1990 Katana good deal?

[DC2]

Hey guys,

I'm looking into picking up a 1990 Katana 600 as a starter bike.
Bike looks to be in good condition, newer tires, chain replaced less than 2000km ago. Manager son has owned it for 8 years, previous owner before that is a co-worker of mine he had it for 3 years. Bike has 49,000km on it. Manager is a huge bike fanatic so I'm sure its decently maintained. He's asking $1700 for it.

What do you guys think? Should I jump on it? or find something a little newer?

[CUG]

Depends on your budget. I bet you could lowball him pretty hard on it and get a deal. I'd personally go newer and spend a little more if I were you.

Not too familiar with the Katana itself, but I know their motors are usually pretty healthy if maintained right.

[codetrap]

I think you should go for something a little newer. Like say a 2006 for $4500 that's in great shape.

[DC2]

Not looking to spend alot, if I were to get a bike this year a couple grand. If I were to wait until next year probably more.

[Kloubek]

Personally, I disagree with you guys. If he is looking for a starter bike to learn on, and doesn't care if he drops it, etc, I think something like this would be perfect.

I say go for it DC2. No matter how you look at it, you aren't spending a lot, and obviously aren't going to be overpaying more than a couple of hundred, no matter what.

(I would, as suggested, lowball the shit out of him though. Not many people want these old bikes anymore.)

[Wolf69]

Make sure you ask if the bike was in an accident ...reason why is for that cheap ya never know.

But for a starter bike its a good buy I think to learn on then after a year trade up & go bigger .

[codetrap]

Kloubek, it's not like I have an outside motivation... :P

Seriously though.. there's two camps. One that says "buy a beater, then sell it when you outgrow it". And the other is "buy something nice that'll keep you for a couple of years."

I fell into the latter camp. I bought a 2000 Katana 750 as my first bike, and then I simply took it easy until I grew into it. It's more about knowing yourself to be honest. If you think that you can't take it easy and not try to kill yourself, then by all means get an old/cheap bike to learn on. If you think that you're going to take it easy, and you're pretty confident that you're not going to crash it, then get something nicer that'll take you longer to outgrow.

I wanted a newer bike at the time, because I knew that it would bug me the whole time if I got a beater, because I don't like beaters.

All that aside.. the Katana is a great bike to learn on. It has a decent power band on it that'll keep you having fun, and it's fairly agile as well. It doesn't have that immediate "I'm gonna kill you" snap that you get on some of the newer fuel injected bikes though. It eases into it a bit more. The best part is it's comfy. You can easily go for 2-3 hour rides without numbing your ass, or hurting your shoulders/arms. And it's got more than enough power to keep you entertained for a couple of years.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by Wolf69
Make sure you ask if the bike was in an accident ...reason why is for that cheap ya never know.

But for a starter bike its a good buy I think to learn on then after a year trade up & go bigger .

This bike is cheap because its nearly a 20 year old bike, its not like they're worth 4k. I wouldn't worry if its been in an accident, just another negotiating tool. I've owned 2 salvage title 636-R's and they were just fine.

[Masked Bandit]

This is a very good choice for a starter bike. Cheap to fix & very reliable. Even when this Katana was new it was build with previous generation technology which is why the Katanas & Bandits are always cheaper than the Gixxers. Beat him up on price just for the fun of it but if it's mechanically sound buy it.

[CUG]

Yeah, my first bike was a beater too. But if I was itching to ride and only had $2000 or whatever, I'd probably save and get something newer.

New rider? Good bike. Depends how quickly you learn though, and how tired of your machine you might get. Those are heavy, so it's good to learn on. When you get on a lighter newer bike, you'll be rocking serious kneed dragging like me in no time on a rad new bike like all of my bikes.

[shutterbug_art8]

That's a lot of mileage for a bike. In any case, if it's favor for him, sure...consider it with a lower offer.

But if you look at the market, you can get a newer and decent bike for around $2500. Like a Ninja EX500. That's a small bike and easy to ride. Lots of power (as it's a twin design) and keep you happy for a while. It's a mid 12-13s bike.

I would buy something easier to sell when you do sell it. 50k km is like 200k km on a car. You will have to sell it for cheaper.

[beatupbandit]

Kat 6's are nearly indestructible, have decent power (lots for a beginer) and handle well. 17 bills is cheap for a bike. In my opinion it would be a great choice for a starter and a better bike than an EX 500.