The third gen Kat is not that different than the 2nd gen Kat I had and this is very contrary to my experience. My wife and daughter both hated riding on the Kat, and, to be honest, with so little power, it wasn't much fun with a passenger.
The stock Busa saddle is broader and flatter which I like better than the Kat saddle, although that may be a matter of taste.
The weight, rake, trail, and wheelbase figures are very close between the Kat and the Busa and they handle very similarly. The suspension components on the Busa are much better quality and it shows, especially at speed.
I agree the Katana doesn't have the power the Busa does. The engine is less than half the size (for the 600cc). And it did kinda suck with a passenger, but I didn't bring up its power since the comparision would have been irrelevant, the OP was about a 1100 Kat, not 600 or 750.
The driver saddle on mine was curved like a horse saddle is. curved up in front and back, down on the sides. was very comfortable design for me, I'm 6'4" ~190lbs. The passenger seat was just as flat as the busa's, but my wife has bad knees, and riding on the back of the busa hurts her more, sooner, than the katana did.
I have noticed they do handle similar. I hadn't compared their geometry, that's pretty interesting, and cool! OH YEA the components are much higher quality. Definitely! There's no way you could set up the Busa just like a 98+ Katana and expect to enjoy it on the road. No way.
It's be way to soft and squishy and not fun..
I wish I would have been able to keep my Katana, AND get the Busa.
You really can't compare the ultimate of sportbikes, to a super friendly all arounder like the Katana. Hell just look at them, the Busa looks like it could eat the katana!
Upsidedown forks (like the busa n just about every modern sportbike have) enable you to apply the brakes in mid-turn without the bike trying to stand up, and thus not turn anymore.
oh ok makes sense. Rode the busa to work today, and I was looking at the front suspension while sitting at a light.
On the Katana, the shiny part of the forks were clamped up top, but on the busa the cartridge part is up top. That end would be able to flex less, and since its gripped so tightly in 2 places, instead of just 1 (if the cartridge was at the bottom).
Always wondered why they did that sometimes. Very cool.