600 Kat my first bike and my experiences thus far. - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

zleviticus · 07-20-2004, 09:39 AM

Well i have been posting in this forum for a while and must say that I finally bought my bike and here are my thoughts about the bike and the experiences thus far.

Ok a little background on me. I am 6 feet and around 270. I am stocky build and 29 Years old. It had been about 17 years since I was on a motorized two wheeled vehicle

. I took the MSF beginner class around 2 weeks ago. I just bought a 2004 Suzuki (of course) 600 Katana. Here are my thoughts on everything.

When i took the MSF i was a little apprehensive being on the bike. However by the end of the first day of riding I was comfortable being on a bike and felt "at one" with my ride. The items taught were very useful but for the most part the confidence I obtained from riding in a "Safe" environment was well worth the money.

After playing 4 dealerships on each other (after a month of looking for a good used bike) I finally made my purchase. I got the cycle home and unloaded it (that was not fun that is one heavy SOB.) I immediately checked everything over got on my gear and took off. I never rode a "sport" type bike before and thought I would be apprehensive in doing so but I felt "at One" with the bike. I drove around the neighborhood and felt i made a wise choice.

After driving around about 15 times the block I figured It was time to get my "road legs" and take it in some traffic. So i ventured to ride around 4 miles or so to my wife's work. it was an interesting experience. Never being at speed with a bike i found the wind to be a challenge at times but I quickly learned how to lean lower and reduce the wind. Stopping was easy switching gears i need practice on. All in all it was a great experience.

Now about the bike. Like I mentioned I bought a 600 Kat. Now this bike I would admit is a great beginner bike (especially for someone my size) It does have some get up and go but not a lot and is really hard to get away from you (unlike say a Gixxer.) My only complaint is how damn heavy the bike is. Trying to get the bike up a hill while on it and trying to park is just plain crazy. It took me an hour to find the best way to get the bike up my driveway to park in the garage (i have to fudge the bike in the garage because of the other cars.) My only regret is that I was not able to come into the world of motorcylist until now. I must say I will always own a motorcycle.