[Axe77]

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

Heck i will go to the extent of saying that i had known this was launching at this price, i would not have picked the S1000RR and kept the RS and got the Katana in silver probably with the red decals. (Sorry Layla!!)

Originally Posted by GoBlue

Having ridden Street Triple extensively, taking liberty to reply with static observations (haven't ridden Katana yet):

Which one of the two (between the RS and the Katana) would be better suited for predominant track use?

It seems to me it might actually be the RS largely on account of its more committed position but would be interested in hearing your thoughts. The Katana seemed much more of an an "all rounder" kind of bike (which the RS is too of course - I mean its not a Daytona), but just seems that the RS might be more track friendly than the Katana.

PS: I'm aware I'm comparing not direct competitors but given the very few options in the market

PPS: The question is purely academic - no chequebooks are being whipped out basis this line of inquiry.

[RohanDheman]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Which one of the two (between the RS and the Katana) would be better suited for predominant track use?

The RS every single time. Its made for attacking corners on the track. The rake angle, the foot pegs, the super grippy Supercorsa SP2s, the M50s, the slightly forward riding position make it a very very potent track weapon.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

Interesting that you ask this

Thanks for the reply Rohan. Great minds think alike

Heck i will go to the extent of saying that i had known this was launching at this price, i would not have picked the S1000RR and kept the RS and got the Katana in silver probably with the red decals. (Sorry Layla!!)

Wow! Strong words and endorsement of the Katana from you. Luckily these words are written and not spoken in front of Layla or she might get offended If I were to pick the Katana, it would be in Silver too. The Katana doesn’t move me so the RR gets my vote.

On another note, Layla has been performing flawlessly and has now done close to 3300km. I will pen down my experience with her over the weekend. Sharing a pic

Layla looks super sexy, great picture. Look forward to reading more about Layla. My RS odometer is stuck at ~1700 kms. No riding since more than a month, it’s been raining a lot in Mumbai.

Cheers

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

, i would not have picked the S1000RR and kept the RS and got the Katana in silver probably with the red decals. (Sorry Layla!!)

This is like you telling your current gf that your ex was hotter and you wished you swiped right on that other new chick.

You need to buy Layla some trinkets to keep her happy. Preferably a slip on, like Akra, Arrow or SC.

[Venkatesh]

Suzuki Katana media ride reviews drops on 8th August - Link

[aveoman19]

Moto Vlogger JS Films has uploaded a quick ride review of the Katana. Looks very promising. Not having cruise control as standard is a sore miss though

https://youtu.be/e-OP4lCczoQ

[amvj]

Suzuki Katana review

https://youtu.be/aIFdhGgPt5I

https://youtu.be/ckQvchF2hvQ

[neil.jericho]

I dropped into the newly opened Suzuki Big Bike showroom in Cochin to check out the motorcycles on display. They have a black Hayabusa, 2 Katanas and 2 VStrom 650s, in addition to the smaller 250 cc motorcycles.

Having already checked out the Hayabusa (Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 Ownership Review) and the Vstrom 650 (Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT BS6 launched at Rs 8.84 lakhs) recently, I was most keen to get a proper look at the Katana.

In today's world, 1000cc nakeds have become bigger, badder, more angular, electronics centered, chest thumping brutes that will probably wheelie even before you start entertaining the thought of it. The Katana is a welcome departure from this formula. Its simplicity is startling. All you get are 3 power modes and 5 levels of traction control. That's it. There nothing by way of aerodynamics. Forget about electronically adjustable premium suspension. Dont even talk about carbon fiber bits and bobs. That dash was cutting edge in 2002.

Honestly, I loved the ethos of the Suzuki Katana. This is an unapologetically old school motorcycle that is wrapped up in delicious styling, with Suzuki's famous K5 engine at its heart. This is a gentleman's superbike, if there ever was one.

The manager at the Suzuki dealership has already asked me when Im taking their test bike out for a proper spin....

[shyamg28]

Test rode a Katana today. My very first experience on an inline-4!
Freakish experience - 35kmph in 6th gear @ 1.5k rpm

I can totally see how this can be excellent daily rider as well as a tourer. Supreme suspension as well!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

Test rode a Katana today. My very first experience on an inline-4!
Freakish experience - 35kmph in 6th gear @ 1.5k rpm

I can totally see how this can be excellent daily rider as well as a tourer. Supreme suspension as well!

Attachment 2405797

What are the prices in Bangalore currently? I'm hearing 2L discount in some other states.

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

What are the prices in Bangalore currently? I'm hearing 2L discount in some other states.

INR 17.25L on-road in Bangalore.

I also saw that Super Suzuki in Delhi is offering upto 1 and 2L off for V Strom 650 and Katana respectively, but haven't been able to confirm this yet.

[Senotrius]

Priced so high. Other than the legendary Hayabusa do their other models sell in numbers here? They should consider offering huge discounts or "price revision" (like Honda) for the vstrom650. The excuse for price revision can be the newer vstrom 800 model.

[setuniket]

Had posted in the V Strom thread. Sales team had sent this message for both V Strom and Katana.

Super Suzuki

Lets celebrate *74th Republic Day* with *SUZUKI MOTORCYCLES* special offers on selected models

*V-Strom 650XT saving up to - 1,00,000/-*

*KATANA saving up to - 2,00,000/-*

Offer valid till *31st January 2023*

Sales Manager

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

What are the prices in Bangalore currently? I'm hearing 2L discount in some other states.

Originally Posted by Senotrius

Priced so high. The excuse for price revision can be the newer vstrom 800 model.

[GoBlue]

Katana is being offered at 14.5L OTR in Pune.

1.5L discount over the 16L OTR MRP.

[loki]

Picked up the Katana earlier this month

I sold off my lovely CBR650F almost 4 years ago (Thread here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...a-cbr650f.html (Smooth operator - My 2015 Honda CBR650F)). Ever since then, the itch to get another bike was slowly, gradually building up I guess. The Car upgrade happened, but 2 wheels > 4 and i knew something had to give. Post Covid, realization dawned that we don't have that long a life anyways. So might as well.

The question was which bike next?

• Almost my entire old CBR650F gang meanwhile upgraded to Huge ADVs (Mostly Africa Twins and a couple 1250GSAs). But somehow, wasn't a fan of ADVs in general. Think they are a bit Overkill. If at all I'd want something with Offroad prowess, I'd probably go for something lighter. Like a CRF500L Rally. Which doesn't exist.

• Sport Tourers still appeal to me. But wasn't sure if I'd still be comfortable with a semi-committed riding position (Poor fitness). Also, I think I was growing old and bikes with fairings didn't appeal to me anymore

• No Cruisers. Nuff Said.

• No Luxury Tourers (Goldwing. K1600GTL). Can't afford. Not 50yrs old yet.

• Which left me with Nakeds / Standard bikes. These started appealing to me the last few years. Upright / comfortable riding positions. Ability to Commute. Granted the windblast will be an issue at highway speeds. But I guess I won't be doing those high speeds anymore on a motorcycle anyways. But since the previous bike was a 650, the urge was to get something bigger. Not that i needed it.

The silly pricing aside, big bike aficionados are spoilt by choice these days compared to even 7 or 8 years ago. In the Naked / Standard segment there were the below options:

• Modern Nakeds - Z900, BMW S1000R etc.

• Retro-ish Nakeds - Most Triumphs, Kawi W800 etc

In retrospect, selling off a bike which I loved so much (CBR650F) felt like a bad idea. The idea now was to retain the bike which i was about to purchase forever. Which means the bike needs to age well ie; should look good 10 to 15 years down the line. This seemed to rule out all the modern nakeds. So retro it was:

• There are some Sexy retro nakeds sold outside India which I'd have bought it a jiffy if offered here. Honda CB1100RS, Honda CB1300 (UJM, but still retro to me).

• The Kawi Z900RS is a lovely lovely machine. But Kawi botched the pricing when they launched it here the first time. And I don't think it will be any cheaper in case they decide to bring it back

• Honda CB1000R - Now this one was seriously on my consideration list. I love the Neo-sports cafe theme in general and i loved what they did with the update to the CB1000R in 2021 (tear drop shaped LED headlamp, Black Edition). Plus I'm a huge Honda fan and did have a very satisfactory ownership experience with the CBR650F.

• BMW RNineT - #3 on my consideration set. Love the design, I think the boxer engines are a novelty, and are hence cool. However, wasn't entirely sure if I could afford BMW maintenance in the long run. So this was out.

• Triumph Speed Twin - #2 on my consideration set. I think Triumph have done a great job with the entire Bonneville lineup. The Speed Twin appealed the most to me. Really thought about this one for a fair bit. But I guess i wasn't a fan of Parallel twins as much as I tried. Granted the 270 crank twins sound good but I guess the CBR650F inline4 experience spoiled me. So grudgingly, the Speed Twin was out. Despite ticking most boxes.

• Which brings me to the Katana. I'm generally a fan of 80s Jap superbikes. Including their Square headlamps. When Suzuki brought back the Katana in 2019, I was instantly a fan. I could care less about the fact that it was just a regular GSX-S1000 in fancy bodywork. When Suzuki brought the updated version to India, I knew this was it. 12 litre tank be damned. I don't think i ride that long anyways without the need for a break. Just had to improvise.

Aryan Suzuki (Hoodi, Near Whitefield) are the only dealers in Bangalore. No fluff. Was offered a 1.5L discount on OTR which i gladly took. So now it was 15.75L OTR. The 14.5L OTR price in other states is a steal. Booking and Delivery experience was pleasant. Hoping aftersales is the same.

So heres my bike. I preferred the Silver instead of the Matte Blue (which also looks cool). I happed to fit a bunch of accessories (sourced from Europe) while taking delivery - Tail Tidy, MRA windscreen, Fork Sliders, Cotton Reels, Radiator Protector, Handlebar risers, Frame sliders. So, apologies if my bike doesn't look stock

Side view. Enough Ground clearance (140mm). Haven't scraped any speedbumps so far. Even though I live in Bangalore. Seat height is a tad high though. I'm 5'9 and barely flatfoot with my riding shoes.


Front 3/4ths. Best angle for the bike I guess.


Rear 3/4ths. I prefer the conventional license plate mounting. Others prefer the Standard issue Tyre hugger arrangement which the Katana normally comes with. I need to do something about the Chicken Strip


Stock Seat is fairly comfortable. And pillion seat isn't a joke.


Stock riding position is fairly comfortable, but these risers make them even more so. I need to hit the gym I guess.


Peace