2001 Suzuki Katana 750

Pros: GOOD, CHEAP, FUN!!
Cons: CHEESY GRAPHICS, HARD TO FIND AFTER MARKET PARTS FOR THE KATANA

I HAVE A KATANA 600, I DIDNT HAVE A LOT OF MONEY AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, BUT I WANTED SOME KIND OF SPORT BIKE. ALL OF MY FRIENDS RIDE GXS 750, CBR 900, NINJA 600. I HEARD ALL THE JOKES ABOUT HOW THEY WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR ME TO CATCH UP, BUT WHEN IT...

Pros: Inexpensive, fairly fast, comfortable
Cons: Could use a little more power

I bought my 2001 750 Suzuki Katana new in July 2001. It's just my second motorcycle, so I don't have a lot to compare to, but I'll give you my impressions based on my limited experience.

First off, I love the styling. I've seen some reviews...

Pros: Great Power, comfort, and handling
Cons: none

i had bought a 1100 Katana in 1992, a few years later i bought my wife a Katana 750 (1996). I drove it home from the Dealer and it was GREAT to say the least. it had great power, handling and light. Well Needless to say on August 30th 2002 i sold my...

Pros: stylish, inexpensive, reliable
Cons: a bit bigger than other similar bikes

I bought a Suzuki Katana 705cc to commute to work (NYC to CT). It really cut down my commute time from 1hr 30min to just 45min on average! Also, it made the worst part of my day the best part, lifting my spirits up dramatically across the board.

Here are the pros of the bike in my mind:

-inexpensive, I bought mine on ebay motors for $3k
-has great fuel economy
-comfortable
-nice storage under seat
-reliable, hardly ever stalled on me

And the cons:
-its a bit bigger than other 600-800ccs due to the faring (weight) and since I am a female it was a little difficult to handle at times


I highly recommend the bike to anyone who wants a great, fun, cheap ride!

Pros: Comfortable, capable, fast, good looking and inexpensive.
Cons: Its stats don't keep up with pure sport bikes for power or handling.

As my 4th bike, I loved the Katana. I used it for commuting and fun. It fit my 6 foot tall 160 lbs frame well and had good weight/stability and of course great gas mileage.
I bought it used with a Yoshimura pipe for extra power and dropped a sprocket for more torque, so my experience is that it is great for torque and top speed (150mph before I wussed out. I still felt power in the throttle!) I rode the bike year round in Atlanta GA, and did two road trips from Atlanta to Boston and back (It's a two day trip on a Katana.) Not all that comfortable for such a long ride, but it was possible. I found it did fine in the rain and other conditions.
I gave it up after 4 years and 27,000 miles because I am done with the sport bike part of my life. I'll either go Ducati or BMW next-most likely because I'm getting old :)
The only con is that

Pros: Great suspension, handling, smooth clutch, easy to maintain
Cons: Suzuki stock parts are expensive, still can't touch the GSX-R in HP...

Leaning into the 3rd year for my Katana, I still am in love. After having ridden a couple of other bikes in the same class, I still feel that the 2001 Katana is one of the easier, more forgiving motorcycles on the market today.

If you're interested in learning sport bike skills without having toooo much horsepower between your legs (~75hp@8500 rpms) - check out the Katana...it'll still beat any car off the line here in Chicago without having to worry about the front wheel coming off the ground.

Maintenance has been minimal (annual inspections and tuning, had to replace a cluth cable and redo the front fork seals) - but buyer beware - in the U.S. most parts for the 98-01 Katana are available only from Suzuki so expect to be paying for stock parts.