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suzuki katana good for first bike?

5K views 31 replies 15 participants last post by  noelpm 
#1 ·
hey guys i'm looking into getting a bike and i was wondering if a 2003 Suzuki gsx katana (600cc) would make for a good first bike?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Logic over impulse?

Yes, a fantastic bike for anyone! Finally, a realistic first time rider!

What are your other choices? Did you look at:
Yamaha YZF600R
Suzuki SV650S
Kawasaki ZX-6 (I think they still make it)

You've got some options. Ah, and like the guy with the post below this said, invest in some top notch gear that you will ALWAYS wear on every single ride (even if it's just down the street).
 
#3 ·
I agree. This'd be a great starter bike! And it, IMHO, has some really great looks to it.

Try not to skimp on the gear too. The minimums I'd suggest are helmet, gloves, over-ankle boots (and they don't have to be specifically for motorcycling) and some kind of jacket. Check out newenough's website for some really reasonable prices and great service.
 
#7 ·
well the reason why i asked is because i found a pretty new katana (2003) for under 3000 and i felt like it was good deal, considering the bike is in perfect condition and never been dropped or anything. What i originally wanted was the 600r, but this deal just seems too good to be true
 
#12 ·
Katanas are great first bikes. I started with a Katana 750 that I bought off of a co-worker. I totally loved that bike. I put 35,000 miles on that sucker the first 2 years I owned it. I completely mistreated and under maintain it, but it kept going. Crashed it a couple of times. If its your first bike, you will absolutely fall head over heels in love with it.

On that 600, double check the title. Make sure there is no crash or engine damage to it. Buy it and ride the snot out of it.
 
#13 ·
For under 3k huh... It is still a can o' tuna...
There are alot of good bikes out there that you would be good to begin with, but thats one your guaranteed to want to get rid of. Having said that, its your money your waving goodbye to when you do decide to sell and the resale isn't very good. I would tell you to look for a used YZF 750 or 600, both good bikes. Depending on your expeirience the 750 might be more than you want. Honda's F3,4 would be good too. I would definately take into consideration the demand out look for the first bike b/c you know you aren't going to keep it forever.

p.s. Especially if its a can o' tuna
 
#14 ·
BikesRToyz said:
For under 3k huh... It is still a can o' tuna...
There are alot of good bikes out there that you would be good to begin with, but thats one your guaranteed to want to get rid of. Having said that, its your money your waving goodbye to when you do decide to sell and the resale isn't very good. I would tell you to look for a used YZF 750 or 600, both good bikes. Depending on your expeirience the 750 might be more than you want. Honda's F3,4 would be good too. I would definately take into consideration the demand out look for the first bike b/c you know you aren't going to keep it forever.

p.s. Especially if its a can o' tuna
Doesn't that theory go both ways? If it's unpopular, and won't sell at a high price, won't it, by logic, be cheap to buy? And I would suspect b/c of its unpopularity, it would be cheaper to insure. For a newb, these all seem like pluses, not minuses.

Just looking for a fuller :2cents:
 
#15 ·
kanwisch said:
Doesn't that theory go both ways? If it's unpopular, and won't sell at a high price, won't it, by logic, be cheap to buy? And I would suspect b/c of its unpopularity, it would be cheaper to insure. For a newb, these all seem like pluses, not minuses.
Thats my story and Im stikin' to it...
Of coarse the insurance is lower. Insurance doesn't pay out for suicide. Someday the owner will realize he's ridin' a can o' tuna and he can't get rid of it because no one wants it, get depressed and bam. End of story.
Seriously though. Insurance doesn't care about poularity, all they want to know is CC size and year. 03 Katana and 03 R6, your still looking at about the same ins. rate. Depending on location and company, there are always exceptions somewhere.
 
#16 ·
Cool, thanks for the insight.

I would've assumed (apparently incorrectly) that popularity would be a large factor since crashing and theft are the two most likely things to happen to a bike (from an insurance viewpoint), and the latter is strongly tied to its popularity.
 
#17 ·
Im not saying popularity can't be related to theft, but at the same time from ins. view point the most costly concern is the crash, far more likely and also related to size and type of bike. As I also said it depends on location. Majoritively the US is still rural, and being in a rural area theft isn't a big concern. Like I also said there are always exceptions. If I lived in Atlanta, theft would have raised my premiums.
 
#19 ·
Well, POS is very subjective. I'd bet a large number of members on this site would say mine's a POS, but I love it for what it does.

That's partially why buying bikes on the 'Nets a little hard to do. You can't really feel the "chemistry" unless you've seen/sat on one locally.

In fact, if we went a step further, perhaps BikesRToyz would recommend some noob bikes that he doesn't consider POSs. Every individual's different, so you gotta go with what you like.
 
#22 ·
Look bro, I am not calling anyones bike a POS. By buddy has the same 85 honda 750. One of the funner bikes I ever rode was an a late 80 something hurricane, if you remember those monsters. All I am saying is that he seems to want a bike in a certain class. And as is with everything else, somebody makes the one at the bottom. When he does learn to ride it well its just not going to perform like I think he is going to want it to. In my experience no one I know who had a katana liked it. They never said Man I love this thing. I was always " I'm gonna get somethin else". I have rode them. I dont like them. I think they are heavy in all the wrong places, I don't like the suspension, I don't like the way they run, and I don't like the look. The way the body is desighned its very hard to do any customizations. The stock tires are really bad and there isn't enough room between the side of the 140 and the swing arm to put a 160 in there. Oh yeah, I forgot the brakes. Suzuki puts good brake on everything, Except the Katana. The only thing I did like was the comfy seat which I can't say was any more comfortable than the YZF.

Enough said... DONT DO IT!!
 
#23 ·
hahah
i really appreciate you guys looking out for the newb here

I think i've decided to let the katana go despite of the tempting price tag, and search for a 600r. Or maybe something else?

what do you guys recomend for a first bike? I read everywhere that you shouldn't get a higher end bike as a first bike. Is this because of safety?
Sometimes i want to just buy a higher end bike because the idea of going through selling the first bike and getting another one doesn't appeal to me too greatly. I'd rather just buy one and keep it forever... but i guess it doesn't work that way?
 
#24 ·
BikesRToyz said:
Look bro, I am not calling anyones bike a POS.
If this one's directed at me, I certainly didn't take any offense, and was just making a parallel, not an extrapolation.

And thanks for the details on what parts you didn't like about it. "Can o' tuna" is an awfully broad statement, but your clarification explains clearly your reasons for its categorization. Thanks!
 
#25 ·
BikesRToyz said:
Thats my story and Im stikin' to it...
Of coarse the insurance is lower. Insurance doesn't pay out for suicide. Someday the owner will realize he's ridin' a can o' tuna and he can't get rid of it because no one wants it, get depressed and bam. End of story.
Seriously though. Insurance doesn't care about poularity, all they want to know is CC size and year. 03 Katana and 03 R6, your still looking at about the same ins. rate. Depending on location and company, there are always exceptions somewhere.
My insurance company gave a quote for insurance on a 600cc sportbike for $40 a month. That was any bike of that type and size, r6, yzf, cbr, kat.
 
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