katana 750 as a beginner bike
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Go for it
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My brother has a Kat and likes it a bunch, however you will find sport bike riders don't respect it much. Pretty much they flame the crap out of Kat riders. Personally, I think you find something you like the look of and something that is the right size bike for you. Kat's are a good beginner bike from what I heard, the Suzuki dealership recommended that bike and my SV to me.
My first bike was the EX500, which I taught a friend how to ride and he turned around and bought a Katana 750.. He loved the bike and is sorry he sold it now.. That bike has plenty of power and a great overall riding feel.. I actually was going to buy it from him, but didn't have the money at the time.. The power curve is great for everyday riding as well as for beginners. I would highly recommend this bike.. My other friend ended up buying it from him and then sold it after about 8 months for a 2002 R1... The only problem is that to learn how to manuever to the best of your abilities will be more of a challenge due to the bikes larger size.. It will still be capable of beyond what you are capable of pushing it but, compared to my EX it was a lot heavier and therefore required more force to get it to move like I was used to.. Good suggestion is right after you buy it have the front tire's air pressure checked, that bike as I'm familiar has a way of trying to oversteer and with improper tire pressure this could prove to be a real accident hazard as you are learning on it..
Just my :2cents:
Other than that I was actually thinking of getting that bike and decided that I wanted a little more in power, though I don't really need it :bonk: .. Though I have been riding over almost 4 years on the street, I still would be very happy on a Kat 750..
Great Price and wish you :luck:
Just my :2cents:
Other than that I was actually thinking of getting that bike and decided that I wanted a little more in power, though I don't really need it :bonk: .. Though I have been riding over almost 4 years on the street, I still would be very happy on a Kat 750..
Great Price and wish you :luck:
I am using a Katana 600 as my first bike. I think it serves its purpose fairly well. Here are some of my observations:
The bike is very heavy, which is generally seen as a downside. This probably means you're more likely to drop it, but it'll help with your low speed skills when you upgrade to a new bike.
Above 7000RPM or so, the Katana will make more power than you need on the road, especially as a beginner. Down low, it can be rather tame (compared to supersports). This is good for the simple fact that it is easy to control yourself. You'll learn more about staying in the appropriate gear to generate power than you would on faster 600s.
The engine is rock solid. Repairs are simple. Models barely change between years, so parts are cheap and easy to find.
Very comfortable. The riding position on the 750 is a little less aggressive than the 600 as it's more touring-oriented, but my 600 is super comfortable. I can do hundreds of miles in a day without becoming very sore.
I ride with a GSXR1000, R1, ZX7R, SV650S and have never had trouble keeping up with them in real world situations.
Basically, it's a fairly decent beginners bike IMO. If you don't mind buying a used bike and selling it in a season or two, try a Ninja 500 or a Suzuki GS500F or SV650S. It's lighter, ample power for a beginner with his head screwed on straight, and easy to obtain parts and work on.
I think you said in your other post that you were going to buy a new bike. I don't reccommend that at all, unless you can pay for it with cash up front. Know that you can call insurance companies as many times as you want and bug them for quotes on different bikes (I did).
The bike is very heavy, which is generally seen as a downside. This probably means you're more likely to drop it, but it'll help with your low speed skills when you upgrade to a new bike.
Above 7000RPM or so, the Katana will make more power than you need on the road, especially as a beginner. Down low, it can be rather tame (compared to supersports). This is good for the simple fact that it is easy to control yourself. You'll learn more about staying in the appropriate gear to generate power than you would on faster 600s.
The engine is rock solid. Repairs are simple. Models barely change between years, so parts are cheap and easy to find.
Very comfortable. The riding position on the 750 is a little less aggressive than the 600 as it's more touring-oriented, but my 600 is super comfortable. I can do hundreds of miles in a day without becoming very sore.
I ride with a GSXR1000, R1, ZX7R, SV650S and have never had trouble keeping up with them in real world situations.
Basically, it's a fairly decent beginners bike IMO. If you don't mind buying a used bike and selling it in a season or two, try a Ninja 500 or a Suzuki GS500F or SV650S. It's lighter, ample power for a beginner with his head screwed on straight, and easy to obtain parts and work on.
I think you said in your other post that you were going to buy a new bike. I don't reccommend that at all, unless you can pay for it with cash up front. Know that you can call insurance companies as many times as you want and bug them for quotes on different bikes (I did).
Not a fan of Katana's but for that price you can't beat it. You could also turn around in a couple years and sell it for 2K or maybe more depending ont the mods and miles. You WILL rack up some serious mileage on your first bike. I put 13K on mine in the first year. I stopped riding it all the time and only take it out on weekends to save some mileage. I wish i would've thought about saving mileage at around 8K but oh well.
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The Kat 750 is a good bike. The Kat 750 and SV 650 are my choices for beginner's bikes. The Katana is based on early gixxer technology. It will allow you to make mistakes that you can recover from very easily. Your late model 600's (gsxr, 6r, r6, 600rr) are not as forgiving to the novice. You can't go wrong and good deal.
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