Questions about the Busa..

[InsertOriginalNameHere]

Alright, so I'm looking to trade in my 2001 Katana 750 and pick up a 2003 GSX1300R (Hayabusa).

I've done some research (mainly reading posts on this site) and the bike seems to be very strong, fast, and reliable.

I am looking to get two main things out of this bike. Ride comfortability (priority) and the ability to stand it up (I know.. dumb, but this'll be my last sport bike before I go cruiser so I can ride around all day and still have children later on in life).

I know the bike can stand up... so no worries on that... it's the king of the road.

However, I have heard rumors that the Busa causes ungodly amounts of vibration through your hands which will be extremely uncomfortable in a very short amount of time. From just sitting on one at a dealer the seat felt more than adaquate for cushion (having more than 1" as my Katana was severly lacking) for long distance hauls. I have read in another forum where people go 500+ miles in a day and not too many complaints about any unusual pain and discomfort.

So what's the deal. The Katana was stiff and had a very hard seat.. I'm used to the weight since it's less than 30 pounds lighter than the Busa so that's not a problem. I'm just worried about the things I can't tell before I buy because the dealer won't start up the bike and let me take it for a test ride before purchase.

Many people suggest that I go with the ZX12 or XX because they are so much lighter and in the same price range.. but that is mainly due to the weight issue. Since the weight is not a problem to me and I loved my last Suzuki.. I'd like to stick with them.

Personal Information: I'm a 23 year old college grad (8/02) and have been riding since I just turned 17. I have a good 20k+ miles under my belt and have never been in an accident or had many close calls because I am a safe rider and gotten lucky thus far.

I know any comments from this board will be biassed since you have one.. but all are welcome.

 

[ks-waterbug]

Sounds like you've answered the majority of your own questions. Frankly it comes down to apples/oranges! Almost any of the other major bike manufactures have something to offer........ But, I don't think thats what your looking for! The Hayabusa comes with the undisputed title! It is the fastest production motorcycle in the world bar none! With that title comes a certain amount of pride the others can't give you. Yea, they come close to the speed and performance (maybe even topping the mighty Busa in some categorys), But they still don't have that title............... So let me be the first to say buy a Busa. You will never regret owning one........

 

[jwcfbd]

First of all Welcome to the Board.
There is a buzz that you get through the bars but it's not any worse then the one I got on my 600. From what I've been told it's typical of inline engines. The longest trip I've put on my Busa was a little over 6 hrs and around 400 miles. My shoulders were a little sore as was my back side but that didn't stop me from doing it all over the next day(same amount time riding but less miles). I just put another 5hrs and about 200miles on it over the weekend with no complants what so ever. If you want there are a few things that you can do to make it a little more friendly on long trips. Gel seat and bar risers, there are some members here that have done this and love it.
Get the Busa you will not regret it.
Jim

 

[Big_E]

Welcome to the board...

i will suggest to get the 'Busa. i rode for 360 miles and could of gone for more this past weekend. The bike is a lot of fun both in the twisties and at high speed runs in the straights. my bike is still stock with the exception of the double buble wind screen and undertail mod. Get the Busa, You'll Love it.

-E

 

[InsertOriginalNameHere]

Great comments guys... keep 'em coming!

 

[Revlis]

The only real issue I have comfort wise is a tingly right foot, but I think that may have more to do with my position than buzz, hands are fine.  Ultimate comfort though is just three mods away.  Zero Gravity Double Bubble, Helibars, Corbin or Suzuki Gel seat, and you can ride the thing till the "wheels Fall Off."

 I came off the same bike, 750, and one thing that was kinda of comforting if you will, is that the Busa exhibits allot of the same handling characteristics as the Kannned Tuna.  Front endiness, familiar switch gear etc.  Wheelies are just a quick roll on in first or second at about 5-6000RPM.  Roll off-Roll on up she comes.   Get a Busa Never regret it...

BUT, Check insurance first...It's kinda spooky, I hear state farm is good, I have USAA and they are fair but I am 31 and married so get a quote and shop around first.

 

[WWJD]

I'm 6'1" and can sit fairly upright most of the time [long arms] and tuck as needed without problems.
I've had mine for 1700 miles now and the only stuff I notice is because I lean forward more than I used to [86 Kaw Ninja 1000] my arms and shoulders get a little sore but not unreasonabley so. I'm sure I'll get used to it. I'm also pretty much out of shape so that doesn't help me. If you ride in shorts, prepare to burn your legs on the frame. Wind hits you in the chest or neck so it has a WINDY feel to it [stock windshield]. There a buzz from handles, but no more than other bikes I've ridden [to me]. The pegs are high for my long legs, and I kept bumping the passengers feet when coming up from ground, I guess I have big feet to, big everything. My passenger told me it was the smoothest ride she'd ever been on and she has ridden rockets AND Hardley's, and very comfortable to her. Saturday we rode for 7 hours -with breaks and food here and there, all on straits, twisties, hills, towns - non planned trip to simply have fun and ride around. My back started hurting a little in hour 7 but I also was sitting funny to support passenger better. I started squirming about on the ride home, but I also have an older back that's probably going bad. The seat seemed fine the whole time, never a numb buttcheek or things like that. I didn't track mileage for the day, sorry. More than 200 I'm sure.

The ZX12 felt top heavey to me tossing it around in the showroom where the GIX1000 seemed cheap and light compared to the Busa. I would never knock the 12R, I think it's a great bike, just not what I wanted. Also TO ME, the 12R FELT heavier than the busa, but that might be the top heavey center of gravity thing. While riding the Busa FEELS light and nimble, but with that wide rear tire and long wheelbase it does not turn as quickly as race-replicas [read GSXR1000, R1 etc]. I'm learning to turn harder/tighter on it.

I bought my Busa over the R1 and GX1000 for 'comfort' seemed to have a better ride position for me and I had read others thoguht it more 'tour'able than the race replicants. And I liked the weight in that it WON'T wheelie with EVERY throttle twist, and smoother ride [extra weight] normal and in wind on higway rode trips.

That's my experience, hope it helped. I think it sucks you can't test ride bikes. One thing I thought of is looking in the paper for similar used bikes and test riding them. May not be politically correct but P.C. should be banished anyway

 

[Revlis]

WWJD, has a good point with the 12R, The busa feels Low, and stable.  I noticed with the 12R you seem perched on top and it did "feel" heavier and taller.  I love the Busa because you really feel like you are a part of the bike, not just perched on top.  

WWJD also has a good point regarding wheelies, if you just roll hard on the throttle smoothly I occasionally get a couple inches of air under the front but nothing spooky.  If you want a wheelie you do have to "try" to wheelie.  

The busa under hard acceleration, and let me say it is HARD, feels like the Hand of God is pushing you along.  In fact I was talking to him the first couple of times I got on it hard, "OH GOD" comes right out...

 

Be sure to hold on tight.

 

[Juggler]

IONH,
I'm very pleased to say that the Busa has been a fairly comfortable bike. You didn't mention how tall you are, but with a Double Bubble (Zero Gravity, PowerBronze, or other) windscreen, it makes riding longer distances easier on the body. Also, getting some sort of riser bars (I currently use HeliBars, others swear by GenMar), makes the bike more comfortable.

It was my first liter-class bike and first Suzuki, and it is incredible. If you get a chance to demo one (which I doubt), I can't imagine that you'll be anything but awe-struck after riding a 750. The Busa may not be as "flickable", but it's more nimble than I thought it would be.

That, and the bike COMMANDS RESPECT. From people who know nothing about bikes (and like the way it looks) to others who know about the bike, it turns heads.

This is a great forum with some very helpful people. If you have questions, there's bound to be someone who can give you a straight answer without a lot of BS.

Good luck.

 

[Revlis]

One last thought for you Original,

Whoever is telling you that I go with the ZX12 or XX because they are so much lighter and in the same price range[/QUOTE] Is full of Sh^t...Point Blank.

Weights per Motorcyclist Magazine.

ZX-12R Dry------463
Hayabusa Dry----478
CBR1100XX Dry--492

I don't see a "So Much Lighter" Bike there. And as for power? Yes the 12R makes more absolute Horsepower, but if you look at a Dyno Chart it makes it's power like its a track bike, mostly up top. The Busa Pulls harder than Kawasaki accross most of the Rev Range and is certainly not going to be left behind by anything with two wheels. But In that respect I am certainly biased.

There are alot of reviews and road tests of the Busa and it's competitors, get out there and read. Then you should be able to decide a little better.

 

[monsterspeedfreak]

Welcome to the board IONH.
All I can add is....... you will not be dissapointed with a Bus, they are the shi! !!!!!!

 

[InsertOriginalNameHere]

Sorry I didn't mention.. I'm about 6'1" and weigh ~195 pounds depending on the given day.

Still great comments guys. The bike is so dreamy to me. I'm going to the dealer later on to sit on a ZX12 and CBR XX to see how they are.. I'm going to sit on them and compare how they get thrown to the sides too... just standing there.

I'll let you guys know what I've decided when I get back. I'm gonna try and get them to let me keep my Yoshi slip on to sell on eBay and toss in a free helmet too if I'm lucky and they want to make the sale.

When the salesman came up to me the first time he saw me.. he said "I'll give you $150 off that bike" and then he offered me $4500 for my 2001 Katana with 5700 miles on it. Trying to squeeze some more now.

I'll let you all know, more comments are welcome!

 

[techbum]

Go for the 'busa'. I recently bought an '03 and I am amazed at how that rocket performs. Only complaint I have is the seat. When riding for more than about an hour, my ass is sore. Be sure to take some breaks on those long rides if you keep the stock seat. But who knows......maybe it's just that I have a boney butt. Let me add....yes, you do feel like part of the machine. Knowing you won't regret it.......Busa's Rock

 

[ThunderPants]

I agree about the seat, I am only 5'10" and the seat hurts after about 2 hours, I plan on getting the gel seat for it. The double bubble really helps and it looks better anyways. You can drop 20lbs by losing the stock exhaust. I also read that the busa makes more torque at 3500 RPM than the 1100XX makes anywhere. Plus the XX is not as good looking.

 

[InsertOriginalNameHere]

Well guys... guess what.

http://www.getamotorcycle.com/dealer_....r_id=75

It's mine!  

 I pick it up tomorrow!

I'm psyched.  I wanna get a full Yosh exhaust right away because I loved the sound on my Katana and I see it's onlY $795 (plus how much are chips for these things?.. I'll research that as I go

)..

What is the double bubble?  Is that a wind screen?  I'm definitely going to look into some type of gel seat as well... I wanna be able to ride this more expensive toy further than I ever could ride the Katana.

Thanks for all your info guys.  I can't wait to see about local area meets (tri-state area).

Only part that stinks is it's supposed to rain tomorrow... so I might have to put it in the back of the truck to bring it home..  

 But oh well... you know first day of sunshine it'll be out there!  I'll post some pics (if this place allows or links if not) once I pick it up!

Thanks again!!

 

[monsterspeedfreak]

You're a smart man, you gonna love it.
Congrats.

 

[The Oracle]

Welcome and congratz on your decision...

You and I are nearly identical in size and I am very comfy on the bus. I don't have any handlebar vibration problems. You can always swap the grips for gel if you no like them.

Be careful out there... This ain't your lil' Katana... it the MUCH bigger, MUCH faster, red-headed step brother. AKA: the wolf in wolves clothing.

 

[SierraFlyer]

Congratulations Name Here!

There is no chip for this bike that you can get to. They make a device called a Power Commander that plugs into the harness between the ECU ( Fuel Injection computer) and the harness itself. No cutting of wires. That little box can be programmed with maps from downloads for any modification you can do. The box is about $300 on line. Try hardracing.com for a package exhaust and Power Comander (PC). They have good deals usually.

If your bike is a 2002 or newer you need the PCIIIR, if older it is the PCII.

 

[InsertOriginalNameHere]

It's brand new... 2003. Being un-crated tomorrow!

Thanks for the info on the PC. And I thought jetting on my Katana was too much to spend when it was only going to be about $250 which is why I just got a slip-on instead.

I'll do some research before I get one.. and post any questions I might have in the appropriate forum.

Thanks again!

 

[monsterspeedfreak]

It's brand new... 2003.  Being un-crated tomorrow!

Thanks for the info on the PC.  And I thought jetting on my Katana was too much to spend when it was only going to be about $250 which is why I just got a slip-on instead.

I'll do some research before I get one.. and post any questions I might have in the appropriate forum.

Thanks again!

Hey IONH, the Power Commanders are always on ebay for sale, sometimes very cheap.
Have fun with the new toy tomorrow.....hope your weather holds out for ya.
Oh yeah....... Be Careful....... she got big power.