Front end shake with no hands. Katana 600

[CheapBike]

I rode my 87 magna for around 14 years before I sold it. The bike had been dropped a couple of times but always drove straight.

I saw a Suzuki Katana 600 on the side of the road and it seemed like a fair price. I've agreed to buy it but am having some buyers remorse already as I didn't do a whole lot of research.

The bike only has 17k miles on it and the owner told me the front end shook if you took your hands off the bars. I was thinking, why take your hands off the bars? But of course I did and he was right, it shook severely at 35 to 40 mph.

He told me it's a warped front rotor causing the issues. I'm wondering if it's more than that.

Any ideas what to look for on the bike? I'm not familiar with it at all, my bike was always well maintained and the only problem I ever had was my handlebars were slightly off on my magna from when someone ran it into the ground parked but it always drove straight.

If you've owned one of these and have any other input on the bike I'd appreciate it. It's a 2000 model. Thanks.

[GregR1]

for rotors, try gently applying the brakes and see if the wobble gets more severe.

my front end wobbles if i take my hands off at around 80km/h, but that's around 50mph and up. it's pretty well dead stable below that. mind you, i did do a low-side semi-slide into a curb, but minus a wipeout, and i never bothered to take my hands off before the "incident" so i can't say if it was always there...

[CheapBike]

Originally Posted by GregR1

for rotors, try gently applying the brakes and see if the wobble gets more severe.

my front end wobbles if i take my hands off at around 80km/h, but that's around 50mph and up. it's pretty well dead stable below that. mind you, i did do a low-side semi-slide into a curb, but minus a wipeout, and i never bothered to take my hands off before the "incident" so i can't say if it was always there...

Thank you for the response. Well I hope it is something as simple as the rotor. Someone told me to sand the rotors if that really is the problem but I've never done that and I can't imagine there's much room for error with that.

While I'm the newbie I may as well ask the regulars for some good parts links. The katana symbol on the right side is chewed off, this bike's been dropped a few times. It's got an aftermarket pipe on it that looks like it's almost duct taped on too, I've gotta replace that for sure. Not to mention the seat...



I justify this purchase based on the gas prices but I wonder after I spend the money if it's worth it. 20mpg air conditioned car vs 45 mpg bike. Wonder how long it'll take it to pay for itself.

[DR-Z125L]

Just how much did you pay for the bike?

[CheapBike]

Bike cost $2200 us.

[DR-Z125L]

Oh, well sounds like an O.K. deal. If there is a lot wrong with it and the seller is a decent person you could work out some sort of deal. Oh and

[CheapBike]

Thanks for the welcome, pleasure to be here. I don't think it's a screaming deal, but a fair deal and the bike will do everything I want it too. It's a bit scraped up and I always babied my magna. I just need to resist the urge to toss too much money into it and just ride the thing till I get enough cash to afford something nicer. A nice coat of wax may do wonders.

Never thought I'd own a "sport bike" but from what I've gathered this thing is pretty tame. Not that I ever got into racing but I'm pretty sure my magna could have taken this.

[DR-Z125L]

Yeah, well I'm glad you like it.

[stp1971]

Well my '05 V-Strom does it on deceleration some, the '04 Intruder 1500LC does it and it can get really bad on deceleration, "J"s '07 Shadow 750 does it some on deceleration.

I thought something was wrong with mine too. Then someone told me that if it starts to do it and you are able to put one hand on it and it goes away then it is fine.

I don't take both my hands off mine anymore.

[GregR1]

and unless you have a throttle lock, the bike IS gonna decelerate when you take both hands off the grips, so.....

[cvillechopper]

Check the basics...

How many mile are on the tires?
Are they properly balanced?
Rotors original?
Wheels trued up?

You'll get a son-of-a-b!t@h wobble from tires that start to scallop with age and abuse. If new, balance is critical to smooth tracking.
The "sanding" someone told you about is done with a specialized machine any brake shop will have. Check to see if they're set up to do MC rotors and take it in. Should only be about $15. It's called having the rotors turned and they actually shave off the surface. Can only be done once or twice for normal wear and can't be done it the rotors are warped. Like Greg said, try lightly applying the brake. you'll probably feel a very slight pulse in the lever if it's warped.

You have mags or spoke wheels? If spoke, could be a slightly out of tru wheel. Again, a shop can set you straight for a few bucks. I've had front and back rims trued for under $60.

These bikes are notorious for being bought to be ragged so a thorough once-over should help out a bit. Still sounds like a decent deal once you get a good baseline to start from. If you haven't already, give her a complete tune-up and cleaning being sure to pay close attention to the health of any rubber parts, checking all bolts for tightness, and grease everything that should be lubed. Then ride and enjoy.

Be safe.

James

[Ext1jdh]

Come on guys, this is an EASY one.


Just keep the front wheel off the ground

[DR-Z125L]

Originally Posted by Ext1jdh

Come on guys, this is an EASY one.


Just keep the front wheel off the ground

Of course Of course, why didn't we think of this.

[CheapBike]

Originally Posted by Ext1jdh

Come on guys, this is an EASY one.


Just keep the front wheel off the ground

I don't know if this bike would lift the front tire. After a 2nd spin on it I realized 6'2 240 lb riders weren't really made for the bike. It rides fine but just lacks a little comfort factor.

Now I read a review here stating to get this seat.

Corbin Motorcycle Seats & Accessories | Suzuki Katana 750 & 600 | 800-538-7035

Maybe that'll make a difference but I have a whole new dillemma. I realized just about every piece of plastic on this thing needs replaced. They all still exist on the bike but there's something loose, broken or scraped on everything. Can this material be repainted? My guess is no. I got the guy down to $1900 with a nice jacket and gloves but....

Just about everything on the bike needs lovin. I could probably get away with some obnoxious decals and a new seat and rubber but I have a feeling I'll be chunking little bits of cash into it till it's nice.

So a little more advice is needed.

1. Can the plastic be fixed, if so is it worth it or should I just buy new plastic?

2. The road rash on the metal... Would a good buffer take it out.

3. The engine itself that shows is corroded and needs polishing. Any recommendations on a good polish?

4. Pipe. Definitely wanna get rid of that piece of trash. Any katana owners have advice on an aftermarket pipe in the neighborhood of $300 or less

5. Existing plastic. What will make this look good/better?

6. The dude has some dumb kiddie stickers on it that need removing, any recommendations on how to get that %%%% off?

7. Decals. Recommendations on who makes em for a good price? I'm thinking I may be able to sand the katana sticker off the right hand side and replace it as well as some of the others. I'm guessing stock's as good as anything probably.

8. The guy obviously kept a full set of keys in the ignition and you can see where they rubbed back and forth across the aluminum. Once again, polish tips?

I'll stop there, I could go on. Thanks again for the feedback. I've always just ridden and kept bikes in good condition, never had to worry about fixing too much.

[DR-Z125L]

Ehh man it kinda sounds like you should have passed this one up...

[CheapBike]

Originally Posted by DR-Z125L

Ehh man it kinda sounds like you should have passed this one up...

Yeah I hear you but I picked up around $250 worth of accessories, street value probably $100 putting cost on the bike at $1800.

A perfect condition bike of this year is worth barely over 3300. That's 1500 under the cost of a perfect machine in this model. For that much money I can make the bike the way I want it fairly easily and for now I'm riding.

I don't mind a little elbow grease on the machine, it's part of the pride of ownership. I'll make this thing shine, trust me.

Now briefly browsing the forums I do realize a lot of people don't care for this bike but I didn't get it to scrape my kneepads around corners. For under 2k I don't see how I can go wrong. There's still plenty of 80's models bikes going for that & the only thing you can get new for that price is a moped.

Of course I could just be justifying the purchase, but I do that on anything I buy. I spent $580 on a video card and now I'm reading reviews on computer hardware and bikes. Heh.

Thanks again for the responses.

[DR-Z125L]

Well as long as you like it then we are good!!!

[cvillechopper]

Personally I'd try to fix anything you can to some acceptable condition. You'll spend quite a bit trying to restore it to new condition.

Plastic. Go out and but some Gorilla Glue. It's available at any auto parts store and is tough as nails. Use this to fix any of the cracks from the back side of the panels. You'll barely notice the crack when the plastic is installed.

You can have it painted (once you have solid pieces) but the paint will be more susceptible to scratches / chips that the colored plastic.

Road rash is tough. First check to make sure nothing got bent. If it's solid aluminum you can use a series of progressively fine sanding pads and make it mirror smooth or just leave it as is. If it's not AL, you will have rust unless you get it smooth and put a sealer on.

See how much you can get done for as cheap as possible. You'll find yourself creating unique fixes and, like you said, it's part of the pride of ownership.

Good luck.

[Ext1jdh]

take off all the plastics and go Road Warrior style

[fivepointnine]

strip the plastics, put a custom rear section on and make that biatch a streetfighter.......kan a tuna's rule.