yay or nay?

I'm looking at buying another sport bike, an older bike that is 600cc or more.

This one has 17k miles, and minimal body damage.

Any thoughts on this katana. I wasn't too excited when I got the call from him offering it for sale. But, the thought of a 750 sparked a little interest in me. From what I know about katanas, they're heavy and sluggish on cornering abilities. Is this true for the 93? Anyone have experience with a bike like this. Supposedly it makes twice the horses that my ex500 did, but that doesn't neccessarily mean it's twice as fast.

 

honestly.... nay

93, kinda getting on in years, and most katana's have been pretty well beat on over the years, usually from beginners. if it's completely box stock, them MAYBE it'd be worth it, if it's cheap. if it's got a pipe and pod filters on it, forget it. that's usally a sign that someone was trying to make a slow bike go faster, which means they were probably beating on it, trying to keep up with faster bikes.

being that it's a lil old, the suspension, which wasn't great to begin with, is probably shagged.

save your money. you didn't mention a price, but i'd bet for around the same money, you could get an older cbr600 f2/f3 that's a MUCH better bike.

matter of fact, there's an f2 racebike on craiglist for $2300 with a spare motor, $2000 without the extra motor. it looks clean, and pretty well taken care of, not to mention the fact that it has upgraded suspension. if it's got a title, it'd be easy to make it street legal again, just need lights.

 

The guy's katana is all stock, not even pipes. But, my dad works with a guy who is selling his 91 cbr1000 for a slight bit out of my price range. I'm thinking I'm just going to save a few hundred more and buy this bike in 2 or 3 months. However, if a cbr600 comes my way that is a great deal, I won't just overlook it.

skrooz, how do the older cbr600's do with all around performance?

 

one of the best all round bikes you can get for the money. bulletproof motors (especially after you replace the crappy cam chain tensioners), comfortable, decent power, good handling, very stable in the twisties, parts are VERY easy to get for them, and anything you could ever want to get for the bike is available. that's why i always recomend them as great beginner bikes. thay're docile enough to make you confident, but they're capable of some good fast paced riding when you get to that. great bikes, you'd be happy with one, and i doubt you'd outgrow it for a while, unless you're a typical squid who has to have the fastest thing out at the moment. most street riders around here couldn't outride an f2/f3 on the streets if thier life depended on it honestly.

i can feel the flaming coming on for that last comment . bring it sucka's.

 

F3's ftw!

 

F3 was my 1st bike

 

That is a clean looking bike.

 

yeah, that is one sweet looking f3!

 

Im thinking about getting a ninja 500 is my 1st bike, how did you enjoy yours?

 

It was a lot of fun for me because I had never ridden anything on two wheels. Now that I've ridden some heavier bikes, the ninja 500 is pretty light and you'll appreciate its handling.