I'm looking at Boston CL and enter Katana and up pops a bunch including local 2004 Katana 750 and he asks 2300 negotiable with 3400 miles. Couple scrapes. He dropped it, I hope while not moving. 

What do GS vets think of late model Katanas? Early were deemed by magazines as not as good as YZF but kind of close. Prettier maybe.

There are a lot more Katanas than GS500s. The fatty roundy bodywork is cool.  It looks heavy.

Are they easy riding nice bikes? Look like comfortable position. Even cheaper than VFR.

Or are they only worthwhile cause they yield shocks for GS500?

the post 98 katanas are still heavy bikes,  they all ride ok, but suffer from undersprung suspension and dislike hard acceleration/wheelies on a regular basis unless you have money to rebuild your motor regularly.

wet, they're somwhere in the 550 lb range I think.     they ride nice and handle ok.   they arent by any means a true sportbike, just a sport tourer.   

the pre's, aka the 97 and earlier models, suffered from a 2nd gear issue that the posts addressed,  along with new bodywork.   technically aside from fairings, carbs, and the transmission he pre/post kats are pretty much the same bikes really.      the pre models look much cleaner an sleeker,  but I'd say the posts are just generally better. 

3400 miles is a little too low to me.  I really shy away from such low mileage machines unless they're 07 or newer.  they usually sit, which can potentially lead to a lot of leaking seals.  not at ALL fun to fix on a katana engine.    if you've ever taken one out of a katana, or had to tear em apart, you'll understand why.

a friend of mine bought an 02 katana a while back.. he let me ride it and honestly, all i had to do to decide i did not like it was go around the block one time.  the wheel base is longer and the weight is a little much.  it may just be that i am used to my nice, light gs, but i was very unhappy with the handling of the katana.. the ride wasn't bad, comfort wise, but it didn't seem to corner well.  i will give it that it picked up and moved in an acceptable fashion compared to a gs.  i've always wanted one just because i like the body work, but after having ridden one, any year katana will never be on my list of possible purchases. i'd ride  before you buy just to make sure you like the feel

Katanas seem to get a lot of negative comments on this board and, much like the GS, you won't get much respect from other riders because they aren't "real" sport bikes.  I personally love Katanas.  They are reliable, cheap and fun (much like a GS).  While it is true that they do not have modern sport bike acceleration they are still a lot faster than a GS (their engine is pretty much from the original GSX-R).  The seating position is more upright and comfortable.  There is a great owner's forum at http://www.katriders.com/  The styling of them is a subjective thing, either you like them or you don't.  On the negative side they are a heavy bike with a longer wheelbase.  It makes the handling at low speeds sub par but still manageable.  That extra weight makes them very stable at highway speeds.  Also resale value sucks because a lot of people don't respect them (I think that's the reason Suzuki dropped the "Katana" name on the current GSXF).  I've had people that don't even ride laugh because I had a Katana (not that the GS gets much respect but the average person doesn't even know what it is).  A local dealership still has 3 new '06 Katana 600's sitting on the sales floor that they can't sell even at dealer cost ($4,200).  The asking price of the one you are looking at sounds about average, I'd try to get it for under $2000 since it is still winter.  Good luck   

-Jessie

I've always liked katanas, but never rode one. They're basically a faired version of the bandit, and to be honest I'd rather have the bandit. If for no other reason that I don't think I'd care to deal with all of the can-a-tuna comments from people. Just because a lot of people want the lightest and fastest bike, they assume that you do too, so all you've gotta do us put a full fairing on a slower bike and all of a sudden they assume you're trying to be a racer. I'd be into one if I did touring and still wanted a small bike, but otherwise I'd see if there are any bandits listed too. See how cheap you can get one, because you can get an SRAD for $2300 if you keep an eye out before it gets warm. Someone here was just selling one of the red/black/gray SRAD 750s here a week or two ago for only $2000, pretty much my dream bike. Oh well.

I think the post-98 are ugly, but I like the pre-97  I bought a 750 with no motor, and it was so comfortable to sit on, I considered just putting my gs motor in it.  never rode it down the street though

I prefer the pre 96 kat's too, and watch out a lot of them have transmission problems. Typically they are the result of sloppy shifting though. Anyway worth chekcing the shifting out before buying one. One with bad tranny aint worth 300 bucks ...
Cool.
Buddha.

thats the truth.     removing a katana engine to replace the transmission is a HUGE pain in the -----  to do.    been there done that.   

bad 2nd on a katana is almost always the actual 2nd gear dogs being rounded off from people shifting clutchless into 2nd(bad idea) or just generally sloppy/lazy shifts.

I have tried the like the later model Katanas but there is something just not right about the body plastics...like they were left in the oven a bit too long and started to melt or something.

I just put a '02 Kat shock in my '02 GS a few hours ago. What a difference! 

Quote from: XealotX on January 30, 2010, 07:17:28 PM
I have tried the like the later model Katanas but there is something just not right about the body plastics...like they were left in the oven a bit too long and started to melt or something.

Hmm... well it's slightly rounded and awkward, but if we're gonna pick on a bike for being ugly because it looks like it's melting, it's going to be this one, which strangely enough has a bit of a following.........

Quote from: Pilotpwr on January 30, 2010, 10:07:22 PM
I just put a '02 Kat shock in my '02 GS a few hours ago. What a difference! 

A katana is one of those that seriously is less than the sum of its parts.
Good thing you can buy em in decent shape for under a bill.
Cool.
Buddha.