Dear Friends
After putting about 620 miles on my new 'Busa, I've found few quibbles to share here.
There's a little bit of difficulty in shifting from first to second gear, and sometimes from fourth to fifth and fifth to sixth. Occasionally it's difficult to get the transmission into first gear when sitting at a stop. Rolling forward or backward seems to help.
Also, my 'Busa requires too much shifter travel to change gears. I believe shifting should be smoother and require much less travel of the shifter. This is really annoying and is my biggest quibble. When accelerating quickly from a stop, I find it necessary to preload the shifter prior to making the shift. I raced motocross bikes when I was a teen and learned to shift quickly. I guess I'll get used to the 'Busa's long shifter travel, but I shouldn't have to.
I've always considered clutchless shifting to be careless and detrimental to a bike's transmission, but after reading your suggestions elsewhere on this site, I tried it when upshifting from second and higher gears. Oddly to me, but just as some of you claimed, the bike actually shifted more smoothly without the clutch or with very little clutch.
I find the 'Busa's windscreen too low. When I get into a race tuck, my chin is nearly on the tank and my helmet is still getting pummeled by wind. Maybe an aftermarket windscreen would solve this problem.
I find my reach to the bars too long and my reach to the pegs too short, but maybe this is part of why the 'Busa handles so well in the twisties.
This bike is much more nimble than my '88 Ninja 600, and that's a huge surprise to me. I figured that a bike as big as the 'Busa wouldn't handle too well, especially when compared to a bike half its size, but the 'Busa handles so much better than my Ninja 600! The 'Busa's handling inspires me to have confidence in my riding abilities--perhaps more confidence than I should have or deserve.
I love the 'Busa's hardcore adrenalized acceleration and the snarl of her exhaust that begins around 3000 rpm and lasts until 4000. (That snarl may not be present with aftermarket exhausts.)
The 'Busa is definitely the best streetbike of the three I've owned. (The '88 Ninja 600 and '93 Nighthawk 750 are the other two.) Also, the '08 'Busa is the second-best-looking bike I've seen in person. The only bike I've seen in person that features superior aesthetics is the new Ducati 1098. Of course, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
So I'm thoroughly enjoying ownership of the world's fastest production motorcycle, and my enjoyment is heightened considerably by this forum. I'm really looking forward to sharing this experience and meeting many of you at the Bash next month.
--Jaddie
