Lookin to get a Katana

[4cylfun]

I'm somewhat of a new rider, i've been riding my bike since december of last year. I have picked the Katana for 2 reasons. One, i'm f'n 6'6" 180 pounds so its about the only street bike i fit on.

And two, i am in absolute love with its bubbly styling.

You may laugh but my current ride at the moment is a '75 Kawasaki S1-C Triple 250. Its not mega fast by any means but its fun and it handles terribly lol. I've never gone down, maybe one close call one time on a sharp turn where i didn't brake before it and ended up cruising through someones yard to the next street where i "played it cool" as if i meant to do that.

But anyway i just got a job and i plan to put back a good 100-150 a week for one. I don't like payments so i plan to just buy one outright. I dont plan to use this thing for high speed manuevers or anything retarded of that nature. Just something comfy and will take me on commutes around town and possibly trips to school downtown.

I have one question though, .............wtf is that stupid 3rd light for above the headlights. Aside from styling does it even have a purpose lol.

Other than i think i've decided on a 600. The 750 doesn't appear to be much bigger and i love the tail light on the 600. Are there any real differences besides the slight power advatange the 750 has over the 600.

I also have a '74 Honda CB360 i'm still working on. I think my friend is going to buy it but i do have a lot of fun bringing these 28 year old sleepers back to life.

O, and my last question is my gf wants to go on a ride with me someday. I told her when i have a bigger safer bike lol. I don't think the triple wants extra weight on it and ....common its a 250 with drum brakes all around lol. So how good are the 600's with 2 people.

[squiggy]

I have one question though, .............wtf is that stupid 3rd light for above the headlights. Aside from styling does it even have a purpose.

When you put the ignition in "P" it turns on that light and the rear tail light to make you more visible if your on the side of the road.

[H-2 CHARLIE]

welcome to KR .. good choice of bikes find a good clean one running ,taged and good tires so its good to go .saves money....ride safe and dont tke chances ......are you on the ktw board ??

[4cylfun]

welcome to KR .. good choice of bikes find a good clean one running ,taged and good tires so its good to go .saves money....ride safe and dont tke chances ......are you on the ktw board ??

I sure am, i tried to send you a PM a few mins ago but i haven't posted enough.

About the light i assumed it was for more attention. Just as dinky as it is, it doesn't look very bright. Do the signals act as running lights.

I think i'm going to look for the 99-whenever they stopped making them '06?

Any faults in those years i should know.

[tindallt]

Hello and welcome, I think your making a good choice going with the katana. I think they are one of the most overlooked underrated bikes out there. I have the 750 great bike.

[yngveny]

Welcome to KR

Would definitely recommend the 750 for two-up riding.
The size is the same, but I think the extra power and torque will make a big difference.

I love my 02 750 and it is quite comfortable both with passenger and luggage on the back.

[4cylfun]

Yea i've defintily planned to use it just for driving from A to B and looking good doing it heh

Why does the 600 have a different tail section. I'm sure since the bikes are the same it probably wouldn't be hard to swap the ends would it. I just like the more low profile tail light apposed to the rear on the 750 where the tail light is pointed.

[Sasquatch]

Welcome to KR.

The turn signals do not act as running lights. The tail light is the same as the Busa (not the new ones). They changed the tail section in 03

[diavolo]

If you intend to do alot of 2-up, you'll appreciate the slight advantage the 750 has over the 600 in low end grunt. Other than a slightly longer wheelbase, not much difference between the two.

[Kreylyn]

88-97 models have different tail sections between 750 and 600.
98-02 models have the same tail section for both cc sizes
03-06 models have the same tail section for both cc sizes, but are different from 98-02.

If you intend to do alot of 2-up, you'll appreciate the slight advantage the 750 has over the 600 in low end grunt. Other than a slightly longer wheelbase, not much difference between the two.

Pre kats have different wheel base lengths for the 600 and 750 (750 swinger is longer by 1.5") but I'm pretty sure the swinger and wheelbase is the same for the post kats, are they not?

Welcome to KR btw!

Krey

[tobias]

welcome to kr, and that third light actually looks kinda cool at night( at least i think so...)and yeah it's good light for takin a leak on the side of the road key in p

[4cylfun]

welcome to kr, and that third light actually looks kinda cool at night( at least i think so...)and yeah it's good light for takin a leak on the side of the road key in p

hahahah, good idea. Just enough light but probably not enough to be noticed.

[Nero]

The 750 and the 600 are almost identical. The 600 actually has the same engine, though the cylinders are 'sleeved' to accomodate smaller pistons. The difference in output between the two is about 10-15 horsepower, depending upon who's telling the tale.

[Psycho1]

The 750 and the 600 are almost identical. The 600 actually has the same engine, though the cylinders are 'sleeved' to accomodate smaller pistons. The difference in output between the two is about 10-15 horsepower, depending upon who's telling the tale.

Arsenic is gonna have a fit when he reads this (guard your throat Nero ), after spending a day or longer grinding his 600 cases to fit 750 cylinders on them. Engine cases aren't exactly the same, just same design slightly scaled down for the 600 according to his pics. FWIW the 600 does just fine pulling 2 people down the road. If you happen to come across a 750 that you like in your price range, obviously the little extra torque would be nice, but I wouldn't pay too much extra just to get a 750.

[4cylfun]

Yea i highly doubt she'll be riding with me that often. Maybe a day every two - three weeks. Probably nothing crazy, just going through town or a country road. Nothing that requires a huge amount of power.

Whats the gearing on them like. Are they pretty torqy. I've been riding my triple for months with 30 hp and i think 22 ft. pounds of torque at 7K. The honda is completely different since its a 4 stroke but even it has a pretty small amount of power. Going to try my friends EX500 we fixed a few months ago tomorrow. Its a shy over 50 but i want to try something with a little mo umpf so i know just what a 70-80HP bike feels like.

I"ve seen a few videos where people can get a Kat to wheelie, doesn't look easy but that calms me. I don't want a bike thats so powerful when i crack it i wipe out in a parking lot. I also want a bike where the damn headlight doesn't dim with the signal is on lol. I would be a luxery to have a charging system that doesn't kill the battery when its below 2000rpms.