Is the busa a first bike?

[Revlis]

you guys are brutal, actually if you are level headed and not out to impress people with the performance of the bike, it will work as a first bike as long as your not 5'2" tall, if your feet hit the ground flat footed then it is sized OK, the power of the bike is linear and very controllable, the bike is easy to ride, take it easy...

Well, Brutal maybe, But correct I think.  This question has come up many times on the board.  Every time it does a few of us scream HELL NO, a FEW of us say SURE it will be a fine first bike.  Now we have seen evidence here and there to support both camps.  But, in almost every case, the first timers who get a thumbs up are those that have had at least some experiance on dirt bikes, mopeds etc.  

If you have not had any experiance moving a bike around in your garage, getting gas, making a U-turn, managing some unexpected gravel, or even just checking your oil level, the Busa is going to kick your ass.  Instead of risking your top notch HyperSport Bike why not start cheap?  This is the smartest thing you could do, simple.  I have held the view and offered it up here before that you WILL drop your first bike.  I am not talking a high speed hospital visit kind of thing neccessarily but at some point soon after you get your new ride your going to fall.  Now you add a $10000 dollar bike where a simple tip over could cost you $1000 and it just makes no sence.  Not to mention how dweeby your going to look nervously waddling around on the thing in parking lots or not being able to turn because you have no idea what the hell countersteering is all about. All the while being watched because of the bike you are on...

It just makes a whole lot more sence to buy a beater, get all your rookie F-Ups out of the way, learn how to handle a bike and save the Busa for 2-3 months down the road when you are better prepared for it.

The Busa is not a beast to ride if you don't want it to be, but it still has way too much power and mass for a rookie...No way around it.  You might get lucky, you might be a natural, but by and large I think it's not a good idea.

I really question the motivations behind someone wanting this bike as a first bike though.  It seems a whole lot more like a mid-life crisis\ego thing than really wanting to enjoy riding.  Or maybe just a "Bragging" thing to some.  It's not a logical, or practical bike for someones first.  There were plenty of "BIG" bikes out there I could have had when I was looking for my first street bike, but it just didn't make any sense, I knew it was a bad idea, too heavy, too powerful, to expensive to maintain.  

I wouldn't recommend anyone buying any sort of NEW bike as a first bike.  Don't let some goofy ass pride thing get in the way.  Buy a beater, get your initial wobbles and screw ups out of the way, hit some sand, get caught in the rain, learn basic maintainance, basic bike "Husbandry" if you will, then step up to something you really can groove on and know that you are ready for it... That it is what you really want.  I see Busa's in the paper all the time for sale with 600-1200 miles or so.  You call and ask whats up, and more than once I have actually gotten the answer "I just do not like riding it."  Heck you may decide a Harley is better for you and wouldn't it be a shame to be stuck with a machine you don't like?

Revlis,

 

[Revlis]

JUST ONE LAST THOUGHT THEN I WILL SHUT THE F<<< UP...

 I bought a Busa because in a sense I need a bike that has enough potential to keep my ASS in line...Something that is just a little intimidating, a little spooky, a bit of badass with a little evil stirred in.  The Busa does this better than I had hoped it could.  Riding a CBR 600 I found myself whooping the snot out of it after just a few hundred miles, screaming around corners, just cranking on it everywhere, not showing it any respect...this is what will get you in trouble, being too confident...  The Busa does a fine job of keeping you focused, keeping you involved, and reminding you that it is a whole lot of machine and needs to be respected.

 Having said all that...The Busa as first bike will probably be too intimidating, to powerful, to physically large and you will have a hell of a time coming to grips with it.  Instead of a little intimidation and respect, you will wind up afraid and may never be able to get past it and explore the limits of the thing... Like it or not...Fear is there to tell you when you are in over your head...

Ok Now I am done...I promise...I am Pissing off, getting off the Soapbox...

 

[†WÃ￾§†ëD]

Put another vote down for the BUY A BUSA AND DIE..

sorry, it is what it is. get a 600.

hey nick, you notice any difference with those marvics? which ones ya got? I am considering the penta IIs, but the rear is only around a 2 lb difference, the front is good with a 5 lb difference, I am wondering what kind of turnability and braking improvement you noticed?

 

[Daddy Fatsac]

Ok...I'm going to speak from my personal experience. My first bike was a Katana 750. I owned it for exactly 1 month. My second bike was a BUSA. Yes. Only after 1 month riding a POS 2000 brand new Katana I sold it for a Busa with 315 miles on it, neither ever dropped. *knock on wood* I didn't ride a bike before the 750 purchase. I took the riders course after the 750...and again with the Busa purchase. Till this day my busa and me have been very happy...once it gets out the shop.

So its up to you. Would I recommend this bike to anyone as thier first? Probably not. But if your responsible type of person. Go for it. One thing I will say...Respect it and she will respect you. The first time you think your running sh!t, she will show you who is really the boss.

Good luck with whatever you purchase.

 

[Odyssey]

There are definitally alot of those "old school" beliefs about bikes in this forum,

I think your probly going to go with which opinions you like. No matter what is said, you will just listen to what you want to hear.

My advice is know yourself, If you out to show off or prove something (other than a complete newbie can ride a busa safely) then will probly get hurt or worse, you can do it on ANY bike. If you just want to just go out, take it slow and have fun learning to ride. Get what you want.

As for buy a busa and die, I wonder how long Narc has left to live

 

[FLCN72]

Get something with a minimum of plastic as a first bike. You will drop it while learning and Busa plastic is very expensive. I'd even steer you away from GSXRs and CBRs for the same reason.

Get a used SV650 or used Ducati Monster or used Bandit. Something like those. You don't have to love it. You'll also not care as much when it goes down. You don't even have to keep it very long. Just use it to get your rider skills up to the point where dropping a bike is very rare. Then sell it off -- even if you have only had it for a couple of months. You probably won't lose much on the deal and you will have saved big time if you consdier the price of replacing Busa plastics.

Then run right out and get that Busa and be easy with it. Yeah she is powerful, but it is your brain (or not using it) that will get you into trouble on a Busa, not her displacement.

 

[havoc]

first bike was 00 zx9, i was talk out of getting the busa as my first bike, 2month later in traded it in and bought the Busa which i wanted in the first place, it can be your first bike, if you use common sense. your cash ,your decision

 

[Revlis]

There are definitally alot of those "old school" beliefs about bikes in this forum,

I think your probly going to go with which opinions you like. No matter what is said, you will just listen to what you want to hear.

My advice is know yourself, If you out to show off or prove something (other than a complete newbie can ride a busa safely) then will probly get hurt or worse, you can do it on ANY bike. If you just want to just go out, take it slow and have fun learning to ride. Get what you want.

As for buy a busa and die, I wonder how long Narc has left to live

Odyssey, Has a good point and if you look at my own first street bike I didn't take my own advice. But just give some thought about buying a beater first, just for a little while.

And Of Course...


...This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!

-- William Shakespeare[/QUOTE]

Ok Ok I know it isn't perfect in this context but Odyssey made a good point. Really know your self and your motivations. He's a young guy (For the Busa Crowd) and he's still alive...Proof you do not have to be an old fart to live happily with a Busa, just know your own limits.

 

[FomerBearGoneBad]

Consider this:  what is the first thing you think when you see a baby-faced 16-year old driving a Mustang GT with obvious performace mods thumping inside?

"Damn, that kid's gonna go out and wrap that thing around a telephone pole within two months, mark my words."

I worked at a bike shop for just over a year.  Our parts counter had a clear view of the sales area where customers get their orientation and then drove off.  Guess what we employees would say to each other when we saw a first-time rider wobbling off on a big new sports bike...?

"Damn, that kid's gonna go out..."