Thinking about a Hayabusa as a first bike?

[Revlis]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (PastorJeff @ April 15 2004,23:45)]

First let me say thank you for this thread. *I have been looking at bikes for years, and now am financially in a position that I will be able to purchase a bike. *After much studying and searching, I fell in love with the Hayabusa...nothing else comes close.

But I do have to admit that I am an inexperienced rider. *In High School I used to run around on a scooter (woohoo), and tooled around on any bike that I could get my hands on...but that was 15 years ago!

I read this post and have decided to wait on purchasing my 'Busa until a later date. *I have an old (and I mean OLD) two stroke Kawasaki in my Dad's garage that I will get tuned up (been sittin' there for over 8 years!!) and start playing around with.

I am going to look into the motorcycle saftey course and take that as well.

I am going to go to the Suzuki dealer and ask them what else I need to do to prepare me for my purchase.

Probably not a big deal to you guys, but I sit here thinking to myself..."God, I could have killed myself!" *Thanks so much for this article.

Is it o.k. if I keep posting and reading until I get one?

Thanks so much...I appreciate your honesty in this article. *Hopefully more newbies will read this and learn as I did.

Jeffrey

Is it OK if you stick around and read? Absolutely, and you won't even catch a lot of grief for riding something different.

The Busa as a first bike is not a death sentence, it is not a monster, and it can be done. However, the process will not be pleasant and will likely end up being quite costly in terms of dollars, and potentially physical harm.

What kind of Kawasaki 2-stroke do you have? It's not a 750 is it? Those, by all accounts were some seriously freaky bikes... My only thought is that if you are determined to get a Busa at the next stop you might want to buy a used 4-stroke. An SV650, or a Katana 600 or 750. You could pick one up used but in decent condition for prolly $2500, ride it for a year, then sell it for about $2000. The size and weight of the Katana's are similar to the Busa and the SV is just an all around sweet bike, with a lot of aftermarket available and due to it's popularity should be pretty simple to sell in a hurry, or trade in at a decent value.... Just a thought...

Welcome to the Board, and uh... are you really a Pastor?

[PastorJeff]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Revlis @ April 16 2004,20:12)]Is it OK if you stick around and read? *Absolutely, and you won't even catch a lot of grief for riding something different.

The Busa as a first bike is not a death sentence, it is not a monster, and it can be done. *However, the process will not be pleasant and will likely end up being quite costly in terms of dollars, and potentially physical harm. *

What kind of Kawasaki 2-stroke do you have? *It's not a 750 is it? *Those, by all accounts were some seriously freaky bikes... *My only thought is that if you are determined to get a Busa at the next stop you might want to buy a used 4-stroke. *An SV650, or a Katana 600 or 750. *You could pick one up used but in decent condition for prolly $2500, ride it for a year, then sell it for about $2000. *The size and weight of the Katana's are similar to the Busa and the SV is just an all around sweet bike, with a lot of aftermarket available and due to it's popularity should be pretty simple to sell in a hurry, or trade in at a decent value.... Just a thought...

Welcome to the Board, and uh... are you really a Pastor?

Regarding the Kawasaki...I am not sure. It is a bike from the late 1960's and it is absolutely ugly. I am having a buddy of mine take it in his truck and run it over to the Kaw. dealer to see if they can get it up and running. If they can't, I am going to give it to them for parts. It is reaaaaally old...but I figure that I won't mind dropping it, laying it down, or anything else for that matter.

I will look into a 750 and see if there are any of them around here...and there should be. We have alot of younger bikers in the area (teenage to mid 20's). I am 34 and have a deep desire to finally get a street bike.

Yep...I am really a Pastor. I work mostly with teens...Jr. High and Sr. High. It's a great job...I have the youth website on as my website.

Thanks for the help...I will keep you posted. Thanks for the welcome!

Jeffrey

[Mac Daddy]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (1127 TO 1299 @ Feb. 07 2004,07:31)]I started to ride when I was 12.
At 16 I had my first road bike. you can read below to see the evolution in my bikes.
My friends were not into motorctcle and then it became more popular, got friends you bought gixxers750 btand new with no experience. All of the people I know who bought a bike because they were fashionnable, either crash or dropped it and damn it it's expensive to repair, got ride of it and never rode it again.
Some people have more skills than others.
But nothing beats well aquired experience.
You must take it a step at a time.
Believe me.

Have a nice ride.

Grrrreat Stuff! *I too started riding minibikes when I was eight, and worked my way up to a DT 125cc Yammie as my first street-legal scoot for starters. *I owned Honda 750K's (when they were new), which got totaled by a cager running a red, when I was 18. *I've had two bad wrecks - both my fault to a degree, because I could have helped in preventing them if I had more experience and training. *When I entered the Air Force, I bought another bike and had to take the MSF course because it was mandatory overseas. *What an eye-opener! *I learned more in three days at the course, than my entire short-and-near-fatal riding carreer. *I can't stress enough, the importance of at least one riding school, to the novice or beginner rider. *I've owned a V65 Magna, a VMax, and some others, but none of them compares to the awesome power and abilities of the 'Busa. *The mistake I made with purchasing the 'Busa was that I never owned a racer-type before, and I thought my vast riding experience would make up for it. *WRONG! The only thing my experience did for me was tell me the 'Busa was at first, too much for my abilities. *I'm no elitist - far from it in fact. *But I did want the 'Busa, and just bought it because I could. *I spent the first year playing catch-up. *I had to learn a different riding method and almost cabled it a few times. *I'm now into my third year of ownership and have "grown" with the 'Busa. *Anyone who can buy, ride, and not crash the 'Busa, as their very first bike - Props! *I do not recommend any bike near this caliber as a first or second bike. *It just demands so much focus and skill.

[Gpirelli]

This is one of the most informative threads I've read. *I have been riding for over 10 years now and for the most part have always had big bikes...the most recent being a 94 ZX-9R. *The dimensions of that bike were very close to the Busa, so when I finally bought mine (three weeks ago) handling it wasn't that big of a shift. *The big difference was the power...WOW!! *Even though I've been riding for a while and I'm pretty confident on a bike (not cocky) I was still pretty nervous riding home from the dealer. *In my opinion the biggest issue with anyone considering a Busa is mentality. *The bike will only go as fast as you make it...you're in control. *You ride like a jackass with cocky attitude, you WILL learn your lesson eventually, and its not pretty. *The day you lose respect for your bike, especially the Busa, is the day you'll go down. *Sorry so long but I wanted to share my two cents. *
PS *I've been reading many boards including this one for a while now before I decided to become 'active' on this one, and I must say, this is really the best place anywhere. *Lots of help and respect on this board, I really appreciate that.

[Kane]

Good info.

[busamatt]

I have a friend who bought a busa as his first bike, against everyones advice, he has been riding 4 years now, still on the same bike, it has been written off once and crashed hard 3 times, each time he pays to repair it from his own money as an insurance claim would mean it is uninsureable next year, another friend has a cbr 400 and has been riding two years, they can ride rings around the badly piloted busa as he is so scared of the thing! If only he had listened to decent advice instead of trying to kill himself many times over.



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[201mph]

I just can't imagine why anyone that has a Busa would ever suggest it as a first bike. That is just as true for the liter bikes such as the GXR-1000, the R1, and the new Kawasaki 1000. I have been riding for about 38 years, pretty much continously, and owned everything from a Honda CB-150, CB-160, Suzuki X-6 Hustler to a Kawaski H-2 750, (2 stroke, 3 cylinder), old Triumphs, etc. Those of you familiar with bikes will recognize several of those as being the fastest made at their respective time in history. I continue to ride sport bikes because the lesser brakes and handling of the cruisers, and Hardleys, scare me far more than the power of the Hayabusa, and the stability it has, since every part of it was designed to do 200 mph. But it's too big for the average beginning rider by a large factor, and too powerful except for the best and most experienced defensive drivers. The Busa played a part in me having two wrecks for the first time in 20 years over the last three year period. I made an utterly bonehead mistake by clutching it up higher while riding quick hills that we were coming down the backsides of with our front wheels up at about 100. The sheer power caused me to flip it almost instantly, and even though I had been riding it for more than 15,000 miles I was down instantly. I wear hard armor, boots, gloves, kevlar pants, etc. or I would have been hurt much worse than I was. The point is, it has such extreme performance, it is possible to forget it's power- even after decades of riding- and to underestimate it. Mine was piped and mapped, and I had changed sprockets to make it accelerate quicker, but I can assure any beginner it still has so much torque and midrange even when stock that it can still bite you if you don't ride with great respect for it every second (along with all of the defensive driving one must do to even stay up on a bike for any period of time!) Start with a Katana or a 400, and work up after riding as close to every day as you can, for a year or two. Then look at moving up. If you can do the same on an even faster and bigger bike for another couple of years, then, and only then, consider the Hayabusa. I find it to be the finest all around bike I have ever owned, but on each of the three I have had since 99' upgrading the brake lines is the first mod I do so that I have the greatest possible stopping power in the quickest amount of time. I also highly recommend the Racetech suspensions which will make it turn in quicker, even more stable than it already is, and set it up for your own weight and size for a few hundred dollars. There are so many ways that you can go down on a bike get every edge that you can. Crash smaller bikes till you get to the point your reflexes are correct for bikes, not cars. Then take a motorcycle safety course and work on your riding skills every time you're on the bike. Ride at 70% of ability on the street, unlike me that day and don't get overconfident no matter how old you are!



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[Gorc]

Hi all, obviously new member here, and not yet an owner. Have to wait to get back to the states and set up before then. It has been about 8 years since I lost my 600 Kat, stupid mistake on my part involving new tires on wet pavement and trying to beat a truck off the off ramp.

Anyway, my question is, I loved the way I sat on the Kat. One of my friends owned a 750 GXR, rode it and felt like my knees were pushed through my chest. In comparison how does the Hayabusa compare as far as seating? I am 6' and around 230, not all fat. I would go down to the local dealer, but I don't think they have one here in the Azores.

Also, very good article, I know the 600 was my first bike for that reason, cheap and good thing to learn on if you don't mind a few scratches on the fairings. I took it with me to Germany and on the autobaun and lived so I know my limits and want a bigger bike, like someone else said, got all I could get out of the 600 and wanted more.

[Deputy]

Did an oil change last week and took my Busa out for the first time this year today. I've ridden my Harleys a couple of times while waiting to do the oil change. Only took a few minutes to get back into the hang of riding the Busa.

As to those who think you might "forget the Busa's power"...HA!!! If that is the case, then those people must have alzheimers and don't belong driving ANY vehicle!!
You can go down on ANY bike for a LOT of reasons.
Again...it's the OPERATOR...NOT THE BIKE...that is the weak link. With a little bit of training and experince, the Busa can be just as safe as any other bike. A nitwit riding a Busa is just as f-ed up as a nitwit riding a Honda 50. Both can wreck and do themselves and others damage.

Now where was that senior citizen home I was supposed to report to...DOH!...I forgot! HA!

Dep...age 55 in August and still riding a Busa



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[The Joeyz]

I searched and read articles all over the internet about purchasing my first street bike. What size should it be? How many cc's? How much weight? The opinions out there are as endless as the number of web sites on motorcycles. My experience (none on a street bike) leads me to buy a 2004 Katana 750 on March 2nd 2004.

The "Kat" was my first street bike and I was happy with it...for a while. The Kat fit me well and I really liked the rider sitting position. Around the winding roads here in Northwest Washington it was an absolute pleasure to ride…the Kat almost seemed to lean itself through curves. My problem with the bike came when driving on highways and in city traffic. On the highway the Kat would rev up to fast…at 70 mph it was running nearly 5500 rpm…the first time I took it onto the highway I was looking for another gear!! In city traffic, the gear ratio and quick rev up of the Kat required constant shifting. Another problem I had with the Kat was with 2 up riding it seemed underpowered. My wife and I weigh a combined 320 pounds…well below the recommended max load of the Kat but still it seemed sluggish when accelerating. Don’t get me wrong here…I put 2245 miles on my Kat in just 6 weeks…I would recommend it as a first bike to any new rider but it just didn’t meet my expectations.

So, just 6 ½ weeks after purchasing my first street bike, I traded it in for a 2004 Hayabusa and could not be happier. I wished I had bought the Hayabusa from the start because I did loose about $1000.00 on the trade in, but it was well worth the money. The Hayabusa is an awesome piece of machinery and work of art. On the road and in curves it handles incredibly and the power in there for the asking. Around town there is no need to shift past 2nd gear and on the highway at 70 mph in 6th gear the Hayabusa 1300cc’s rumble at around 3000 rpm. The majority of the articles I’ve read about purchasing a big bike tend to scare people away from them by saying stuff like “to much power”, or “to much speed” but the simple fact is…get a bike you are comfortable with and one that fits you.

If you end up choosing a Hayabusa like I did understand one thing. This motorcycle has more horsepower than most cars on the road. With 175 horsepower, the Hayabusa can accelerate effortlessly to 90 mph with the blink of an eye. I’m 46 years old and love life and know I’m not invincible….If you’re young, dumb and full of _um and still think you can take on the world without getting scratched…then the Hayabusa is probably a bad choice of bike for you.

Just my $.02

The Joeyz
Proud owner of a 2004 Hayabusa

[MET]

"the simple fact is…get a bike you are comfortable with and one that fits you."

Very well said. Congratulations on your Busa.

[MeltDownZ]

The bottom line is simple... a high powered low weight bike greatly increases your opportunity for death or disfigurement during the 100's of mistakes you will make when riding your motorcycle. If you are comfortable with the idea that you may end up paralyzed or dead because you wanted to ride a motorcycle, by all means, go get the most capable bike out there. If that thought scares you, buy something a little more tame until your skills more closely match your bikes capabilities.

Either way, remember, your bike may lure you into thinking it's your best friend. But, given the chance, it will snap your back and plow your face on the pavement until your brains hang out where your nose used to be. Don't forget that and you'll be fine.

Ride safe and you'll look back on the experience happy you did so.

[midnight02]

my best buddy bought his 02 busa as his first bike, bought the bike and didn't even know how to start it. He has ben doing very well with it. Dropped it once going into a corner (hit a rock) but hasn't had any other problems. The bike has a full carbon fiber kit, headers back exhasut and a little nitrous. not saying thats the smart thing to do, but it can be done

[herooo]

Bump. this is exactly what alot of us are looking for.... Thanks

[Riq]

Hi all. First off, it is truly refreshing to see mature dialogue amongst adult riders on this very unique site. The plethora of information at my disposal is astounding to say the least and the level of maturity exhibited under each topic (including the rants) are unmatched by the other boards. I can safely call this site the 'motherboard' of all sites.

I'm in the market for a new bike and narrowed myself down to an R1, RC51 and the Busa. I couldn't find much constructive info on the other bikes except the latter.

The bike I’m interested in is the 2003 40th anniversary in liquid orange. My primary purpose is for commuting (in style) of which I do 18000 miles a year. This is really the only time I get to enjoy riding (if you can call that enjoyment). But I still have some reservations which I was hoping one (or all) of you would be able to address.

1) Have there been any starter problems with this model?
2) Have there been any other kind of problems?
3) What kind of freeway mileage would I expect from the stock tires, very limited canyon riding and never in rain.
4) How does it handle at low speeds (5-35mph) splitting thru freeway traffic?
5) How does it handle in high wind/cross wind areas (15-40mph)?

A bit about me: I’m 39, 5’10” @ 165lbs and athletic. I‘ve been riding since 9, on and off road. Stopped for about 10 years and got back on 5 years ago strictly street. Overall, I’ve clocked about 200,000 miles. I currently ride a stock RF900. I needed a commuter and needed it cheap. It is actually a lot of fun to ride and extremely comfortable and it has never given me trouble and the very few times I’ve gone carving, the D205s kept me right up with the big boyz and I still get 10-15,000 miles out of them. Why do I want to change now? Well, basically, I outgrew the RF before I even bought it but couldn’t afford the ‘better’ bikes at the time. Now, I want something that is a little more challenging yet reliable.

[Rongotti]

Great message board. I have been riding since sep of last year. I had a Honda Shadow ACE 750, about a week and a half ago I wrecked my bike, my fault am ok though. Progressive totaled the bike, I guess the frame had to be bent, the thing still starts up but whatever lol. So being a Honda lover I decided on a VTX 1800. All set then I am thinking $15,000 vs $12,000 for a Hayabusa Limited edition, and wow how good that red looks. I being a big guy 5-11 283 lbs was scared of my back hurting riding a sports bike, but I think I am going to take the plunge. I am 26 with a good driving record, so I dont think insurance will be that bad. Any thoughts?
first post out of what I hope to be many

[herooo]

This site, Board.. whatever (Compter newbie / haya busa newbie) and Black sheep ( Thanks for all you help) are are the real reason I am buying a busa. Read it, get involved, and send the captian some dough. It's worth it!

[BusaKillingBandit]

I agree with you 100%! Excellent post!

[Metricman]

Hello all, good to be here where I can get info on the Hayabusa. *I am supposed to pick up a red LE this week. *I've only been riding street bikes for about 4 years but I do have 20K+ miles on my 2000 BMW Crusier so hopefully that mileage will help me get used to the Suzuki quickly. Been through the motorcycle safety class. *Only dropped the Crusier once, kick stand was not all the way down. *I have a couple of questions though, coming from the Cruiser which does have some amenities such as nice leather luggage bags, is there a recommended aftermarket small luggage set up that goes well with the Hayabusa and doesn't look that lame? *I make fairly frequent trips out of state and need somethng. Also, what about a nice tank bag that I can still see the gauges over, magnetic ok ?
Thanks, I know I'll have a allot of questions later.
mh

[simplecity2houston]

After YEARS of wanting a motorcycle, this past April, I finally said "screw it, it's now or never". I went to dealership A, and stated my intention to buy a Busa. As if straight out of a cop movie, the salesman patiently talked me in off the ledge and explained to me that the Busa was a bike in a class of it's own and by nature it pretty much exceeded the capabilities of most riders. He advised me to try a 600 for a year or so and then come back for the Busa. It all seemed like very good advice, so I went home, slept on it, and then went to dealership B and bought the Busa. Two months later, I can't even question the wisdom of my decision because basically there was no wisdom involved in my decision. I'm of the opinion that the novice rider will go one of two routes on a Busa.

Route A, he/she will recognize that it's a snarling beast and try to appease it by driving the speed limit, and treating it over-gently. The bike will spend most of the time "cruising" instead of being ridden. While this approach is probably safe, the problem is that you spent money to buy the cream of the crop, it burns gas like a cream of the crop sportbike, and all the consumables cost cream of the crop money. In short, you end up wasting money by the mile because you could have saved the dollars and bought a smaller bike and done the exact same thing.

On the other hand, Route B has the rider thoroughly over-estimating his/her skill and under-estimating the capability of the machine. A few successful 140+ MPH runs will convince you that you're the king of the road because they come on so easily. Fellow riders, admirers, and spectators will egg you on to further explore these capabilities long before you're ready. The downside (if you're lucky) is that you wreck the bike and walk away. You know the downside if you're not lucky.

Unfortunately, while I spend most times in the A category, I have taken a walk on the B side a time or two. The good news is that as recently as today, I have considered trading it in on a smaller bike in order to spend the next year or two truly learning how to ride. I will most likely get HAMMERED in the loss but, in the long run, I think it'll be worth it.

Also, for anybody in the same boat, if you have not done it, take the MSF class. It will show you just how much you don't know. My feeling is that if you're not willing to try the exercises on the bike you own, you probably have too much bike. The instructor did all the stop, swerves, and figure 8s on a Gold Wing, so I'm sure they can be done on Busa if you have the appropriate skill.