UPGRADE: SUSPENSION
Reset and Tweak for improved handling.
COST: $0.00
TIME: 3 minutes on successive days.
BENEFIT: Improved Handling, sharper turn-in, more confidence.
CONS: Less than desirable handling while figuring out the perfect settings.

The suspension on the GSX600F Katana is set for mass usage in the way that is most safe for the majority of beginning riders, but if you tweak it, you will find that the handling will measurably improve. Recommend changing one setting one notch (at the forks, always match settings between the two forks click-for-click), drive for a day, then deciding whether to keep or reset the change to stock.
 
CAUTION: Whenever you change tire brands, tire models, or tire sizes (either or both tires), reset the suspension to the factory settings (see the owner's manual) and start again. What worked wonderfully with a set of Dunlop 207's is almost guaranteedly not be the best setting for a set of Metzeler ME Z4's.

UPGRADE: METZELER ME Z4 Tires
Swap Tires and get an unbelievable improvement in handling, grip & confidence.
COST: FRONT TIRE: Metzeler ME Z4, 120/70 ZR17
($101 - $135, depend on source).
COST: REAR TIRE: Metzeler ME Z4, 150/70 ZR17
($128 - $189, depend on source).
COST: MOUNTING TIRES: Varies with shop used
(expect $30 - $70 per tire).
BENEFIT: Radically better handling, grip than on the original tires, and then other brands tried.
BENEFIT: Good wet-weather stability, sharper turn-ins, more nimble handling.
CONS: Tires may not last quite as long as some cheaper no-name touring tires. Expect 4.5k miles from the front, 8k from the rear with hard driving.
DANGERS: Your confidence level may get high enough to scrape the fairing during turns.
 
DETAILS:
   Although every factory bike supposedly comes with a special tire designed just for it, the Katana's stock tires are actually about the worst possible in terms of feel and handling. Over the years, I have rotated through various manufacturer's tires (including Michelins Macadams, Dunlop 207's and the Metzelers, among others), and although the Dunlops were a step up from the stock tires, nothing (and I do mean nothing) has provided the razor sharp handling and utter confidence the Metzeler's ME Z4 provided. The difference was like night and day, nothing short of spectacular. Adding to the noticeable difference between the Dunlops and the ME Z4's was that the tires that just came off the bike weren't thread-bare (but instead had sucked up a nail). I just repeated this upgrade (Aug 2003) with another Katana 600 (2001 model), going from Michelin Macadams to the ME Z4's and again I am left astonished by the radical differences in the bike's geometry, steering and braking characteristics as a result.
   Although Metzeler makes softer compound tires in this design (from the race track soft ME Z1 through the street-sport-touring ME Z4), the power and weight bias of the Katana doesn't really get served by any softer compounds than the ME Z4. What about the new ME 330/550 tires? Well, they might be good, but they are designed for a lighter weight bike than the Katana is when wet (fueled, oiled) and loaded with an adult rider & possible passenger: stick to the ME Z4.
 

NEW INFORMATION: Metzeler is supposedly phasing out the ME Z4 and replacing it with a new tire called the RoadTec Z6 designed to fill the same sport-touring niche with supposedly better wet and dry performance. Somehow I just managed to grab a set of ME Z4's and get them mounted about a week before Metzeler's global website announced the new tires, so I can't comment on them first hand (they also haven't arrived on the US shores yet). Their comments include that the Z6 is designed to be a direct slot-in for the ME Z4, retaining the same high-mileage life span while significantly improving the grip in both wet and dry conditions. Personally, I'm not too thrilled about the tread cut on the front tire (specifically the redundant arching center groove -- I don't like center grooves of any type), but the compound formulation on both tires looks quite good. Once I try a set, I'll let you know for sure, but it will undoubtably be a while before I burn through the ME Z4's I just installed.

CAUTION: We do not recommend that individuals install their own tires unless experienced, and instead recommend using a professional shop that has proper tire mounting equipment. Always have your tires balanced, and if using an after-market valve stem cover (such as Tire Pressure Indicator caps or TireFlys), ask they be on the wheel when it's balanced. Also note that some shops charge different rates based on whether you bought the tire from them or not (total profit), and based on whether you bring them just the wheel or the whole bike (differences in labor required to remove the wheel). Do the math and decide if it's cheaper to remove the wheels and deliver them yourself with new tires, or just order tires and drop off the bike.
 
NOTE: The tread design of the ME Z4 eliminates the tendency of the tires to chase rain-grooves and other parallel-to-path trenches in the road. Very little is more unnerving to neophyte (or even most experienced) riders than having to cross a few miles of concrete highway with parallel rain grooves in the pavement and feeling the bike jump back and forth between them constantly. Since the tread pattern of the ME Z4 does not have any center grooves, this problem is eliminated. You might ask, "what about rain?" Living in Florida, we have torrential downpours through-out the summer months (2 to 5 inches in an hour isn't unheard of), and these tires, at least in a warm ambient temperatures, are amazingly solid in the wet at speed -- better so than any other brand I've tried on the late model Katana's.
 
CAUTION: The single most ignored source of problems on motorcycles (other than maybe the oil level) is the tire pressure. Check your tire pressure each time before you ride (so the tires are cold). Walmart sells a wonderful foot-operated bicycle tire pump with an integrated tire pressure gauge that works like a charm, and lets me easily set the tire pressure. Adjusting your tire pressure upwards and downwards by a pound or two will change the handling characteristics of the bike. Do not run your tires more than 10% over or under the recommended tire pressure or you may cause a spontaneous tire blow-out (the last thing you ever want to have happen on a bike you're riding).
 
CHEAPEST SOURCE FOUND: The least expensive source we've found in the USA for replacement Metzeler tires has been Chapparal Motor Sports in Arizona, 800-841-2960 (they also have a web site).

UPGRADE: CORBIN GUNFIGHTER & LADY SADDLE
Improve Seating Position, handling by shifting Center of Gravity (CG), and make passengers happy campers.
COST: $259, plus S&H, straight from Corbin.
TIME: 10 minutes.
BENEFIT: No more back pain. No numb butt after even 8 hours of riding. Better seating position. Better handling. Reduced wind drag. Less wrist strain.
CONS: Once you put on a saddle, you'll buy one for every bike you own from here on out. Leather requires conditioning every month or so.
DANGERS: Failure to specify your inseam measurement may result in a seat too wide for you to comfortably touch the ground, if you are already close to that limit with the stock seat.

DETAILS:
   A typical rider rides on the seat that came with the motorcycle until it falls apart or they sell the bike. The stock seat, although fairly nice, is a far shot from the comfort and position possible with a great saddle ("Gee, what's the difference between a saddle and a seat? A motorcycle seat is something you sit your crotch on, a saddle is something your butt rests across. Think horses and saddles..."). Corbin's Gunfighter seat is available for all years of Katanas built, and offers a radically change in seating position, including lowering the actually position downwards for better handling by changing the center of gravity (and also spreading out the seating area wider).
 
   General rule of thumb: if you ride more than 25 minutes in a stretch on a regular basis, or if you tour more than 200 miles at a stretch once a year, or if you have a girlfriend/wife/co-rider, invest in the saddle...
 
   It also is a much better seat if you tend to carry passengers (they will love you for it). When you order your seat, you can specify without surcharge, colors of the leather in different areas of the seat, and we find color-matching the horn of the saddle to the bike gives a very nice effect and looks far classier than the stock seat.
 
SOURCE: Go straight to the manufacturer's Katana page at Corbin.com.
 
NOTE: Although both I and my other half love the corbin seat, the optional seat-back for the rear passenger was never able to be adjusted vertically enough to be worthwhile (even with a visit to their factory in person). As a result, I am loath to recommend spending the extra $$ for the optional removable rear-passenger seat-back, and I constantly ride without it.

• Leatherman WaveTool - a step up from the old Leatherman multitool. Knife, pliers, saw, etc.
• 15 feet of 12 gauge wire - in case a wire fails en route or I need to fabricate a solution
• MiniMagLite (small, bright flashlight), with a spare bulb and the batteries carried outside the flashlight (so they don't drain)
• Two small shop rags, clean
• A small pair of Vice-Grips
• A set of Metric & SAE Hex keys (the mounted type, so I can't lose them in the dark)
• A sealed windshield wipe, presaturated (for cleaning off bugs from the visor when in the middle of nowhere).
• A dozen plastic wire zip-ties
• About 15 feet of safety bailing wire (to tie down lose items, etc).

DETAILS:
   The Katana is considered a "Sport-Touring" motorcycle (as verses to "Street-Sport" like the GSXR). It's forte is long distance riding at fairly high speeds in comfort, and when combined with the various upgrades on this page, it becomes an extremely capable touring machine. But, if you are going touring, you are going to need some way of hauling around your clothes, toothbrush, etc., and in that sense, the softsided luggage available on the market just doesn't really provide any great benefit over a big backpack. Enter Givi, an Italian company that makes what I personally believe are the world's best hard sided luggage for the japanese market bikes. Available in 30, 44 and 50 liter sizes, these hard sided bags latch into a mounting system that stays on the bike. How big is 50 liters? Um... two medium full-face helmets butted up next to each other. A week's worth of clothes. Two gallons of milk, plus two paper grocery bags packed to the gills. And that's per each 50 liter hard sided bag! Moreover, the bags don't have to be in place, so you can just use them when you need them and leave them at home the rest of the time. Each bag has it's own lock (be sure to order your bags with matching locks, so one key opens both), and the lock must be used to remove it from the mounting system (keeps people from making off with your bags at restaurant stops, etc).
 
   The only down-sides really are that they are pretty pricey (about the same cost as good samsonite luggage), and their size drops the top-end speed of the bike when they are mounted to around 110 MPH by virtue of added wind-drag. Really pricey as far as upgrades go. But they are generally worth it, and definitely worth it if you tend to go cross-country or longish distances (or the Katana is your only vehicle and you need to go grocery shopping for more than a backpack's worth at a time). The bags also make an excellent place to hide your other half's birthday/christmas/anniversary present when they are at home in the closet, because she'll never open them without the key...
 
What to know: Givi lists the PL525 as the correct mounting kit for the side-mount bags for the 2002/2003 Katana 600/750 models. Givi's reps also say that the firm stopped production on the PL525, so they are no longer available in the supply chain. What they don't tell you is that the PL518 is an effective and capable solution, although you may have to change the washers and/or bolts included (in terms of length/thickness). From my own experience, I installed the PL518 on a 2000 Katana 600 and it was a bear to fit according to their instructions (until I figured out that I needed to replace the included nylon spacer bushings with much thinner replacements from my local hardware store, and grab a couple bolts that were longer or shorter than the stock ones used on the rear grab rail by 1/4" -- then suddenly everything lined up correctly).
 
UPDATE: Installed the PL518 on the 2001 Katana 600, and it worked correctly without flaw and with the included bolts & washers from the kit, although it was a bit tricky an install. So, even with the revised rear foot peg holders on the 2001+ models, it still works correctly. Cool!
 
Other thing to know: in addition to the bags and the mounting kit, you'll need the following things to do the installation properly:
- 12 feet of 16 gauge automotive grade wire;
- 6 feet of 3/16" 2:1 heat shrink tubing per side, to cover a pair of the above wires (or 3/8" and two layers of it);
- A small tube of black silicone exterior grade automotive caulk;
- 12 black wire zip-ties, 4" or longer.
 
The installation will require rewiring the blinkers so that they have substantially longer leads (the rear blinkers sit out on the outside of the mounts, higher and wider than their original position -- which [BONUS] makes them much more visible as well). To do this correctly, they need to have additional wire soldered or crimped to them to span the distance, the heat shrink tubing covering the wires (because they will be exposed to the elements); the black silicone caulk is used to fill the place the wires exit the blinker assembly to prevent water intrusion (since it's no longer inside the fairing); and the wire tires are for routing the cabling around the bag mounts so they neither flap in the wind, nor get pinched by the bags or bodywork.
 
   Suzuki's Rear Rack upgrade is just a convenience, but one that might be worthwhile to you if you tend to use the bike to go to school, etc. It gives you a small area (8.5" x 5" as the top surface) to strap things down onto, just right for a gym roll or a couple paperbacks. Personally, I think that's too small to be useful at all, really...
 

NOTES: The paint on the GIVI bags isn't as hard as the paint on the bike, and thus easier to scuff or scratch. The bags themselves are made of ABS plastic and are quite resilient to damage.

CAUTION: If using the GIVI bags and one bag is loaded heavier than the other (or you are only using a single bag at the time), make sure to place the heavy bag (or sole bag) on the left side of the bike (the side that the side-stand comes down onto), and always reattach the heavier bag first and remove it last. This will keep the bag from causing the bike to come off-balance while parked. Only applies if your bag contains heavy items (like tools or a big bag of dog food). Not an issue when the bike is on it's center stand.