# Word on this bike? **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [April 9, 2008, 6:55pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533 "2008-04-09T18:55:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ubengineering](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ubengineering/32/5171_2.png) [@ubengineering](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ubengineering)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 6:55pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/1 "2008-04-09T18:55:58Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![walter](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/walter/32/7202_2.png) [@walter](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/walter)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/2 "2008-04-09T18:57:40Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Willybeen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/willybeen/32/7351_2.png) [@Willybeen](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Willybeen)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 7:00pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/3 "2008-04-09T19:00:27Z")
> [@walter](#): > > 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 ---
**Author:** ![Resurrected\_J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Resurrected\_J](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Resurrected_J)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/4 "2008-04-09T21:21:06Z")
i’ll def give a :tup: to a kat as a starter bike 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fry](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fry/32/7284_2.png) [@Fry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fry)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/5 "2008-04-09T21:27:32Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Paulo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/paulo/32/7328_2.png) [@Paulo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Paulo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/6 "2008-04-09T22:45:05Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Carnut](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/carnut/32/7590_2.png) [@Carnut](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/7 "2008-04-09T23:13:45Z")
fuck that, man up and get a turbo busa…that’s a mans starter bike 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Slomies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Slomies](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Slomies)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/8 "2008-04-09T23:18:59Z")
I have a 93’ Katana 600 that I ride and it’s not bad for a starter bike … ---
**Author:** ![mike125k](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mike125k/32/7282_2.png) [@mike125k](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/mike125k)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/9 "2008-04-10T04:47:58Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![walter](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/walter/32/7202_2.png) [@walter](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/walter)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 5:28am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/10 "2008-04-10T05:28:39Z")
> [@Paulo](#): > > 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. I sold mine for $700 more than I paid for it after crashing it and putting on 10,000 miles :mamoru: ---
**Author:** ![Paulo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/paulo/32/7328_2.png) [@Paulo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Paulo)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 6:09am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/11 "2008-04-10T06:09:55Z")
> [@walter](#): > > 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) ---
**Author:** ![EvilJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a5b964/32.png) [@EvilJay](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/EvilJay)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 6:11am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/12 "2008-04-10T06:11:08Z")
> [@Carnut](#): > > fuck that, man up and get a turbo busa…that’s a mans starter bike 😛 +1 Everyone should have a turbo busa to learn on. Lets go buy 2 later Don. We’ll cruise until we kill ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![mike125k](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mike125k/32/7282_2.png) [@mike125k](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/mike125k)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:07am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/13 "2008-04-10T07:07:09Z")
> [@Paulo](#): > > 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) 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. ---
**Author:** ![ubengineering](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ubengineering/32/5171_2.png) [@ubengineering](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ubengineering)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 8:03am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/14 "2008-04-10T08:03:37Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![rdandy5875](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/rdandy5875/32/7511_2.png) [@rdandy5875](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/rdandy5875)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/15 "2008-04-10T08:41:49Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Carnut](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/carnut/32/7590_2.png) [@Carnut](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 11:24am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/16 "2008-04-10T11:24:02Z")
> [@EvilJay](#): > > +1 > > Everyone should have a turbo busa to learn on. > > Lets go buy 2 later Don. We’ll cruise until we kill ourselves. oh siq we can ride off a cliff into the sunset ---
**Author:** ![EvilJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a5b964/32.png) [@EvilJay](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/EvilJay)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 11:32am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/word-on-this-bike/46533/17 "2008-04-10T11:32:05Z")
holding hands?