New to this monster just got her a month ago

Gen2newcomer

Gen2newcomer

Registered
I’ve been riding small distances since I’ve got her already dropped her slow stop at the red light (still crying about my lower faring)

Just wanted some insight on things I need to know that you all wouldn’t mind sharing, bike history r1 was my first bike then r6 now this monster I’m thinking of staring to light weights to gain more strength to handle her. Never been over 100 mph and don’t play with my mode help a newbie out 2013 Hayabusa

3EF7E4B0-F9D8-415C-876D-B69E1B6DC75E.jpeg
 
Welcome, that's a fine looking bike....

They aren't a light weight that's for sure, time and patience will be your friend in this venture. Quick and sudden inputs on the handlebars at low speeds or while stopped can result in the bike losing it's center of gravity and going over. Make sure you put both feet down while stopped to stabilize the bike.

Watch intersections as there is often sand, gravel, oil or anti-freeze on them and even the white lines can be slippery.

As you know the Hayabusa can be very docile until you don't want it to be...it is however only a motorcycle and if you rode an R1, this bike should give you no real surprise.
 
Welcome to the forum @Gen2newcomer! That is a beautiful bright white, love it.

Gen2newcomer said:
I’ve been riding small distances since I’ve got her already dropped her slow stop at the red light (still crying about my lower faring)

Just wanted some insight on things I need to know that you all wouldn’t mind sharing, bike history r1 was my first bike then r6 now this monster I’m thinking of staring to light weights to gain more strength to handle her. Never been over 100 mph and don’t play with my mode help a newbie out 2013 Hayabusa
Click to expand...

Please please please get yourself some protective gear, jacket, pants, boots, gloves, helmet. My best friend says that I look ridiculous in my neon outfit. Screw him, it is my life.

This bike is the worst of a "crotch rocket" because it was designed to lay the rider down for the aerodynamics. It is a tough fight. Overcoming this geometry problem takes a large amount of effort out of the steering.

Typical habits: Sit on the bike, lean forward, put arms on the handlebars. Now close your eyes and feel the weight of your body pushing down on the steering. This is how the bike is designed but it makes it impossible to steer. That forward weight is what you must fight using every trick in the book.

I am not great at it which is exactly why I remind myself every time I ride: "There should be no weight straight down on the handlebars." That is impossible, but I make every effort to get weight back on the seat and off the bars. Steering gets easier the better at this we get.

Put your hands on the bars. Now rotate both arms so that both elbows are pointing straight downwards. Now ride around the parking lot. Note your hands only go straight forward and backward to countersteer, there is no pushing down on the bars. Less effort to steer? Remind yourself to tuck the elbows on every ride.

Ways to improve this geometry and make it easier: Get a cut seat that sits you further inside the bike. Get some bar risers that will lift the hands upwards and naturally prevent your weight from resting straight down on the bars. To your point about working out, do "leg lifts". A set of saw horses on bricks in the garage is all you need. Leg lifts strengthen the body core and help to naturally hold that leaned over position, taking more weight off of the bars. DO NOT EVER DO SIT-UPS BECAUSE THEY RUIN YOUR BACK.

Read everything about "steering" here:

Cornering Forum

forums.superbikeschool.com

Read the books by Keith Code, Lee Parks and others.

Did you take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course? They stress to steer the bike perfectly straight before ever hitting the brakes. The heavier the bike, the more this applies, and it helps a lot with these fat, bloated sport touring bikes.
 
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Gen2newcomer said:
Mines are red brembo firings are not stock because it has a tank cover
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Welcome to the forum! Does she have an ABS light on the dash? 2013 was first year with ABS so that’ll tell you for sure if just the frame is a 2013 or if she truly is a 2013-2020 model. Like mentioned before, the color scheme is from a 2009. Also the original tank color/decals will confirm (if the tank is the original).
I would say the best thing you can do is find a parking lot and practice low speed maneuvers to get the hang of it. Seems like a lot of the mishaps are at low speeds or falling off the kickstand. Some people swear by the “kickstand mod”, so you can find info on that using the search option. Enjoy your new ride and be safe :thumbsup:
 
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Yes
mabupa said:
Welcome to the forum! Does she have an ABS light on the dash? 2013 was first year with ABS so that’ll tell you for sure if just the frame is a 2013 or if she truly is a 2013-2020 model. Like mentioned before, the color scheme is from a 2009. Also the original tank color/decals will confirm (if the tank is the original).
I would say the best thing you can do is find a parking lot and practice low speed maneuvers to get the hang of it. Seems like a lot of the mishaps are at low speeds or falling off the kickstand. Some people swear by the “kickstand mod”, so you can find info on that using the search option. Enjoy your new ride and be safe :thumbsup:
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the abs light comes on yes you’re right
 
@Gen2newcomer: Close-ups of the drop damage! Bet my Gen2's damage looks worse.

I'd take every piece of advice offered in this thread.

The control starts with your core. Work on that. It should be effortless to lift either hand off the bars while riding cuz your core's holding everything up, doing all the work. Makes for a light touch on the throttle, too. Super important if you're gonna track the the beast. And clamp those thighs onto the tank!

For sure the parking lot. The best 3 ways to improve your Busa riding are practice, practice, practice. Esp on throttle control. Be advised an extra set of fuel injectors come on around 5,500 RPMS, which is both great and horrible, depending how much control you've established beforehand.

Also important to learn your braking distance(s). Wouldn't hurt to learn what the ABS feels like when it kicks in. I thought I'd broken something (again).

Have fun, keep posting, ride safe.
 
:welcome: aboard, Nice looking bike!
Practice, practice, practice... and then keep practicing, but always ride at your own pace, also dont get too confident too soon, that's when we usually start making mistakes, when we think we are ready too soon.

Ride safe, it's a really fast bike, specially since you got the fastest color. :thumbsup:
 
Welcome, sorry about the drop.

HayaWakened gives good advice. Nothing wrong with strength training and getting stronger but if you try to muscle the bike with your upper body you will lose. It's about the core and your legs. Squeeze with your legs and activate the core. Your arms should be fairly loose, you just need to operate the controls and counter steer. Never have a death grip on the handle bars. Take it from a motocross racer.

Another thing I don't think get's mentioned enough is looking ahead. More so when you are turning. You have to see and process the road in front of you before you react to what's in front of you. Everything starts with your head and eyes.

If you want to see what ABS feels like start with the rear wheel, IDK if the Gen2 has rear ABS but the Gen3 does and it's easier to slam the rear brake. You can do it slow in a parking lot. Safe and easy. That said, it feels a lot like it does in a car TBH.

​

 
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