Suzuki GSX600F (1996-2000)

i am a tourer rider and my best bike is a bandit. but i now own a 600 katana it was cheap and chearfull but its a gracefull bike carnt fault her in enyway. i had to spend some money on her but money still well spent. when i do get a bandit i am going to keep her for fun rides out best £800 i ever spent

i have a suzuki gsx600f katana 1997 model and its fast smooth relible and cheep to run it has never let me down it will keep up with almost anything if you ride it right and sticks like glue in the corners my mate had a suzuki gsxr750 and i could keep up and somtimes beet him and he is a very good rider witch just lets u know how good this bike is for a older and more upright bike i have done a few trips to scotland and london and never felt tyred or uncomftable and i live in newcstle again lets u know how good it is i paid £2200 for myne and it is in great condition and only had 7000miles on the clock when bourt in november 2008 so its not an expensive bike for what u get also i have been clocked at 163mph on myne totaly stock so i disagree with the 130mph coments thanks for reeding any questions i will do ma best to answer cheers

I owned an older teapot and bought my 54 plate because it was going for a song. I needed something to commute and use as a daily hack and it hasn't disapponted. Good on fuel and tyres and very dependable. 130 mph if you want to and very comfy and not too buzzy. I put luggage and braided hoses on with better tyres and it does me a treat. Worst things are the weight, the corrosion and poor quality of the paintwork but frankly it's not that much of a problem considering the abuse she gets! buy yourself a low mileage bargain from a BAB and you won't be disappointed.

(I should have posted here rather than 'Comments' below...) My mate's CBR6 never left me behind, I always caught him before the next corner and I'd plenty left in the tank when he was pulling onto the forecourt to fill up and scratch his numb ass back to life! I too have managed to squeeze a ton30+ out of her before running out of room. It's all-day comfy, there's plenty of room for sliding across the seat before that tight corner and I've had some silly lean-angles since I upgraded the rubber to BT010's (horrid Macadams got binned)! I really couldn't have picked a better bike post DAS (insurance after a year's riding is £89) and the weight 'disadvantage' means I probably won't notice the increase when I move up to a litre bike. She could do with a little more power (the 750 probably has that) and I find the brakes a bit woolly when pulling up from speed, although there's plenty for stoppies from lower velocities. It's difficult to imagine riding something without a propper fuel guage too. I have a few furry fastners after riding through last winter and the rear caliper needed new seals at this years major service. I can live with that on a 52-plate 16,000+ miler. I can't wait to see the new GSX650F. Long live The Kat.

Been off the bike for about 15 years. Despite all the negative press from the so called experts all the owner reviews are very positive. This has (in my opinion) artifically brought the price of the bike down (so thanks to all the experts).What can I say fab performance on a shoe-string budget, where else could you get this much fun for £1500 and next to nothing to insure. By the way my wife is a stunner so I'm not bothered by the teapot remarks, I actually think its a great looking bike. Very easy to take on the twisties, was back to scratching my knee in no time. Good on the motorways also, 130mph no problems. Will be happy to ride this for at least another few years. Strengths: Price, performance, a real Goldielocks bike! Weaknesses: None really, if you twisted my arm there are a few rusted bolt heads but once you offset this against the cost to buy the bike in the fist place, it's not a consideration. Go on grab yourself a bargain.

After 15 years off a bike I wanted something that would keep me entertained for a while but wouldn't run away with me. This fits the bill perfectly and has been easy to live with, cheap to buy and cheap to run. Longest trip 330 miles in one go other than fuel stops. I needs to be muscled into corners, but at least you find out how to ride a big heavy bike that way. Enough power to get you into trouble, but you need to work the gearbox, so it won't creep up on you. Brakes are spongy, but do actually stop you rather than locking the wheels unexpectedly. Exactly what you need when you've been off a bike for a while. Decent fairing keeps the wind and rain off you, even my 6'6" frame. Strengths: Cheap to buy and run. Comfy enough for long runs. Easy to live with. Fast enough to wake you up when the mood takes you. Weaknesses: Heavy vibes through the bars and pegs at legal motorway cruising speeds.

Why do some people Knock this bike? I have found it a realy nice bike. Its comfortable, as quick as you need a bike to be and handles very well indeed. I brought it as a short term bike but Im quite happy to keep it, as it dose it all and its cheep on maintenance for every day biking. Strengths: Its comfortable, good weather protection, easy to ride and cheap to run. Weaknesses: A bit heavy.

I've had my black gsx for over a year now. Having passed my test 20 years ago, I stopped riding about 5 years back. The gsx is a cracking bike. It's fairly light, handles as well as most race models, and can hold it's own against most 600's for speed. Strengths: Nice riding position. Fast & responsive. Decent handling Pops serious wheelies! Weaknesses: Has a bad rep because of the Teapot nickname.

I'm not claiming to be an expert cos I'm not but I am finding it great as a first bike, it's a little on the heavy side, but I think thats down to it being 17yrs old, and the fuel tank doesn't hold a lot but so far it's been pretty forgiving of my "still learning" mistakes, handles well and the restrictor doesn't seem to have had a negative effect on it. I'd reccomend it to someone for a first bike though if you're a vertically challenged female like myself you may want to have it lowered slightly. Strengths: Price, handling. Weaknesses: Fuel tank.

The handling is Great and the Fairing really is affective. The Brakes are great, But the fuel tank is just to small. Strengths: Riding postion, Brakes, Engine, Handling, (Very odd looking) Fairing and the Price Second Hand. Weaknesses: Only the fuel tank size.