What a beautiful bike the Katana is. I bought it 2 years ago, in silver and still now, when I park it, my head turns for looking at it 🙂. On mine I've installed Rizoma Fox, licence plate holder - I couldn't stand the original - saving a lot of weight. Then, a street legal, SC.Project muffler CR-T titanium, saving some more weight. And finally IRC SGrace Quickshifter (of course it works only in upshifting). I would like to lower the handlebar, just a little bit, but it requests changing the tank cover with a custom one made in Japan. No way... The fuel range is not an issue for me at all. Anyway I love it. Congrats to your sons also. After the silver, that matt blue is the colour I prefer.👍
Thank you! Yes these are fantastic bikes which most people fail to understand or appreciate. About the only thing I haven't done to my bike is to add the up only quickshifter. I also may switch to braided steel brake cables. I agree that the silver is the best color with the matt blue after that.
@@cycletron Yeah, brake cables could be a good idea. In my opinion, a radial pump Brembo MCS would also be a good idea. The bite of the original pump is a bit "filtered".
So cool that all 3 of you have one. My only experience with the K5 is from the GSXR. Test road a friends. I remember thinking there was something wrong with my bike afterwards because of the lack of power it had. So it left a lasting impression for sure. Hope they bring tons of miles and smiles to you all👍👍
Thank you Dave. We are all itching to get ride them all over the place but it looks like we will have to wait for Spring to arrive up here. Thanks for checking it out and have a great week.
@@papaya_virus Pues un Km. 0 matriculado este pasado octubre, pero sin kilómetros. El modelo azul mate. Nunca probé la original, pero vamos, que estoy disfrutando como un niño pequeño. Motaza en todos los sentidos.
I ride a Ducati Scrambler at the moment, looking forward to getting a Katana one day, I'm not even close to get that money, but that's the dream. Greetings from México.
Got the Mk1 in black. Absolutely love it. Nothing on the 2023 I would want to change for. Call me old school but I can change gear without a gadget 😂. Small tank a slight nuisance but for the overall experience, who cares.
Katana's are keepers, hold onto them for as long as you can. I too almost bought a 2020, The dealer was just too far from where I lived. He was trying to get rid of it for $8995...!!
Did you mean the first three service intervals are included in the purchase price? That's a deal and savings on maintenance. You're spot on with the classic style and I'm not a fan of this trend of pinpoint LED headlights and transformer front ends - bikes that belong in a video game. Classic design with updated modern tech works just fine.
Yes, that is correct. The first 3 services are free within the first 2 years of ownership. I have not seeen this offered for a motorcycle before. I agree with you on the classic styling and would like to see more of this coming back. Yamaha has the XSR which is cool, but other than that bike, they have gone full on with the transformer look in my opinion.
I had a 2020 Katana too and i love the sytle . Much better then the Katana in the 80 . With the exhaust from your sons Katana you get a lot of trouble here in good old Germany 😅😂
Hey C.J., nice those Katana's out in front of your garage! Yeah Suzuki's I used to have myself: a 1979 Suzuki GS500 4 cylinder and a 1987 Suzuki DR650 1 cylinder adventure bike. I used the old Suzuki GS500 4cylinder (it was already old when I got it ;-) at the time for commuting and the Suzuki DR650 to travel to the Sierra Nevada in Spain (Europe that is) together with a friend who rode a 1977 Yamaha XT500 on a adventure trip, starting in the City of Leiden in The Netherlands. With both bikes I've had a blast of fun and I'd do it all over again with exactly the same bikes. The Yamaha urge how ever did call and so several Yamaha's passed their way through my hands; an Yamaha DT400 (two stroke Off Road/On Road Motorcycle) a few Yamaha Virago's (700 Cc and 900 Cc)... an Yamaha XS650, an Yamaha TDM850 and of course now my Yamaha MT-01 1700 Cc bike. And yes, I did own 4 Harley-Davidson bikes as well: an Orange 1977 Harley Davidson SX250 (my very first motorcycle), a Black 1976 Harley Davidson XL1000 (a serious pain in the butt!), an Orange 2008 Harley Davidson XR1200 (I never should have sold....regret, regret, regret :-( and the last one: my Black 1985 Harley Davidson FXRT...; Within hindsight now: This last bike I never should have bought in the first place)
Hi Dutchy, that is a nice list of bikes! We have the Virago experience in common. My first bike was a used 1982 Virago 535 that I got used with only 600 miles on it. Paid $1,000 for it in 1986. Then I traded it for a 1982 Virago 920 (still new left over bike in 1987. A few years ago we bought a 1982 750 Virago that was my second oldest son's first street bike at the age of 14. I still have it. You never know how much you will miss a bike until you sell it. That is why I am committed to never selling the Katana.
@@cycletron By all means....stick to the bike you really adore... never part from her...ever ! Yeah, well most bikes I owned were cheap or/and old. I did however always had a lot of fun, even when a bike did not cost me more then € 300,- so I found out that a few things were entirely not important at the purchase of a motorcycle: age, model, make, kilometers, condition, nothing really. with a little elbow grease you can make (almost) every bike go again. One very exception in this all: My 1976 Harley Davidson XL1000 Ironhead.. OMG what a piece of sh!t this was...it was circular breaking down... traumatized I was by this horrific piece of inferior engineering. It actually took me about 20 years to even think about getting another Harley, but my wife told me to do so...I needed that last push, because without her I most certainly would have missed the experience with my XR1200.... which was the bike I purchased... a dream on wheels... I had her modified in a almost non visual way just to improve the ride/ engine/ exhaust with one goal and one goal only: to be able to go like hell through the tight curves, bents and hairpins in the mountains... oh boy and she did...she most certainly did....a dream on wheels... if she would have been marry-able, I probably would have married her.... And yet I traded her in since the Harley-Davidson Riders-club I was a member of...they all rode Big-twins...and they rode slow...dead-slow. And so there I was with my Go Like Hell XR1200... constantly shifting up and down to be able to stay within the group when riding, being frustrated due to slow-go...Man I had to do something....and so the only real rid-able Bigtwin (for me that is) the FXR did its introduction to me... Sounded like a win-win situation, but it wasn't to me. Turned out not to be the right club for me...but the damage had taken place already...I had sold my XR1200 to keep up with the senior citizens of the club and now I am no longer a member of that senior citizen Harley Davidson Riders club...and so the Yamaha urge turned up again...and so I traded in my FXR for my Yamaha MT-01.
The Kantanas had 2 tooth larger rear sprocket than the naked GSX s1000 models. So what changes did you make to your front and rear sprockets compared to the stock ones. I'm guessing you went even deeper?
@@andersd8956 They only sold them in 2020 and then only brought them back for the special order 2024 models here in the U.S. This bike seems to see better in Europe. No word yet on whether there will be a special order option later this year in the U.S.
You can get an "up" quick shifter only from Brocks for the 2020 but it won't be bi-directional to include an autoblipper. That is because the 2020 has a cabled throttle and the 2024 is ride by wire.
The Katana is not a great seller for Suzuki. The ridiculous small fuel tank has put paid to that which is a shame. It is a good looking bike with plenty of power. I do like the 2024 model in blue with the copper/gold wheels. I seriously looked at these but was put off by the tiny tank capacity. So I bought a Tuono 1100 V4 instead.
The Tuono is awesome. I found out that Suzuki sold a grand total of 18 of these special order 2024 Katanas in the U.S. last fall, and the 2020 model didn't see well either for a few years, so I doubt the Katana will ever be offered for sale in the U.S. again. My 2020 works great for me as I have a '23 Busa for long distance riding. I can see though that if it was your only bike, it would be tough to pick the Katana with the 3.0 gallon tank and an inline 4 engine. Stock this bikes get around 42 mpg on average. With a tune on my 2020, it gets around 38 mpg on average.
I have brought them through the ranks starting with dirt bikes and then progressively larger street bikes. They each have over 10 years riding experience at this point.
What a beautiful bike the Katana is. I bought it 2 years ago, in silver and still now, when I park it, my head turns for looking at it 🙂. On mine I've installed Rizoma Fox, licence plate holder - I couldn't stand the original - saving a lot of weight. Then, a street legal, SC.Project muffler CR-T titanium, saving some more weight. And finally IRC SGrace Quickshifter (of course it works only in upshifting). I would like to lower the handlebar, just a little bit, but it requests changing the tank cover with a custom one made in Japan. No way... The fuel range is not an issue for me at all. Anyway I love it. Congrats to your sons also. After the silver, that matt blue is the colour I prefer.👍
Thank you! Yes these are fantastic bikes which most people fail to understand or appreciate. About the only thing I haven't done to my bike is to add the up only quickshifter. I also may switch to braided steel brake cables. I agree that the silver is the best color with the matt blue after that.
@@cycletron Yeah, brake cables could be a good idea. In my opinion, a radial pump Brembo MCS would also be a good idea. The bite of the original pump is a bit "filtered".
Really like the neo retro look
It is a cool bike for sure.
So cool that all 3 of you have one. My only experience with the K5 is from the GSXR. Test road a friends. I remember thinking there was something wrong with my bike afterwards because of the lack of power it had. So it left a lasting impression for sure. Hope they bring tons of miles and smiles to you all👍👍
Thank you Dave. We are all itching to get ride them all over the place but it looks like we will have to wait for Spring to arrive up here. Thanks for checking it out and have a great week.
Thank you for your video. I'm going to buy a new one this week in Spain😊
Cool. You will love it!
La compraste al final?
@@papaya_virus Jajajajaj sí, llevo dos semanitas con ella.
@@PrincipePredilectoq modelo pillaste? cuentame tu experiencia está chula y mantuvieron el alma d la antigua, por aqui no las he visto aun...
@@papaya_virus Pues un Km. 0 matriculado este pasado octubre, pero sin kilómetros. El modelo azul mate.
Nunca probé la original, pero vamos, que estoy disfrutando como un niño pequeño. Motaza en todos los sentidos.
I ride a Ducati Scrambler at the moment, looking forward to getting a Katana one day, I'm not even close to get that money, but that's the dream. Greetings from México.
That is cool, you will love the Katana!
I have the 2020, love mine. Great on Australian roads
That is cool. I am glad that the Katana is sold there. One of the first videos I saw when the new Katanas came out was from Australia.
Personally love the looks. One day I'll get one
You will love it I'm sure!
Got the Mk1 in black. Absolutely love it. Nothing on the 2023 I would want to change for. Call me old school but I can change gear without a gadget 😂. Small tank a slight nuisance but for the overall experience, who cares.
Miss how the old look of the katana got the 97 love the look of it
Katana's are keepers, hold onto them for as long as you can. I too almost bought a 2020, The dealer was just too far from where I lived. He was trying to get rid of it for $8995...!!
I am never selling my Katana. I hope to still be riding it when I am 90 years old.😃
Delivered in October of 24 you say? Time travelers confirmed.
Im 6’8 what is the riding position on this and would it fit taller riders?
Did you mean the first three service intervals are included in the purchase price? That's a deal and savings on maintenance. You're spot on with the classic style and I'm not a fan of this trend of pinpoint LED headlights and transformer front ends - bikes that belong in a video game. Classic design with updated modern tech works just fine.
Yes, that is correct. The first 3 services are free within the first 2 years of ownership. I have not seeen this offered for a motorcycle before. I agree with you on the classic styling and would like to see more of this coming back. Yamaha has the XSR which is cool, but other than that bike, they have gone full on with the transformer look in my opinion.
Did the 24 get the active suspension from the GT+?
I had a 2020 Katana too and i love the sytle . Much better then the Katana in the 80 . With the exhaust from your sons Katana you get a lot of trouble here in good old Germany 😅😂
Right on! We are lucky to live in a state where we can tune the bike and have a good exhaust.
Hey C.J., nice those Katana's out in front of your garage! Yeah Suzuki's I used to have myself: a 1979 Suzuki GS500 4 cylinder and a 1987 Suzuki DR650 1 cylinder adventure bike. I used the old Suzuki GS500 4cylinder (it was already old when I got it ;-) at the time for commuting and the Suzuki DR650 to travel to the Sierra Nevada in Spain (Europe that is) together with a friend who rode a 1977 Yamaha XT500 on a adventure trip, starting in the City of Leiden in The Netherlands. With both bikes I've had a blast of fun and I'd do it all over again with exactly the same bikes. The Yamaha urge how ever did call and so several Yamaha's passed their way through my hands; an Yamaha DT400 (two stroke Off Road/On Road Motorcycle) a few Yamaha Virago's (700 Cc and 900 Cc)... an Yamaha XS650, an Yamaha TDM850 and of course now my Yamaha MT-01 1700 Cc bike. And yes, I did own 4 Harley-Davidson bikes as well: an Orange 1977 Harley Davidson SX250 (my very first motorcycle), a Black 1976 Harley Davidson XL1000 (a serious pain in the butt!), an Orange 2008 Harley Davidson XR1200 (I never should have sold....regret, regret, regret :-( and the last one: my Black 1985 Harley Davidson FXRT...; Within hindsight now: This last bike I never should have bought in the first place)
Hi Dutchy, that is a nice list of bikes! We have the Virago experience in common. My first bike was a used 1982 Virago 535 that I got used with only 600 miles on it. Paid $1,000 for it in 1986. Then I traded it for a 1982 Virago 920 (still new left over bike in 1987. A few years ago we bought a 1982 750 Virago that was my second oldest son's first street bike at the age of 14. I still have it. You never know how much you will miss a bike until you sell it. That is why I am committed to never selling the Katana.
@@cycletron By all means....stick to the bike you really adore... never part from her...ever ! Yeah, well most bikes I owned were cheap or/and old. I did however always had a lot of fun, even when a bike did not cost me more then € 300,- so I found out that a few things were entirely not important at the purchase of a motorcycle: age, model, make, kilometers, condition, nothing really. with a little elbow grease you can make (almost) every bike go again. One very exception in this all: My 1976 Harley Davidson XL1000 Ironhead.. OMG what a piece of sh!t this was...it was circular breaking down... traumatized I was by this horrific piece of inferior engineering. It actually took me about 20 years to even think about getting another Harley, but my wife told me to do so...I needed that last push, because without her I most certainly would have missed the experience with my XR1200.... which was the bike I purchased... a dream on wheels... I had her modified in a almost non visual way just to improve the ride/ engine/ exhaust with one goal and one goal only: to be able to go like hell through the tight curves, bents and hairpins in the mountains... oh boy and she did...she most certainly did....a dream on wheels... if she would have been marry-able, I probably would have married her.... And yet I traded her in since the Harley-Davidson Riders-club I was a member of...they all rode Big-twins...and they rode slow...dead-slow. And so there I was with my Go Like Hell XR1200... constantly shifting up and down to be able to stay within the group when riding, being frustrated due to slow-go...Man I had to do something....and so the only real rid-able Bigtwin (for me that is) the FXR did its introduction to me... Sounded like a win-win situation, but it wasn't to me. Turned out not to be the right club for me...but the damage had taken place already...I had sold my XR1200 to keep up with the senior citizens of the club and now I am no longer a member of that senior citizen Harley Davidson Riders club...and so the Yamaha urge turned up again...and so I traded in my FXR for my Yamaha MT-01.
@@dutchyjhome That XR1200 sounds like a blast. At any rate you will hopefully have your MT01 ready by Spring.
I feel like the 2024 stock exhaust is way more toned down than my 2020 stock exhaust.
It does seem really quiet.
The Kantanas had 2 tooth larger rear sprocket than the naked GSX s1000 models. So what changes did you make to your front and rear sprockets compared to the stock ones. I'm guessing you went even deeper?
Yes, I went from 17 to 16 teeth in the front sprocket and 44 to 46 on the rear. I love it!
nice bikes dude! the inline 4's get thirsty after a tune, no doubt. my z1000 easily lost 30 miles of range with a tune, from like 42mpg to 35mpg tops
Thank you! I think the drop if fuel range is totally worth the improved performance.
@@cycletron couldn’t agree more 👍
Great bike, i'm from europe ✌️
Hey, thanks!
It feels like the new Katanas are underrated or atleast not that popular compared to other bikes of the same class.
At least in the U.S. the Katanas seem to be a best kept secret. The way the bikes look also seems to be a love it or hate it proposition.
@@andersd8956 They only sold them in 2020 and then only brought them back for the special order 2024 models here in the U.S. This bike seems to see better in Europe. No word yet on whether there will be a special order option later this year in the U.S.
Does anyone know if you can fit the 2024 quick shifter onto the 2020
You can get an "up" quick shifter only from Brocks for the 2020 but it won't be bi-directional to include an autoblipper. That is because the 2020 has a cabled throttle and the 2024 is ride by wire.
NICE thanks for this
Thanks for checking it out.
Lo avuta nel 1987, 1100cc. Avevo 22 anni. Adesso ne ho 59. Se farebbero una cilindrata più piccola 900cc la comprerei. Ma perché non la fanno? Saluti
Someone help me find a 23/24 in the US!!! I want one ❤
They are hard to find. I think only 18 were sold in the U.S.
The Katana is not a great seller for Suzuki. The ridiculous small fuel tank has put paid to that which is a shame. It is a good looking bike with plenty of power. I do like the 2024 model in blue with the copper/gold wheels. I seriously looked at these but was put off by the tiny tank capacity. So I bought a Tuono 1100 V4 instead.
The Tuono is awesome. I found out that Suzuki sold a grand total of 18 of these special order 2024 Katanas in the U.S. last fall, and the 2020 model didn't see well either for a few years, so I doubt the Katana will ever be offered for sale in the U.S. again. My 2020 works great for me as I have a '23 Busa for long distance riding. I can see though that if it was your only bike, it would be tough to pick the Katana with the 3.0 gallon tank and an inline 4 engine. Stock this bikes get around 42 mpg on average. With a tune on my 2020, it gets around 38 mpg on average.
What do you think about teenagers with liter bikes? =D sounds like a recipe for disaster but yours seem to do OK!
I have brought them through the ranks starting with dirt bikes and then progressively larger street bikes. They each have over 10 years riding experience at this point.
The fuel capacity is a deal breaker for me.
I get it. I have been to every gas station within 100 miles of my house!
They have not even updated the LCD screen to a TFT, on a £12,500 pound bike!!!!!!!!
I like the LCD screen, but I see your point.
why ? Does have you time to see that screen when you "ride" ? I would have put just two analog counter....
Katana is StreetHawk wish-fulfilment
True!
Lovely bike spoilt by a 3gal tank, and that hideous chunk of plastic hanging off the swinging arm! Get a tail tidy, job done 👍
I agree about the tail. I put on Yoshimura tidy tail on my 2020 Katana and it looks way better.
Tweny tweny
Katanas have always been ugly AF. Nice to see they're continuing that tradition in 2024
To each their own. I think they look great!