Hopeful new rider needs some help!

[8overin808]

First off, great board, looking forward to making some good friends here.

I'm not a new rider, but I will be new to the world of BUSA soon.

Currently I "pilot" an 03 gix750, stretched (trac), geared, yosh cams, arata exh, etc... Runs consistent low 10's in Hawaii (1.5x to the 60' and 6.6 to the 1/8th, but keep in mind hawaii et's are always slow due to humidity and other things, also I'm 220 lbs...that poor motor....) Not the issue at hand, moving on.

Later this year, probably sept/oct, I will be flying to cali then driving to my new home in NYC(visiting family on the way.) I'm itching to buy a busa and use it for the trip...has anyone done any long touring with their busa?

I plan on picking up a used 2000 model here (already found it!) putting on a trac arm (10 over, 6" adj. etc...Love trac arms!) with a +6 tail, Brock Sidewinder and the flat swinging pickup oil pan... since it will be a drag bike when I get to NY. Then slammin it, strappin on a tank bag and a back pack and getting on my way.

Am I nuts? Is the Busa comfortable enough for a long trip? Is the Sidewinder gonna draw too much attention as i ride through small towns?
Should i wait to change exhausts till i'm in NY? should i wait till I'm in Cali to buy the bike?
would the short wheelbase be more comfy for the long trip? (my 750 go to be much more comfy after I cut the seat, slammed and stretched it, wondering if busas do that too?)

Let me know what you guys think. I'd like some advice on long busa rides. Any advice on long touring in general would be nice, since I've never done it before! Remember I'm from Hawaii...it's an island....Our longest FREEWAY is about 35 miles....pathetic! thanks for any help/advice you can offer, I'm looking forward to this trip and my new life with the NYPD.

John Kendrick

[shenoyp]

Welcome to the board

- The busa is a great sports tourer... So long distances are not a problem
- Sidewinders are pretty noisy!! If you like some attention... do you trip with them on

- Oh! I have no idea of how a longer wheel base is going to affect your ride.... but I'm sure someone on this site will have something to say about it

... Have nice time on .org

[8overin808]

Hey thanks man,

I haven't heard a busa with a sidewinder in a while (most here are turbo's with dump pipes... some daily drivers!) couple of 12's here in hawaii runnin' muzzy sides, they are loud....we'll see.

The gix with the cams and arata got pretty loud, it REALLY gets cops attention, especially with all the polished aluminum. Can't wait to sell that one.

hopefully someone with some long wheelbase experience will have something to say.

Thanks again, good to know that the cockpit is comfortable enough for long rides.

[BigBSBusa]

Probably not problem with the extended swingarm on cross-country trips, 8overin808. I don't how comfortable it would be, but I would probably recommend a set of Tobin seats because the stockers are not comfy. You probably would draw lots of attention with the Sidewinder. Why not just wait till you get to NYC to put all that stuff on? Anyway, welcome to the board!

[Pipefighter248]

Welcome to the board.
Many have used the Busa as a sports tourer.

[Creekboy]

Welcome to the Board........RIDE MAN RIDE

[8overin808]

Thanks guys, good to know a lot of people have toured with Busa,

The reason to do the stuff before hand is cause i'm an active racer here in Hawaii and our track is closing next year. I want to be part of the as many events as I can before i have to go. The long arm makes these bikes so much more consistent, and all we do here is bracket race.

Also a buddy is parting out his turbo busa, and he's got an awesome arm for sale. Price is right and it's already on island. Shipping is a BIG concern over here esp for large items! As for the sidewinder, i just like um... but I might get in a lot of trouble on a long tour with it, maybe i'll hold off on that till I'm a cop and I can get away with it lol.

My concern with wheelbase started with the gixxers, they were all so uncomfortable for daiy riding (hawaii has VERY bad roads) and I was afraid the busa might have the same problem. From what I'm reading here though, that doesn't seem to be the case. Like I said, once I cut the gix seat, lowered it and stretched it, it was so much better for daily riding.

We'll see what happens after i start riding the busa. I might love the way it handles too much to stretch it. Then I'll have to buy two...one long one short. Funny I don't see a problem with that, but I'm sure the gf would lol. Most importantly, I need to get out and ride it for a few hundred miles, then I'll know what I want to do. Again thanks for all your input. Guess I'm just ANXIOUS to get my bus!

[VaBusa]

Welcome to h.org...good luck getting your Busa SOON!!! You'll love it...

[IL_BusaBoy]

Welcome to the board. You won't be disappointed with the Busa.

[nitrousjunkie]

Welcome!

[onerabidshark]

You'll love it very comfy to me all I wanna do is ride. be careful on your cross country.

[Glyn]

Take the trip with the stock parts, ship the trick pieces and put them on when you get here.

Look for at least a gel seat, they can be had fairly cheaply. Maybe a taller windscreen, as it's a little cooler here on the mainland.

You might not want that much arm in NYC. But it seems like you know what you are doing, so good luck.

Oh, and you don't want to incur any unwanted attention as in tickets, if you are going to be a LEO. The powers that be kind of frown on that stuff

BTW, why would you leave beautiful Hawaii to come to NY?

Cheap Steaks?

[Glyn]

Oh yea, most of the Dragstrips here are gone, property value and noise complaints have pushed them out.

[8overin808]

I love New York!

Family is from NYC. Dad is retired from the city, started in PD and transferred to FDNY. He moved out here (hawaii) when i was real young, i grew up here and I'm just looking for a change. I am a stagehand by trade, so if the PD doesn't work out, atleast i can be around Broadway.
Also to continue with school, the city has some pretty good tuition deals with the colleges.

Hopefully I can finally feel "at home" in the big city, 'cause Hawaii has never felt that way for me... I think i can come back here in 20 or 30 years and appreciate it more, but life on an island can really drive ya nuts! Especially when you are young (I'm 23) you want to just see the world. On the mainland you can pack up and drive, here you have to buy a plane ticket just to get started!

I've heard of a few tracks "nearby" in west lebanon and Atco. I've got family all over that area, so hopefully I can find a good track, and store the bike with a family member near it. I don't mind riding a ways if I can get to a good track and have a good time, meet some good people etc...

tracks were gonna be my the topic on my next post, "where are the good tracks in NY and surrounding areas?" But i wanted to search old posts before I got too into it.

As for the 10-over, I probably won't ever run it THAT long. Realistically 6-8 over, but having the extra adjustment is nice just incase I do end up with a turbo or more!

My 8 over gixxer is my daily driver, so riding a long bike on the street doesn't concern me too much. I'm used to it (for the short riding we do here in Hawaii anyway.)

As always thank you all for your responses and welcomes!

John k

[8overin808]

oh and bagels...can't get a good bagel here in hawaii...Pizza sucks here too...Hot dog vendors, Katz deli, the list of reasons to move to the city goes on!



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