Kat Canter
A BLUNT SWORD THAT CAN STILL CUT A CORNER...
Have you ever noticed that a higher percentage of race replicas show wide and embarrassing
chicken strips on their tyre shoulders than anything else on two wheels - cruisers included!
My theory is that race reps are ridden primarily by poseurs while more serious riders chose
slightly more practical toys.
If you ever see a race rep with tyres frazzled all the way to their edges or beyond, you can
be certain it’s ridden by a fearless rider or an experienced rider, but not a fearless,
experienced rider as I doubt they exist. Regardless, be warned that these people are seriously
fast and not to be messed with unless you happen to be some famous wonder racer. Luckily for
us more average riders, there are not many like them.
There is no greater joy than riding an old and very tired Kawasaki Z1300 over a mountain pass
against a poseur and his latest super-duper, mega-hot 1000cc bike laden with expensive upgrades
to brakes and suspension - only to leave him well and truly behind. Then, as you meet up at
the rendezvous, nod understandingly as the chipmunk complains bitterly about a dangerous lack of
grip while gesticulating towards his out-of-style D207s. Since you are a polite bastard, you
refrain from mentioning that the several year old and badly crackled Cheng Shits on your 700lb heap of metal hardly compare, knowing it would glance off like water on a duck's back. But
dang, are you happy!
Getting something like the Suzuki GSX600F, then, is almost like cheating. It may not look good
in a direct comparison to the latest version of any race replica - or indeed any race rep made
during the last 10-15 years - but is absolutely magnificent compared to a Z1300! In fact, this
old and mechanically simple machine works far better than you would imagine from reading only
the spec sheet.
Perhaps the most valuable quality of the Katana’s handling is its
stability. It is just about unshakable, riding like on rails whether it’s cornering at
maximum speed around a bumpy bend or just pottering through the suburbs. This rock steady
stability also allows you to gaze at nicely shaped bums and bulging tits walking along the
road with no fear of the bike turning on its master. It goes straight until told otherwise nearly
as well as a cruiser; only it can also boogie when the road begins to twist in earnest,
something cruisers detest.
Compared to a modern 600, steering is slow and heavy. But again, these things are relative.
Ridden directly after a Triumph 900 Daytona or the already mentioned Z1300, the Kat seems to
be fitted with power steering and catlike reflexes. Suffice to say that you don’t need to
be Hulk to ride this bike quickly over serpentine pieces of asphalt; I’m not even sure it would
help.
Steering is absolutely neutral regardless of speed or rider attitude. You can trail-brake late
into a corner, you can set your corner speed early and accelerate from before the apex, or you
can just cruise through on a steady throttle; the bike doesn’t mind. Even grabbing a handful
of front brake mid-corner failed to upset the Kat, and only a delicate touch is needed on the
inside handlebar to keep the bike from righting itself and running straight.
The Dunflops fitted - D205 radials - work adequately well most of the time and wear less than
iron. After 2000 miles there's no measurable wear. A restrained hand is needed in the wet,
but even here they perform acceptably as long as the rider doesn’t try anything stupid. The
only thing they don’t like is worn tarmac where they have used fairly coarse gravel. Here,
they feel like you’re riding on wet roads. I have never experienced anything like it with any
tyre before.
If you are used to one or two finger braking, you will hate the stoppers on the Kat. In fact,
one digit is hardly enough to bring the pads into contact with the discs, let alone provide
much in the way of retardation. It’s not that they are weak by any means; if your previous
bike was a 1956 BSA Golden Flash you would probably fly over the windscreen if you had to
perform an emergency stop to avoid ramming a mad elephant escaped from London Zoo during
rush-hour. Four fingers with a bit of pressure are all that’s needed to lock up the
front wheel. They will tolerate some hefty abuse before fading, thanks in part to floating
discs and four piston calipers. The rear brake merely works, but can be difficult to modulate
when traction is at a premium since feeling is a bit numb.
Suspension is rather crude by modern standards and solidly based in the 1980s, when the bike
was first launched, yet it works surprisingly well for most road riding and riders. My bike
already has 30,000 miles under its wheels, and with my 200lb plus gear assisting the 490lbs of motorcycle to punish the tired suspenders, maximum pre-load and rebound damping are required at the rear end. Slightly better comfort can be had by dropping pre-load a couple of
notches and backing off rebound damping from number four to the number three setting, but that
would result in frequent bottoming out when carrying a passenger.
The front springs are way too
weak and the fork will bottom over big bumps and during mildly brisk braking. But it never
bottoms harshly, and it takes more than the odd ripple to make the tyre skip even during
maximum emergency stops. I will rectify this over winter by upping the oil level by 30 mm and
preloading the springs 15mm. Rebound is 3-way adjustable from the seat, but I cannot really
detect a significant change between the various positions. Just to fool people into thinking I
know something about suspension settings, I’ve left them in their middle spot.
Comfort is nothing short of excellent! This is my 18th bike and I’ve been riding for 25 years,
and I can honestly say that no other bikes have been even remotely close to this one when it
comes to cosseting the rider. Albeit sportier than anything I’ve owned previously, it offers
ample room to move around, the seat pampers my sagging arse like a high-end stressless chair,
the fairing keeps most of the wind and rain away from my tired body and the handlebars are
acceptably smooth most of the time, with some harsher vibes coming through in the higher
midrange.
There are only two annoying features; mirrors that show two-thirds arms and one-third road,
plus lots of wind noise. The air that escapes over the windscreen is smooth and free from
head-bouncing turbulences, but it is too steep and too short to keep noise at bay. Creeping
behind the screen only exacerbates the problem; sitting as erect as possible is the best way
to reduce noise. Well, standing on the pegs eliminates it altogether, but I consider that
highly impractical.
Servicing the beast is a pain due to tons of plastic held in place with what seems like
hundreds of screws, and even after it’s been removed you’ll find more nuts and bolts than
usual. Or rather, what I’m used to from my older bikes. The engine has featured both screw
adjusters and shims for valve clearance settings over the years; mine fortunately
having shims. I checked them right after the purchase and they all had maximum clearance save
for two, which had a touch too much. Easily solved with one new shim, as interchanging one
from one position to the other cured the other valve. I have no intention of digging in there
until another 30,000 miles have passed. Just to be nice, I’m going to hand it another set of
new spark plugs at half that distance. And it gets new oil and filter every spring. I really
am too kind to the old beast.
Otherwise the bike has held up just fine considering it’s already eight years old and hasn’t been
pampered. The exhaust system is still original and only shows some light surface rust,
the paint is half-decent, the brake discs almost perfect, the engine tight and strong enough
to run dead even with my brother’s old Daytona up to 130mph. For my own safety I
will strip the brakes during winter, replace anything made of rubber and fit braided hoses.
Then I’m going to wait for spring to kick winter in its farkin’ cold arse!
Eirik Skjaveland,
NORWAY