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New Rider ForumsJust joining the motorcyclist hobbie? Looking to get some information about a first bike? Or have some newbie questions. Are you new to the website?
Looks like it's in pretty good shape. I think I'm going to go check it out tomorrow morning. Are Katanas bad bikes? Would this make a good first bike? Could it last me 4-5 years?
Posts: 3,958
Casino Cash: $24990
Sportbike: Too many but never enough
There are better bikes, but it isn't a bad bike. They are heavy and the weight distribution is awkwardly high for a beginner bike. There are better bikes to start on, but there are much worse bikes to start on, too. One thing to consider is how much plastic bodywork it has. If you drop the bike, you will damage the bodywork. On a bike without so much plastic, you will not have as much damage from a drop. There are people who will say to avoid it, but if you like it, it fits you, and you can balance it, then it will be fine.
The price seems a bit high, but I don't know enough about Katanas to be sure.
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Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there lurks the skid demon.
2006 Daytona 675 street squid bike
1999 SV650 track tool and face plant master
1991 Husky 610 bitsa, tard, dirt weapon, and oil puddle creator
1971 Norton Commando garage ornament
1973 Chevy blingin' hooptie van bike hauler
Not terrible bikes, but you can do a *lot* better for five grand. It is not a particularly good choice for new riders OR veteran riders, so it's not a great choice for anyone IMHO.
Well it's out of the question regardless. Insurance on that thing would cost me over 2 grand a year!!!! Insurance on a 2008 Ninja 500R would be 500!!! WTF???
Anyway, I'm going to go look at a 2008 500R tomorrow morning.
Posts: 3,958
Casino Cash: $24990
Sportbike: Too many but never enough
Insurance companies are run by people who know nothing about anything except when you are likely to die. So, they make really strange judgements. There are different strange people running each insurance company, so they all think you are going to die at a different time and for different reasons. So they have different rates for everything, especially bikes. They are completely screwed up when it comes to bikes. For a while, an insurance company thought all Triumphs were slow touring bikes, including my TT600. So I got a really cheap rate. Then they woke up and jacked my rates. I am with Allstate now, and they think it goes strictly by cc, so a bigger motor makes for a bigger rate, never mind it is a 60 hp 1500cc Harley instead of a 110 hp 675 Triumph. The Triumph is smaller and therefore less likely to have an insurance claim.
So, what you just found is one of those goofy insurance anomolies that make it important to shop around for bike insurance. When the insurance companies are being idiots, it pays to find the lowball idiot company instead of the gold plated idiot company.
I have a really high regard for how insurance companies calculate risk, if you couldn't tell.
__________________
Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there lurks the skid demon.
2006 Daytona 675 street squid bike
1999 SV650 track tool and face plant master
1991 Husky 610 bitsa, tard, dirt weapon, and oil puddle creator
1971 Norton Commando garage ornament
1973 Chevy blingin' hooptie van bike hauler
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2005 Titanium ZX-6R / 636 - FactoryPro Shift Star|Powerbronze Rear Hugger|OES Sliders & Spools|TechSpec|Comp Werkes Fender Eliminator|Grip Puppies|Jumper Mod
2003 ZX-6R -- SOLD | 2001 ZX-6R -- SOLD | 1997 ZX-6R -- SOLD
2001 MR2-S 2ZZ-GE Engine Swapped & Revving to 8600rpm -- SOLD My Gear
...Adjusting to my current home in Boston...missing Hawaii...
Posts: 799
Casino Cash: $34243
Sportbike: What's not to like about Naked Twins?
Quote:
Originally Posted by phail
No, they arent horrible bikes. Most motorcyclists are just fucking snobs.
+1
i had a beaten-to-shit one for my first bike...
would i do it again? probably not
would i think any less of someone who bought a brand new one because they're absolute steals cuz the dealers can't sell them? not at all, i'd probably commend them.
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'93 Katana 750 (blue) -----> '07 SV650S+F in Blood Red Metallic ~ 13k mi since 7/18/08
Quote:
Originally Posted by stryder
d-a-m-p-e-r : (slang: d-a-m-p-n-e-r) n~:aftermarket mammal, often found perched on triple trees of various motorcycles. The lack of a d-a-m-p-e-r is often cross referenced by the phylum squidicus motorus, as the main cause of involuntary loss of control, and subsequent endagerment of said two wheeled transport.
Sentence use: I would not have crashed if I had a D-A-M-P-N-E-R!!!
Are Suzuki Katanas bad bikes?
