busa riding how-tos?

[racerV]

I did a track day with sportbiketracktime.com in the beginners group because I was afraid of the Busa. By the end of the day, I was at the front of the entire class and infact, the only litre plus rider not to have wrecked. I noticed alot of guys took their plastics off in case they wrecked. Probably a good idea.

 

[JuiceSC]

(BUSAFETT @ Jun. 06 2007,07:26)

(VaBusa @ Jun. 06 2007,10:18) Do you counter-steer a lot?  I've found that I do that more than I ever did on the Harley, and it makes all of the difference in the world  

Someone else recommended this, but I've never done it- something about turning the handlebars in a diff direction than the way you're going seems to freak me out  

You are probably countersteering already and not realizing it. Thats just the way motorcycles drive/ride.

Edit: I just read more of the responses, so nevermind.

 

[Poppy]

I would surely look into the suspension settings. I followed Jinkster's settings and what a difference. I think my bike was set up for a 160 lb. rider. There's nothing wrong with that if you are 160 lbs. but I am.....uh....big boned, yea that's it. It was quite "mushy" and not real responsive or stable.

Also, everything the Professor is saying is gospel. That manual is some great reading too!

 

[BUSAFETT]

(Poppy @ Jun. 06 2007,21:43) I would surely look into the suspension settings. I followed Jinkster's settings and what a difference. I think my bike was set up for a 160 lb. rider. There's nothing wrong with that if you are 160 lbs. but I am.....uh....big boned, yea that's it. It was quite "mushy" and not real responsive or stable.

Also, everything the Professor is saying is gospel. That manual is some great reading too!  

Did you change your front-end springs Poppy? Or just adjust the rear?

Other updates:

I rode in again today and the difference is day and night. I really think the diff is b/c I was able to maneuver the Katana with simply body rolls and related position changes- the Busa needs a little more of a boot in the @$$ to realize what you're trying to get it to do.. like "oh $h!t sorry you were talking to ME? my bad"

 

[Professor]

(BUSAFETT @ Jun. 07 2007,09:20) I rode in again today and the difference is day and night.  

Good news!



I'll be moving thread to the riding skills area a bit later today. I think there is some good info in here that many can benifit from. It will stay closer to the top there!

 

[Shibumi]

As a bike virgin until I got my Busa in June 06, I read two of the three books Professor listed BEFORE I ever bought the bike.

One thing to warn you from my experience, Prof mentioned gyroscopic force- you have almost 60 pounds of wheels and tires rotating, and the faster they spin the harder it is to get them to rotate out of plane- i.e.turn a corner. The first time or two I took a long sweeper at 100+ I felt like the bike wasn't turning and wound up running wide- NOT a good thing at 100+ MPH!! You have to have it programmed into your brain to TURN THE BARS HARDER until it takes the line you are following! Sometimes i say to myself "Just keep turning and lean further!"

 

[BUSAFETT]

No worries Prof,

Glad to hear it will help others- that's always my goal, especially since so many have helped me out here!

 

[Poppy]

(BUSAFETT @ Jun. 07 2007,10:20)

(Poppy @ Jun. 06 2007,21:43) I would surely look into the suspension settings. I followed Jinkster's settings and what a difference. I think my bike was set up for a 160 lb. rider. There's nothing wrong with that if you are 160 lbs. but I am.....uh....big boned, yea that's it. It was quite "mushy" and not real responsive or stable.

Also, everything the Professor is saying is gospel. That manual is some great reading too!

Did you change your front-end springs Poppy? Or just adjust the rear?

Other updates:

I rode in again today and the difference is day and night. I really think the diff is b/c I was able to maneuver the Katana with simply body rolls and related position changes- the Busa needs a little more of a boot in the @$$ to realize what you're trying to get it to do.. like "oh $h!t sorry you were talking to ME? my bad"

I did not change my springs. Just adjusted the stock springs for a heavier rider.

 

[Busasweety]

Another important thing !!!!!! THROTTLE CONTROL !!!!!!!!!!!!
We took Kieth Codes Training Course at VIR for 2days and I tell you I have ridin for 10 years and when I left that class , I rode 10x's better. do not touch your brakes and enter turn and throttle up as you are going thru turn , increasing , yes I said increasing your speed !!. This sets the suspension to drive the bike by its self, I now take left turn some at 80mph with my left hand off the bars. Not enough typing room to talk about this but look it up www.superbikeschool.com
My fiance goes thru some spells of insecurity on her busa and I talk to on the chatterbox going thru our check list from school and boom were off !!

 

[kennym4]

I was told the best upgrade you can do for handeling is GOOD TIRES !!

If riding in the morning let your tires warm up !!
EASY on the throttle exiting turns !! You don't want the back tire spinning out on you !! (happened to me a couple of times when it was cold)

 

[JuiceSC]

(kennym4 @ Jun. 08 2007,03:17) I was told the best upgrade you can do for handeling is GOOD TIRES !!

If riding in the morning let your tires warm up !!
EASY on the throttle exiting turns !! You don't want the back tire spinning out on you !! (happened to me a couple of times when it was cold)

Psst, kenny, some of us like to spin the rear tire on exit a little. Its kinda fun to do.

 

[sully]

The MSF Experienced riders course is awsome, I took it back in 2003 because the military requires you to have the endorsement to ride on post. At that point i had been riding 600cc sport bikes (mainly GSXR600's) for about 5 years and thought i knew everything about riding (you know the basic superman syndrome). It was a real eye opener, though i do not ride any faster or more aggressively in the corners now compared to before the course, i feel much more confident in my ability to safely maneuver in the event of an emergency. I guess the best way to put it would be that i now ride at 50 to 60% of my ability whereas before i was riding at about 90%. Keeping some in reserve for the unexpected is what will save your bike and maybe your life.

Summed up; the MSF course has something to offer for even very experienced riders and I am a firm believer that it does save lives...

 

[Professor]

Moved to riding skills area

 

[Professor]

There is a thread pinned about on turns and countersteering.

 

[Schism]

(Professor @ Jun. 06 2007,09:42) Have you thought about enrolling in a MSF rider course? The Experienced Rider Course might help you quite a bit. I teach it and have had great feedback from riders with experience levels from 1-40 years. It is a one day class and the cost usually runs around $100 depending on the area (the going rate is $75 in the Oklahoma City area).

There are several exercises that focus on turns that should help you. A good instructor should be able to identify areas for you to focus on. The class will involve 4-5 hours on the riding range and 2-3 hours of classroom. In most states it will qualify you for an insurance discount.  It is a bit late for you…. but for others reading this. If you bought new Suzuki you are eligible for a $50 rebate from Suzuki after completing the course (six months before or after the bike purchase).

That didn’t actually answer your question. There are a few specific threads here. Look in the Riding Skills forum. Make sure you are displaying all of the threads. Some of the rest are scattered.  Check out the MSF website front page, and in the library /safety tips. MSF-USA Link The BRC and ERC class manual is available online and there are some tips in there.  

There are several books available

I highly recommend Reg Pridmore’s book, Smooth Riding

Others include (by my preference in your case)
Sport Riding Techniques  - Nick Lenatsch
Motorcycling Excellence – MSF
Twist of the Wrist  1 and 2 by Keith Code  (I favor 2 over 1)

+1 i had the same problem and the advanced msf course restored my confidence in the bike. well worth the $150

 

[no cowl]

Lots of good talk about how to corner, but what do you do with the throtle while doing all this?

 

[skydivr]

+1000 on Twist of the Wrist (I liked #2 alot better also); Countersteer is the ONLY WAY to turn a motorcycle (at speed)!

 

[no cowl]

OK, So I gotta say this 'counter steering' thing sounds like hog wash! So much so that I had interpreted it as “push DOWN on the grip of the direction you are trying to go” and yes that does work. I always thought if you want to turn more, you should lean harder. This makes your bike feel sooo heavy but it does work if you muscle your bike you can make the turn.
Well that all changed today, I downloaded the vid “twist of the wrist” (a very old very basic video, I would pass on it BUT about an hour into it) there is a section that relates to how to counter steering and shows what to do…. I have read a lot on the org and how great this bizarre way of riding and taking a corner. I went out to try this in town, lots of soft easy twists and curves at ‘town’ speeds (35 mph). WOW!! It is like magic! The Busa no longer feels like an 800 pound beast fighting me to take a curve. (Grant it, I still need a new tire. But it is sooo much more fun to ride with this new info) A few more miles and it will be all that much more fun and natural.
Thanks for the information and help! The Org is awesome!!

 

[jeepinocala]

This is something new to me---being able to think about the way you are turning while riding? I have road for years and hard my fastest turn ever was at 160 and even then I never thought of what I was doing I just thought of where I was going I think you just need some ride time that is more importante then anything just get a friend that likes twisties and follow him tell him to increase each time you go out and maybe one day he will be following you Advice is very good here but time in the seat does the most. I keep hearing the bike is heavy? Is the bike turning you or are you turning it? Just go have some fun on some none busy clean roads that have alot of turns the only thing you need to remember is dont let off the throttle in a turn but it will only take one time to learn that one. I did have one fun expeirence on my first bike it was raining and in a turn the bike kept going straight thank god there was no traffic and I just missed the curb on the wrong side of the road man that was one lesson learned after I cam out of that turn I looked back and my friend had his over the curve and stuck between two trees thank god he was fine because he would have hated me for laughing at him if he was hurt it just looked like a movie his front forks jamed between two trees he couldn't even fall over man those were the days. Some great advice here just get the time in and I dont mean once try a few months of joy rideing.