just wait and see. Thank you very much to whomever mentioned the availablility of Corbin seats for the Katana, as this upgrade is a must-have for me. I put one on my SV and love it. Thanks again everyone i really appreciate the help.

[zuma]

Just got in on this...but I had a new 06 600 for a year and got a new 06 750 a year later. The main difference from the riding point of view is that the 750 would be going 10 mph faster than the 600 when both were at the same tach level when highway riding.

As stated earlier, if you get the 600, you might yearn for the 750, and if you get the 750, you won't yearn for the 600. However, I thought the salesman was using a sales ploy when he told me there was very little difference between the two bikes when he only had a 600 in his shop.

Actually, he was right on the money. There is very little difference; the 750 keeps you from looking for that next gear though...many times I'd be in 6th on my 600 and trying to shift one more time. Either way, you'll be on a fine bike.

[The CyberPoet]

Thank you very much to whomever mentioned the availablility of Corbin seats for the Katana, as this upgrade is a must-have for me.

When you're ready for a corbin for your next bike, seek me out, as I sell them at a discount over their website or your local dealer.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[Sundowner]

ok kids....
Now as an Owner of Both 98+ Models I can pipe in here...
the 600 in my opinion, would be a good little street blaster for short commuting. (I have mine Set up for a more aggressive setup with Vortex Clip on's) if i had to take another trip to the Dragon From here in St. Pete FL; I would take my 750, Its alot more confortable for long rides.

I recently did a trip (about 100 miles) with the 750. God what a difference. If i did this trip with my 600, There would have been me planting my foot in the side fairing to knock it over.

Bottom Line.....
750 FTW!!

[The CyberPoet]

I have mine Set up for a more aggressive setup with Vortex Clip on's...

Think that might be a huge part of the difference?
:P

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.