I was lead here by a buddy from work, RTGT after mentioning I was interested in the Hayabusa. Currently I ride a Ninja 500, which is pretty stock except for modified dogbones (Raises the rear slightly, much better handling but at the cost of a bit forward riding position) and have a little over a year under my belt. While I feel that the ninja has been an excellent bike for around town commuting, as a reservist I have to drive over an hour to my unit - not to mention when I start school next fall its an hour commute there as well. In the search of my dream bike that I will intend to commute on as well as keep for the next few years, my choice came out to GSXR 750 and the Hayabusa.
My desires of the Busa are pretty simple. My main concern is comfort, especially on longer rides and traffic. Even though I am a smaller guy ( Slightly under 5'8) the windshield on my ninja does nothing but tire out my neck from the massive wind slapping me in the face and throwing the bike around a decent bit. Unless I tuck down the whole ride, it gets uncomfortable. The account I get for the busa, from many accounts, is that it is a very comfortable bike - even stock.
The next thing about the bike, is that it has a very smooth powerband and very good acceleration. My little ninja is amazing from red light to red light and around town, but I do have to do a lot of interstate driving. I'd rather not have to drop a gear or two just to pass by someone or go WOT to get to the speed limit quickly enough to merge into traffic from the ramp. My other concern is the ninja's powerband - as I go for commuting, I focus on good MPG over zipping from red light to red light. Cruising at low RPMS on the ninja is very sluggish and the bike doesn't like it. To be honest, in this regard my busa would most likely spend a good bit of city time in the C mode. Say what you what about it, but for a commuter I think its the best option. People seem to scoff at me when I mention this, saying I am wasting my bike. Speed is not the reason I desire a busa. If I track it, or twisties - which isn't very often; The bike will see another mode. I am wasting potential, odds are I will never see the end speed of this bike or any bike for that matter. I've had my ninja to 90 on the interstate when passing, but thats about it. At the track, I might take advantage of the straights though. Maybe.
A very important detail is I want rid of a carb bike. As I desire to use my motorcycle year round, this just isn't ideal with my bike. The ninjas(at least mine anyways) hate cold weather and is very sluggish unless I wait forever for it to warm up, and its barley warm by the time I get to work - which is about 12 miles from my house. Its not just the busa that I would enjoy for the view point, but a general concern for my next bike. Any non-carb bike would fit the bill.
The busa seems to have plenty of after-market parts around, and replacement parts seem easy to find (Assuming at one point my potential busa decides to attempt to ride the air rather than the road). This was a major problem when I low-sided my Ninja (Partial rider error, though I was going very slow thankfully. The road was a mess from a washed out drive way and I had poor quality stock tires on the bike. Bike met rocks, rocks pushed to dirt, dirt didn't like bike). I busted my side cowling and with the way the ninja is designed I had to replace the whole front - not a cheap adventure. I tried finding a used one but sadly parts for a Ninja 500 are few and far between. Even after-market parts are uncommon as its a discontinued and semi-unpopular bike.
Main concerns for getting a busa invovle my height. Am I too short for a stock busa? I've seen RTGT's bike at work and he seems to fit very easily onto it, but he is also a decent bit taller than me. I am sure with the busa its the same as most bikes, lowering it will hamper handling a bit - something I would like to avoid.
Speaking of handling, I have gotten mixed results on this. Of course, I don't expect it to flick like a GSXR or CBR - but I don't want a moving brick in corners. Of course, the 500 is no supersport - not by a long shot. Even with mods, my bike is lighter and handles a little better but is still not made to be supersport nimble. In this regard, its not like I am expect a sudden flicking knee dragger handle expectation. I have a slight feeling that most of the people who say the bike isn't very nimble or flickable have not ridden one. I have not, so I cannot claim to know so for fact. I've ridden behind RTGT though, and he seems to take corners as well, if not better than me on mine. (Attribute some of that to experience and skill - but regardless its obvious it can corner just fine). I am worried the weight will cause problems in tight corner or round-about/U-turns. Seeing some members here shorter than me and having no problems with this though, does give me hope.
I was actually quiet surprised by the insurance rate. It isn't much more than my current bike (With the basics, anyways); Part of this is because the busa isn't classified by Progressive as a supersport but rather as a sport touring bike. Its actually cheaper on insurance than the GSXR I was considering. Which of course, makes me happy.
I apologize for the length of this post, I know most people have no desire to read a book. A bike is a big purchase though , and when weighing my options I feel like I want as much information as possible and address concerns. Right now, if I pick the busa my goal will be to get lucky and snag a left over 2009 or 2010 at the start of this summer. I appreciate any insight or comments that would assist me in understanding the bike better.
My desires of the Busa are pretty simple. My main concern is comfort, especially on longer rides and traffic. Even though I am a smaller guy ( Slightly under 5'8) the windshield on my ninja does nothing but tire out my neck from the massive wind slapping me in the face and throwing the bike around a decent bit. Unless I tuck down the whole ride, it gets uncomfortable. The account I get for the busa, from many accounts, is that it is a very comfortable bike - even stock.
The next thing about the bike, is that it has a very smooth powerband and very good acceleration. My little ninja is amazing from red light to red light and around town, but I do have to do a lot of interstate driving. I'd rather not have to drop a gear or two just to pass by someone or go WOT to get to the speed limit quickly enough to merge into traffic from the ramp. My other concern is the ninja's powerband - as I go for commuting, I focus on good MPG over zipping from red light to red light. Cruising at low RPMS on the ninja is very sluggish and the bike doesn't like it. To be honest, in this regard my busa would most likely spend a good bit of city time in the C mode. Say what you what about it, but for a commuter I think its the best option. People seem to scoff at me when I mention this, saying I am wasting my bike. Speed is not the reason I desire a busa. If I track it, or twisties - which isn't very often; The bike will see another mode. I am wasting potential, odds are I will never see the end speed of this bike or any bike for that matter. I've had my ninja to 90 on the interstate when passing, but thats about it. At the track, I might take advantage of the straights though. Maybe.
A very important detail is I want rid of a carb bike. As I desire to use my motorcycle year round, this just isn't ideal with my bike. The ninjas(at least mine anyways) hate cold weather and is very sluggish unless I wait forever for it to warm up, and its barley warm by the time I get to work - which is about 12 miles from my house. Its not just the busa that I would enjoy for the view point, but a general concern for my next bike. Any non-carb bike would fit the bill.
The busa seems to have plenty of after-market parts around, and replacement parts seem easy to find (Assuming at one point my potential busa decides to attempt to ride the air rather than the road). This was a major problem when I low-sided my Ninja (Partial rider error, though I was going very slow thankfully. The road was a mess from a washed out drive way and I had poor quality stock tires on the bike. Bike met rocks, rocks pushed to dirt, dirt didn't like bike). I busted my side cowling and with the way the ninja is designed I had to replace the whole front - not a cheap adventure. I tried finding a used one but sadly parts for a Ninja 500 are few and far between. Even after-market parts are uncommon as its a discontinued and semi-unpopular bike.
Main concerns for getting a busa invovle my height. Am I too short for a stock busa? I've seen RTGT's bike at work and he seems to fit very easily onto it, but he is also a decent bit taller than me. I am sure with the busa its the same as most bikes, lowering it will hamper handling a bit - something I would like to avoid.
Speaking of handling, I have gotten mixed results on this. Of course, I don't expect it to flick like a GSXR or CBR - but I don't want a moving brick in corners. Of course, the 500 is no supersport - not by a long shot. Even with mods, my bike is lighter and handles a little better but is still not made to be supersport nimble. In this regard, its not like I am expect a sudden flicking knee dragger handle expectation. I have a slight feeling that most of the people who say the bike isn't very nimble or flickable have not ridden one. I have not, so I cannot claim to know so for fact. I've ridden behind RTGT though, and he seems to take corners as well, if not better than me on mine. (Attribute some of that to experience and skill - but regardless its obvious it can corner just fine). I am worried the weight will cause problems in tight corner or round-about/U-turns. Seeing some members here shorter than me and having no problems with this though, does give me hope.
I was actually quiet surprised by the insurance rate. It isn't much more than my current bike (With the basics, anyways); Part of this is because the busa isn't classified by Progressive as a supersport but rather as a sport touring bike. Its actually cheaper on insurance than the GSXR I was considering. Which of course, makes me happy.
I apologize for the length of this post, I know most people have no desire to read a book. A bike is a big purchase though , and when weighing my options I feel like I want as much information as possible and address concerns. Right now, if I pick the busa my goal will be to get lucky and snag a left over 2009 or 2010 at the start of this summer. I appreciate any insight or comments that would assist me in understanding the bike better.
to the Org..
.Hit me up for a 2011 at a used 2009 price 0 miles straight out the crate. this spring. 
I only weigh 170. I don't think this could be enough to throw the busa around with skill and experience on it. I am no knee dragger though, even on my ninja, though I have once or twice practicing on off long sweeper curves or and off-ramp. Thank you, Keith Cole for teaching me that bike lean doesn't reflect cornering and that rider lean and riding position are key. I bought a motorcycle for the gas mileage initially and ended up really enjoying the riding. The price of the Busa or any bike for that matter is well worth it to me. My gas guzzling car that I am over-paying for gets a whooping 20 MPG 
