Ok,
it seems that these bikes take some beats from some riders out
there and I am not sure why. Perhaps because people don't consider
them a sport bike and don't consider them a sport touring, so
it's kind of stuck in the middle of two classes.
I
think that it's true. The bike is in between classes and I am
happy about it. Although I only got to ride the bike for a short
time, it won my heart over.
The
bike performs as a sport bike with nice, easy, tight turns.
The suspension did seem a bit rough, but I never had the time
to check it out and adjust it. I used the factory setting. The
bike has a great seating position and I was quite upright although
still a sportier position.
The
bike was amazing handling and smooth at high speeds. The bike
was an absolute dream on the highway and I was really looking
forward to taking this bike on a cross country tour of Canada.
The bike also had a very solid centre of gravity and didn't
feel it's weight while upright.
I
bought the 750 CC class and it was more than enough power. I
followed the break in rules of RPMs. The first 600 km I believe
were 6000 RPM and then up to 9000 RPM at 1000 km. I had just
hit 1000 km and had started get the bike into the 9000 RPM range.
Here's
the thing....the bike has amazing pull at any RPM and any gear.
Truly. Ok, so I don't have a lot of experience, but I never
had to go above 6000 or go above 9000 to experience the bike
taking off. Truly, I never utilized the top power of the bike.
I
had a couple of friends that ride and both said they enjoyed
the bike immensely. And for half the price that you'll pay for
other sport bikes, it was a super deal. Katana is a solid motorcycle
with a solid build.
I
had only a couple bad things about the bike. I thought it was
a heavy bike coming in at 465 lbs. That's comparable I think
to a VFR800 but still much less than a lot of cruisers out there.
At first the gearing is wound tight and the transmission jumps
into gears. However, after riding the bike for a week, you figure
out how to avoid the jump.
The
bike is a star in my books and I would definitely recommend
the bike if you are looking for a sporty bike and plan on doing
some serious travelling. Sorry, I didn't get a chance to do
any investigation on hard bags for the Katana.
I'll
be looking at purchasing another Katana in the spring again.
Unless, of course, I win the lottery and I'll be forced to buy
my dream Duke!
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Rider
Review: 2001 Suzuki Katana 750