well this weekend im going to check out a 95 katana 600cc with 10k on it, the guys asking under KBB which is nice, ive seen these bikes up close and it has the wider tire i like, and im pleased with the body style.
ive ridden r6’s n r1’s and some 600cc ninjas, but i hear the katana may be a little top heavy
any words of advise before my test run? are these bikes prone to certain failures (HG, blah blah)? experiences?
They are a great first bike. They are a bit heavy compared to a modern SS and won’t perform like one but are more than adequate for a starter.
Very solid even at high miles. Just look for the usual bike stuff… oil leaks, fork seals, worn sprockets, brakes, crapola bodywork, smoke.
spot on… chain, rotors, pads, tires, rash on the covers, bar ends, sliders, frame, body work… all tell tale signs of how it was or wasnt taken care of…
the first bike i was ever allowed to take out on my own was a 1995 katana… best day of my life. up to that point. tons of fun
Ah the old can-o-tuna. Great bike. Not too much to start on but you won’t outgrow it right away either. They’re supposedly pretty comfy too.
I started a 99 katana 600. Def a comfy bike. Awesome to learn on, very stable. They are heavy as fuck, but w/e sell it after your first season.
fuck that, man up and get a turbo busa…that’s a mans starter bike 
I have a 93’ Katana 600 that I ride and it’s not bad for a starter bike …
I had a 95 Katana as my first bike. They are much more comfortable geometry wise than a full SS is. Don’t have the power, brakes, handling of an SS, but they still have plenty of get up and go and are great starter bikes that you won’t outgrow for at least a year or two. They’re pretty reliable too.
I sold mine for $700 more than I paid for it after crashing it and putting on 10,000 miles :mamoru:
that’s kinda the good/almost evil thing about these bikes. You can find someone, that knows nothing about bikes, to sell it to, making a profit since the people who are looking for them, are beginners. I sold mine for exactly what I paid for it, and all I did was change the oil twice. It had bald tires, and 8K more miles on it from when I started. Plus it was on it’s side three times. (only once by me, and that was one softer ground)
+1
Everyone should have a turbo busa to learn on.
Lets go buy 2 later Don. We’ll cruise until we kill ourselves.
Yup, I rode mine for 3 years, and was nice and sold it to my friend for $200 less than I paid for it. Had I sold it to anyone one else I easily could have gotten more than I paid for it.
well the one im going to see is a hideous fucking color but paints no big deal on a bike, just a pain removing all the body shit
Depends on the price, but I’ve never been a fan of these bikes.
Ok power, but the brakes are poop, the handling is equally poop.
I’d definitley look for a zx-6e over a can-o-tuna.
oh siq we can ride off a cliff into the sunset
