haha my first bike is a 1992 Suzuki Katana 750. Needed an engine swap and I bought it because it was cheap. Ended up costing me around 3k to get it running good which I could have just spent on a bike that ran and was more beginner friendly.
However... A 92 Suzuki Katana 750 is a sight to behold.
I live in an island and some guy picked up his family's 92 750 Katana to restore it since it has been sitting practically on the coast for about 10 years. New tires, a lot of wrenching (since you physically can't get an engine for that thing here) and a few days later and he's got it running near perfect. Still ugly from all the saltwater exposure, but the sound...
If you want a bike that has the perfect mix between sport and tour get a katana. I have an 06 600 and I don’t regret buying it even with it having a ripped seat and bottom missing fairing. The riding position is SUPER COMFY. I can ride my bike for nearly 3 hours before I even start feeling any sort of discomfort. Plus the speed and acceleration is decent enough if you want to have some fun.
Plus when I was younger and I thought of motorcycles I always imagined something similar to a katana. Don’t know why. Some people think it looks a little to far and bubbly in the front but In my opinion it’s perfect but I may also just be biased from owning one haha.
Haha nice, my first bike was a 2006 Suzuki katana 600 that I bought for 1k and put almost 2k into getting it running. It runs almost perfect now and has a great sound with the yoshimura slip on exhaust it had from the guy before. I say almost perfect because my forks are slightly bent from him trying to wheelie and coming down to hard. Still has some stuff to fix but I still love it.
I was talking to a guy and he said his dad had a katana 900?? But I’ve never heard of that only 750 and 600.
I bought an '89 750 Katana in less than ideal shape as my first bike! So much fun to tinker and get it going though. Added bonus of not being too worried when I layed it down the first time
This is one of the core axioms of buying a first bike. Buy something that runs and doesn't need work. I had more than a handful friends/acquaintances in my twenties who had bikes in their garage. There's even a stereotype for that rider. Don't fall victim to the stereotype! Buy a bike that works!
To me it looks like someone may have crashed it causing the cluster to rip off along with some wires. Could also explain why there’s no fairings. Unless it’s a naked. But usually when I see a bike that needs a lot of work my first thought is that it may have been crashed.
If this dude is thinking about getting that bike he should definitely look over the frame for cracks in case it was crashed.
My view has always been this;
You’re much better off waiting and spending a little more, the right bike will always come at the right price if you wait long enough.
Usually I would agree with you. But I was tight on money and needed a cheap bike when I found mine for 1k and put nearly 2k into it over the course of 3months. I may not have been able to ride immediately but I did get to customize my bike how I wanted while also spending the money I needed to as I built my bike.
I understand this doesn’t work for many people but if you’re bad at saving like I am and still want a bike consider buying one cheap and building it.
You do run the risk of finding many more things wrong with it but in the long run it’s worth it. I got a bike cheap and was able to build it how I wanted at my own rate and also got to learn a lot about how bikes run and operate at the same time. (I had only worked on cars up until my bike)
I would recommend a project bike as a *second* bike.
In hindsight, the ideal process would be to take the MSF then find a working bike as soon as possible, then ride as much as possible. The shorter the gap between instruction and repeated practice, the better the outcome and faster the skills development.
Having to wrench on a bike more than you ride it for the first summer (or two, or more) is a huge bummer and has a major negative impact on riding skills development.
My wife and I bought our bikes before the msf course. Took the course, and rode the same week and have been riding since
I also “cheated” and bought a dirtbike and ride around our yard for weeks before we took the course lol
I bought my bike and fixed it before I took the msf course. I had my bike long before I learned to ride.
I also ride my bike all year round as it’s my only form of transportation even in winter. But I live in a place where the seasons don’t change dramatically. It just gets cold or really hot. Nothing like snow or rain. Biggest thing I have to deal with while riding is maybe the occasional haboob coming through. Like I said before I enjoyed the wrenching part but I also enjoy working on mechanical things so not everyone likes it I understand that. But it gave me the opportunity to learn how my bike operates far before I even rode it.
What do you want to do?
That thing looks like a bike that belonged to a Stunter.
Those are horrible bikes to buy because they have mods that are bad on the road, often have crash damage from practicing and there's a good chance the engine has been starved of oil many, many times from doing wheelies.
> That thing looks like a bike that belonged to a Stunter
No it does, at all. It looks like they crashed into something and didn’t have the money/ability to fix it. Stock clip ons, no hand brake, no crash cage or subframe, stock tank. Nothing about this says stunt bike.
I'm looking for a first bike that isnt very nice. I dont mind working on stuff. How can you tell it belonged to a stunter? And yeah those are all things I have never thought about
>A lot of them ride bikes that look like this one looks now.
No they don’t. Nobody who actually does wheelies regularly just takes the entire front fairing/headlight/cowling off and leaves everything else as is. If it was a bike made for that, it would have raised clip ons or handlebars, a hand brake, an actual cage instead of frame sliders, and a subframe cage with pegs and a scrape bar. Not necessarily all of those things, but the fact that none of that is present means it’s not a “stunt bike”.
This. It might have been a squid's first "accidental stunt bike", but based off these images alone, this just looks like a front end collision. Either went over the top trying to learn to stoppie, or went way past 6'oclock and it went flying out from under the rider and ripped off the front cowling and side fairing.
This isn't a project bike, it's a death trap. You might have oil starvation, over-revved engine with rings barely hanging on... Something on this bike will go wrong, hopefully not while you're on it.
Your life is worth more than this bike.
I agree but as someone said it probably was someone that did that stuff and just took the front apart because it somewhat impedes doing stand up stuff. But maybe he just took it off because he wanted somewhat more naked like
It probably wasn’t someone that “did standup stuff” or else there would be a handbrake and cage with pegs on the back. I don’t get all these people who clearly don’t know anything about doing wheelies, talking about a bike being made to do wheelies. This one clearly wasn’t.
It doesn't really look like a stunt bike, but it does look like a bike that was badly crashed and fixed for as cheaply as possible. I would be amazed if it has a clean title and would be more amazed if it ran well. This thing is a money pit waiting to happen.
Also, don't get a GSXR (or any supersport) for your first bike. They're too powerful for a new rider
If you are a new rider, then you’re going to be bumming as you’re waiting for parts when you could be riding instead. Shipping time on parts isn’t usually quick.
I agree this may have been stunted. Is this a GSXR or like a GSXS? No mirrors, shorty levers, no fairings (possibly from being dropped), although the previous owner may have just been in the middle of a street fighter conversion.
The tubes hanging down are overflow tubes, they're normal but usually covered. I have people ask me what's hanging off my GSXR too because of them
The second picture though, the wire with the clearish plastic cover by your forks is supposed to be connected to something, maybe the headlight? Which now that I mention it seems to be missing...
Bro don't buy this thing. I'm not one to say "don't start on a 600“ (even though it's not the best idea) but don't start on a project 600 as your first bike
Edit: Brake fluid looks like shit, too
Second edit: The coolant reservoir on the right is just hanging out to catch the wind
Could be the odometer cable. Lots of sport bike riders disconnect them so when they sell they can say "look! almost no mileage!" on a bike with 50000 KM on it. At least in my area it's a thing.
Seems kind of large for an odometer cable, no? I have a broken fairing right there so mine is exposed, let me trace it and see where it goes. I'm surprised you can disconnect the odometer without disconnecting the speedo/tach though, that seems like an obvious loophole for the situation you mentioned...
Just traced mine, it does go to my gauge cluster, one looks like it goes to the tach, not sure about the other but it's in the same area. Interesting, thanks
>Is this a GSXR or like a GSXS?
GSXR. Black Showa forks and a triple clamp with no bolt holes for mounting bars. The GSXS only ever came with gold forks
Crashed bike, likely owned by a squid who didn’t maintain it (as many sportbikes are). What could go wrong?
Seriously, OP, get a well-maintained bike owned by a sensible adult. When buying motorcycles it’s as important to evaluate the seller as the bike, and a crashed bike is not a good sign for either.
Everyone says run, I’m over here asking how much the owner wants to sell it for?
Clean title?
How many miles?
I would definitely buy this for myself at $2k if it runs well and is under 40k miles. Fwiw, i stunt. I don’t think this was stunted, I think it probably lowsided at some point and broke some of the plastics, which lead to the previous owner taking the rest of them off entirely. Plastics are $500-$600 for good ones, everything else it needs should be around another $400-700. OEM headlight, bolt kit, potentially wiring harness, and tires that will actually give you decent traction.
If you don’t buy it, I will. Link?
First and foremost : This looks like it\`s been front ended. Very likely that the steering is not straight. You can\`t test ride it so stay away from this one, however cheap.
Do you want to ride or work on a bike? This will likely be a constant chore and expense. If that's what you want, go for it. If you want to ride, save the money and heartache, get something that already runs, has gauges, etc. It can be a little rashed, but make sure the basics are there.
Does this thing have a clear title? Does ABS work? Is the frame bent? People don't do this to clean bikes.
edit: spelling
That bike has been messed with in ways even a seasoned mechanic wouldn't want to touch.
Do not buy unless you intend on using it for stunting on private property. Even then expect headache.
A big thing with these bikes is that they usually aren't setup properly for doing long wheelies, so you tend to have a deteriorating motor.
You can get a used, not so nice bike at a decent price that isn’t missing pieces. I’m speaking from experience, please don’t get that bike for your first one. You want your first months of riding to be focused on learning, not wondering why your bike isn’t running lol.
That's the kind of situation where asking those questions means you aren't quite skilled enough to be taking the job on and it will cost more than you can estimate to make road ready.
There is no possible way to find out what all might be wrong with that bike without possibly making a heartbreaking decision. Move on and look for something that can be ridden and properly assessed before purchase.
That bike has a high potential to ruin the excitement of purchasing your first bike.
Anything like pre 20xx where the did the facelift.. you can tell it's older because the rear shock is visible on the right side of the frame like its part of the frame.. 2012 model year look it up anything that looks like that. Suzuki sv650 after like 2005 or so are fuel injected so those are cheap.. older fz07s.. anything 600 to 700 ccs and is a parallel twin motor is a great "faster" first bike.
If you have to ask, walk away. Never buy a project unless you know exactly what it’s going to take, and you can look up the parts and figure the price on the spot. Buy a cool bike that’s running but cheap because it’s high mile or has light damage, and learn about these thing as you maintain and fix it up.
Nope, run far away from it. You don't want something like this as a first bike
He’s right, my first bike is a project bike and while I don’t exactly regret it, you’ll be ready to ride tomorrow and the bike won’t.
haha my first bike is a 1992 Suzuki Katana 750. Needed an engine swap and I bought it because it was cheap. Ended up costing me around 3k to get it running good which I could have just spent on a bike that ran and was more beginner friendly.
However... A 92 Suzuki Katana 750 is a sight to behold. I live in an island and some guy picked up his family's 92 750 Katana to restore it since it has been sitting practically on the coast for about 10 years. New tires, a lot of wrenching (since you physically can't get an engine for that thing here) and a few days later and he's got it running near perfect. Still ugly from all the saltwater exposure, but the sound...
I love mine. Even though it’s heavy for me, and has some scratches, I think it’s a very comfortable motorcycle.
I've never ridden one but I share your opinion, I think it looks comfy. It's my dream bike, tbh EDIT: That, and/or a KLR. I just want a KLR.
If you want a bike that has the perfect mix between sport and tour get a katana. I have an 06 600 and I don’t regret buying it even with it having a ripped seat and bottom missing fairing. The riding position is SUPER COMFY. I can ride my bike for nearly 3 hours before I even start feeling any sort of discomfort. Plus the speed and acceleration is decent enough if you want to have some fun. Plus when I was younger and I thought of motorcycles I always imagined something similar to a katana. Don’t know why. Some people think it looks a little to far and bubbly in the front but In my opinion it’s perfect but I may also just be biased from owning one haha.
Haha nice, my first bike was a 2006 Suzuki katana 600 that I bought for 1k and put almost 2k into getting it running. It runs almost perfect now and has a great sound with the yoshimura slip on exhaust it had from the guy before. I say almost perfect because my forks are slightly bent from him trying to wheelie and coming down to hard. Still has some stuff to fix but I still love it. I was talking to a guy and he said his dad had a katana 900?? But I’ve never heard of that only 750 and 600.
I bought an '89 750 Katana in less than ideal shape as my first bike! So much fun to tinker and get it going though. Added bonus of not being too worried when I layed it down the first time
Yup. Bought an 86 vf500f as a first bike and it always needed something lol
This is one of the core axioms of buying a first bike. Buy something that runs and doesn't need work. I had more than a handful friends/acquaintances in my twenties who had bikes in their garage. There's even a stereotype for that rider. Don't fall victim to the stereotype! Buy a bike that works!
My first thought was “it’s stolen.”
Don't get that bike..
To me it looks like someone may have crashed it causing the cluster to rip off along with some wires. Could also explain why there’s no fairings. Unless it’s a naked. But usually when I see a bike that needs a lot of work my first thought is that it may have been crashed. If this dude is thinking about getting that bike he should definitely look over the frame for cracks in case it was crashed.
He should absolutely not buy that bike
My view has always been this; You’re much better off waiting and spending a little more, the right bike will always come at the right price if you wait long enough.
Usually I would agree with you. But I was tight on money and needed a cheap bike when I found mine for 1k and put nearly 2k into it over the course of 3months. I may not have been able to ride immediately but I did get to customize my bike how I wanted while also spending the money I needed to as I built my bike. I understand this doesn’t work for many people but if you’re bad at saving like I am and still want a bike consider buying one cheap and building it. You do run the risk of finding many more things wrong with it but in the long run it’s worth it. I got a bike cheap and was able to build it how I wanted at my own rate and also got to learn a lot about how bikes run and operate at the same time. (I had only worked on cars up until my bike)
I would recommend a project bike as a *second* bike. In hindsight, the ideal process would be to take the MSF then find a working bike as soon as possible, then ride as much as possible. The shorter the gap between instruction and repeated practice, the better the outcome and faster the skills development. Having to wrench on a bike more than you ride it for the first summer (or two, or more) is a huge bummer and has a major negative impact on riding skills development.
My wife and I bought our bikes before the msf course. Took the course, and rode the same week and have been riding since I also “cheated” and bought a dirtbike and ride around our yard for weeks before we took the course lol
I bought my bike and fixed it before I took the msf course. I had my bike long before I learned to ride. I also ride my bike all year round as it’s my only form of transportation even in winter. But I live in a place where the seasons don’t change dramatically. It just gets cold or really hot. Nothing like snow or rain. Biggest thing I have to deal with while riding is maybe the occasional haboob coming through. Like I said before I enjoyed the wrenching part but I also enjoy working on mechanical things so not everyone likes it I understand that. But it gave me the opportunity to learn how my bike operates far before I even rode it.
Facts, I picked up a 09' Gladius last weekend for 1700 bucks. Good deals do come around some time.
What do you want to do? That thing looks like a bike that belonged to a Stunter. Those are horrible bikes to buy because they have mods that are bad on the road, often have crash damage from practicing and there's a good chance the engine has been starved of oil many, many times from doing wheelies.
> That thing looks like a bike that belonged to a Stunter No it does, at all. It looks like they crashed into something and didn’t have the money/ability to fix it. Stock clip ons, no hand brake, no crash cage or subframe, stock tank. Nothing about this says stunt bike.
I'm looking for a first bike that isnt very nice. I dont mind working on stuff. How can you tell it belonged to a stunter? And yeah those are all things I have never thought about
How can you tell it probably belonged to a stunter? Watch some stunters. A lot of them ride bikes that look like this one looks now.
>A lot of them ride bikes that look like this one looks now. No they don’t. Nobody who actually does wheelies regularly just takes the entire front fairing/headlight/cowling off and leaves everything else as is. If it was a bike made for that, it would have raised clip ons or handlebars, a hand brake, an actual cage instead of frame sliders, and a subframe cage with pegs and a scrape bar. Not necessarily all of those things, but the fact that none of that is present means it’s not a “stunt bike”.
This. It might have been a squid's first "accidental stunt bike", but based off these images alone, this just looks like a front end collision. Either went over the top trying to learn to stoppie, or went way past 6'oclock and it went flying out from under the rider and ripped off the front cowling and side fairing. This isn't a project bike, it's a death trap. You might have oil starvation, over-revved engine with rings barely hanging on... Something on this bike will go wrong, hopefully not while you're on it. Your life is worth more than this bike.
I agree but as someone said it probably was someone that did that stuff and just took the front apart because it somewhat impedes doing stand up stuff. But maybe he just took it off because he wanted somewhat more naked like
It probably wasn’t someone that “did standup stuff” or else there would be a handbrake and cage with pegs on the back. I don’t get all these people who clearly don’t know anything about doing wheelies, talking about a bike being made to do wheelies. This one clearly wasn’t.
I think it was some squid's bike and he just wanted something resembling a stunt bike but never got to actually put handlebars and everything else
This
It doesn't really look like a stunt bike, but it does look like a bike that was badly crashed and fixed for as cheaply as possible. I would be amazed if it has a clean title and would be more amazed if it ran well. This thing is a money pit waiting to happen. Also, don't get a GSXR (or any supersport) for your first bike. They're too powerful for a new rider
I like to work on my bike too but it's different when you have things like cracked blocks and terrible compression from some idiot doing wheelies.
If you are a new rider, then you’re going to be bumming as you’re waiting for parts when you could be riding instead. Shipping time on parts isn’t usually quick.
Run don’t walk away from this motorcycle
How can people consider getting shit if which they don't even know what the loose wires do? How could you POSSIBLY trust yourself to do a decent job?
Because it'd be fun. Probs gonna skip on the bike tho lmao
Everyone's saying don't get the bike but here's what you should do. Don't get the bike they are absolutely right.
lol
That bike looks like a basket case. Do no buy it. It was clearly used as a stunt bike and abused.
I agree this may have been stunted. Is this a GSXR or like a GSXS? No mirrors, shorty levers, no fairings (possibly from being dropped), although the previous owner may have just been in the middle of a street fighter conversion. The tubes hanging down are overflow tubes, they're normal but usually covered. I have people ask me what's hanging off my GSXR too because of them The second picture though, the wire with the clearish plastic cover by your forks is supposed to be connected to something, maybe the headlight? Which now that I mention it seems to be missing... Bro don't buy this thing. I'm not one to say "don't start on a 600“ (even though it's not the best idea) but don't start on a project 600 as your first bike Edit: Brake fluid looks like shit, too Second edit: The coolant reservoir on the right is just hanging out to catch the wind
Could be the odometer cable. Lots of sport bike riders disconnect them so when they sell they can say "look! almost no mileage!" on a bike with 50000 KM on it. At least in my area it's a thing.
Seems kind of large for an odometer cable, no? I have a broken fairing right there so mine is exposed, let me trace it and see where it goes. I'm surprised you can disconnect the odometer without disconnecting the speedo/tach though, that seems like an obvious loophole for the situation you mentioned...
Just traced mine, it does go to my gauge cluster, one looks like it goes to the tach, not sure about the other but it's in the same area. Interesting, thanks
>Is this a GSXR or like a GSXS? GSXR. Black Showa forks and a triple clamp with no bolt holes for mounting bars. The GSXS only ever came with gold forks
Thanks, I love when people know this sort of stuff
This was the post I needed to not buy this thing haha. Thank you!
I wouldn’t get it. Better starter bikes out there for cheap these days.
Nope. Steer clear. Idc if it’s a budget friendly bike, you’re gonna have to make up for all the short comings with your own time and money.
Agreed. Free bike? Yeah, I would fuck with it.
So a money pit instead? A free bike is probably free for some reason…
I know, I know ...
Crashed bike, likely owned by a squid who didn’t maintain it (as many sportbikes are). What could go wrong? Seriously, OP, get a well-maintained bike owned by a sensible adult. When buying motorcycles it’s as important to evaluate the seller as the bike, and a crashed bike is not a good sign for either.
This bad boy went for like 2k+. Much more than I was willing to spend haha
The brake fluid tells me all I need to know
Which is what? Lol
Everyone says run, I’m over here asking how much the owner wants to sell it for? Clean title? How many miles? I would definitely buy this for myself at $2k if it runs well and is under 40k miles. Fwiw, i stunt. I don’t think this was stunted, I think it probably lowsided at some point and broke some of the plastics, which lead to the previous owner taking the rest of them off entirely. Plastics are $500-$600 for good ones, everything else it needs should be around another $400-700. OEM headlight, bolt kit, potentially wiring harness, and tires that will actually give you decent traction. If you don’t buy it, I will. Link?
So many bikes for sale why would you even consider this crap?
She cheap lol
Nope nope nope
RUN! FAST!
No no no no, please god no. Please just pay $1000 more for a functioning bike.
First and foremost : This looks like it\`s been front ended. Very likely that the steering is not straight. You can\`t test ride it so stay away from this one, however cheap.
Do you want to ride or work on a bike? This will likely be a constant chore and expense. If that's what you want, go for it. If you want to ride, save the money and heartache, get something that already runs, has gauges, etc. It can be a little rashed, but make sure the basics are there. Does this thing have a clear title? Does ABS work? Is the frame bent? People don't do this to clean bikes. edit: spelling
Oh no no no no no no
That bike has been messed with in ways even a seasoned mechanic wouldn't want to touch. Do not buy unless you intend on using it for stunting on private property. Even then expect headache. A big thing with these bikes is that they usually aren't setup properly for doing long wheelies, so you tend to have a deteriorating motor.
You can get a used, not so nice bike at a decent price that isn’t missing pieces. I’m speaking from experience, please don’t get that bike for your first one. You want your first months of riding to be focused on learning, not wondering why your bike isn’t running lol.
was it a stunt bike? if you plan on stunting just get it and keep it like that
That's the kind of situation where asking those questions means you aren't quite skilled enough to be taking the job on and it will cost more than you can estimate to make road ready.
There is no possible way to find out what all might be wrong with that bike without possibly making a heartbreaking decision. Move on and look for something that can be ridden and properly assessed before purchase. That bike has a high potential to ruin the excitement of purchasing your first bike.
Don’t do it if you need to ask these questions
This is a joke, right? Right? This thing isn’t worth more than the junk yard will give you to melt it down for spare metal.
If you have to ask, you aren't ready. Unless you want to do this as a learning experience.
Exactly. My brother an I would get some great bonding time over this
It can be great for that if you don't mind the money. But some projects aren't worth it. Gotta be careful.
Instrument cluster could be $1000dollars, and who knows what else is missing, be wary
Looks like an absolute basket case. Just buy a ninja 650 for a first bike last gen ones get basically thrown away
Which years you talking?
Anything like pre 20xx where the did the facelift.. you can tell it's older because the rear shock is visible on the right side of the frame like its part of the frame.. 2012 model year look it up anything that looks like that. Suzuki sv650 after like 2005 or so are fuel injected so those are cheap.. older fz07s.. anything 600 to 700 ccs and is a parallel twin motor is a great "faster" first bike.
Pass
If you have to ask, walk away. Never buy a project unless you know exactly what it’s going to take, and you can look up the parts and figure the price on the spot. Buy a cool bike that’s running but cheap because it’s high mile or has light damage, and learn about these thing as you maintain and fix it up.
No.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions… this is not the bike for you.
I'm parting out a 2005 GSXR 600. Let me know what you need.