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**This is turning into a novel, I'll separate the parts so you can skip**
My name is Gabriel and I'm out of Rockville, MD. I used to ride motocross back in Pennsylvania and I finally figured it time to buy a street bike.
So, I've been saving for awhile to get a bike and I finally found one a few days ago. I hadn't saved a lot of money up but I found a bike that was a pretty good deal for what I want. My girlfriend's father used to own a bike shop and can take bikes apart and put them back together so I took him with me and he said the bike was a good find. It's a 1989 Suzuki Katana 600 (GSXF600 Right?) and it has about 21,000 miles on it. I paid $450 for it.
[Bike]
So, on to the things that are wrong with it
1. Bad Battery -- I've already purchased a new one and installed it in the bike...it is not a sealed battery as I'm low on funds at the moment...nor is it the correct battery for the bike however it is a snug fit with the appropriate polarities.
2. Multiple cosmetic defects -- There are quite a couple cosmetic defects on the bike...too many to really list here. A couple include some rust on the chain guard and chain itself, a slightly cracked headlight, and some fairing scuffs and scratches.
3. Owner lost the keys to the bike and replaced the ignition...but no the gas tank cap. Had to crack the lock so I need a new gas cap..
4. The front part of the "frame"...where the instrument cluster, headlight, etc. is tweaked to the right. My girlfriend's dad told me that that's easily adjustable after taking off all the fairings.
Mechanically,
The bike has a hard time starting considering it's been sitting so long, but it starts and once it does it runs strong...the clutch feels like new and the transmission shifts smooth as butter.
[/Bike]
[Screwups]
Alright, so I've screwed up quite a couple times so far. 1) I reversed the polarity while jumping the bike..no biggy -- I tripped the main circuit breaker and once reset it works fine.
I am 6'0" or so and only weigh 130-150lbs. I can bench 150-180 but this bike is really heavy and pretty damn hard to move. I was trying to push it uphill to put it back in its parking spot and i slipped on an oil spot...bike started leaning and I couldn't stop it...was very painful to watch...I slowed it down to a crawl but couldn't reverse the momentum to bring it back up. Results: Broken turn signal but I've already replaced it. Oh, and spilled gas all over myself.
[/Screwups]
[Todo]
So I've got a pretty lengthy todo list. Once I move the bike to my house tomorrow (Monday) I'll get started on everything with the help of my girlfriend's father.
1. Getting the bike to run solidly,
a. I most likely need to clean the carbs.
b. I need to clean/replace the spark plugs.
2. Functional Crap
a. New gas cap
b. Fairing screws
c. Get a complete tool kit for the bike
3. Cosmetic Crap
a. This section is a short one...the bike isn't in that bad a shape and I figure I'll just sell it as is next season. I paid a pretty small amount for the bike so I don't really see the purpose of investing in it. If I really like the way the Katana rides I'll keep it.
[/Todo]
[End]
So yeah, hopefully she'll be good to ride in a week or so. It has a Vance exhaust which sounds pretty damn nice. Keep in mind I bought the bike mainly because I wanted a bike I wouldn't be afraid to work on...something I could go in and learn all the mechanics of. I've been reading through the walkthroughs and while it doesn't sound all that difficult, it doesn't sound easy either.
Any opinions/things to look out for?
Thanks,
-Gabriel
**EDIT** Pics:
My name is Gabriel and I'm out of Rockville, MD. I used to ride motocross back in Pennsylvania and I finally figured it time to buy a street bike.
So, I've been saving for awhile to get a bike and I finally found one a few days ago. I hadn't saved a lot of money up but I found a bike that was a pretty good deal for what I want. My girlfriend's father used to own a bike shop and can take bikes apart and put them back together so I took him with me and he said the bike was a good find. It's a 1989 Suzuki Katana 600 (GSXF600 Right?) and it has about 21,000 miles on it. I paid $450 for it.
[Bike]
So, on to the things that are wrong with it
1. Bad Battery -- I've already purchased a new one and installed it in the bike...it is not a sealed battery as I'm low on funds at the moment...nor is it the correct battery for the bike however it is a snug fit with the appropriate polarities.
2. Multiple cosmetic defects -- There are quite a couple cosmetic defects on the bike...too many to really list here. A couple include some rust on the chain guard and chain itself, a slightly cracked headlight, and some fairing scuffs and scratches.
3. Owner lost the keys to the bike and replaced the ignition...but no the gas tank cap. Had to crack the lock so I need a new gas cap..
4. The front part of the "frame"...where the instrument cluster, headlight, etc. is tweaked to the right. My girlfriend's dad told me that that's easily adjustable after taking off all the fairings.
Mechanically,
The bike has a hard time starting considering it's been sitting so long, but it starts and once it does it runs strong...the clutch feels like new and the transmission shifts smooth as butter.
[/Bike]
[Screwups]
Alright, so I've screwed up quite a couple times so far. 1) I reversed the polarity while jumping the bike..no biggy -- I tripped the main circuit breaker and once reset it works fine.
I am 6'0" or so and only weigh 130-150lbs. I can bench 150-180 but this bike is really heavy and pretty damn hard to move. I was trying to push it uphill to put it back in its parking spot and i slipped on an oil spot...bike started leaning and I couldn't stop it...was very painful to watch...I slowed it down to a crawl but couldn't reverse the momentum to bring it back up. Results: Broken turn signal but I've already replaced it. Oh, and spilled gas all over myself.
[/Screwups]
[Todo]
So I've got a pretty lengthy todo list. Once I move the bike to my house tomorrow (Monday) I'll get started on everything with the help of my girlfriend's father.
1. Getting the bike to run solidly,
a. I most likely need to clean the carbs.
b. I need to clean/replace the spark plugs.
2. Functional Crap
a. New gas cap
b. Fairing screws
c. Get a complete tool kit for the bike
3. Cosmetic Crap
a. This section is a short one...the bike isn't in that bad a shape and I figure I'll just sell it as is next season. I paid a pretty small amount for the bike so I don't really see the purpose of investing in it. If I really like the way the Katana rides I'll keep it.
[/Todo]
[End]
So yeah, hopefully she'll be good to ride in a week or so. It has a Vance exhaust which sounds pretty damn nice. Keep in mind I bought the bike mainly because I wanted a bike I wouldn't be afraid to work on...something I could go in and learn all the mechanics of. I've been reading through the walkthroughs and while it doesn't sound all that difficult, it doesn't sound easy either.
Any opinions/things to look out for?
Thanks,
-Gabriel
**EDIT** Pics:
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