Hey All,
I'm looking for a starter bike. i want to ride a street bike. my budget is 3k. i have a choice between two bikes. 2k3 Katana (4300mi) or 1997 CBR Honda (14,000), both of them are good shape in my opinion. Then again, i'm not expert in purchasing sports bike. The katana and honda are both selling for 3k. i wanted to know what would be the best choice and why. From looking at kbb the honda carries holds value over time. Please let me know ur thoughts. Thank you.

-kidkay

 

sit on both bikes and see which 1 you like better. i would go honda.

 

the f3 is lighter and has more power. Whatever you're looking for in a bike i guess....

 

Any opinion given on this board will probably be a bit biased (considering it's a forum for CBR's).

 

don't get the katana they suck not to mention they look horrible. I started off with an F3 and loved it, sometime i wish i still had it. F3 all the way!

 

from someone that just went through the same budget process that you did... i went with the honda, the katanas i saw at that price had lower miles and were newer, but i wanted a true sports bike not a sports touring bike as the katana is. But like someone else said... sit on both and see which one you like

 

CBR...CBR...CBR...CBR...CBR Katana is not even the same class.

 

Nothing wrong with a Katana if it's cheap. You can get them for dirt cheap, and $3K isn't dirt cheap, I'd pass and buy the Honda.

Again, nothing wrong with a Katana that's cheap, this however isn't a deal good enough to pass on a just-as-well-taken-care-of Honda (if that's really the case).

 

I don't feel as though the CBR and katana are even in the same class, even when comparing a new katana to an older CBR. The katana is designed to be more of a sporty cruiser, it's wider, has a much more tame torque curve, and more upright ergos then the F3 does. If you want something like that then get the katana, if you want something that was bred to be a sport bike, get the F3.

 

my first bike was a Katana and after test riding my 97F3 it was like night and day. The CBR felt so much lighter than the top heavy katana, felt a ton quicker, and just all in all more sporty looking. I think the Katana loses alot of power from heat being it isn't water cooled but air/oil cooled by the big goofy fins on the motor. And the newer katanas I think are ugly as hell. They look bug eyed and the big turn signals built in the fairings horrible. I honestly think the Katana is a bad beginner bike because it feels so top heavy while riding. Like its gonna fall over on ya.