New Guy's Story

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MinnesotaGuy

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I came here for the first time yesterday. My story starts two days ago when I saw my first Hayabusa in the wild, pulling into a gas station in Minnesota. Frankly I've never seen such a beautiful bike; I did a double take and kept driving. I told my wife, who was seated next to me, that I was curious about that bike that we just passed and how much I liked the look, especially interesting was that rear wheel hanging way out behind the rider and the low, yet aggressive profile. I can usually peg a brand or model of a motorcycle while riding around town, and most do not grab my attention - until yesterday - I had no idea what the hell it was. The wife convinced me to turn around and to chat with the rider - it didn't really take too much convincing. The guy was great, his name is Kel and he totally took time out of his day to chat about the bike and to mention his group of friends that ride together on occasion.

Not to bore you guys, but the discussion came down the path that I recently bought my daughter (23) her first non-beginner bike, a Honda CBR500R (it is not a beginner bike, but it's a good entry level sport bike). I've been a cruiser rider all my life and fellas, I'm telling you, when I first rode that CBR I suddenly understood (for the fist time) the fascination with sport bikes... it was instant. I've never had so much fun on a motorcycle. Anyway, my daughter is getting out of her Army BCT/AIT training soon, she's been gone for six months and I'm very excited to see her again and to help her get her riding legs back under her. Anyway, Kel actually gave me his number and he said that he and his group would be happy to bring us along on a ride, and they are always willing to dial it back for anyone who needs some encouragement and experience before turning up the heat during rides.

I liked Kel and his bike so much that I decided to get onto this forum (Google search) and start chatting with you guys so when I finally decide to get a "busa", I'll know what to look for, what to expect, and what a fair price might be. What better place to research a purchase than by chatting with the guys who actually know the bike and aren't afraid to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly? I find no other source of information better than the combined experience and knowledge of you guys who are passionate enough about the Hayabusa to be contributing members of this forum.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I have a disease which makes me stupid around motorcycles. I have four; two Indians, my kid's CBR, and my wife's Kawasaki, but it seems that I'm missing a representative from the super-sport bike category (and dirt bike, which I grew up on, but I digress). It seems that when a bike impresses me, something inside just makes me have to have it. Anyway, I can't wait to get to know most of you guys (I know there is always that one sugar in every forum, so I'm not eager to meet him - but everyone else - I'm very excited to meet you).
 
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First thing you need is a budget...and be prepared to blow it.
Decide if you want a gen1 or 2.
Busas don't sell for nearly as high as they used to, so you can get a good used one for a really good price if you look. It's still a buyers market.
Alot of parts interchange across the years.
99-07 is the gen1 Busa. 99/00 models are the same. The 01 had an ecu and subframe upgrade.
The 02-07 had another ecu upgrade, fuel pump changed, and are all the same. The 99-01 ecu's cannot be flashed(but can be changed out to the 02-07 with a few parts).
The 08-16 are the gen2's. They are all the same, with the exception of the addition of ABS in 13-16.
Early Busas commonly have fuel pump and fuel filter issues, but it's not a big deal.
The early aluminum subframe was also upgraded to steel.
But, all the Busas are pretty much bulletproof. They'll go 100k-150k miles, and then still keep going.
They are excellent bikes.
If you find them comfortable, that's really all you need to know.
Post what you find before you buy, and we'll all pick it apart and let you know if it's a good deal or not.
The aftermarket for Busas is endless too, you can make it into whatever you want, cruiser, dragracer, cornering, stunt, as it does everything well.
Don't listen to any idiots that tell you a Busa won't handle either, because they have no idea what they're talking about. You can drag a knee, carry a wheelie for miles, ride stoppies, ect.
It takes alot of ability to ride a Busa to it's limits, and most people can't do it(not saying I can).
Welcome to the org.:beerchug:
 
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Glad to see you head. As they already said post up before you buy. We are more than happy to tell you if your getting a steal, or to run screaming because something doesn't sound right. That can help with buyers remorse.
 
Wow, you guys are great. And this forum has two sugarbritches! How lucky can one guy be? Sixpack and Majestic, I think I like you guys already. Oh, and thanks for the advice Sixpack; I found a dealer who located a new 2016 Busa in the matte black color I wanted and he's set the price at $13,092.00 - I have no other information. He doesn't even have the bike in stock, he'd have to get it delivered if I pull the trigger. I'm going to meet him Thursday to chat more about the bike so I'll have more info then. I'm not against a used bike, but I'm seeing some used one's with some decent mods on them go for $15K, and I'm seeing some used ones go for $5 - $8K in varying conditions, generations, and production dates - it gets confusing. Then there is the question about care - did the previous owner use non-oxy fuel? I can't tell you how many bikes I've bought over the years that needed the carburetor cleaned (I finally got myself an ultrasonic cleaner and now I just pull the carburetor and clean it any time I buy a non-fuel injected bike). Did the previous owner take care of the bike? Did he let the oil collect metal scrapings or did he change the oil, primary, and trans fluid regularly, etc... All things that could cost a bit down the road if neglected. So the used route is a dicey path at this point. These are rider's bikes, they are to be ridden hard and put away wet - but you still have to take care of them as if they were your children. That's one of the reasons I'm here - gen I or gen II? I don't know. I DO know that I'm going to be looking at some mods almost immediately - Stage 1 and stage 2 will happen in quick succession as I get familiar with the bike.

My thoughts are this: I noticed some complaints about the Busa being a little behind when it comes to technology. I'm not entirely convinced that is a bad thing. I looked at the H2 and it comes with the supercharger and all the latest ABS, techno gizmos, and traction control you can throw at it, it's a very nice bike and I'd love to have one, but $24K? While that is a fair price for that bike because it comes "fully loaded", the bike only comes with all the upgrades that they wanted on it, not the one's I chose for myself. Adding something to improve the looks or performance of the H2 has got to effect the other systems on the bike and everything would need a total re-calibration to make it actually improve the bike rather than screwing up some area of performance. You cant change a lightbulb on that thing without having to re-tune it on the Dyno. I'm thinking that if I get a Busa for $13K and dump $10K into it over the course of a few years, adding only the mods that I want, I still save a couple grand and I end up with a bike that is uniquely mine and can handle the upgrades without messing up tangent systems. Besides, I'll never be at the level of rider that can actually pull the performance out of an H2 and make that thing dance, so I think it would be a waste of money, I'm not in it for the looks and praise of "hey lookie, this guy has an H2 - OOOOohhhh", I mean every guy likes someone to say "Hey, nice bike" but I don't live for that (LOL, full disclosure; I admittedly did that to Kel when I saw my first Busa in the wild). I want something that will be a work in progress for a while as I get familiar with it and learn to push it. That said, even the Busa is more bike that I'll ever be able to push with any level of respect, but I'm sure as hell going to give it my best shot at making that bike my bitch. Lastly, even though the Busa is more bike than I can handle, I'd rather have a bike I can grow into than a bike that I wish were more capable. That's why I'm not looking at any standard sport bikes that are so thick in these parts you can't throw a rock without hitting one.
 
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Welcome aboard!!! As far as prices and how a used bike was treated, there are some nice "barely" used bikes for sale on the forum and even Craigslist all the time. Some 2015 used bikes I've seen for sale have less than 5k miles and still sporting the original exhaust and all for around 9k. I, like you, think you need to be cautious when buying used a sport bike, but I would buy a busa like I just described without any worries. You can also find good deals on new leftover bikes. I bought my 09 in 2011 for 10,500 OTD and have spent about 8k in the last 5 years making it "mine" and to improve ergos and brakes and I'm extremely happy with the bike. The only thing I would consider replacing my bike with is a 2016 busa in black/gray.


Ohh ...... And there is more than 2 sugarbritches here. Lol! Wait until You have the pleasure to meet our track expert Mr. Tuff. :thumbsup:
 
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mabupa said:
Ohh ...... And there is more than 2 sugarbritches here. Lol! Wait until You have the pleasure to meet our track expert Mr. Tuff. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

LOL, thanks for the heads-up, Mabupa.

I also need to double check what the dealer was quoting me. The sales guy said $13,092.00 for a 2016 - that's about 2K under MSRP. I wonder if he was actually talking about a new 2015 model.

I like the things you said about a used bike. Thanks for the link - the more I save on the bike, the more I can dump into the mods I want.
 
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Having not sat in the cockpit of one of these things yet, I'd like to know how any of you slightly taller guys fit in one of these bikes. I'm 6'1" and around 220lbs (yes, there may a bit of a BS ratio in the weight). Any guys out there around my size that can testify?
 
MinnesotaGuy said:
LOL, thanks for the heads-up, Mabupa.

I also need to double check what the dealer was quoting me. The sales guy said $13,092.00 for a 2016 - that's about 2K under MSRP. I wonder if he was actually talking about a new 2015 model.

I like the things you said about a used bike. Thanks for the link - the more I save on the bike, the more I can dump into the mods I want.
Click to expand...
Some guys have posted their OTD prices on here. As far as how you fit on the bike, I'm 5'11 and used to be 230lbs and after a Corbin seat, helibars, genmar raiser and a set of buell pegs(sold by a good forum member here) I rode back roads for up to 6 hrs with no complaints nor soreness the next day. Taller guys will chime in, but there is a lot of tall members that are happy with their bikes. You will need some time to build strength and get used to the riding position. That is normal and we all went through it. Hell, even If I ride my dual sport and don't get on the busa for over a month, it takes me a little to adjust to the riding position again.

As far as members here, sixpack is a great guy and has been more than happy to help me when I needed something. I was joking. Lol
 
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I'm 6'3" 225lbs. I fit perfect. My legs never cramp (corbin seats might be why), my arms are long enough to where I don't have a lot of weight on my wrists. Very comfortable ride. 5 hr trips are a breeze.
 
mabupa said:
Some guys have posted their OTD prices on here. As far as how you fit on the bike, I'm 5'11 and used to be 230lbs and after a Corbin seat, helibars, genmar raiser and a set of buell pegs(sold by a good forum member here) I rode back roads for up to 6 hrs with no complaints nor soreness the next day. Taller guys will chime in, but there is a lot of tall members that are happy with their bikes. You will need some time to build strength and get used to the riding position. That is normal and we all went through it. Hell, even If I ride my dual sport and don't get on the busa for over a month, it takes me a little to adjust to the riding position again.

As far as members here, sixpack is a great guy and has been more than happy to help me when I needed something. I was joking. Lol
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say great, but thank you sir.
 
Minnesota guy, what do want to do with a Busa?
Cruise, stretch it, drag race it, tour, ect?
Knowing what direction you think want to go would help us to tell you what's available, as the Busa aftermarket is huge.
 
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