Katana

Almighty Jason · 03-22-2005, 10:16 PM

How heavy are Katana's? Are they a good or bad bike to start on?

bbqb4racin · 03-22-2005, 10:53 PM

I bought a 2002 Katana 600 for my son to ride. It was his first street bike. He's had no problems handling it. It's got enough power to entertain without being a handfull. It drives and rides nice. It gets my vote.

TemtnF8 · 03-22-2005, 11:27 PM

my '03 600 weighs in at a healthy 450lbs.

21 natas · 03-22-2005, 11:32 PM

not too bad of a bike to start on but it does have alot of plastic on it that will get damaged if it goes down.

TemtnF8 · 03-23-2005, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 21 natas

not too bad of a bike to start on but it does have alot of plastic on it that will get damaged if it goes down.

And I STILL haven't been able to find any frame sliders for it...

Almighty Jason · 03-23-2005, 11:12 AM

Yea that's true, I went and sat on one the other day and felt like i was sitting on a bus...lol. So much extra plastic. Felt really well balanced though, like she'd stay straight real easy. I just don't like the fact it's so heavy. I wish R6's were cheaper like a 2000 or something. I really only want to spend 4,000 or less. I will say though it definately felt comfortable-besides having your knees spread cause of the plastic.

Jackal79 · 03-23-2005, 01:58 PM

They have a high center of gravity and that makes low speed manouvering a bitch. Once you get up to speed they ride great.

SirSmapty · 03-23-2005, 02:45 PM

making a u-turn on a kat is near impossible unless you're on a 6 lane road.

TemtnF8 · 03-23-2005, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirSmapty

making a u-turn on a kat is near impossible unless you're on a 6 lane road.

Man, all these haters... lol

I can turn mine around in two lanes, and I've only been riding it for a few days.

SirSmapty · 03-23-2005, 03:07 PM

I don't hate, I had a 01. It was just a scary ordeal trying to make a u-turn on it and not get clobbered on a major road.

Fullautoracing · 03-23-2005, 04:08 PM

I just picked up my second one this weekend a blue and white 05 600.They are a little top heavy but with a little practice you can get it,and the power is pretty good for a cruiser not as fast as a full out race bike...But if you are looking for a ride with a sporty side and some comfortablity a kat is my choice....

sideswipe · 03-23-2005, 04:10 PM

I loved my 2000 Kat 750. It ran like a champ and was a great 1st bike.

Heath3n · 03-26-2005, 09:15 AM

Great bikes! I rode Katanas for many years when I first started riding. (12 years ago) That being said, I would have a hard time recommending them to anyone now though. There's much better technology out there at roughly equivalent prices that I think would be a better choice. You have the sv650, the fz6, zzr600, and the yzf600. But like I said, they are good bikes and won't disappoint. Good luck!