[Katastrophe]

I like my Kat because it fits the type of riding that I want to do. As a plus, it just so happened to be the best bike for the money for me. I like the looks of the bike, and it is plenty comfy, without being in the "full crouch" position of other sport-type bikes. While it may be lacking in the "latest and greatest technology" department, there is something to be said for a bike that can be described as solid, stable, simple and fun to ride. What else could a person need?

[Black]

$1500/ 94 katana 600.
edit: mint condition.

[MinnGreenGT]

Ever since I was a kid (I was only about 12 or 13 when my ' 92 Kat was manufactured) I've always liked the Kat - something about the smooth lines of the fairings. So when one became available at a decent price, I sold my '88 Honda Shadow and picked up the Kat.

As others have mentioned - I also appreciate it for things like: Easy DIY maintence, inexpensive to insure, comfortable seating position, and plenty of power for what I need. It suits me well (apparently much more so than my cruiser according to some close friends).

[trinc]

i hadn't had a bike for 5 yrs ( rode jet ski's ), i sold my last bike due to time & bad knees. - i needed a bike that i could ride for hours.

tim

[Matt]

While I had lots of off-road experience, I knew a liter bike was not the way to start, so I set out looking for a 750 and I planned to drop about 8 grand.

I thought, "Suzuki is the only manufacturer I haven't had something from yet". So I went to their site and saw the Maroon 750. Loved the looks compared to everything else they offered. Getting a leftover for $6K out the door made the deal that much sweeter.

3 years, 15K miles later and I still love it. My wife liked mine so much, she bought a leftover 600 (in blue).

2 brand new bikes for $11K OTD.... FULL coverage insurance for BOTH of them is less than $600/year ..... how can you beat that?

[Mojoe]

I bought my 92 1100 kat in 93 with 7k kms on it from a dead guy. Or from his widow, I should say.
he was killed in a work accident and she wanted the bike gone. I got it for a steal, complete with 3pc Givi luggage, 2pc leather Technik suit and 2 Arai helmets. I still own the bike 12 years later. It got tired and needed a rebuild, but I loved it so much that I went out and bought a 93 1100 two years ago and still own it. I also thought it would be practical cuz I have a ton of spare parts for both bikes.

I kinda feel some pride in the amount of knowledge I have on the 88-97 1100 kats (and still learning, but more about modifications)...as well as the amount of parts I have for them.....so I am almost hesitant on buying anything else because it will be all knew to me and I would have to start all over. I will keep riding the 1100 Kat up until the day mine are finished and I can't locate another. I guess you could say I am married to the 1100's. And you know what marriage is supposed to mean...."til death do you part".

oh...and another reason....like Matt stated...insurance costs. It was the sportiest looking sport tourer I could find in 93, and any other "sporty" looking bike at 1100 cc's seemed to be at least 50% more for insurance.

[BucKatana]

Because...................I am.


Buc

[naskie18]

I wanted to get a bike, it had to be a Suzuki, and the only two I really liked the look of were the Kat and the SV. My first bike, so I didn't want anything bigger than 750, but I didn't want anything small that I'd quickly tire of, so I figured anything below 600 was out.

I found a very nice Kat well in my price range, so that's what I'm riding

[Süsser Tod]

I wanted to get a bike, it had to be a Suzuki, and the only two I really liked the look of were the Kat and the SV. My first bike, so I didn't want anything bigger than 750, but I didn't want anything small that I'd quickly tire of, so I figured anything below 600 was out.

I found a very nice Kat well in my price range, so that's what I'm riding

Hmm, considering that a modern SS 600cc bike makes about 30 hp more than a Kat750, and weights about 50 pounds less, I would hardly call them "boring".

[Cbass]

Saw the Kat sitting in my brothers garage for way to long (about 4 years).

I always liked the Kats anyway.

$800 bucks for the bike the leather jacket ($500 orig.), three helmets (came from my bro so no disgusting feeling wearing them), a trickle charger and some other goodies. I guess timing and price are what brought me to my Kat. Still working on her but should be running and legal within the next couple of weeks

Man is it hard to have that thing out back and not be able to ride it, except around the block and stuff.

[JDS]

I got mine for a few reasons..

I wanted to get into riding, so I started some research and quickly decided I wanted a Suzuki. I started looking at their bikes and decided I'd kill myself on a gixxer and didn't like the looks of the cruisers. Once I saw the Katana and its specs I pretty much decided it was a fit.

After that I went to a dealership and saw two there - a used '03 blue 600 and a new '04 yellow 750. I sat on them, along with a few other bikes to get a feel for them, and it turned out the Kat was most comfortable to me.

I wanted the used one because of price, and I wouldn't feel as bad if I dropped it..which I did.

Anyway, I love the thing and will probably never get rid of it.

[Sagan]

I love the looks of the bike, it's incredibly comfortable, it's reliable... The fact it's cheaper is just a bonus to me...

[KYKatowner]

I got my katana for many reason, after taking the MSF class 5 or so years ago and lacking the money for a bike I borrowed my buddy's 750 Honda Nighthawk a few times I liked the power (it scared me enough but not to much ), and the standard motorcycle seating position was comfortable. I wanted something a little more sporty. Another close friend had a Katana 750, this guy is one of those guys with the perfect house/lawn/cars/garage/etc. I really look up to this friend and tryied to convince him he needed a new bike (so I could buy his old one ) He didn't bite after 2 years of trying, I gave up and a year later he gave me a call and asked if i still wanted it. I bought it 2 weeks later, he has a nice new Honda VTX 1800 now and I have a Kat. So why did I buy it and why do I like it
1. Sound history- no accidents on a 93 bike (I dropped the bike and did very minor cosmetic damage (its all clean now) a 12 year old bike that's spotless
2. Lots of mods already complete (jetted, piped, K&N air filter, fender mod, etc.) it just ran and looked so good
3. Easy to work on and if I have a problem I can always call the previous owner! (or post here )
4. Size I knew some friends who had mid 90s Kat 600 and out grew them, I'm about 200 lbs and noticed a big difference in power based I wanted something I could learn on and drive for years
5. Insurance
6. It's a different style than most of my friends, that mix of practical, comfortable and sporty, (I am an engineer)

[katrider]

My Kat can do almost anything any other bike can ( maybe a little slower ) but my behind won't be as sore as the ss riders at the end of the day. I know people say it's old technology but it's proven itself to be reliable. My Kat suits me perfectly for my needs, and what's the big deal if I get to the 1/4 mile a few seconds behind a busa. It's more power than I'll ever need.

I too consider the Katana, especially the 750, as a viable alternative to the techy and pricey VFRs. We're gonna have stones thrown at us from the Sport Touring people, but it doesn't mean we're wrong

I bought my 600 because I like the 'old school' look and the bike has the ergos that fit my smaller frame. Now I wish I had gotten that 750 I had looked at...but I still like my 600 8)

[The CyberPoet]

I guess it boils down to biggest bang at the price-point...

I walked into the dealership to buy an used Honda (can't remember which anymore -- probably the VFR), and the salesman pointed out that for the same price (or actually, a couple bucks cheaper) I could have a brand new Katana or a new-in-the-box one-year old Bandit. I weighed the options, decided the riding position, full fairings, visibility and dual headlights made the Kat the best choice out of what I was considering. Then I grabbed an used one they had and test rode it, as well as the Honda I had shown up to get. I opted for the brand new Kat.

20 months and 28k-30k miles later, I did it again -- this time taking an two year old Kat that had 1500 miles on it for under book. No regrets.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet