Man that's a lot of oil changes and chains & sprockets.. I only wish I'd hung on to so many of my early bikes, most are now way out of reach. As a funny side note there, I had a drunk woman back right over my bike in ~1983(?) and while it was being repaired I bought a $150 1976 Z-200 to keep me mobile. I still have it and whenever I ride it to town and park it (unregistered) I get loitering lookers with offers to buy, yet it's such a tiny bike.. lol I guess people like the classic look regardless.
@@alasdair4161 Tires were the real killer. 8000kms for the rear and around 11000 for the Front. Sure other brands would last longer but had less grip. I was really unhappy when they stopped making Pirelli Phantoms. Oil changes.... Don't get me started. Every 3000 kms. Genuine Suzuki Filters used to cost $2.00 each. I could get 20 for $35.00. I have heaps of Brand new genuine parts for it plus all of the original stuff I took off it. Pipes, rear guard, fibreglass fairing, etc. Most still unused. Maybe one Day. But I like the Rat Kat look.
9:47 I think you need to check your sources! No katana EVER hit 150mph as standard...it was more like 140, in perfect conditions. The first production motorcycle to hit 150mph was the Gpz900R, in 1984. I remember both these bikes coming out, and the Katana couldn't touch the Ninja...nothing could, at the time!
What makes it iconic is that people have always been used to concept vehicles being made, but always asking "why don't they make them like that?". But the Katana is one of the few vehicles, car or bike, that I know of that looked like a concept vehicle that will never be sold, but was actually mass produced to be sold.
Two friends (brothers) both owned original Katanas. I was blown away by the design, because I knew the other bikes of that time. I would compare it with the Ford Sierra: people were attracted and irritated by the new design language. Only a few years later their influence became noticed.
After riding 30,000 miles or so on my ZX1100D I had a friend who owns the second year Katana. The one with all the improvements over the first year bike. It has always been a bike I wished I would have owned. Riding it felt akin to driving a real early 70's muscle car. It was fast for it's day and I for one loved the looks of it. But it felt of it's time not ahead of it. It was still fun to ride. I was going to buy it from my friend but he got a better offer and didn't give me a chance to match it. Some friend!
Too funny the first things my eyes noticed was that beautiful engine as I started watching the video it was pointed out the body was the real star just goes to show you it looks so much like a modern sports bike I didn't even notice
In 1982 I was aged 10. I got a catalogue of current motorcycle types from some motorcycle magazine and I remember just how much I liked the Honda VF 750 C. I was into the cruiser-ish chrome things a ss child. I also very clearly remember how the Katana stood out like a sore thumb. A very different beast from all others, and I didn't like it. But over the years it grew on me. I totally disagree with Ryan's idea about lines. It's the Katana's arched back that makes her look like strength. Where an animal would have its shoulder muscles, the Katana has engine and tank and a massy silhouette. The nose is shaped aerodynamically. that edge that goes from the front along the tank is almost shaped like the underside of a wing. Its design spells power and technical refinement and modernity for the very early eighties. With the Eighties behind us, it's obvious how much of the aesthetics to come it seems to have invented. Long story short: I bloody love their looks! 🥰
The Katana blew the bike world away in it's day and still does !! A little imagination can go a long way. And like you said, top performance to. As for getting one now, phew, rare as rocking horse shit but boy, would I love to have one !!! Forgot about that Ryan fella he wasn't even a twinkle in his old man eye, so knows shit about the effects that bike had on the industry.
But ryan is kind of right. There was a manga about motorcycle and they trash the katana alot. The katana 400 got the worst, people just straight up laught at it.
And what sort of "weapon" was it? Well, not the sort you'd actually take to war. More of the ceremonial variety. It went well enough for the average Joe though. But of all of the plastic fantastic variety of bikes ever produced, I really love the look of them, especially the ones with the pop up headlight. There's plenty of beauty to be found amongst "conservative" bikes though. This is a different thing to fugly design, of which there is plenty. Strip the makeup off a Katana and you could still make something beautiful from it. Something that's virtually impossible with many modern bikes.
The Katana was revolutionary like the Lamborghini Countach. I was 14 years old when the bike came out and it was something beautiful we never had seen before.
@@roop298it literally did though. designs from the katana are still used in sports bikes today, like the idea of making the fairings flush with the seat and the gas tank. It was essentially the precursor to the original gsxr.
I still remember seeing one the first time. It was like something from another planet. It's impossible to overstate the impact it had at the time, and nothing else has ever come close.
July 1979 GSX750L I watched the guys a Wisdoms Suzuki Ogden Kansas uncrate it. I rode it to California after the break in period. 2 years later I sold it because I was getting married and going overseas. I told my exwife I should have kept the bike, she got really pissed. Yep should have kept the bike.
Likewise I was living in Oman at the time and had just sold my Goldwing. It was so long ago now that I can't remember exactly what year i bought it, either '81 or '82. It was such a different bike to the 'wing but I absolutley loved it, The styling just blew me away as did the performance. I still think it looks amazing now. I've not seen F9's take on it but must check it out.
@@Username-2 It certainly felt like it! But back then with no Internet and no motorcycle journals to access I had no info about it. I just bought it for the way it looked 😂.
Had a GSX1100, same engine, loved it. Had a Katana 1100 a couple of years later, loved it because it was different but the GSX was better riding position. Could never understand why Suzuki never made an 1100 like the 750 with the popup headlight. The 750 had sleek styling, beautiful paint, looked modern, looked fast but everyone gave up waiting for an 1100 version
I only thing I did not like about the Katana was it did not have the smaller fat front wheel like the Ninja 900 and Honda Interceptor and Nighthawk 750S had at that time .
I was surprised you did not mention the 1984 GSX750S3 with the pop up headlight, and then went looking for it on the web. I learned they were not sold in the US, so that is probably why you did not know about it. Being from Canada, the first Katana I saw was this one, and to me, it is the best version of this design. As a 14 years old, I was very impressed by the futurism of this bike.
Like so many young blokes at the time, I was astounded by the revolutionary styling... The 750 "pop up" still strikes me as the best iteration of the concept.
Thanks - yes, it was a great looking bike - I remember thinking it was a pity it was only offered at 750cc. I always wondered if the pop up light was reliable and as quick as you'd want.
When the Katana was released, I was in my late teens and I was awe struck. No motorcycle design before or since has for me been as compelling. I got my first Kat 1100 in my early twenties and I still have her. From that moment I became a Katana man. I've added another 2 Target Design Kats to the stable since then. They have been entwined with my life. I riddened them, crashed them, rebuilt them, resurrected them. Had a myriad of memorable moments. I know every nut and bolt on them. Every square centimeter. I still ride them and will for as long as I can.
When I was a kid, the Suzuki Katana was the single biggest influence on me, and led to my first motorcycle, the 1984 Honda Interceptor 500. I owned 8 Motorcycles total before I quit riding. The Katana deserves every accolade it ever received.
I only thing I did not like about the Katana was it did not have the smaller fat front wheel like the Ninja 900 and Honda Interceptor and Nighthawk 750S had at that time .
Liked, commented, shared, and subscribed. The original Katana 1100 was my favorite bike when I first started getting interested in riding years ago. I became obsessed with what became the 2020 Katana as soon as I heard about the concept. As soon as I got into my IT job, that was the first big purchase that I made and I haven't looked back. Long Live Suzuki!
I could never get used to the Katana styling. Its grown on me a little more over the years but I'm still not in love with it. I own a 2009 Yamaha VMAX and people say much the same thing. Its appearance is very polarizing. Some people think its ugly. Some think its beautiful in its brutality. I obviously think its the latter. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
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Vmaxs have always had a soft spot for me. When I started riding motorcycles 10 years ago, I wanted a 1st gen VMax so bad... 2nd gen are unfortunately out of my budget
I was working at a bike dealer in 1985 when the VMax first came out. It was a beast! Sooo much torque compared to anything else. Like-it-or-hate-it looks...I loved it! It had a modified Venture engine, crappy handling, was heavy, and made you go for the V-boost every time you rode it. It sounded awesome. You could hear the intake when you opened it up, and I liked it at least. If I had a chance, I'd have one in my garage. Not as an everyday bike, but good for giving an adrenaline rush now and then.
@@ZackaryMac V4's really do sound like nothing else! I've put around 60K miles on my Vmax, and the torque can still spook me sometimes. I don't ride it as much as I should anymore - I'm supermoting now. Maybe I should sell it to guys like yourselves that would actually ride it and truly appreciate it. Cheers!
I only thing I did not like about the Katana was it did not have the smaller fat front wheel like the Ninja 900 and Honda Interceptor and Nighthawk 750S had at that time . Vmax was beautiful just wish it had a larger gas tank ,for road trips, my friends hated me stopping at every gas station .
I owned the 82 Katana 1000 it was the only Japanese motorcycle I've ever owned. British and Eurorpean were all I've ever owned . The 1000 Katana had a speedometer that maxed out at 85mph, I could almost get there in 1st gear.
Yes, I remember the 85 mph speedometer when I first looked at the bike on the dealership floor. Dumb My later Suzuki 1200 Bandit had a proper speedometer and would hit 75 mph in 1st. But the Katana still has the edge in looks.
i owned a used 84 katana in 1999, it was in bad shape by then, scrapped by the turn of the century.. i also own a 06 bandit1200 today and ive owned it since 2008
I remember watching that video and thinking Ryan was being incredibly hollow and pedantic while asserting a pretty antiseptic viewpoint on aesthetics. Okay, that was a mouthful...anyhow, I'm glad you found him a bit silly too.
The Suzuki Katana looked back then , like Sports Bikes MOSTLY look like still today . Those GSX Engines were in fact the Best Engines of their time too . And more importantly , they were the FIRST Japanese Bike that had Ducati - esque STABILITY at really high speeds . A " Goal Post Mover " bike . Suzuki did it again Later , with the GSX-R bikes . A Significant Step Forward . The Original Katana was quite " Out There " at the time , but the design has not really " Dated " either . Good Solid High Speed Mile-Eater .
I remember on one occasion I came to a standstill in traffic on my 1100 Katana wearing my race leathers and young ladies would scream at me like I was a rock star. Nobody does that anymore ... they're all staring at their phones.
I had a GSX250 Katana and I loved the styling, it was a physically big bike for a 250cc, never had a chance to ride the 1100CC version, would love to have a go. Great engine by the way with tons of torque, those 1100CC engines are powerful torquey, and reliable.
I am 29 years old and I personally find it striking and engaging to look at. It has a utilitarian look to it, especially with that inlaid choke dial, very interesting sort of thing to see on a bike. I dont really think it's that important for people to get hung up on 'objective qualities' of the looks of bikes. It's always contextual and based on how it relates to everything around it. Things that are interesting often give you a sense of beauty because of how engrossing they are, and this is one of those bikes for me
Brilliant bike for the time. I purchased a brand new Katana1100 in 1982. I was 18 years old at the time.compared to the Kawasaki GPZ1100 and Honda CBX 6cyl and Yamaha XS11 the Katana was way ahead in handling . I later removed the air box , re - jetted the carburators [ a pain that was ! ] and fitted a 4 into 1exhaust system with big bore silencer . Good memories , great bike .Thanks for the video .
The XS11 was a cruiser with a step seat and teardrop tank. Like a V65 Magna. Yamaha's sport big bike was the FJ 1100 and Honda's was the 1000 interceptor .
Good one! I think the early Katana is magnificent. That engine. Every year it got more brutal and terrifying! Vance & Hines know. Out of all the wild, incredibly unique ‘80s Sport Bikes this one rules. They’re wicked stock, but when set up as street-able drag bikes, with lowered forks, flatter clip ons, fatter back tires and slightly longer swing arms they make the meanest looking motorcycles anywhere. On any planet. There’s one on BaT right now. 2 days in and it’s already bank. The ‘80s was a fantastic time for sport bike style! Every make and model was instantly recognizable. Power and handling advances made “the fastest one” too slow about every 6 months. Truly a glorious time. When the new one came out I instantly spotted the lines of the old Katana fairing clear across the dealership! Practically ran to it. With all this time and “we know better now” DNA the bike was a far cry from the original, those old lines got lost quickly but MAN. My heart jumped at first The first Katanas truly were magnificent.
@@asacarrick1440 True! I was stationed at Ft. Ord in the mid-eighties, which is a short ride from Laguna Seca. The bikes were unreal and advanced so quick it took true racers to hold them down. We did our best. Then Kevin Shwantz himself would blow by you splitting lanes on Carmel Valley road, full leathers, bleeding edge factory bike. It was a reality check. The pro racers were in that area a lot, along with club guys who were dead serious. Many rode those 600 “Baby Ninjas” and they could flat clean our clocks! …but, my 900 Ninja and I had our moments. It was fantastic.
For me the katana is one of the most beautiful bikes ever made, i knew it existed because of a random picture that popped out in a google search, and i instantly falled in love with it. Knowing now what it represents i love it even more
There were two versions of this bike, the 1100 with CV carbs and the 1000 with slide carbs. The 1000 was on sale for homologation purposes. At the time superbike racing was limited to 1000 cc.
I had one of the first of these wonderful bikes in the UK. I loved it, I miss it. It was brilliant, handled well - lovely balanced position. Top end was about 145mph, and the acceleration at the time beat everything. How much I wish I could have one again. I had my full face helmet painted up to match along with Katana decals on each side. My 1000cc (998cc engine) with slide carburetors would out accelerate the 1100cc if I dropped a cog but the 1100 would pull away if opened up in the same gear or we were both in top. It was a brilliant roadster.
My first bike was an 82 GS 750E in black bought new. I bought it because it was fast and comfortable. I wasn't interested in a bike that was fast but uncomfortable, just because it looked different. And at the time I really never liked the look of the Katana. But looking at it now, I can appreciate the lines a lot more. I must really be old school because I have always liked bikes that show the engine as the focal point with traditional design. As bikes moved into the nineties the old school design started disappearing. Suddenly you had a choice of sport bike or cruiser and all the UJM's had basically disappeared. Probably thanks to the Katana. Now you were either bent forward or slouched back to ride, neither of which I preferred. Hence why I continued to ride 1980's bikes all the way up to 2010, with my last one being an 82 GS 850 with shaft drive, in mint shape. A big comfortable cruiser that was also fast. The only one I didn't like was an 86 GS750. It had an atrocious seat that was smooth vinyl and sloped toward the tank. Even the slightest touch of the brake sent your crotch slamming into the tank. After 2 years I couldn't stand it anymore and dumped it. So yea, I guess my point is that I have always preferred the function of a motorcycle over the form. Form isn't going to make you happy on a 300 mile ride.
Agreed, when I first started looking into motorcycles in the early 2000's, the pickings for a "normal" bike were pretty slim. These days there are tons of "nakeds" to choose from again, thankfully.
@@bwc1976 Yes, my last bike (I no longer ride anymore :( ) was a 2014 Honda CB 500 F. I would have to say that was probably the most fun and enjoyable bike I've owned out the 10 or so that I had. Just a great bike in the city, and could hold it's own on the highway too. I learned that small bikes can be great fun too. It was a nice standard bike with a great riding position. If I was still riding, it would be the adventure bikes that would interest me. I like the idea of a bike that do both road and a little dirt on the side. Very practical, do everything machines. I don't understand the 1200 cc versions though, not sure why you want to take something that heavy offroad. Around 600 cc would be the sweet spot for me. Take care and ride safe!
Yay! You showcased the Honda RC30 ( VFR 750 R ) as a more beautiful nike than some modern Indian. As an owner of a RC 30, I’m glad it’s graceful lines are apreciated 35 years after it’s European launch.
Bravo! This was an excellent presentation of a truly iconic motorcycle and a place in time. I recall reading the initial reviews and drooling incessantly.
I wouldn't call it beautiful nor ugly. Its uniqueness definitely calls for attention but I like 80% of what's being displayed. The modern Katana however dilates my pupils to the max.
I've always been drawn to sport bike's because the fairing's are what make them unique. A motorcycle just by it's nature has far less sheet metal or body panels than a car so there's less opportunities for design. When your just dealing with a tank and frame they all look the same to me (imagine a car sans body panels and they would get boring real quick). Of course the same can be said for fully faired bike if you don't look close enough but at least there's more canvas to paint so to speak. This looked radical because there was something to look at in the design of the fairing and continuation of the tank and if it makes you think, isn't that beautiful? Also the "new" Katana makes so much more sense after seeing this.
I love these when they came out. Well, the front 70%. I felt it fell apart at the butt-end. Still do. Also, you clumped the 1100 and the 750 together, when there was a significant styling difference between them. Just saying. And the VF750 is more likely the 1st modern Japanese sport bike. Perimeter frame, single shock, slipper clutch, etc. And more racetrack success for years.
Yes well I was 15 years old when the katana arrived and I can tell you it smacked me or us straight in the face, such was it's change from the norm. Yes the design looked like it was flying standing still. We were in awe. It doesn't look out of place today for someone who doesn't know bikes- such is it's lines setting the trend for future design styles. The guy who knocked the style is out of touch. Yes although I never road a Katana- certainly it had a reputation for high speed wobbles.
Just a note on its racing success. It actually did quite well outside the US. Winning major races in Australia, New Zealand and Sth Africa. Suzuki New Zealand sold a homologation special with smooth bore carbs, braided brake lines, wire wheels and 123 hp. Very collectable today.
All Hail the KATANA. I don't think anything comes close to the Legend. Maybe the Vmax, Z1, Cub, Squarial, Munch Mammoth, CB750F2, Vincent Black Shadow, Jawa 350, Matchless G80, Bultaco Sherpa, Scott Flying Squirrel....
I still think the katana design was ...bad, because of that tail really. If its a little pointy towards the end similar to the front and lifted up...the bike would look much better imo.
I think that the Katana was one of the best looking bikes back in the 80's and have not got tired of its looks, it was ahead of its time. Suzuki was known for great handling bikes back in the eighties of the the Japanese bikes, GS range also had good handling
I only thing I did not like about the Katana was it did not have the smaller fat front wheel like the Ninja 900 and Honda Interceptor and Nighthawk 750S had at that time .
I had the smaller Suzuki GSX400F Katana (4 valves per head).. Disk brakes all round, Alloy wheels.. Lovely motorbike and fast too. It would keep up with the mighty Yamaha 400, since it revved all the way up to the 10,000 rpm red line and had 41hp ( Yamaha had 41 horses too).. It didn't even have a Kickstart and had CDI ignition (No points to mess with)....
Truly. Suzuki commissioning the German design team to craft a space-age top for an existing model was simply brilliant and their work got the job done, tho' Suzuki was a design leader in motocross, starting with their insane factory dirt bikes in 1970 and then the long-travel production RMs. And were those German designers responsible for the fully-faired BMW R100RS? One of the first in the States was my daily driver in '79 after my Dad brought it over from West Germany and gave me free reign on it when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area that year, good times.
Excellent video thanks. I bought the 1982 GS1000S Katana, i thought it's appearance was way a head of it's time. I sold Suzuki's on the side and there was a young mechanic there that had a 1983 GS1100ES that he thought was all that. We raced and the Katana beat him pretty good. He couldn't understand how that could happen. I tried to explain to him that the Katana had wilder cams and the motor spins a lot quicker, not to mention more aero dynamic. Kind of wish I still had it but at my young age of 74, had to go with the ZX-14r as my last motorcycle.
I shared a lot of road time beside a 1985 750 Katana of a friend while riding a 1983 VF750F. The bikes were matched well when we released the clutch and ran to full, full stop. Speedo on mine showed 235. We traded rides back and forth many times. Which bike do I wish I owned now? Although the Katana is very popular, as a rider; I'd choose that v4 motor everytime.
Yes it wasn’t what I thought. Mine weaved at any speed over 125kph, the left lower fairing panel lug snapped off without prompt and the gear linkage fell apart before the first service. Annnnd it was uncomfortable. Motor was great though. The standard unpaired 1100 with the big square headlight and massive slab seat was a much better bike. Yes the we’ve might have been tuned out with tire and chassis tweakes but, disappointed, I back traded on a BMW R100s which was a better bike in every way except HP. And ridden in the rain the BM was far more confidence inspiring.
The "beautiful" Indian FTR is for me ugly af 🤢🤮 When I saw the Katana for the first time I was about 13 years old and I was stunned and still today the Katana is for me one of the most beautiful bikes ever been built ... aside from classic bikes like the old Guzzis, Laverdas, Triumphs, etc. 🤩
I'll put my two cents worth in. To my eyes the Katana today looks better than it did them. Back then the looks were really rather jarring to me when I compared them to other semi faired sporty bikes like the BMW R90S and Ducati 750/900 SS that I considered beautiful, but line it up against some modern bikes and it looks quite mild. In the end it still doesn't really appeal to me, I guess I'm just a 'curvy' bike guy. That front fairing just doesn't do it for me although I quite like the design language of the rest of the bike.
I transitioned to a Katana 750 from a Suzuki Water bottle. The 750 was so good that 12mths later I bought an 1100 Katana. I suffered when we had to sell both of them due a family coming. It's the only bike I wish I get again. Not the new one but an original 84 1100.
I spent many hours after school at the local Suzuki dealers and remember the day they got the first katana it was a star it was so far ahead of the gsx1100 it was sold next too
I did not think it was "beautiful" but I did think it was *eye catching* . It stood out from everything else and you could not help seeing it. I think it was the way it presented itself as something exotic and purposeful, conveying one message that most other bikes couldn't do as well. That message was "I am fast. I am very fast."
I had one when they first came out, I nearly bought a GSX instead as I had had a smaller one before and it too looked pretty futuristic. Despite the acceleration, I didn't like the Katana's handling much at all, it demanded way too much effort in tight turns and was reluctant to turn in, even worse two up. It nearly killed my mother as after I sold it, the guy who purchased it killed himself before changing the registration, so the Police visited to give her the bad news. I was riding to work at the time and heard about the crash later that day, he blew a red at 200+ and T boned a taxi. Mum nearly died of shock upon hearing that news, she always hated me riding in traffic and didn't let up once she found I was still alive, despite the joy. Still, I do remember, a lot of riders died on that bike.
Good job! I don't think the Katana is masculine or feminine. The design is actually ridercentric and complements the human body. As Bart noted, you don't get on a Katana, you get in it. What you see when you look at it, is the shape your body will be glued onto at speed. The bike is the other half of a human being who can cut through the air at 100+ mph effortlessly. That's how it looks because that's what it is. The biggest change it introduced to the street was the riding position.
Out of all the bikes In existence That is by far my favorite motorcycle though it looks The Representation of the era But unfortunately I thought Suzuki designed it on their own And I was very proud of them and you ruined that for me Bart. Lol
I was just over 20 then the Katana was launched and the general consensus of the bikers I knew wat that it looked Awesome. The look might have been too radical for some to want to buy one, but definately awesome, looking.
A buddy of mine bought the 550 when he graduated High School '82. The smaller Katana had more color on it, Suzuki on the tank in Red a matching stripe running down the sides of the seat and on the back, the spark plug wires were the same color, coils on the rear shocks as were the Brake calipers and the spokes on the Disks too, It was a much better looking bike than the bigger all silver bike. It just didn't have the front fairing
Fun thing: just today, driving back home from work with my boss, we saw a new and (to both of us) ugly bike. And I said that I think of the Katana beeing the 1st bike with this ugly style. I knew that Hans A. Muth was involved. Mentioned the BMW R 100 RS. And how I think the Katana design had a truly massive impact on motorcycle design, up to today. This pointing down line of the tank is found on so many details of todays bikes. Like a few years ago a friend made a joke about a new KTM: "that designer has never seen a curve in his life!" Haha! O.K.: seems, I prefer my bikes feminine. We talked about a few different beautiful bikes. He mostly likes the brit bikes of the 6ties (born in Norwich), but also the Yamaha XS 1.1. I also thought of the Laverda 750, the Suzuki GS 400, the Kawasaki Z750(twin).
I remember the release of the katana and when i sat on one at local dealer the firxt thing that hit me was you seemed to sit in not on the bike as it was with most other machines. I did get to own the 750 katana with pop up hezdlight, a wonderful machine properbly the one bike 9f all i owned i really wished i had kept! Perhaps i will treat myself to another,live in hope.
To be fair, Ryan does sciencey / testy stuff really well, and he tries to entertain at the same time. But beauty or lack thereof is subjective and Ryan can't be subjective without being crude and using innuendo.
Dude, he can. He chooses not to. Because it's funny. And he was arguing about objective beauty, which is what design theory is about. You know, the stiff those designers and engineers learn about in college, and then go and design and build motorcycles.
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Who knows, in the future we may remember the Pontiac Aztec the same? I'm sure that 1st gen Katana really stood out of the crowd as far as design and performance goes, and if I could afford owning more motorcycles I'd love to have one. Looks are subjective, unfortunately.
The Katana is a beautiful piece of engineering. I have always dreamed about owning one since I was young but alas it is not practical for my intended use; plus I think it would be a chore maintaining such an old vintage bike.
Not necessarily as much as you might think. A few years ago I picked my current bike, a 1983 Honda V65 Magna. It had been sitting for over 20 years when I got it. I changed the tires and fluids and took a couple weeks going through everything to make sure it was alright. I've rode it almost every day since. Sure there have been a couple problems here and there but overall I wouldn't say it's any more of a chore maintaining it than any other bike. The biggest problem is that if anything does break finding parts for a 40 year old Japanese motorcycle can be difficult at times. Fortunately, in my case, I already had another one that would become my parts bike. Also, if you do run into problems, most older bikes tend to have very active online communities around them that you can ask for help. I'm sure the Katana is no exception to that.
@@polly_sacharride Well, when I said "chore", I meant that finding those older parts could be a hassle; provided that they are attainable in the first place because the Katana is not widely sold and resulted in the scarcity of the parts.
I only thing I did not like about the Katana was it did not have the smaller fat front wheel like the Ninja 900 and Honda Interceptor and Nighthawk 750S had at that time .
I loved the katana so much I went out and bought the 2020 model... the design is like no other to me, which makes it just that much cooler. Definitely a masculine bike, and they put the k5 in the newer version, so it still feels like a proper sport bike.
@thebikeman5592 Well, I guess I'm very biased here... I would say jump on the 2020 katana, though... the bike will age nicely and the components are easy to find if anything should go wrong there is a bunch of spare parts :) I love the katana for what it is, a fun machine with 80s retro chic. I believe somewhere it was called the cyberpunk chariot of the gods... don't quote me, but look for the Katana reviews. I'm a big fan of movies and shows like the matrix and akira, so to me, the 2020 spoke to the soul. Whatever you choose, safe riding bro.
i had no idea this first gen katana existed. i always thought the katana was represented by those bland 90s bikes. your work is amazing. always a bright spot in my day.
