Advice on purchasing a Katana 600

[jowek70]

Hey guys,
I'm new to the forum.
I joined because I'm in the process of buying a kat 600.
I have a history in motocross and have ridden street bikes before, so don't worry
Anyways, its a 92 Katana 600.
Black with black and white wheels.
Has 23k on it.
I attached a pic.
Maybe this belongs to one of you?
Supposedly it runs great, I have yet to see it in person though.
Its about an hour trip to where its at, so I wanted to post and see if there's anything I should look for in particular.
I'm not very knowledgeable of the Katana's but I'm sure you guys are.
So what should I look for as far as a used early 90's Katana goes?
And what kind of price should I offer? I was thinking $1100 to $1200 max, but depending on the condition, I was going to start at $1000.

[jowek70]

Oh yeah,
What years are the generations of these bikes divided up into?
I'm guessing something like 88 to 92 is 1st gen?

[hardlydangerous]

88-97
98-02 the tail sections changed for 03, otherwise the bikes are the same 98+

main things to look for are bad 2nd gear, and signs of any oil/fluid leaks like brake lines, calipers oil pan etc etc. Ride the bike and make sure its not jumping out of 2nd and that it shifts through all the gears.
Set the fuel selector to prime and watch for any fuel leaks from the float bowls as you look over the bike.
Make sure when it starts that you test each header pipe after a couple seconds to ensure its firing on all 4.
A rusty chain can indicate the owner has not taken care of the chain/sprockets and look at replacing them ASAP. Make sure everything works and no extra wiring and switches (hacked up wiring)
These engines have a fair bit of top end noise and valve train tick, if its really loud chances are its going to need a timing chain tensioner spring upgrade (simple and cheap to fix)

[jowek70]

Alright thanks for the advice.
So parts are pretty interchangeable then?
As far as cosmetics?
I'll take her for a spin and check things over, but how do I test the header to see if all 4 are firing?
Wouldn't you be able to tell by the sound the bike makes if its hitting on all 4?

Oh and what would be a fair price to offer, assuming it is ready to go?

[Shipster]

I'll take her for a spin and check things over, but how do I test the header to see if all 4 are firing?

Pipes get hot where they connect, they're firing. Cool pipe(s) = problem somewhere.

[Kat96]

Ditto!

[jowek70]

ty.

[unit44justin]

what is he asking for it?