Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Another Katana Question, suzuki katana 600, suzuki motorcycles

Question
Hello William,

Although I'm sure you get a ton of questions, you may remember I recently asked about purchasing a Suzuki Katana 600.  Anyway, you gave me great advice and gave the bike a good review - thanks much!  I also gave you all 10s and cast my vote for you as voulenteer of the month.  I hope you win!

Anyway, I found a nice 2002 Katana in my area that I took to a mechanic.  The seller allowed me to do it without hesitation.

After the mechanic checked it out, he said he found a small oil leak that he didn't think was a big deal, but he also said that I shouldn't buy the Katana or any Suzuki for that matter.  He said the nickname for the Katana is "can't tune 'em" because all of them eventually have problems.  He also said that, in general, all Suzukis eventually have problems.

He suggested that I look into either a Honda or a Yamaha as they are the top brands and are built to last.

The dealership he works at seems to sell every brand of import motorcycle and he didn't even tell me to go look at one of their bikes in the showroom or anything so I don't feel he was trying to sell me another bike.  He certainly was trying to talk me out of the Suzuki, however, and they sell them at that dealership!

I'm very sorry to bug you again, but do you still think the Katana is a good bike?  After speaking with the mechanic you can certainly understand why I have some reservations.

Thanks much for any insight you can provide.

All the best,

Kat

Answer
Kat,

Yes, I remember your first question. The old nickname for the Katana that I remember was "can-a-tuna". It had nothing to do with disrespecting the bike. Most bikes (especially from Japan) have nicknames. The GSXR Suzukis are commonly called "Gixxers", and so on.

It's hard for me to say "oh, that mechanic is full of it"; after all, he's a bike mechanic. All I can say is that I own two Suzuki motorcycles and they are every bit as well made as the other brands. As for all Suzuki's eventually having problems, he probably feels that way because he only sees them... when they have problems. No one takes their bike to a mechanic when it's running perfectly. As for Honda and Yamaha being built to last longer, I'd say there might be something to that as far as Honda is concerned, and they usually score highest in terms of build quality and reliability. That's what Honda focuses on. Suzuki has always been known as a "performance" brand, with super-fast bikes like the GSXR1000 and Hayabusa. But are they built poorly? Heck no. I love mine, and they have held up very well under my considerable use. The quality difference between Honda and Suzuki, is very small, if any.

If you get a good, clean Katana, and take good care of it, you should have the same experience. It really is a good bike. I'm not saying your mechanic is biased (or perhaps he is for some reason), but the truth is, if Suzuki built crap bikes, why would anyone buy them? I see too many on the road (and have enjoyed mine too much) to give credence to your mechanics opinion.

Thanks for writing,

Bill Roberson