Katana getting slower or am I getting used to riding?

[Black]

93 Kat600, 23,xxxmiles.

I got my bike at the beginning of the summer (first bike ever). It went to the shop for some carb stuff, a valve job, and a tune up about a three weeks ago. The past week, when I go WOT in 1st and 2nd, I dont feel the "fright" I used to. It just doesnt feel near as fast as it used to.

Did you guys get used to the rush until its not a rush anymore, or do I have some fouled plugs or something?(sounds kinda rich maybe)

It really feels like I'm WOT with 2.5 to 3 cylinders instead of all 4.


LMK your opinion, thanks.


Sam

[md86]

When mine's running right , I still get plenty of "yeeha" when I grab a fistfull of throttle . And I've had mine for a couple years .

[Badkitty]

its not the bike. Its you getting used to it. I used to feel the same yehaa thing , when i finally got it up into the 7k+ range. Then it was gon, but now after i changed both my sprockets its alot quicker and i still have that YEEHAW feel. Its got ALMOST enuff torque for a wheelie. Which is great cause i dont wanna do one, but i can take off harder and faster than most

[WildKat]

When you first get on a bike, its always going to feel like a rush..its new, its different, you're not used to it. then as you get more comfortable, you learn how to handle your bike, how it acts during take off and roll on's at higher speeds. Its just you getting more comfortable at riding.

I can crack the throttle from a start out and still get a grin on my face and Ive been street riding for almost 18 years.

[BucKatana]

Agreed.......it doesn't take long to get accustom to the power.

However..if it happened all of the sudden...like right after a service I'd look deeper into things.


My stock 01 is a real dog.........and that's the way I like it.



Buc

[The CyberPoet]

Re: Katana getting slower or am I getting used to riding?

93 Kat600, 23,xxxmiles. It went to the shop for some carb stuff, a valve job, and a tune up about a three weeks ago. The past week, when I go WOT in 1st and 2nd, I dont feel the "fright" I used to. It just doesnt feel near as fast as it used to.

There are a number of possibilities... likely is that the valve adjustment took the valves from spot on (or possibly even slightly tight) to slightly loose, which would decrease the total power output (but will make the engine less likely to self-destruct). Depending on what oil they used at the time for the oil change, the new motor oil may also be decreasing performance (either by being too thin and causing more blow-by past the rings, or by being SJ/SL/SM rated and causing some clutch slip, or by being a harder-to-pump formulation and sapping some power to pumping losses). Or a combination of all of these.

You don't mention whether during the tune-up the plugs were changed (they should have been); new plugs wouldn't decrease your performance unless the wrong plug was used (such as ones too cold, or non-resistor type plugs).

You did mention carb work... this is a primary suspect. What kind of carb work did you have done, and why? Was a jetkit installed, or were the carbs cleaned, or was it simply a carb-sync procedure? Depending on the answer, this may also explain a loss of WOT performance (such as the installation of a jetkit without post-install tuning).

Although I'm sure you will get used to the performance of your bike (or have gotten used to it), sudden changes in behavior can almost always be traced down to something specific that was done or was done incorrectly.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[CoNViCT]

For me when Im cruising it just seems like 60 mph is like 30 sometimes lol, it just doesnt seem like Im going as fast as I am, but when I get on it from 1st and bang through some gears I can tell that the rush is still there

[Guest]

I would have to say that you are getting used to it.
When I first got my B12, it scared the ......out of me, especially when the rear end would break loose in 2ed and third, but now to appriciate it I ride my ZX 600 a few time during the week and then go back to the B12

[Black]

I changed the plugs myself back when there was some hesitation, before I took it to the shop. I was thinking it was the carbs as well. Would running rich cause this lagging? It seems like the warmer the motor is, the worse it runs.

After its warmed up, its hard to keep alive, and when I blip the throttle at idle, (say from idle to 5000RPM) 1 in three times it dies.

Also it was at a Suzuki shop, and all the stuff they used was factory. (fluids, etc)



edit: I changed the pads and brake fluid this weekend. I cant speed up as fast at least I can slow down better.

[blacksheep]

When you first get on a bike, its always going to feel like a rush..its new, its different, you're not used to it. then as you get more comfortable, you learn how to handle your bike, how it acts during take off and roll on's at higher speeds. Its just you getting more comfortable at riding.

I can crack the throttle from a start out and still get a grin on my face and Ive been street riding for almost 18 years.

+1

[loudnlow7484]

I think you're just getting used to it.

When I first got this bike (after 5 years of not riding), I felt like I was being timewarped when I'd whack it open in 1st. These days, it doesn't even feel that fast to me. Just mildly quick. Still a rush, but not like it used to be. Beginning of next riding season, it'll probably feel awful fast again.

[KatanaO215]

you are probably getting used to it. When I first got my katana (1st bike ever) it felt awesome. I couldnt imagine there was anything faster.

After 2 months it didnt even feel close to the same way.

[midqetsex]

I'd imagine it's just you getting used to the bike too. Mine felt insanely fast for a while...then it only felt insanely fast at high RPMs. I'm mostly used to the bike's speed, but pulling off the line and accelerating fast is still very exciting.

[coleyo]

they are right about that