2020 SUZUKI KATANA
R I D E R E V I E W
P96
Squids need not apply to ride the Katana.
ly—a good thing, considering how much fun this
bike is in the medium speed twisties.
There's no quickshifter on the Katana, and the
gearshift is quite heavy compared to any modern
hypernaked. It's a direct feel, though, and you
won't miss a gear easily, but it's again an old-
school feeling compared to what's out there in the
market for a similar price.
As mentioned, the Katana is great fun in the
twisties. The combination of a relaxed rider tri-
angle, the K5 motor's glorious torque and a nimble
chassis makes for riotous fun when we tested this
rig around Southern California's canyons. The Ka-
tana isn't going to trouble something like a Super
Duke or a Tuono in the twisties, but then, it's not
really meant to. This a design from the past bought
into the present, and makes for a unique riding
experience.
The ride is a bit on the stiff side up front, and
conversely, it's soft at the rear, which can have the
shock wallowing about when you first open the
throttle. Trailing the rear brake will at least help ev-
erything remain somewhat settled when you're really
getting after it, and I suspect if you wanted a fancy
little project bike and threw some decent suspen-
sion at the Katana, it'd really shine.
