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Katana 750 too much for newbie rider?

2K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  TeeTee 
#1 ·
Here's the situation: My older brother wants one to start and I'm starting with a Suzuki SV650S. Is a Katana 750 too much for him (we're both starting)?
 
G
#6 ·
shes a bit of a .mmm shall we say "a little big boneded "

as in "shes a big bitch" .

The sv will prob be faster the katana more planted .but id say its not that bad an idea .Its not a rocket ,and they seem to hold value .

my 2c.
 
#9 ·
The Katana is a heavier bike, so it would probably only be a good choice if your brother is a larger/stronger guy to start with. Beyond that, yes, it's a 750, so yes, it could get him into trouble faster than his new reflexes could respond to it. But if he's a careful rider and takes a course to start with instead of learning by the seat of his pants, he will probably be just fine.

Drops will be expensive, there's a lot of exposed plastic there. Check into a set of frame sliders, you may need to make a nice clean hole in the fairings to let them stick out, but they will pay for themselves if you ever drop the bike.

The Katana is apparently a nice touring bike too, so it would probably last your brother longer than most beginner bikes.
 
#11 ·
I started out on a 750 Kat, good bike, just respect that throttle(goes with the territory for any bike really). Oh yeah, and the obligatory course plug. TAKE A RIDING COURSE!

I did find it a bit top heavy, but it was fun to ride and great for touring.
 
G
#12 ·
can o tunas use yesteryear gsxr technology. a late 90s 750f will have an oil cooled engine similar to an early 90s gsxr 750.

an early 90s gsxr is a rather forgiving bike for a newbie. they are down on horsepower and built like tanks. a gsxf will be similar.
 
#16 ·
I think it all depends on what your brother feels comfortable with. Yes it's a 750, yes its heavy, yes it's built like a tank....yes you can have a lot of fun on that particular bike. Is it too "much" for him....well....that depends on what kind guy he is.... if you would describe him as a "constrained" individual...then this is a pretty good starter bike....I think the real issue here being weight....

Kanatuna's are not "sport bikes" when compared to todays bikes..but they will certainly do the job....
 
#17 ·
I don't know where you folks get your facts from but I suspect you all heard from a friend of your brother's uncles' sisters nephew that the Kat is heavy. Yes it weighs more than the latest eggshell delicate sportbikes but it's NOT a heavy bike by most normal standards. The Suzuki site lists it at 465 lbs dry so it'll be a hair under 500 once loaded up with all the goodies. It wasn't that long ago that such a weight was considered to be a lean mean fightin' machine.

Besides it's at least as much about how the bike feels to the rider as what the weight spec is.

And the engine is no slouch. Given that I found that the Bandit 600 was about on par with the SV650 at the Orca Bay Suzuki test ride day I would say that the 750 is just as fast and perhaps a touch faster than the SV.

All of which means that any of these bikes should be treated with a healthy dose of respect by any beginner. Remember, a Ninja 250 is as hot as most cars out there and the looked down upon Ninja 500 and Zook GS500 will beat all the rest other than some 6 figure exotics. And the SV and Kat leave those bikes for dead. So any of these options means that the rider has a tiger by the tail.
 
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