Second Impression of Katana

[edromero]

They say you never get a second chance to ake a first impression... but i'm not so sure anymore...

a little over 2 years ago, i got my first bike, and it was a katana. since it was my first bike, I had nothing to compare it to. So, within 3 months I quickly got the itch for something else... something MORE. Look at my signature line

I've owned GSXR, busa, SV1000, B12, Triumph

anyway, once i'd reached the point of "been there, done that" i figured it was time to go back to the kat for a nice, comfortable, affordable, simple rider.

after riding all those other bikes, and with some experience under my belt, i was really expecting the kat to feel like an uninspiring toy, just a commuter with no nuts

but that's not what happened at all. I am very pleasantly surprised. the bike is plenty quick enough, lots of fun, and I was surprised about the handling... i mean, it weighs about the same as my B12 did, but it seems so much easier to handle.

of course its not a SS, but now i realize that for the riding skills and abilities of MOST of the people out there (well, me anyway) the Kat has more capability than i will ever need to use for my 30 mile round trip commute to work each day and the occasional spirited back road ride.

in the final analysis, i learned that i can have just as much fun on this bike as on any other. it makes me smile to ride it, and i don't have any hooligans to impress... very happy with it, and thank you to everyone who helped me get it running again

[Killerduck]

I just purchased my first 600 Kat, haven't even brought it home yet! Reading your post makes me even more excited to see what it's like!

[dano68]

I'm 44 and my beautiful KAT is my first street bike. As much as I would like to have a Busa or ZX-14 I will stay with my Kat till she can not be ridden any longer or I can not ride any longer(which ever comes first). The Kat being a "sport/tourer" it has plenty of pep for me(as I am not 18 any more) and it is plenty comfy for the long runs as well as comfy enough for my fiance.

[edromero]

right on, both of you guys! its about the ride, not about "street cred"

the grass isn't always greener, and I spent lots of time and money finding that out when I should have just been satisfied with what i had.

[arsenic]

but now i realize that for the riding skills and abilities of MOST of the people out there (well, me anyway) the Kat has more capability than i will ever need to use for my 30 mile round trip commute to work each day and the occasional spirited back road ride.

Very true statement. A lot of people talk smack about a "tuna", myself included from time to time. I can't ride, I haven't ridden since 2005 when I was nearly killed in a motorcycle accident. When I talk badly about a Katana, it's a numbers game. HP to weight ratio. The Katana numbers are not good to say the least. But "I'd rather ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow" really applies here. Do you actually NEED what the modern SS bikes yield? Hell no, no one does. And anyone that says otherwise is a complete moron not worth my time.

[mammut89]

there are a few videos of people swinging the kat like a full blown SS bike, ive taken the bike to a few trackdays but im still far away from outriding it. im at about 80% maybe.

(not me)
[ame="http://vimeo.com/6004621"]Riding the twisties on Rt. 28 on Vimeo[/ame]

[edromero]

there are a few videos of people swinging the kat like a full blown SS bike, ive taken the bike to a few trackdays but im still far away from outriding it. im at about 80% maybe.

(not me)
Riding the twisties on Rt. 28 on Vimeo

"can-o-tuna don't handle worth a shit" - i can hear all the guys on gsxr.com now

looks like tons of fun to me. do you have any more videos of katana being pushed to its limit?

[arsenic]

there are a few videos of people swinging the kat like a full blown SS bike, ive taken the bike to a few trackdays but im still far away from outriding it. im at about 80% maybe.

(not me)
Riding the twisties on Rt. 28 on Vimeo

Wait, that video is posted by "Zepp"? I know that guy. Are you watching him or the bike in front of him? Cause is you are referring to him, he's not on a Katana. It's either a Honda CBR600RR or a ZX14. I didn't watch the video, just saying.

[mammut89]

the guy in front which is riding faster than zepp is sknl on his blue kat

"can-o-tuna don't handle worth a shit" - i can hear all the guys on gsxr.com now

looks like tons of fun to me. do you have any more videos of katana being pushed to its limit?

ive taken my own 600 kat to the track and had the knee down in all corners but Its not as exciting and its not its limit


fast forward to 3:40 , thats me riding unhindered
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CPTIPZatIs"]Rudskogen 21.05.2012 - YouTube[/ame]

[arsenic]

the guy in front which is riding faster than zepp is sknl on his blue kat

Yeah, that guy's a bad ass. Not too many Kat riders ride their bikes like he does.

[curseboy]

When I bought my pre-750 it had been abused and neglected. As consequence, my riding impression was a fairly negative one. But with patience and some research, trial and error I now have a bike that I feel happy riding, inspires confidence and can move and turn quickly if it needs to.

That said, I use my R6 and my little crf230 to hone my "go-fast" skillz

[edromero]

the guy in front which is riding faster than zepp is sknl on his blue kat



ive taken my own 600 kat to the track and had the knee down in all corners but Its not as exciting and its not its limit


fast forward to 3:40 , thats me riding unhindered
Rudskogen 21.05.2012 - YouTube

nice work mammut, that looks like a ton of fun!

[boomer_95]

you guys are starting to make me want to fix my Kat now!!! even tho its a little late

i do agree tho... big balls power and low weight aren't everything.... unless your a racer. in just a year (winter included) i was able to go from a complete beginner to fairly impressive for only a year of riding (says sky and ron) that probably has a lot to do with the fact that the Kat is very comfy, so you can get into a good groove, and that, as stated above, you don't have the need to impress anyone

[ratgti]

i ride with a guy simetimes has an R1. we just put around though because we are both relitively new to street riding . ive put about 9K on the kat since i bought it in march . frankly its as fast as i want it to be . still a pig .. but a relitively fast one .

[crazycraven420]

ive seen guys who ride big bikes hurt themselves on kx80's an a guy who rode a r1 hop on his daughters pre kat an rear end his own pickup truck comin out the gate much faster than he expected lol.
Quite honestly I hate when guys knock the kat, especially guys on here. Its a good bike imo. When I first rode with my buddy an his gsxr I met him at a car meet (mind you it was stock with purple an pink on it lol) I got plenty of comments an looks but when we all left an my buddy rocketed down the road with me by him passing every honda an few other "fast" cars it caught attention at the next stop. People started asking specs lol. I was honestly suprised myself.
Im not saying its a monster but if you know your bike, you can impress yourself an keep a grin on your face. Thats all I ask of my kat..not to mention the bond ive created with it from the few "unpleasant" experiences we got thru