Suzuki 600 Katana
SUZUKI 600 KATANA
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
OUT OF THE HUNT, BUT STILL IN THE RUNNING
SPORTBIKE COMPARISON TESTS
are cruel things. Last year, in Cycle World's middleweight shootout, the Suzuki 600 Katana got whomped, finishing dead last. No use in dragging it through the smoldering embers of its reputation for a second time, we thought, so we left it out of this year’s competition.
The only problem with that decision is that there’s nothing really wrong with the Katana. Judged on its own merits, it's an excellent streetbike. and, at $4699, it’s affordably priced. Only when the Suzuki is ridden back-to-back (or worse, side-byside) with one of the latest crop of its competitors, do its shortcomings become apparent.
Simply stated, the Katana, introduced four model years ago, is based on an outdated design. Compared to the other bikes in its class, the Kat’s air-and-oil-cooled, 599cc, inlineFour is buzzy, slow-revving and underpowered, and it’s further handicapped by the fact that it has to haul more weight around than the others.
Part of that heaviness, however, is attributable to the fact that the Katana is a large bike, with the most spacious ergonomics in its class. Nitpickers will say that its handlebarseat relationship is a bit stretched, its foot pegs are a tad too far rearward or its fairing isn't very protective, but none will deny that its smoothly contoured seat is nicely padded, and the result is that the bike is the best in its class for long-haul comfort. Contributing to that comfort quotient is its nearly perfect suspension-damping rates, the ride marred ever-so-slightly by its bias-belted Dunlop tires, which are less compliant over ripples than the radiais of the competition, though they offer good traction.
A feature unique to the Katana in the middleweight sportbike class is its fork’s rebound-damping adjustability, with changes made by turning a three-position knob atop each fork leg. At the rear, shock-spring preload is adjustable via a seven-position collar, and rebound damping is adjustable by turning a four-position knob atop the shock body.
The Katana lacks very little in terms of handling, with steering that’s extremely neutral, though not as light as that of the competition. Its brakes are also well up to snuff.
What we have here, then, is a bike which does everything well, albeit at a slightly reduced pace as compared to its competition. Still, a talented rider on a Katana should have no problem keeping up with riders aboard supposedly superior machinery, as long as the ride doesn’t turn into an outright race.
And that says a lot for the Katana. Yes, the race wins will go to the swift, but when it comes to performancefor-dollar value, the Katana 600 is a sure winner. E3
SPECIFICATIONS
CW COMPARISON
