Rollcall: people w/ Busa as a first bike

[drfbusa]

The topic of "Busa as a first bike" has been

so many times, that there are TWO pinned threads started in 2003 and 2004 in the New Owners Forum. Additionally, there is at least a new thread started weekly.

I would like to get the thoughts of those people who bought a Busa as a first bike and now have "experience." Would these people now recommed a busa as a first bike to the next generation of noobies who go against conventional wisdom? Or would they now say, "start on a smaller bike"?

Everyone will guage "experience" in a different manner, but for standardization purposes lets equate experience to 10,000 miles of riding experience (on any bike). No one really flames the new Busa owner who comes from a cruiser or dirt bike or purchases it as a 2D or 3rd bike. So for simplicity, I am looking for experience as a function of milage vice years of ownership. For many of us who tour, 10K miles of experience can be done in one season. For the weekend riders, they may get rack up these miles in a couple of years. On the other hand, there are those who "own a bike for 10 years and have <1000 miles (an overconfident noob in my opinion).

I am curious to see what becomes of those board members who ask if they should buy, get our opinions and buy it any way. Are these riders still riding? Enjoying? In the hospital? (I hope not)

So for those of you who bought a Busa as a first bike, dispite the recommendations of most board members, and now have gained sufficient motorcycle experience as defined above, please chime in.

 

[BlkDrgnZ28]

well im a first timer and i gotta say i've done alright i did maybe 300 miles on my dads softail and a lil on his sportster and a lil goofin off on my buddies dirtbike with no brakes at 15 and i bout my busa at 23 and i've done pretty well i tooke my time learnign the power and the worst thing about learning on the busa was the weight but the power wasn't bad because under 5k its not necesarily tame but its pretty managable and i've got around 3k on the clock now and two nights ago i laid it down at like 5 to 10 mph goin into my girlfirends new house its a hard packed gravel driveway and then it cut to super soft sand it cut the wheel hard to the left and it went down i tried to catch it but not speed or stupidity related well kinda stupidity related just shoulda been more carefull with the new driveway just wasnt expecting it but just the stator cover scratched but other than that no issues been super carefull with it and i understand that its a bike not a car so if i get one it too mutch i might not walk away

 

[kennym4]

I always rode my friends katana, the bike I started with, but probably only put 500 miles or so on it. When I went to get my first bike, one I owned, I was looking for a Gixxer 750, but they didn't have any. So I started looking at a CBR 1000. The salesman told me that they just got in 4 06 LE Hayabusa's, and he would give me a really good deal. Well I was very intimidated of the Busa. Told him NO WAY. Went in to get a price on the CBR RR, and while I was in there the salesman was talking to my wife,(that's hitting below the belt) telling her if she planned on riding with me the 1000 RR was a mistake. He then came into the room, and gave me a price of $400.00 cheaper than the deal I was getting on the RR, and told me because I had kids, was married, and respected the Busa I would be okay, because "the Busa is very tame under 5000 rpm. Before I knew it I was riding off with a new Busa.
   I didn't find this place (.Org) until October, got my bike in August. I have since then posted on EVERY post asking about a Busa as a first bike, against the idea. I did Baby it for the first couple thousand miles, and now I am very comfortable on it, but when riding with other Busa riders(from here)in the twisty's, that started on smaller bikes, there's no hiding that they are more skilled than I. But that just made me work harder on my skill. (if you can call it that)
  I do LOVE having my Busa, ALOT !! Wouldn't want any other bike !! Just wish I started out different. I do think you can get a Busa as a first bike, and be okay. But I KNOW if you start out smaller, and work your way up, you'll be a better rider !!

  P.S. The same salesman refused to sell an R-1 to my little brother, who is 18, and has been riding dirtbikes since he was 6. He said to my father he wouldn't be responsible for killing him. Then took him over to look at a 750 Gixxer ? This is also the same salesman that has sold my family the last 5 bikes, 4 before my Busa. Maybe he liked my brother more than me ? LOL
   
I think I just wrote my first novel ?

 

[06limited1st]

Ill keep it short.. I only have 2200 miles on the good ole odometer and have about 2 years of 'experience' ..The people I ride with, ride pretty dam hard, if anyone's familiar with the Chicago area, we routinely get from the 90 East ramp at River Rd to Lake Shore Drive in a matter 7-10 minutes.. Those of you that arent familiar that would be an average speed of somewhere around 130ish.. But that's now, when I first got it there was a totally different story! Baby steps is all it is, know your limits, dont impress anyone, basically everything everyone tells you!! Im still only 20 with a lot of learning to do...


As for your question, start smaller and not brand new.. Not everyone can resist temptation like that.. And yes Im still riding AND modding of course, it truly doesnt ever end!!!

 

[Spudley]

"Maturity" is a must. If ya ain't got it...........buy something smaller until ya got it. PERIOD.

 

[kennym4]

I hear a lot of people (not from here) suggesting that people start off with 600's, but the 600's they have today can flat out fly !! People here,often suggest starting with a SV 650, is this a good beginner bike ?

 

[Wag]

My thoughts, even though the Busa was not my first bike by any stretch of the imagination. When you're learning something new, it's best to take it slow and easy.

We talk about maturity and discipline required to ride the Busa and how experience and age are not the most critical factors. I speak of it as, "How much testosterone poisoning do you have?!"

Nah. It goes deeper than that. Like Kenny mentioned above, if you start too bike, you end up taking longer to learn to ride. Face it. You get on the most powerful production bike in the world and the first thing that crosses your mind is fear. People don't function well under the influence of fear. Attention to other details is compromised, adrenaline kicks in and reduces fine motor skills, etc. Survival is in jeopardy.

Starting on a smaller bike, one which is suited to the rider both in terms of bulk AND power, gives the rider the best opportunity to learn all the techniques of braking, cornering, throttle control, braking, etc. all without learning to be timid about it. As the new rider does so, the fine motor skills are tuned up much more thoroughly and completely than if they are put under the duress of an overly large bike.

Many years ago, I read a study (couldn't find it, even with the google god) wherein they lowered the basketball hoops at various elementary schools around a major city. In the study, it was shown that kids who used the lower hoops became more skilled over time than the kids in neighboring cities who used a higher hoop. With even younger kids, they gave them a smaller basketball and they were even more accomplished in the same time period. When they converted to using the regulation sized hoops and basketballs, they adapted readily and outdid their competitors for quite some time before the other kids finally caught up, much later.

When it's just basketball, a kid can get a leg up starting smaller. With the bikes, you can extend your ability to survive (and save $$!). Again, it's not really so much about the chance that you could get hurt or die on a Busa vs. a 600, it's about taking the time to learn to ride first. As it was pointed out in the threads above, even a 600 these days may prove to be too much for some people.

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled thread reading! Hope this is considered a contribution and not a hijack.

--Wag--

 

[mike04busa]

Spudly put it right, MUTURITY. I rode off road for about 10 yrs. before I got the busa as a first road bike.I got it salvage and fixed it up . I hold a responsabilty to that bike to give it a good home.(and come home in one peice) I put 10k mi. on my bike this year I love the bike and I am very glad thats what I got.These things are rockets and you have to respect that.For somebody that has no on or offroad exp. I think it would be alot at one time learning how to ride a motorcycle and having all that bike under you.To learn from scratch I don't think the busa is a good choice.Be realistic on your skill and confidence before hopping on a 180 hp. bike.Mike.

 

[Suijuris]

Yeah- I'll admit to it being my first bike. Tried to buy a 750 bout 12years ago. My wife threw a fit! (DIVORCED NOW). Rode my brothers dirt bike for a few years off and on, when I was 18-20. We would trade- Me, his bike, and he the cage.
In college, I'd borrow friends honda 550(or was it a 500? Fast for the times- I was crazy on that thing!
At 50, I know that it is more than just maturity, and experience. Its your ability to be alert to your surroundings. Chances are, If you are a good cage driver, with little to no incident, you will fair well on the roads.
I clocked some track time, which is the absolute BEST way to gain confidence and control of the beast. YA gotta do the track!
12k on the bike now, and a year later- keep alert- don't phase out from what you are doing, and ride it like ya stole it!

 

[CDiPrecision]

An 08 Busa is my official first bike owned by me, I have ridden others bikes for years...also grew up on them as a kid... I didn't get one till I started working for Johnny Turbo...he has about 15 of the fastest bikes in the country,lol.. it wasn't log before I wanted one for me.

 

[Mr Bogus]

Hey who is going to speak for all the "Busa first bike" guys that are unable to post, dead or quit riding after the crash? I think all you are going to find are the "successful" few...

 

[Lamb busa]

Well,  Lamb can post for a newbie.  Last year V8n3t was a regular contributor to this site.  He was a swabby with very lil riding experience who was riding an '04 Hayabusa purchased right after he joined the service.  Well,  seeing as how he was stationed at Coronado he joined in a ride that Lamb was planning.  Crashed on that ride, riding the ambulance to the hosp. There was a lot of threads about needing help to fix his bike.  Lots of members came through for him.  KOK-LOL provided a brand new exhaust and many members contributed lots of stuff at no charge to help this kid get back on the road.  Lots of thanks to those members,  you know who are,  even if V8n3t didn't thank you himself.  It is a real pleasure to be a part of this site.  Anyway back to the point.  He sold the Hayabusa,  and bought a '06 R6.  He also crashed this bike,  ruining the bike and his ability to ride.  The navy took away the privilege.  He won't return Lamb's calls since helping him to replace the exhaust and fairng on the base with the MP's looking over Lamb's shoulder saying "you can't work on vehicles outside the motor pool sir."  That was surely dynamic.  Thought this civilian was gonna spend some time in the brig.  Those guys got real mad!  Learned of this latest action (loss of riding priviledge) from a mutual friend,  his CO, who Lamb met up with last weekend at a stop for gas.  Don't know how much having the Hayabusa as a first bike contributed to his lack of riding ability or if it would have happened anyway,  as Lamb suspects it would have,  but he could have definitely increased his chances of riding success by swallowing some pride and starting on a starter bike.

 

[IllusionalTA]

my 04 LE was my first bike.. I loved it.. I knew i wanted a busa... best all around bike out.. does everything i want it to do...

 

[SANDFLEA85]

iLL KEEP IT SHORT

bought my 02 busa last december,was the first and only motorcycle i ever rode,i taught myself to ride it,read everything i could,picked everyones brain i could and just took it slow,im pretty comfotable on her now,have taken that bike apart and put it back together so many times i could now do it with my eys closed because of all the mods i have done to it,im 37yrs old and i do think i would have killed myself had i tried this when i was in my early 20's.but to the guy who wants to buy a busa as his first bike,i say why not,could just as easily kill yourself on a 750..IMO

 

[Cadillac94Pimpin]

My Busa was the first bike I had ever been on. The only thing before that was a 50 cc scooter a drove like 5 times. and a GO-Ped. Just take it slow at first.

 

[06limited1st]

I think it's fine for a first bike as long as you have a willingness to learn and your ego is smaller than an old school cadillac.. that's all, and that works for all new bikes not only Busas

 

[ktw88q]

06limited1st Thats a nice ride down 90 but do 90 east from 25 in elgin to rocken roll mcdonalds on ohio ave in 17 min.

 

[BlkDrgnZ28]

i know that your only gonna get the ones of us that are around to speak for themselves but really you know deep down what kind of person you are you know whether you have the capability to controll your self if you feel your capable and you understand the risk i say why not i mean if you hop on it at 20 and kill yourself you probably don't have any kids to support (or hopefully not at least) so the worst thing that happens you hurt your self yeah is sucks for your family but its not the same as a 35 or 40 year old that gets one as your first bike and you do have a family to take care of no offense to guys who fit this group but IMO that is the risky decision not for you though

 

[Haya01B]

I never rode a bike before in my life and stepped up to the plate and got a new 2001 busa when I was 23. I respected the bike so I had no problems. When the fourth year rolled around I felt that I had it down. Wrong! I crashed, but not because of the bike but my riding habit. I have buddies that rode 900s and 600s for years and then got busas and crashed them. A small bike will just learn you how to ride. The problem is the big bike handles different and is faster. I think you should learn how to ride the bike you are gunning for. The small bike will just give you the guts to try the things you can get away with on them on the big bike and that's not going to happen.

 

[kennym4]

Guys that have got a Busa for a "first bike", would you recomend your son, duaghter,  or best friend to do the same thing ? I don't know that I would. I don't think I would have ever questioned my skill if I never road in the twisty's with other skilled Busa riders, and I don't mean just getting down the road safely. I'm talking about going into a blind turn, at speed, realizing your too hot, and being able to correct it without nailing the brakes, which I've seen a couple of times (never ended pretty). One thing I've learned is, it's not just knowing "how" to do a certain manuver, but knowing "when", and "what" manuver to aply at that certain time.(if that makes any sense as to what I'm trying to explain). I think that is what a smaller bike might teach, just my thought ?  Just look in the paper EVERY DAY, you will see 05, 06, 07 Hayabusa, ZX14, GSXR 1000,... for sale with under 500 miles on it. There's a reason for that, I think ?