Which one is sexiest?Gen 1,Gen 2 or Gen 3?

kim windsor

Registered
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
1,031
Reaction score
2,767
I rode the first Busa in Arizona in 1999 and fell in love with the bike ,already had two bikes 750 rr and Royal star venture no garage and small house.I told my self
I will own one some day. In 2021 I finally did a gen 3 in black and yes I love the bike ,problem is I love them all for different reasons.

1FDE36B7-1FEC-4755-A0BC-F46121DAD0F2.jpeg


A6246AFD-EE28-48DF-9967-2DD823AC0EF2.jpeg

hendrixgr

Registered
Joined
Apr 20, 2012
Messages
269
Reaction score
31
Gen1 the original and the best in looks for me, my 2007 turbo bike with 300hp has now 100,000 km and still feels like new.
My opinion is that Gen3 looks suspiciously like a more civilized Gen1 style.

Zerks

Registered
Joined
Nov 24, 2020
Messages
3,999
Reaction score
4,672
My bias is for the Gen 1 because it flows in line with the form and function it was designed to do. Gen 2 & 3 are too busy with styling cues and the need for Suzuki to give it a new look as the years passed. Had the style not changed sufficiently from 1 to 2 then I am pretty certain it would have hurt sales numbers. The Gen 3 is defiantly different and that will also appeal to many riders because they want to be noticed for what they ride.

My Busa is down right now... and it starting to bug me... I have the 2010 Connie buts its no Busa.

Rubberrabbit

Registered
Joined
Nov 5, 2021
Messages
243
Reaction score
690
For me its the Gen 3! :) Not because i own a Gen 3, the design of the previous models is nothing for me. I know there is a lot of love for this special design of Gen 1 and Gen 2, combinated with the massive power. But für me the ZX-12R for example, was much more bike how i like it. Since Gen 3, Suzuki get me! :)

Bumblebee

Registered
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
33,016
Reaction score
56,185
The Hayabusa design has always had a love/hate relationship with people and each generation had/has their quirks and oddities.....

The round wind tunnel designed bubble style threw a lot of people off then the tail changed on the gen 2 and 3 which threw people off....in the day and age where tails are getting smaller and raised, the gen 3 went the total opposite route and it is either a love it or leave it design.

I personally like all three generations and don't have a favorite, I'd proudly own either generation.

Suzuki was smart to leave the gen 3 recognizable as a Hayabusa, if they had changed it too much it would not be selling as people buy it because it is unique.

Rattlehead

Registered
Joined
Nov 28, 2021
Messages
50
Reaction score
72
I remember when the Hayabusa first came out. For some reason I thought it was butt ugly back then. Then as time passed the look sort of grew on me. Now I think they all look pretty damn cool. My favorite is the Gen 2, but like I said they all look nice to me. Most other sportbikes look similar to each other IMHO. But when a Busa rolls by, you instantly know what it is, regardless of generation.

busabobh

Registered
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
1,312
Reaction score
1,858
Color makes all the difference for me. I had an 02 Ltd all black (loved it). Then an 08 in orange, out preformed the 02, great bike. Now I like the black 21. Not into white or silver.

TrueGrit

Registered
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
1,185
Reaction score
1,955
Gen 1, Gen 3.Gen 1 looked like a missile to me as it should considering what Suzuki was doing/did. Gen 2 *in my opinion* was butt ugly with all the signal lights flared out making the bike look fat, wide and no missile look. Refused/refuse to own one just because of appearance. Although wanted that 1341power so went with naked version B-King. Gen 3 killed the ugly flared lights and made it look a little more streamlined again and will have that 1341 Gen 2 power again after I spend several thousand in mods.

TrueGrit

Registered
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
1,185
Reaction score
1,955
Gen 1, Gen 3.Gen 1 looked like a missile to me as it should considering what Suzuki was doing/did. Gen 2 *in my opinion* was butt ugly with all the signal lights flared out making the bike look fat, wide and no missile look. Refused/refuse to own one just because of appearance. Although wanted that 1341power so went with naked version B-King. Gen 3 killed the ugly flared lights and made it look a little more streamlined again and will have that 1341 Gen 2 power again after I spend several thousand in mods.
Although as I look at the Gen 3 it still looks wide in rear. *My* conclusion:As the Hayabusa looks big anyways Gen 1 by far looks the most streamlined and mean of the 3 gens.

Bumblebee

Registered
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
33,016
Reaction score
56,185
I agree that Suzuki did it right with the Gen 1.....

If I would have found a decent B King I would have had that instead of the Bumblebee however, it has grown on me to the point of my finding it to be a good looking bike as well...

I too don't get the signal light pods.....

IMG_0179.JPG

Tony Nitrous

Registered
Joined
Jun 14, 2010
Messages
2,088
Reaction score
3,855
It’s good to return to this topic a few years on when the Gen-3 is less of a new thing and more familiar to folk.


The looks and visual differences honestly don’t bother me. Happy to ride with any set of plastics.

I love the original for what it was. A step up from the rivals and record breaking. The start of the legend.

I love the Gen-2 for being even better and all its Gen-1 upgrades and fixes.

I love the Gen-3 for being a modern bike and so much nicer on the road day to day.

The fairings, tails, looks have never been a big deal for me. I’d have bought a Gen-2 and Gen-3 for the mechanics, upgrades and tech even if they had the Gen-1 plastics.

Mythos

Registered
Joined
Feb 4, 2009
Messages
5,223
Reaction score
7,089
As far as pure beauty, each gen has taken a step forward. The latest is the best looking but that has a lot to do with current trends in styling. There's a classic rule of design, "form follows function." What that comes down to is that the appearance of an object is most pleasing when it's dictated by the purpose of the object. You find this principle in nature as well as manmade objects. The Gen1 takes it on that hands down. In a few hundred years, people will look at the Gen1 and still feel its look is relavent for what it was made for.

wellcraft

Registered
Joined
Dec 20, 2023
Messages
562
Reaction score
990
Neither the Gen 1 or 2 styling appealed to me with the Gen 2 being the worst looking in my opinion and then Suzuki released the Gen III which I felt was gorgeous so a 2023 Gen III was added to the stable.
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
6,470
Reaction score
8,010
It has to be the G1, as the G2 and G3 are just sequels to the first and best.
When the G1 came out it was a game changer. The G2 & G3 are just updates of the G1
Hi. I have 2 Gen 1's a 1999 and a 2003. The 03 is all most 100% stock.well except the motor. The 99 is let's say is not stock. Only the inner and outer fork legs and the block some motor covers are stock.

Tony Nitrous

Registered
Joined
Jun 14, 2010
Messages
2,088
Reaction score
3,855
It has to be the G1, as the G2 and G3 are just sequels to the first and best.
When the G1 came out it was a game changer. The G2 & G3 are just updates of the G1
I’d agree on the looks. The 2 and 3 needed to keep that style and look, it needed to be a bike that evolved, they’d have upset the apple cart if they’d ever gone clean sheet design and done something dramatically different. The slow evolution of the look is part of the appeal, from 99 to 26 it’s alway been a certain “look”

As for the bike underneath its updates and upgrades are great steps forward. So many improvements over the years.
Back
Top