[Cbranter]

I had my first kat at 17.
83. 750. Metallic silver
It was a beast back then in '86

At 45 I had that mid life crisis and came across a 2005 with 20k for 2200$
Loving my ride and getting back into the sport, didn't realize how peaceful riding was

I miss my '83 ur looks awesome. Topher

[92xjunker]

I actually like the look of the pre kats, since they came out, so when I wanted a bike I actually searched for one but, I wanted a trashed one, when I found one with a title it was mine. I knew what it was from power to riding position, it was exactly the kind of bike I wanted. Now after bring it back from death, I will never part with it.

[mammut89]

to answer the topic title : no I didnt even know what a katana was before I found this forum. Actually I dont even know how I found this forum. Over here we only know of GSXF

[shodog]

I got my Katana because it was free. About 6 years ago my wife wanted a divorce and took my Infiniti. I couldn't afford the payment on the Lexus and the mortgage payment so I had to sell it. I needed inexpensive transportation to commute back and forth to work on so my brother in law offered to give me his old Katana.

He had taken a spill on it and rather than fix it, he decided to buy a Harley. The bunged up Katana had been languishing on the side of his yard for a while. I brought it home with plans to restore it. Here is how it looked when I started.





I switched out the broke and scraped plastics with a set from China.



I fixed the busted headlight mounts





Modified the rear tail section to accept the updated 2003 tail section



I painted the tank, fender and grab bar with metallic black







I polished the fork then put a clear orange paint on them.



Finally I machined out a new reservoir top cap and laser etched Katana on it.



I rode it around for about a year then decided to buy my CBR1000RR.



Rather than sell it I gave the bike back to my brother in law. Once again it just sat on the side of his house not being ridden. One day he called me up and asked if I wanted it back. Otherwise he was going to donate it. Since my girlfriend hated riding on my CBR, I was happy to get it back. Turned out she loved riding on the back of the Katana so I bought a Corbin seat and seat back and we've been day tripping on it since. We like to take it up into the mountains and to the coast.

[rschlegel]

Fun re birth of a post.
I always rode sport bikes but of all my old bikes the only one I regretted selling was a '87 Yamaha FJ1200. I tried to finance a V-Strom 1000 and could not qualify since everything is in my name and could not qualify. The next week my '98 Kat 600 found its way onto the showroom and was cheap enough to pay cash. I actually love how it looks and test rode it. It feels very similar to my old FJ ( minus the power ). I am older now and ride 5 over ( 10 - 15 in multiple linked corners ) then back down to 5 over so most of my rides end up with avg speed from mid 50's to low 60's so don't need the hp.
I am planning on adding a Kawasaki KLR 650 within the next few years but no plans on selling my Kat.
Another thing I like is in almost 8 months I have not seen another one. I get quite a few comments on what a nice bike it is.

[professorman]

I got my Katana because it was free.

Awesome story. That must be a bike with the least amount of damage I have seen in a fall, for it to sit, and then given away for free. I want family like that. lol.

My wife hate riding on my gixxer too. Eventually, I will go back to a sport tourer so that she can come with me.

[shpielers]

Thanks for digging up this post, I'm surprised I never stumbled across it before.

My 1st bike was a 250 ninja. The engine grenaded (my fault...didn't tighten down a locknut durin a valve adjustment...). At that point I had been riding for 2 years and was hooked. I couldn't afford a new bike right off the bike and at the time I wasn't good enough with a wrench to want to attempt an engine swap. (I mean common...I just nuked an engine...), so I slowly saved up. Fast forward a year, it's the middle of summer. I have enough to start looking around. I honestly wasn't looking for anything in particular, just didn't want anything Harley-esque. I worked right next to a mom and pop version of cycle gear that also sold bikes on consignment so I popped in on my lunch break. 3 caught my eye. The Kat, a GSXR, and a DL650. The DL650 had the most miles, but looked really comfy. The GSXR was a liter bike and I thought that would be fun, but didn't want to die (I soooooo would have killed myself if I had gone with that one...) so went for the middle ground. The 2006 600 was relatively new, only had ~6500 miles and was in my budget. It idled smoothly so I knew it didnt need carb work. It was black (favorite color). Went home, did some investigating to see if it was a decent price, found KR. Decided to pull the trigger. I over payed a bit, but between the low miles and the good liking resource I had just discovered, figured I could learn more about wrenching and save $ back on maintenance. Within 5 minutes of paying for it, I was in it and rolling and had the biggest dopiest grin plastered all over my face I've ever had.
The best you've ridden is the best you know - the Kat was a maaaaaajor improvement over the ninja I started out on. + I had just been bike less for 11 months and it was the middle of summer.

Long story short, I wasn't looking for a Kat when I got that one. I am SO glad I got it though. I love long distance rides and a sportier bike would kill me and my 6'2" frame. I'm almost done fixing that grenaded ninja back up again and since that project was winding down, started looking for another Kat to add to the stable. About 6 weeks ago I arrived home with a 92 1100. It'll take a while to get her up and going, but I know she'll treat me right. That 600 I bought 2 summers ago at 6500 miles? 53460 miles after pulling into work today. When this engine gives up the ghost I'm going to drop a 750, 1100, or B12 into it, depending on how much I can spend and what's available. I'm never going to be able to match some of you guys who have been riding Kats for 20 years already, but I will ride them as long as I can find them.

[Purplehaze]

No. I had been looking for a bike. And as a joke to my friend as I was browsing Craigslist I said, "It's black." And I called the ad's number.

[dollarb]

I was about to buy a 1998 gsxr600 with 40k miles, and the night before i did i saw a few kats on craigslist for the same price but 05-06 with low miles. My first bike was a cbr 600, and ever since I've been riding people told me leave katanas alone. Hey, I'm glad i bought the one i got, I'm an experienced ride so I can make it fast when i want to, or just chill and cruise. I plan on going with the busa next season, but keeping my 600 kat until motor goes then I'll put a 750 in there. Suzuki till i die

[professorman]

That 600 I bought 2 summers ago at 6500 miles? 53460 miles after pulling into work today.

46960 miles in 3 years?? That's quite a bit. Is that your only vehicle? Do you have a long commute?

[griffon412]

Here in my province of quebec ,the katana has the best bang for the buck.

The cost of the license plate for the short season of riding we have on a

crotch rocket is more than a thousand buck CDN, on my kat its 500.00 so

yes choose a kat for the sporty look and handling with enough cash left

to enjoy it.

Can't wait to have all that snow melt!

[shpielers]

46960 miles in 3 years?? That's quite a bit. Is that your only vehicle? Do you have a long commute?

It's my only bike that's road ready, I've got 2 other projects bikes I'm working away on. But I have a 2010 Tacoma too. I just prefer to ride, so unless there's a specific reason I need the truck, I'm riding. I'm in CA, so I don't have to quit riding during the winter. And yes, long commute. Just a hair under 100 miles round trip per day. Been doing that commute for almost exactly a year now, the job I had before that was about 45 miles rounds trip/day.

[rk97]

I hated on Katanas for a long time before I actively started looking for one. I actually bought a nighthawk 750 because the katanas I looked at were in such sad shape...

Then 3 weeks after I bought the nighthawk, I found the Kat 750 I have today.

I know it's not a sportbike, but it can pretend to be when I want it to, and the 17" wheels give me a lot more tire options than the Nighthawk would have. Plus the dual disk brakes are stronger, and the bike is only marginally heavier.

The katana is certainly no lightweight, but it's not as bad as people make it out to be. I pulled the fairings off mine (which I know a lot of you hate), but they were damaged anyway, and the bike lost 30 lbs of fairing, gauges, and headlight assembly in the process.

I'm 6' and about 170, or I'd be putting myself on the same diet as the bike.

So long story short, the Katana was not the bike I wanted 5 years ago, or even last year, but it's the bike I want now, and I don't see myself ever selling it. I won't get what I know it's worth, so I may as well keep it forever.

[Ravelife]

When I was 14 I had a DR100 for my first motorcycle. When we would go to the Suzuki dealership there were always nice Katanas in the showroom that I vowed to one day own.

That was the 80s. I just got it last year. FML

[notten]

I bought my first one, an '06 600, because I liked them when I was young. I wasn't specifically looking for a Katana when I started looking for a bike, but I knew I wanted a Katana one once I found one. I liked my first one a lot, but I decided to sell it to a friend who was looking for his first bike. Things didn't go the way I expected and I found myself in the position to buy another bike. I bought my '93 750 specifically because I wanted another Katana. I have a feeling I'll probably buy another bike down the road, but so far the Katanas have served me well.

-notten