Looking to buy a Busa - need advice

[Guest]

Ok, last night I saw one "in the flesh". It's beautiful, the engine sounds like heaven should. I gotta have one!
Firstly though I need to learn a bit so I won't turn myself into a red smear on the road.
Let me give my riding experience so far. I held a learners licence (allowed to ride up to 12BHP bike) for 2 years and commuted daily. I'm pretty good in traffic as a result, I can keep up with most couriers. About 4 months ago I bought a GPZ500s (don't think they are sold in the US) and passed my test. I've been on a few fairly long trips since then (long for the UK anyway...) and I'm fairly confident on it, but I can still scare myself without too much difficulty.
So, what do I need to learn before I think about getting a 'Busa? I've not tried counter steering yet - the though of turning the bike the wrong direction in a turn is really un-natural, but I gather counter steering is a pretty essential thing to be able to do.
Should I go and do track days and an advanced riding course?
Or should I look at getting something less powerful than the Busa (but more than the GPZ) and riding that for a year or two?
I know I'm pretty inexperienced and I don't want to jump right on one at this point, but I do want to be working my way towards getting one in 2-3 years.

[OB_Atlanta Ga . Law Dog]

BE AFRAID....BE VERY AFRAID.

[Guest]

I'd like to think I have a healthy sense of fear already. If I didn't I'd be calling the bank re. a loan right now.

[OB_long shot]

Rabidrob,a piece of advice no matter what you ride.Don't look where you are going,look where you want to go! The Busa can inhale distance like nothing.Along with the other skills you may need that piece of advice can save you some healing.Ride safe.

[OB_long shot]

Rabidrob,a piece of advice no matter what you ride.Don't look where you are going,look where you want to go! The Busa can inhale distance like nothing.Along with the other skills you may need that piece of advice can save you some healing.Ride safe.

[OB_long shot]

Rabidrob,a piece of advice no matter what you ride.Don't look where you are going,look where you want to go! The Busa can inhale distance like nothing.Along with the other skills you may need that piece of advice can save you some healing.Ride safe.

[OB_long shot]

Maybe somebody could give me some advice on working this computer!Gotta stop typing with my forehead.

[OB_Bob Lynch]

Go for it! You will not regret it. Get it now while the pickins are good. Ride her safe, Oklahoma Bob

[OB_Ambush]

the fact that you ar e afraid of the bike keeps from becoming that red smear. I say go ahead and get the bike. as for the counter stearing, you need not be going fast to try it out just about 50 mph and tilt it a little and the bike will sway a little. do that for a while and you should get the hang of it.

[OB_DangerMouse]

If you like belting down traffic then you won't like the Busa - not the best bike for town work in the world, not particularly good steering lock combined with the stodgy steering damper makes town busting a pain.

Get something like a Second hand Yamaha ThunderCat and learn to ride on a medium sized bike first!


dropping a Busa will require a small fortune to fix it.

As for countersteering, practice tightening or widing your line on roundabouts by gently nudging the right bar forwards to tighten your line and the left to pick the bike up.

Could save your life one day!

[OB_BusaGeek]

RabidBob,
You already countersteer. If you didn't, you would have hit something the first time you made a 40MPH+ gradual turn. You need to concentrate on your awereness of countersteering. Don't worry about it being unnatural. How can something be unnatural if it is so natural you don't even realize that you do it.
Just for fun someday, try to lean one way and turn the other. I bet you can do it. Hmmmm, its not the leaning that turns the bike. Its countersteering. Think about it and pay attention to it. You will be a better rider for it.

[OB_Rogue]

I would not recommend going from a GPZ500 to a Busa. Simply because I went from a ZX11 to a Busa and still had to acclimate myself to the power of the big Zook. Mind you, the ZX11 is no slouch. I had that bike for 2+ years riding it to work & back each day and sport riding the local mountains on weekends. I would agree with DangerMouse and get yourself a faster, intermediate bike first. Ride that until you're comfortable with making quick decisions at high speed AND countersteering. If you don't know how to consciously counter-steer yet, you're not ready for a bike that can accelerate so fast like the Busa. You will know when you're ready.

[OB_King Atlas]

RabidBob, don't pass up this opportunity. Get the 'Busa! No bike can't be handled, especially if you respect it the way it sounds like you would.
I went from a 600 F3 to the 'Busa and had absolutely no problem whatsoever. While there's a noticeable difference in power, it's certainly not a problem to "handle". I think there's too much drama floating around here. Get the damn bike! You'll love it!

[Guest]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I plucked up my nerve and started counter-steering this weekend - what a difference!!! This adds a whole new level of control to cornering for me.
I'll be holding off buying a 'Busa for at least a year, I need to be able to afford the payments on one, and as I'm just starting out in my programming career I can't manage 'em yet. I also will need to move somewhere where I can garage it - there is no way in hell I'm going to leave a bike worth that much chained to the washing line, which is what I do with the GPz. Insurance for me would be insane - looking at £1500 or higher. I need at least one years no claims bouns. I don't have any at the moment because my last bike was stolen.
I'm hooked on the Busa already though - I'll be hanging out here reading and asking questions from time to time.

[OB_rick phillips]

Get the bike,within
a month you'll be asking what's the best pipe ,whats the pair,and what's this pc-2 thing!

[OB_hayabusa_man]

I got from a GPZ500s to a ZZR-1100 (143 hp) to a hayabusa in 3 years. Just do it... you won't regret it... even without experience (like me) you can drive the fastest production motorcycle in the world

[OB_Hayawiz]

Don't under estimate the Busa! It has Superbike power on Tap!