Saddlebags? Hard or soft?

[OB_cbryant]

I should be getting my Hayabusa next week and was wondering if anybody had installed any hard bags (Givi?) or soft bags on their Bus yet. I am interested in setting my bike up as an Ultra Sport-tourer! ET's and terminal speeds are fine and dandy...but I want to RIDE!!...more than 1320 ft. at a time!

 

[Guest]

Jeez, cbr...

(Hey, what's the deal with that name? Are you sure you are in the right BBS?)

Not sure that you have the right bike for the job...

The Bus isn't really a Ultra Touring bike... It's lacking gas mileage and relatively small tank, combined with it's wonderful top end means that you probably won't be able to go very far without filling up. Maybe not a problem (only a hassle) if you live in the Eastern part of the US, but out here in Arizona, you really need to be checking your map carefully if your bike won't go 175 miles between fillups. Imagine a long, straight, high-speed blast across the desert, say from Phoenix to Lake Havasu, ending with a sputtering and dead Busa in the middle of the Sonoran High desert. Do you realize that it is possible out here to fill up and be completely stranded 175 miles from nowhere only an hour later? With this bike, this land, and this desolation, it's possible and relatively likely. This isn't good. They write songs, movies, and epitaphs about that....

"Here lies dumbass... No water, no gas...."

Might want to try a XX, BMW K1100RT, or an ST1100.

Keep the Busa on the dragstrip and on the cruisin' strip where it belongs...

(See? You thought these boys were pulling your leg about the fact that this bike could kill you... One way or another, you'd better watch yourself...)

 

[Guest]

I have to disagree with the previous post the Bus is a perfect bike for putting bags lets face it no matter what the hell you do the bus will never be a light machine So go ahead find out any info you can on bags if you hear anything let me know I will do the same

 

[OB_cbryant]

fwiw, "cbryant" is not CBRyant. It is Chris Bryant. Although if I did have a CBR, it would be pretty cool to have my name....

 

[Guest]

Ha! Okay... Sorry about that. It just looked SO SUSPICIOUS!

I understand that you guys seem to think that the Busa would be a good tourer, but the point is that it's got a range of 175 miles! It doesn't matter what you think about the Busa's weight... If you can't get more than 175 miles out of a tank, there are places that you just ain't going...

I have been to Death Valley, and ridden it many times. Just because it's got a cool name and it's got a reputation of desolation, doesn't mean that it is. It's very touristy, and I don't think that there are 50 miles between the furthest gas stations.

Is it comfortable? Yes. Is it fast? Yes. Does it have good protection, a long wheelbase, and a wonderful motor that will idle all day at 65 mph? Yes. All of these things make a great ultra tourer. But that range could be a problem in some areas. There is more than 175 miles between gas stations in Deming, New Mexico and Albuquerque... There is more than 175 miles between gas stations in Lake Havasu, Arizona, and Las Vegas. There is more than 175 miles between gas stations in Phoenix and many small towns (including Kingman, AZ, home of Route 66) in the very beautiful northern Arizona. Try cruising in Zion Canyon, places in Colorado and Utah...

I am not saying that you shouldn't do it... I love ultra touring, and I encourage everyone to experience it. It's what real motorcycling is all about.

I am just saying that you would need to watch where you do very carefully if you do any ultra touring around here, and I am saying that there are better bikes suited for that job. You might test it's high speed ability once or twice in your lifetime. The acceleration is nice, but if you know any of the stats, you will see that 0-60 times and 0-100 times are the same as the XX. The Bus might be a little faster in the 1/4 mile, but everyone's numbers are so inconsistent, it's hard to tell for real. Truth is that 1/4 mile times have more to do with your skill and less to do with the speed of the bike. Let's not forget that the magazines often get bikes that are specially "tuned" by the factories, and it's entirely possible that you will never get those numbers out of your machine.

So, if you don't have the bike yet, you might want to reconsider getting a bike that is better suited for what you are looking to do. The "sheer speed" arguement may or may not be a valid one.

One more thing... Anyone know why the XX got ram air and fuel injection this year and everyone got exactly the same performance numbers out of it that they did last year? Doesn't that seem strange to you? I even saw some numbers LOWER than last years non ram air carburated model. Something seems fishy to me... To boot, many of the testers say that they XX seemed just as fast and that the XX never seemed to be unable to keep up. Remember, these guys do this for a living, all day long. Don't you think they'd be able to sense a difference between a supposed 155 (some magazines reported as low as 145) RWHP and a supposed 139 (some magazines reported as low as 136) RWHP?

 

[OB_cbryant]

I DO HAVE AN ST1100!! Good guess!!! Just finished a 4500 mile jaunt to CO, UT, and AZ a couple of weeks ago. Anyway, I agree that the performance is so very close, and I also believe that I probably don't have the talent to capitalize on the Bus' extra juice. I do know that for the $$, there seems to be some very real advantages. Fully adjustable suspension on Bus/no adjustable front suspension on the XX. The following simple statement says more to me than 195 mph ever will : The Hayabusa makes more torque at 3500 rpm (prime cruising around town and highway revs) than the XX can muster anywhere in its powerband. This is according to dyno charts in Motorcyclist and Cycle World. The XX is very fast and powerful. The Hayabusa is also very fast, but just a little more powerful. That is what makes it so hard to make the decision! I know the XX is probably better suited for touring (although I am not so sure about its non-existant leg-room), but I'd hate to spend all that money and know I could've had more power and better suspension.
chris

ps I, too, am very curious to see a test on the 99 xx by itself. You would think there would have been better #'s considering the changes.

 

[OB_VegasDude]

Read ths month's Sport Ryder magazine, It does a heads up comparison of the xx and the busa. It also does a little xx to xx comparison (99 vs 98) of itself. Cant beat that......hehe

 

[OB_VegasDude]

Its Sport Rider.......oops......hehe

 

[OB_rdalmau]

Cbryant:

I'm a big user of soft bags. I'm using several types on my Busa.

If you like tank bags, I suggest the Eclispe Sportpack. It's still the best looking fullsize tankbag for sports bikes. It gives you the choice two levels of fullness and it can be secured tightly with the 3-point harness. It has a nice waterproof map case (which also serves as good location for a wireless Radar detector - like a Bell 945i). For extended highway running I suggest loading the bag fully and mounting far rearward - that way you can lean on it and it also acts a air deflector.

Tailpack or seat bag: Chase Harper Super tailbag is superb.

Soft luggage: You can go with the stylish sleek looking sports bikes bags. I've got a set of the Tourmaster. Only problem, they look good but don't hold much. Solution - Chase Harper ET 4000 bags - the're not as pretty but you'll love them for their function, design, excellence, practicality and the tons of stuff they hold.

Are you familiar with Riderwearhouse? Ever serious rider deserves the treat of looking thru their catalog. Bag wise, I think ever rider should own one of their over-the-shoulder bags. I recommend the Cargo Bag (it's such an impressive product, it could cure depression). Also buy a stablizer strap for the bag.

Concerning the Busa: You'll notice because of the sleek downward sloping rearend, it would appear that one could not load two bags behind the rider,i.e., another bag beyond the passenger seat. Not so. I use a Tourmaster Deluxe Tail Bag which is attached on top of the passenger grab rail. I came up with a secure design using 4 Aerostich stablizer straps and 2 bungee cords (I carry the bike cover in it to work).

So you can see, there is lots of possibilties with the Busa and soft bags.

If fact in three days, my wife and I are going on a 3,000 mile trip on the Busa. We've already done some shorter trips. For luggage, we'll be using the Eclipse Sportspack Tank Bag, Chase Harper ET 4000 saddlebags, Tourmaster Deluxe Tail Bag and the Aerostich Cargo Bag.

CyberJoe:

Busas can go 200 miles plus between fill-ups.

RD

 

[Guest]

I'm also getting 200 miles plus on my
Busa. I'm getting over 40mpg during
mixed city/HW with some acceleration
up to 8K rpm since hitting the 600 mile mark. I now have over 700 miles and it's not
broken in yet. I rode the bike home
from the dealership in a neighboring
state - it was 400 miles and I only filled
up once before I got home to my town.
(It was full when I left the dealer)
My minimum speed was 65mph going through
cities and maximum was about 90. Average
was 75-80. It was interstate the whole way
and I didn't exceed the 5500 rpm break-in
limit. The Busa never broke a sweat.

 

[Guest]

I'm also getting 200 miles plus on my
Busa. I'm getting over 40mpg during
mixed city/HW with some acceleration
up to 8K rpm since hitting the 600 mile mark. I now have over 700 miles and it's not
broken in yet. I rode the bike home
from the dealership in a neighboring
state - it was 400 miles and I only filled
up once before I got home to my town.
(It was full when I left the dealer)
My minimum speed was 65mph going through
cities and maximum was about 90. Average
was 75-80. It was interstate the whole way
and I didn't exceed the 5500 rpm break-in
limit. The Busa never broke a sweat.

 

[Guest]

I'm also getting 200 miles plus on my
Busa. I'm getting over 40mpg during
mixed city/HW with some acceleration
up to 8K rpm since hitting the 600 mile mark. I now have over 700 miles and it's not
broken in yet. I rode the bike home
from the dealership in a neighboring
state - it was 400 miles and I only filled
up once before I got home to my town.
(It was full when I left the dealer)
My minimum speed was 65mph going through
cities and maximum was about 90. Average
was 75-80. It was interstate the whole way
and I didn't exceed the 5500 rpm break-in
limit. The Busa never broke a sweat.

 

[OB_VegasDude]

Todd, same here dude!!

 

[OB_VegasDude]

Well said, I agree the busa is a good tourer....It has a 5 .8 gallon tank only 1\2 gallon than a zx11. I drove all over death valley and gas to spare.................

 

[OB_gixerbike1]

Cyberjoe, you seem to be pushing that XX pretty hard, maybe you should buy one and go back to the XX boards.First of all, most of the guys i know that have a busa are getting anywhere from the hi 30's to the low 40's for gas mileage.secondly a SMALL TANK? 5.8 gallons, come on dude.If you were only getting 39mpg you'd still be able to go 200 miles before you had to worry.Some of these guys that travel at a sane speed get in the hi 40's so figure on 225 on a tank, hell i think thats pretty good.As far as leg room, i've ridden both bikes and the XX has a little less leg room.The busa has MORE torque and MORE HP.You say the suspension on the XX is at a happy medium,Then wouldn't it stand to reason that the Busa can be setup for a happy medium as well?

Chris, get the bags you think you'll like, attach them to the busa and go have a blast.

Cyber: Go get an XX and have a blast too.

 

[Guest]

CBR: Beofre believing anything about the XX's "nonexistent leg room," you might want to go sit on one. I have not experienced that at all, and I have found the CBR's position to be nearly perfect. I didn't sit on the back to back, but I remember the 'Busa's position to be nearly indescernable. Both are near perfect for my 6' frame. I didn't experience the "looking through the windshield at the guages" on the 'Busa like other, taller people have.

You are right about the 'Busa's suspension, though. It's fully adjustable, while the XX's isn't. This, of course, makes for a more sporting, adjustable machine. Of course, it also means that you will be adjusting it all the time because today you will be rding alone, tomorrow riding with a passenger, and the next day racing through the twisties. The XX's suspension, while unadjustable in most regards, strikes a nice balance in most cases. It's up to you which you prefer... Is it worth it for you? Busa's the machine. Believe that a nice balance is usually best? The XX...

 

[Guest]

Vegasdude, I subscribe to Sport Rider, and have all the recent issues in front of me, including the latest August issue, which is the one with the 'Bird/'Busa comparo... Where is this article with the '98/'99 'Bird comparo? I would love to see that....

 

[Guest]

Rdalmau, Todd: 200 miles? Really? The magazines are posting the 'Busa's mileage at less than 35, at where you'd have a range of 175 or so. Previous threads on this very BBS includes some people reporting less than 25 mpg, meaning that they would have a range of around 130 miles! Of course, getting 40+ miles per gallon out of the 'Busa is commonly posted as well, in which case you would see just over 200.

If this is true, then I stand corrected. 200 is still short, but I am pretty sure that you could pretty much get over those desolate areas if you filled up at the last gas station and again at the first. 'Course, you'd have to know the distance and the road, and you'd have to do your best to make sure to make it. No racing!

Scary, I am telling you, but if you can squeeze 200+ then you should be okay. And yes, 25 miles really does make that big of a difference. Think about how long 25 miles seems when you are stranded out there...

 

[OB_cbryant]

Cyberjoe,
I have ridden a Blackbird, and although I have only sat on a Bus, I believe there to be an inch or two more legroom. It is a slightly greater reach to the bars on the Bus, however. Also, during those bike magazine tests where sometimes they only came up with 35 mpg, you've got to realize that they are flogging the hell out of that bike. Undoubtedly, my riding style on the regular streets would return marginally better mileage.

 

[Guest]

Sorry about my duplicate posts - not
sure what caused that since I only hit
the submit button once. Anyway - the only
owner to post getting less than 25MPG on
his Busa was JeffW and this was AFTER he
added aftermarket exhaust and remapped.
This was also under heavy throttle conditions. Other owners have ranged from
low 30's to OVER 50 mpg on their Busa's.
I have gotten high 40's on the HW at 80 mph
but have yet to drop out of the 40's with
city/HW mix. Of course mileage will decrease
with increased application of the throttle -
especially on a machine as powerful as the Busa but it's been no different with any vehicle I've ever owned. Mileage information posted by actual Hayabusa owners
and riders has already been posted on this
site previously. Maybe it's time to go back and read them again?