gotta ask (Busa Good First Bike?)

im 22 and have a busa! am i immature sometimes but not on my bike. been riding since i was about 10ish. been on the street since i was 16. had me an 83 gs1100. was a junker but fast. i have since had about 4 bikes, all getting newer and faster. when i got my busa it was like i had a lamborghini or something. everyone would check it out and ask tons of questions. chicks dig it, guys get gealous. one thing that you must remember is that respect for this machine will keep you alive i know a lot of my boundries when it comes to riding but i dont know them all. i still ride scared sometimes but that is part of the learning curve. if and when you get your busa just take it easy and break it in to dealers spec and just have fun. just know that you dont know everything once you are comfortable on it and you will be fine. you will have a blast and the envy of everyone your age! take the msf course before you get your license and then take the advanced course a few months after you get it. they are great classes and teach you alot.
 
Revlis: The red letters didn't scare me. If they were green or blue it might be different though :D
Your follow-on post I can pretty much agree with. But I figure if a guy can come up with the scratch ($) to buy the bike and insure it, then he probably can afford any repairs it might require (God forbid).

One thing though...you must not assume that all Busa riders are going to smoke the rear tires. Some of us old geezers are just happy knowing we CAN do it if the urge arises.  That doesn't mean we WILL do it though. I certainly don't expect any premature tire wear on my rear tire. At least, not on the Busa that I ride mainly on the street. The ORANGE MONSTER®
will probably have a slick mounted to handle the wear it will get ;)

vripley: HA! I got one too....and that's pretty rare in my case :D  I admire you for going against the flow and doing things YOUR way. Stay safe and good luck to you.

cisco: Sounds like you have your head screwed on right. Good job!

CID:Glad we think alike :)

Dep
 
<span style='color:blue'>Deputy, Cool Man</span>,
 BUT, From what I have read, it's not doing burnouts that wears the rear so badly, just a combination of Torque and weight...I guess, But burnouts will certainly help things along... the impression I got is that the Busa eats em' anyway.
 
As for Being able to afford the body work if you can afford the bike, probably a good point as well, though CanIdream is active duty so I know the cash flow is less than it should be...Hell, my wife pretty much fininced my new baby, I am not judging anyone, But can you imagine the poop I am going to get if I ding it?:super:

<span style='color:blue'>Vripley</span>, The whole drop your first bike thing is not something I created and I have seen it to be pretty true, thats all.  That is probably why I am allways harping on riding in the dirt first, it helps get them wild hairs worked out before you get onto a hard surface...<span style='color:blue'></span>

Basically have fun, do what makes you happy and then worry about the rest later!
 
As for Being able to afford the body work if you can afford the bike, probably a good point as well, though CanIdream is active duty so I know the cash flow is less than it should be...Hell, my wife pretty much fininced my new baby, I am not judging anyone, But can you imagine the poop I am going to get if I ding it?:super:
you hit that one on the nose! :) i feel comfortable with it though because my wife has a good job and i wont be active duty after july05, then i'll have a good job

not to say i dont absolutely LOVE THE US MILITARY
unclesam.gif


:laugh:
 
I think it is still mandatory but when you are outprocessing be sure to pay careful attention when you attend ...Cannot remember the name of it...It's a week long class on how to dress, write resume's, where to find jobs etc... Actually the most beneficial class I had while active duty AF.
 
WOW!  A lot of comments..Iv'e pretty much pushed every bike i have owned..dirt and street to the limit..adrenilin junkie.
I have fallen on dirt too many times to remember...and on the street..,,two times asfalt was like sand in an intersection"same color as the asfalt"35mph or so,once over a cliff....road it home pride broken.....Now it's possible to ride so slow and cafeful..that you won't fall down...ever...but if you are like me
you will push the envelope..final words...if you go down..may the speed be low....Like i said before...It's all in the head...
ride well all and have a safe 2003 riding season.  
 
Go for it CanIdream. Any USAF vet is of a maturity level to respect the Busa. Take it slow and take classes like cornering school to speed up your learning in a safe way. Wear leather with armor as much as possible just in case.

As for the tire wear....I don't spin tires or slide coming out of turns and my rear is toast. Under acceleration the weight shifts back putting more load on the rear tire and increasing traction. My problem is I like to max brake into turns while down shifting. When the front wheel loads up hard under braking, the rear gets light or even airborn and slides for a while until I get my foot out of the brake. Also when down shifting the rear can lock up for an instant. I imagine the rear tire peeling off like an eraser. So for me its slowing down that eats tires not accelerating.
 
Pro;;y some of the most in depth arguing about the Busa as a first bike!
 
Guess I'll finally open my mouth on the subject..
Friend of mine got one as a first bike after college graduation when he was 21.  He didn't even know how to ride when he bought it.. I rode it to his house from the dealership.  He went to a MSF beginner class.. then trained on the 'busa for about 3 weeks every day in his neighborhood.. then around town.  Took the MSF expert class about a month later after he got some highway time.  He's always been very careful.. always wears full gear.. never tries turns harder than 10mph over the turn's limit.. and rarely goes more than 90-100mph top speed on it.  He doesn't do any tricks on it - except for the occasional 3" wheelies when he opens it up gettin on the interstate or leaving toll booths.  I know he slowly pushed his limits for acceleration, braking, and turning over time.. not trying to go from 0-60 in 5 seconds within the first month.
That was 3 years ago when he bought it.. it's now got over 18k miles and it's never been down.. and other than the 250cc MSF beginner bike, his 'busa has been the only bike he's been on.  Last I saw.. it is totally stock except for tires and chain. He says he didn't buy it to push it to maximum performance.. but loves knowing the capability of the bike is there, and the fact that he's more experienced every time he rides it, is what makes him love it.
It's all up to the rider to KNOW they've got to start slow.. and LEARN slow.. eventually with experience the skills of the rider increase just as if they learned on any other bike.  With caution and self control the 'busa can be a starter bike for more than a few people..
si.
 
I thought about getting a busa or 12 as my first streetbike but forums like this convinced me that I needed to start smaller. So I bought an '03 R1.  Since I frequently see it called a slug around here, I figured it would be a perfect bike for a newbie..... :)

Lance



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I am 30+ and my Busa is the first bike that I have owned.  I rode a 250 or 350 street bike once when I was 19.  I rode a honda 350X ATV for about 5 years.  Too make a long story short. I don't think it is a good idea to have a busa as a first bike.  I consider myself very level headed, but I tell all of my newbie friends that sit on my busa and say "I gonna get one"   HELL NO!

I am still in aw of the power that this bike has.  I know about 3% of what I need to know to ride this bike and that is how I ride 3%  (most of the time)

my 2 cents
 
canIdream...

The busa was my first bike.... Here is my input on this subject...

I had a lot of close calls and yes I did dump the bike the first day due to a factory defect in the clutch. I was going 45 mph when the clutch stuck when shifting and the bike bucked up like a bull and away I went. Thankfully Suzuki covered the 2500+ in damage due to the defect. The road rash was painful. Long story, but it gained my respect...

At the time I had a careless attitude due to why I bought the bike. I did not care if I got in a crash... In hind sight it was very silly on my part. I was lucky. This bike has a tendency to get away from you. And it is not easy to control due to the weight of the bike. And it’s easy to open it up with out even thinking about it.

I thought I would not drive it fast and I would be responsible... but it did not work out like that... It's an addiction to speed and the need to go fast for me...

Looking back I would have bought a smaller bike or even a dirt bike... but I'm happy with my bike and don't regret a thing.

Make you own decision and go with your gut, but think about your family first.
One more thing... when the day comes that I decide to start a family the bike is going to be sold..... Until then I'm going to enjoy the freedom I feel when riding it.

Tim
 
I forgot to mention that I never rode a motorcyle in my life before buying the busa....

It's crazy knowing that the sales guy sold it to me knowing that. I guess that is why he would not let me test drive it or ride it off the lot after I paid cash for it....

I guess I learned the hard way... but I still love my busa and ride it almost every weekend...
 
I just bought a hyabusa. It is not my first bike. I had a 01 Suzuki GSX 600R. I dumped that bike about 4 times. (seat height about 2" to tall. Anyway, I have had the busa lowered so I can stand flat footed. Not to say that I am a little paranoid about riding it, but I am glad to own it and now am just waiting for warmer weather to practice on it in and around my neighborhood and set up my own course in one of the adjascent parking lots to practice cornering, etc. I am 36 and consider myself a conservative rider. I am looking forward to the challenge. Take care everyone.

tracer513
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As I posted above, I recently purchased an '03 R1 and it is my first bike.  I've logged almost 1k relatively uneventful miles.  I've done this by riding within my limits, and only riding when I want to ride.  I didn't buy the bike to be transportation from A to B.  I did recently take the MSF basic course and throughout the 2 days we were doing the skills, one instructor kept asking, "Are you sure you ride one of those crotch rockets?" He said he asked that question because I was very calm and smooth in all of the exercises and immediately tried to incorporate suggestions made by the instructors.  He said that almost all of the sportbike owners that go through the MSF course usually are fairly difficult for several reasons.  First, most are there because they were stopped by the police and don't have a motorcycle endorsement on their license, and secondly, they have a know-it-all attitude and feel they need to prove something to the other riders in the course.  Since this was coming from an instructor that sees literally hundreds of riders yearly, I thought it provided valuable insight into the general mindset of a large body of sportbike riders.  Not shocking insight but something to think about just the same.

Lance

After reading this I thought maybe it sounded like I was implying that powerful sportbikes are an acceptable choice as a first bike. We all know that hindsight is 20/20 and I wish I knew then what I know now. For me, the decision to by a liter bike for a first bike will probably go in the bad decision column as far as life decisions go. If I could go back, I would probably get used YZF600R, CBR600F4i, or more than likely one of the naked bikes like the FZ6 or Honda 599. Take my rambling for what its worth.



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Ok, saw there were a lot of posts on this.. So I have not read through all of them, hope I am not re-hashing anything, if so I guess it is just verification.

Welcome to the board canIdream

I am new also.. to the board that is..

First off let me state.. I am 41 years old, and have been riding since I was like 20, had my first accident when I was 21..

I had a 1983 Suzuki GS-750es. bought it brand new in 83, road it up until I sold it to get my Busa.. Within the first week I had my Busa I had made numerous comments to friends and family that I am glad I didn't have that bike when I was 21, and if I did I would have probably killed myself..

and I probably would have..

With that said however, you are not me, and you sound like you have a better head on your shoulders that I did at your age, so good on you. but to be honest with you, common sense and a good head on your shoulders does not make up for experience.

I have not rode a Busa long at all, only 900 miles so far, so there are people on this board WAY more qualified than me to speak about the Busa's. what I can tell you is this.

I was actually a little scared when I first picked my Busa up, I was afraid of all the stories I had heard about the power, about the ability to pull the front end off the ground doing 120mph. So the first day I was paranoid as heck and I was really cautious driving home.

Before I even bought the bike I told all my friends I was just buying the bike so I could have the most bad ass bike on the block, that I had no intentions of racing it, or even taking it to its top speed. I was just into it for the prestige and the looks.. I had no intentions of ever making any modifications to it in anyway.

Ok, 2 months later. Within three weeks I was driving down the freeway, looked around and didn’t see any cars within 5 miles in front of me, a few cars behind me, I said screw it, nailed it and was up to 150 before I knew it, I was extremely impressed at how fast I got to 150 from 70, as soon as I got to 150 I shut it down.

I have a friend who is a CHP officer, I have now asked him how we could get together so he can radar me, he said as long as I find a place that is private he will do it, well I work on a naval air station so now I am trying to figure out how I can get the airwing to buy off on me using their runway on a Sunday when the field is closed so I can "check my speedometer with a radar gun from the CHP"

Dude I am getting ate up, I just read the posts on a turbo on a Hayabusa, I am slipping all over my keyboard from the drool.

I am now trying to figure out where I am going to get the money to start tearing it down and making all kinds of modifications.

I am doing all the stuff I did not think I would do. I have a bug.. I guess it is the Busa bug, it is cold where I am at so I have not been riding much, I shake when I walk by my bike in the garage, I look at it with a longing to ride it.

I have a wife and three boys so from that point of view I kind of like hanging around this planet, on the other hand I have a decent life insurance policy and I believe in God and I know when I die I know where I am going and that my family will be taken care of financially.

Not trying to sound like a toughy or anything and there are probably a lot of you out there will understand what I am about to say, but if and when it is my time to check out of this planet, I don’t much care. Not worried about it at all. I don’t have a death wish and I am not unhappy in life.. Just kind of neutral to if I stay of if I go… hmm sounds like a song lol

So.. that is where I come from and where I am at. The Busa is a lot of bike, it makes you feel comfortable when maybe you shouldn’t feel comfortable.

it has an extremely quick response time AND if you get the bug like I am getting it and like everyone else here seems to have, you will end up tweaking it out even more.

I have talked to numerous Suzuki sales people and other riders in person before and after I bought the bike, they have all pretty much said the same thing, there are very few riders that can out ride the Busa, in other words you need to be a kick but awesome rider to handle its full power and abilities, after riding one for a short time, I think I pretty much gave to agree with that statement.


Now, besides all that, have you checked into the insurance on a Busa for yourself? That was the first thing I did before I even bought the bike, I checked with my insurance company to find out if I could even afford the insurance.

I am 41 years old, no tickets on my record and I have been through 2 motorcycle safety classes. I live in California and my current insurance rate is around $90.00 a month.

So check on the insurances and calculate what the insurance + the bike payment with be per month.

Now with that said, I would recommend this.

Get some used 600 - 750 cc sport bike at the cheapest price you can get.

Ride it around and get used to it, then once you get a little used to it, take a motorcycle safety class and get through a motorcycle safety class. I would then maybe ride the bike for 6 months to a year, then if things are going good and you still want a Busa, then get one.

The reason I kind of laid it out like that is that I would strongly recommend a motorcycle safety course, however I would not recommend being a new rider and taking a 1300cc Hayabusa through it.

The safety course I have went through twice makes you run over 4x4's at around 30 mph. They make you do a rear wheel skid from 20mph, but the roughest thing for a bike that size is having to do tight figure 8's and 45 degree turns only going 4mph.

The last class I went through a few seasoned riders were riding big 1500cc cruiers, out of a class of about 10 guys, 2 of the seasoned riders dropped their bikes and broke pieces off when trying to do the 45 degree turns and the figure 8's

If I had a Busa and dropped it during a motorcycle safety class I would be sooooo bummed. And these guys were bummed.

Bottom line, you know yourself better than anyone, I am sure there is a small faint voice somewhere inside that is giving you the best advice.. Just follow it.

Good luck have fun.. be safe.
 
Good Input Folks, Just remember to take a look at the original post dates, the information is still valuable and the opinions are still valid, though CanIdream asked this question many months ago, I think he went ahead and bought a Busa, but we haven't heard from him in months... hopefully he just got bored...
 
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