[spatula6554]

I bought mine because it was something that very few people around had...I liked the size of my 1100 and it was unique.

No one else I know has a Power Windscreen...

[O.T.]

I went with a Kat because I like the look of the pre's. Bought the whole thing over the internet one piece at a time, a lot off this site. The UPS lady never realized she delivered a whole motorcycle.

[WildSide]

I did, I wanted a bike that was somewhat sporty but not an Super Sport for 2 reasons.


1) I'd be tempted to use that power to often lol.


I wanted a bike that was sporty enough to have fun with, and comfortable enough to ride long distance or commute with.

Can't say I've regretted the decision at all.

What he said. I looked for mine!

[scottb]

I still have my "cruiser" 1982 GS 850 L but wanted a sport bike. I like Suzuki. A friend at motorcycle repair shop informed me a customer was selling a Kat 600. So, my purchase was based on brand, not a cruiser and price. So to answer the question, I did not actively search for a Kat, but I am glad I have it. Sporty enough to be sporty, but not too aggressive to get over my head or tickets......

[Blackdog]

I did, I wanted a bike that was somewhat sporty but not an Super Sport for 2 reasons.

1) insurance is a ***** up here in Ontario
2) I'd be tempted to use that power to often lol.

I read some on line reviews, then I found Katanaplanet and read some more. Asked a few questions then finally decided to go for it.

I wanted a bike that was sporty enough to have fun with, and comfortable enough to ride long distance or commute with.

Can't say I've regretted the decision at all.

What he said. I looked for mine!

+1

and that the engine is bulletproof... I want to get into Mojoe's 20 year club!

[edromero]

i didn;'t want a SS as my first bike because i was advised against it. but i had a bunch of criteria that i wanted my bike to fall into:

condition
age
reliability
mileage
price

my insurance would have been the same for a cbr600, ninja600 or kat 600.

i found my KAT in classifieds... father bought it for son, son quit paying him back, so he sold it ... to me.

2006 kat 600, 6840 miles, $2,800.00 with 2 helmets and a charger.

i often dream of a supersport... hayabusa or zx10... but it will be in ADDITION to my kat, not instead of.

i like that fact that it's highly customizable, pretty fast (to me) and comfy enough for my GF to get on the back.

[djkpizzle]

I was looking and the price was right so it kinda just faded up man just faded up.

[Caron]

I didn't knew the Kat (or GSX600F) existed until a friend who owns a Bandit heard I was looking for a motorcycle and he introduced me to the '98 Kat.
First impressions were that it was much too big and heavy, but after a test ride I was sold :P .
It (or should I say "she") came from Italy with 28 000 km (17 398 miles) on board.
Engine running great, needs new oil in the fork and looks great.
Only drawback is that I feel that I have to support some of my weight on the grips using my arms... not exactly comfortable.
Waiting to see how I'll feel on a long trip....

[chris216]

I looked specificly for mine with a few other options mixed in. I had been looking at them since 03 and finally gave in and got one last year. Price & condition was right for what I wanted so I picked it up.

[DreKat]

I wanted a post Kat manly becuase I am so short and for me to ride a RR bike I was alway laying on the gas tank.

I liked that Kat for being so functional and the fact I didn't see many on the roads.

[chrisgreer23]

A friend of mine at work was selling his Pre for 500 pounds (that’s about $700). This thing had many miles on it, needed a new chain and the paint job were lots of plastic stripes and a paint brush painted front deflector. The bike was a mess but it was running and like everyone’s first car, it was kind of a beater. One the week I was supposed to buy the bike, his brother had his bike totaled and was borrowing the bike. His brother had it for some time, a few weeks. So I took to eBay...

There was quite a few on eBay for sale but they were all in need of some work here and there, some more than others. I widened my search to the YZF 600 and came across a really nice one that was almost completely restored. It only needed a few more parts and assembling. Now I have NO experience on putting bikes together and the seller was about 4 hours away. His reason for selling it was he couldn't complete the project due to an operation on his shoulder and he could no longer work on bikes or ride anymore. Eventually I sent him an email and explained the different reasons for not wanting the bike even after he had reduced the price.

The biggest reason for not wanting the YZF was that when compared to the pre 600 it was a better bike. Yes the pre was heavier, less responsive in corners and underpowered compared to the YZF but for a beginner, you don't want to get into trouble. Also when comparing how comfortable they are to ride, the pre came out on top every time.

In the email I mentioned the reasons above and that I was looking for Pre. He emailed me back the next day and told me he actually had a Pre in complete running order that had been fully restored. He sent me the same pics that are in my garage. My jaw dropped when I saw the pics. So he said make me an offer and I was thinking the bike was well worth $3000. Especially for a 1988 in such great condition. I was going to offer 1500 pounds (about $1800 at the time) but told him 1800 (about $2000) cus I was chicken and didn’t think he would go for 1500. He said yes, we got a loan and two weeks later my wife was riding it home with me in the car. I didn't my endorsement yet so I couldn't ride it.

Her words describing the bike were that "it looks like sex on wheels but rides like you’re on a horse bare back."

We found out that there was an old chain on it made for a 250 and that it was vibrating all over the place and that Battleaxe tires SUCK.

The chain has been replaced with a correct one, it's had a new clutch, and the jet kit has been properly installed to address a fuel issue. The bike still needs a few things done but riding in England this time of year isn't a pleasant experience. Plus it won't start, the clutch cable needs lube and the oil plug on the bottom of the tank is stuck, leaking oil and rounded a bit.

All in all I LOVE my Pre and cant wait to get it to the rally in July.

[teddy]

For me it was down to 2 choices. the Katana and a zzr600. My dad was in the process of trading his ninja 250 for an ex500 and I was snooping around the showroom. I sat on the ZZR and it was ok, didn't fit me great, but it was a hell of a lot better than a newer zx6r. Tried on a sv650, meh, ok, not really my style. Saw the kat and it was over. I sat on it right as dad was coming out of the sales office with the salesman. The salesman asked what I thought, I asked what the bottom dollar was, my wife instantly got piszed because she knew I was hooked. we all left, I dropped the wife off at her friends house, Dad, mom and I went back and I bought my bike (Dad made me do it! ). Wifey was NOT impressed when I picked her up with a motorcycle hanging out the back of the truck....


Then I found KR and saw Spedee's bike...it was all over...the modding ensued, my riding skills have continually improved and I am now an avid trackday enthusiast/advocate. All because of a 'BIG' little 600 katana....and the folks around here.

[Psycho1]

........ Dad, mom and I went back and I bought my bike (Dad made me do it! ). Wifey was NOT impressed when I picked her up with a motorcycle hanging out the back of the truck....

Nice story, my wife never buys that excuse when I try to use it either.

[Mattaua]

I just bought it cause a friend told me they were great bikes and he knows how to work on them

[JHONNY_ICE_420]

bought mine cuz it was cheap ($275 and ported a set of banshee/rd350 cyls)

Mine was in the "backroom" at a bike mechanic's shop along with about 20 crusers and another 20 quads all in basket case condition. I almost got a v-max that looked like it had been through a wood chipper, but there was a (sportbike?) with no plastic or cylinder head on it. The shop owner said the bike came in from auction with low comp on two cyls, and had low comp on all four after the tech worked on it, and all the parts were there to put back. The plastics were wrecked and poorly repaired, but were covered with a fresh coat of suz yellow, and with lots of sparkles to make it extra gay -- I think it was boat glitter for gelcoat
WELL.....Heres the list: the timing chain was off a tooth on both cams-fix that and we got compression. (the shop tech didn't have a kat manual so he used the gsxr manual instead) charge the batt and fire it....it runs BAAAAAD very rich below 1/2 throttle. Pull and clean carbs...runs good except at 1/4 throttle--ride it home...halfway home it fouls out and dies. Get it home and clean the carbs--runs good again. after several of these cleanings I put some paper element fuel filters inline to stop some of the trash from getting in the carbs...no change. then I find out how important float level is, and come to find that some retard left the stock main jets in it and raised the float level like 4-5mm to work with yoshi exhaust. fix float level and it's lean up top -- fix main jets. STILL NO BETTER AT 1/4 THROTTLE.
Screw it-- learn to ride it without floding it....5000 miles later it runs the same, but has renthal chain&sprockets, diablo strada tires, black rims, new throttle cable, brake pads, shift linkage, and most importantly:A fresh coat of viper gts blue paint.

Still to come:EMULSION TUBES, gsxr cams, timing adv., portwork, pods, and I'm polishing all of the ratty looking aluminum(brake levers, shifter, tripple tree, forks, and swingarm

BTW: it's an 89 750