New Busa Owner -- Need Tires Today And Need Help /info. Thanks !

AJ FLAY

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Hello,

I just bought my first sport bike. Ive never owned one and never riden one. (I rode a 99 Triumph Daytona tonight my first sport bike) I currently ride a 07 VTX 1800. Long story short Ive always loved the look of the Busa ! Found a deal on a 05 over this weekend and I jumped on it. The rear tire is gone. Blow out from burn outs. Ive been researching tires and im prepared to order a set in the AM. I'm thinking about the Pirelli Angel GT'S, I can get the set for about $328. My questions is 2 part.
1) The stock is the 190/50-17 but I see a lot of guys talking about 190/55-17. I'm a novice rider. Ill probably do some speed on the high way -- doubt much more than 120-130 and I don't think ill be leaning the bike(although I would like to learn to lean it some) and doing twisties like I see guys writing about. I'm in my late 40s and trying to stay alive. Please let me know which tire will be best ? I'm 6'1 also. I see it add's height which is fine cause the bike is low for me. I need to raise it.

2) A guy from my area (who I just met) fixes and races busas. He said he can do the tires. But when I asked about balancing he said "he's never balanced a tire. There a dot on the tire and you line that up with the valve, and theres already weights on the rims" "And I do 200 mph and drag race " Should I take them to a shop for high speed balancing ? I have some dynabeads I bought for my VTX and never used. Anyone use them on these type of bikes ?

Any help would be appreciated !!! I'd like to order these tires first thing in the morning so I can get them here quick and get on the bike. Right now its flat and sitting.

Thanks in advance !!!
 
Welcome to the oRg! I hate to hear that she has seen some rough times, burn outs till the tire blows? Check your oil and fluids and check your chains, sprockets, etc. If the previous owner did that to her I can bet he didnt care much of the way in maintenance. Sorry if they were a member here, but anyway. Being a novice rider you wont feel the difference in tire profiles. My advice go with stock sizing. There are many good tires on the market. I have always been a fan of the Dunlop Q2, recently switched to the PR3 and love them so far. You will constantly look to find something between mileage and grip and there is no perfect solution. Be aware these bikes eat tires so dont sacrifice grip for mileage. Post up a pic when you get a chance. My first Busa was an 05, still miss her.
Forgot to mention, I have heard of guys not balancing their tires, but I have always balanced mine.
 
Thanks Two, (Anyway I can edit my name ? lol )

Luckily this guy didn't own the bike long. Only a few months. So hopefully its ok. I wasn't able to test ride it due to the bad tire. But I did find out from a mechanic who knew the bike that there is a issue with second gear. I think it winds out real quick. So I figure ill need to get that taken care of. What are PR3'S? I read the Pirelli were good on a few different forums. I just signed up for this one. I only have one pic of the bike on my phone with the seat off cause the battery didn't have the right nut and bolt. I put the right ones on today and I have it on a battery tender overnight. Its a beautiful bike !!! Lots of chrome aftermarket add ons and a nice blue and silver, same and my VTX. Thanks for the reply !
 
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Thanks Two, (Anyway I can edit my name ? lol )

Luckily this guy didn't own the bike long. Only a few months. So hopefully its ok. I wasn't able to test ride it due to the bad tire. But I did find out from a mechanic who knew the bike that there is a issue with second gear. I think it winds out real quick. So I figure ill need to get that taken care of. What are PR3'S? I read the Pirelli were good on a few different forums. I just signed up for this one. I only have one pic of the bike on my phone with the seat off cause the battery didn't have the right nut and bolt. I put the right ones on today and I have it on a battery tender overnight. Its a beautiful bike !!! Lots of chrome aftermarket add ons and a nice blue and silver, same and my VTX. Thanks for the reply !
Welcome to the family bro. Good model. My personal choice is the pilot road 3/4 , both are extremely good tyres especially if it's wet. I get good mileage. I run a 180 back end for better/faster cornering. The Pirelli angels are good too but tend to wear quicker in hot climates, the Pirelli strada is an old favorite which is cheap and reliable if still available. Cheers Mike
 
Yes, you can edit your name, let me know what you need and I will take care of it. Just baby it till you find out what happened with second gear. Most likely needs to be undercut. The PR3 is what Mike spelled out, Pilot Road 3. They made another version which is new, the PR4. But I believe the compounds are slightly different. I went with the PR3 due to reviews.
 
Thanks Mike,

I'm in the USA east cost. All 4 seasons. Summers get hot but never really over 100 f
I was considering the angel gts cause I read they get like 15k miles. Is there are of members here ? I really was hoping I'd have some feedback before I make a decision today. What about the balancing question ? Ever hear of that ? Thanks for the reply ! I appreciate it !
 
Yes, you can edit your name, let me know what you need and I will take care of it. Just baby it till you find out what happened with second gear. Most likely needs to be undercut. The PR3 is what Mike spelled out, Pilot Road 3. They made another version which is new, the PR4. But I believe the compounds are slightly different. I went with the PR3 due to reviews.

Hey,

I'm hoping to have the tire by the weekend if I can order them today. I was gonna go with the angles. But I did see Alot of people talking about the pr3's also on other posts. What do you think about the 180 like Mike said ? And about the balancing in my original question if you have a a few minutes to lmk I'd appreciate it. I talked to a couple people and they say the guys is a good mechanic. As far as second gear the old owner said if winds out fast. The mechanic said, at least I thought he said he had to take the engine out and split something in half to get it the repair and would run about a grand. But I'm not 100 % sure on the taking the engine out part. Thanks
 
If you were going to the track and dragging knee all the time, tire profile might make a difference. In your case i would not worry.
Give the guy a chance, a lot of people dont balance their tires, i do but that is my preference.
From what you are describing, second gear will not stay engaged. Splitting the case is the only way, it will need to be removed and undercut, problem will then be solved from now on. It was a common issue on the Gen 1 bike. Especially if it was shifted hard or raced.
 
If you were going to the track and dragging knee all the time, tire profile might make a difference. In your case i would not worry.
Give the guy a chance, a lot of people dont balance their tires, i do but that is my preference.
From what you are describing, second gear will not stay engaged. Splitting the case is the only way, it will need to be removed and undercut, problem will then be solved from now on. It was a common issue on the Gen 1 bike. Especially if it was shifted hard or raced.

Yea I know he said something about "splitting the case" does engine come out for that ? And is 1k a good price or ? And lastly while that job is being done is there any other modification I should do while the case is open or he's doing that job ? Thanks again !!
 
My $.02. Sounds like you've purchased a thoroughly abused bike. If you're paying a shop to do all your work you could end up spending more than if you'd purchased a nicer bike.
The PR4 is a good tire. I have a couple thousand miles on mine including knee dragging runs through Deal's Gap. I've no experience with Angel GTs but I'm betting they'd be comparable. The 190/55 will raise the rear a tiny bit and make the turn-in a little quicker. If you're not in the habit of railing through twisties I doubt you'd notice and the 190/50 might even feel more stable to you. I'm not sure why someone would think a 180 would be better for handling. The tire would be flatter in center with a less rounded profile. Always balance your tires. Why risk vibration and increased tire wear to save $2 on weights? Beware of the BSers who tell you about their 200mph runs and dragraced Busas. Most are full of crap.
To replace second gear you will need to pull the motor, split the cases, and have everything reassembled. Clutch basket, clutch, chain and sprockets are all things I'd look at based on the way this bike was used.
Welcome to the Busa world and good luck.
 
My $.02. Sounds like you've purchased a thoroughly abused bike. If you're paying a shop to do all your work you could end up spending more than if you'd purchased a nicer bike.
The PR4 is a good tire. I have a couple thousand miles on mine including knee dragging runs through Deal's Gap. I've no experience with Angel GTs but I'm betting they'd be comparable. The 190/55 will raise the rear a tiny bit and make the turn-in a little quicker. If you're not in the habit of railing through twisties I doubt you'd notice and the 190/50 might even feel more stable to you. I'm not sure why someone would think a 180 would be better for handling. The tire would be flatter in center with a less rounded profile. Always balance your tires. Why risk vibration and increased tire wear to save $2 on weights? Beware of the BSers who tell you about their 200mph runs and dragraced Busas. Most are full of crap.
To replace second gear you will need to pull the motor, split the cases, and have everything reassembled. Clutch basket, clutch, chain and sprockets are all things I'd look at based on the way this bike was used.
Welcome to the Busa world and good luck.


Thanks BlueBusa for the reply. I'm hoping it wasn't to abused. This guy "said" he paid 6k for it and he only titled it les than 4 months ago. Whoever had it before him put a lot of aftermarket parts on it. So hopefully that guy took care of it and this guy didn't mess it up. It sounds really good running wise and its a beautiful bike cosmetically. After tires ill be into it under 3k still so I think im ok long as theres nothing more than the 2nd gear issue. Any idea money wise what that should cost ? I see a lot of guys who love the 55 tire and say theylll never go back to a 50. Should I just go for the 55? Thanks again !
 
No reason not to go with the 55.
Not sure how much trans work would be. The last time I had second gear go out was a '92 GSXR that I had abused heavily with an air-shifter. That experience was why I cautioned you to look things over.
 
I'm going with the PR3 tires. I ordered the 190/55-17 for the rear. I found it for 160 on ebay. Was the best price I found. Thanks guys for all the help. I appreciate it !!!! If anyone can give me an idea of what splitting the case and fixing secon gear will cost Id appreciate it. Also I wanna do a oil change right away. He said there is regular oil in there now. Should I go with Mobile 1 Synthetic ? I have that in my cruiser. Thanks !!!
 
As for Balancing your tires, some tire can just mounted, and rode, i balance all tires that mount! Its preference.
Now on to the second gear problem, Its a known problem on all gen1 Busa's.
Now is the shop replacing the bad gears, or Undercutting the bad ones. Undercut is better, because it addresses the problem, and makes it better.
As for the price, $1000 is close, but $1250 or so is closer. Now while it's apart, you should consider, a full undercut, not just second gear.
The complete job can be in one day if you have all the parts. It a long day though. I have 2 tranny's ready to go, and all the gaskets to do the job.
I seam to do at least 2 or 3 a year around here.
Hey,

I'm hoping to have the tire by the weekend if I can order them today. I was gonna go with the angles. But I did see Alot of people talking about the pr3's also on other posts. What do you think about the 180 like Mike said ? And about the balancing in my original question if you have a a few minutes to lmk I'd appreciate it. I talked to a couple people and they say the guys is a good mechanic. As far as second gear the old owner said if winds out fast. The mechanic said, at least I thought he said he had to take the engine out and split something in half to get it the repair and would run about a grand. But I'm not 100 % sure on the taking the engine out part. Thanks
 
As for Balancing your tires, some tire can just mounted, and rode, i balance all tires that mount! Its preference.
Now on to the second gear problem, Its a known problem on all gen1 Busa's.
Now is the shop replacing the bad gears, or Undercutting the bad ones. Undercut is better, because it addresses the problem, and makes it better.
As for the price, $1000 is close, but $1250 or so is closer. Now while it's apart, you should consider, a full undercut, not just second gear.
The complete job can be in one day if you have all the parts. It a long day though. I have 2 tranny's ready to go, and all the gaskets to do the job.
I seam to do at least 2 or 3 a year around here.


Hey Gixerhp, I didn't ask him about if the gears will be replaced or undercut. I have no clue but I will ask for sure. And i'll see about having him undercut 2nd. Now you says a full undercut. That's all the gears ? I might just get him to mount the tires and then i'll take them to someone else to have them balanced. I called the local place and its $15 a tire. I have dyna beads I purchased and I never used but not sure if I should use them in this type of tire/bike. Thanks for the reply !
 
You've probably already ordered your tires and the one you ordered are great for dragging elbows and get about 3500 miles of use. I run pretty hard but not quiet dragging elbow and have been running the Michelin Power Road 3's for awhile and get close to 15K miles of wear and the front and rear get replaced at the same time.

I change my own tires and have never balanced my tires and have never had an issue. If you buy a cheap set of tires that might be an issue. I'm just stating my experience.
 
You've probably already ordered your tires and the one you ordered are great for dragging elbows and get about 3500 miles of use. I run pretty hard but not quiet dragging elbow and have been running the Michelin Power Road 3's for awhile and get close to 15K miles of wear and the front and rear get replaced at the same time.

I change my own tires and have never balanced my tires and have never had an issue. If you buy a cheap set of tires that might be an issue. I'm just stating my experience.


Yea I ordered the Pr3s this morning. Hoping I have them in a couple days so I can test this bike out this weekend. Just the sound of this thing alone is crazy. Its a beast. I have a 1800 and mine sounds nothing like this bike. These bikes have carbs ? Mine has a choke so im guessing yes ? I figured for a 05 it would be F.I. Thanks for the reply DO3
 
Welcome to the ORG. My best advice to you is to spend some hours browsing this website for starters. You will find downloadable owners manuals, sections devoted specifically to the topics you mentioned and veritable treasure troves of information! The People on here are a very valuable resource for certain but I strongly encourage reading and liberal use of the search function. As far as balancing a motorcycle tire it is about as simple as it gets. I know people who simply rely on the wheel bearings themselves, but honestly a little $40 wheel balancer will last you forever and will ensure that everything is humming along smoothly.

 
Welcome to the ORG. My best advice to you is to spend some hours browsing this website for starters. You will find downloadable owners manuals, sections devoted specifically to the topics you mentioned and veritable treasure troves of information! The People on here are a very valuable resource for certain but I strongly encourage reading and liberal use of the search function. As far as balancing a motorcycle tire it is about as simple as it gets. I know people who simply rely on the wheel bearings themselves, but honestly a little $40 wheel balancer will last you forever and will ensure that everything is humming along smoothly.



Hey Bigoltool.

Thanks for the video clip. I just watched it. Simple enough to balance them. Ill look into one, If its only 40 I may as well grab one. The cycle center wants $30 so I may as well grab one. I try to read up as much as I can. I did a lot of research before I posted here. Just wanted to be sure before I bought the wrong tires and wasn't happy. Thanks again !!
 
Welcome to the ORG. My best advice to you is to spend some hours browsing this website for starters. You will find downloadable owners manuals, sections devoted specifically to the topics you mentioned and veritable treasure troves of information! The People on here are a very valuable resource for certain but I strongly encourage reading and liberal use of the search function. As far as balancing a motorcycle tire it is about as simple as it gets. I know people who simply rely on the wheel bearings themselves, but honestly a little $40 wheel balancer will last you forever and will ensure that everything is humming along smoothly.



Hey Big,

The wheel balancer is $116 on that website. Know where I can grab one for $40 or so ? Thanks
 
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