Taking the plunge

[thesnake]

Gents,

First off, let me thank you for the wonderful and informative posts I found at this site!

I am 38 and have been riding bikes ever since I was 7. The last few years I have been bike-less due to middle age responsibilities (house, wife, kids, etc, etc), but I'm feeling to need to resume my biker ways. I've been watching the 'busa since it came out, but I was considering a harley cuz I felt it would temper my aggressive riding tendancy, allow for comfy two-up riding, and be more suited for my age. I actually put a deposit on a dyna glide... Now the pragmatic side of me is kicking in... (did you know that a busa was much cheaper to insure in MA than a 68HP harley?). I'm pretty sure that I'm cancelling the harley and going to pick up the '04 busa down the local suz dealer. Some questions:

1. From everything I heard, 10k out the door cost if pretty fair this time of year-correct?

2. would you recommend the gel or corbin seat for the rider?

3. any comments on the helibars?

4. Any MA riders here? any suggestions as far as dealer recs and negotiation?

5. How many miles are folks getting out of the the bridg. b56 tire? Conservative riding.

As you can tell, my criteria is comfort and performance. I figure the busa has the performance aspect covered nicely, not it's just making it comfy for two-up riding.


cheers,

-snake

 

 

 

[BigBSBusa]

Welcome to the board, Snake! I will answer what I can for 'ya and I'm sure others will also step and provide some responses. In terms of price, my position would be around 10k OTD depending on where you get it. Seating may be a toss up, but more have been reported to be more comfortable than stock. I believe the Corbin has a little more padding than the gel and takes less time to break in. Helibars are pretty popular on the board and can alleviate some of the strain on shorter riders. For tire wear I would be the absolute wrong person to ask because I only have ~ 1500 miles on mine and won't ride for a long time now. I find the 'Busa to be very comfortable and though I don't do it often the passengers have been comfortable as well. Think the Corbin rear seat with backrest will make things more comfortable for the passenger.

Again, welcome and beware of the insanity you are jumping into!

 

[sageronin]

Welcome to the board and congrats on choosing the Busa over the dyna glide. I'm in the middle age category ( I think ) but I went with the genmar bar risers, Tobin seat, though I personally found the Corbin to be more comfortable than the Gel. I changed out my stock tires at 2500 miles ... just because I was in a hurry to get the Diablos. I'm sure you'll get more feedback on your questions.

 

[thesnake]

Thanks for the tips! Sageronin-- that tobin of your looks great! How quickly are you chewing up those diablos?

 

[Glyn]

Welcome and good luck with your new toy, it sounds as though you have earned it.

I am using the Heli bars on mine. The stock seat is OK, but I am considering a full Corbin set up, as the wife reports the rear is not very good. Too sloped and the pegs too high.

As far as price, some dealers are more willing to bargan than others. I thought 10500 otd on an o4 was a pretty good deal , but I understand that you can do better if you shop hard.

If you can take care of the maint. and dont need dealer support, you can probably get in the mid 9k range. If you want god local service, you might have to pay a small premium.

Many dealers still have 03 models that they are willing to deal on, so it pays to shop around.

Most important advice, find a dealer that you are comfortable with, make a fair deal, and be happy!

Remember that if you have been out of this for a while, the new bikes, like the busa, are more single minded than the old UJMs, and are a little less comfortable, but far more capable in their element.

Hope this helps



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[Copperone]

I changed my stock rear 1500 miles. It was pretty wasted. Guess I was having to much fun. I got about 3500 miles out of a metzler M1. Now I'm on a set of Diablos. They warm up fast and are sticky. (Just for future reference.) I paid $9600 out the door last August, so $10,000 now is probably not a bad price. As for the seat, I have a Corbin on my Ducati, and a Gel on the Busa. I just rode 740 miles, Laguna Seca to Mesa Az. on the Gel. Believe in or not I never did have to stand on the pegs. For me, once the gel was broken in I was very pleased with it. Good price from Suzuki; I think it was $130. For me the Gel is the right seat. Just for reference I'm 5'10" and weigh about 160. Oh by the way, you're never to old to love the Busa. I just turned 57 and I love mine. Welcome and good luck.

 

[Pipefighter248]

Welcome to the board.

 

[billbell]

I have 4k on my stock tires right now and can get a little more out of the rear yet. I am new to the Busa world this year so I guess I am taking it easy as I learn how to tame her. You may want to check into the double bubble windscreen too.

 

[Revlis]

I am 38 and have been riding bikes ever since I was 7. The last few years I have been bike-less due to middle age responsibilities (house, wife, kids, etc, etc), but I'm feeling to need to resume my biker ways. I've been watching the 'busa since it came out, but I was considering a harley cuz I felt it would temper my aggressive riding tendancy, allow for comfy two-up riding, and be more suited for my age. I actually put a deposit on a dyna glide... Now the pragmatic side of me is kicking in... (did you know that a busa was much cheaper to insure in MA than a 68HP harley?). I'm pretty sure that I'm cancelling the harley and going to pick up the '04 busa down the local suz dealer. Some questions:

1. From everything I heard, 10k out the door cost if pretty fair this time of year-correct? [/QUOTE]

-Um, that all depends, I think you hear alot of Chest Thumping on the board regarding pricing...  10K for just the bike is pretty fair, but the OTD price will be higher.  I did $11K OTD.  Taxes, tags and title all paid.  But for the most part I would say your in there.

2. would you recommend the gel or corbin seat for the rider?[/QUOTE]

--Th estock seat seems to work for me so far, I have sat on the Corbin a few times and I dunno...  It sorta forces your ass in place.  Which is fine for some but I tend to move around a lot out in the twisties and I think the Corbin might interfere.  The Corbin passenger seat rocks though and the back rest is awesome...

3. any comments on the helibars? [/QUOTE]

---Helibars are my preference because they do not ASS up the cockpit of the Busa.  They are clean and simple to install, high quality, and allmost invisible. Some of the other ways of raising the bars by raising the tripple tree cover just look like hell...  Convertibars are pretty interesting though, allows you to really choose where you want your hands.

4. Any MA riders here? any suggestions as far as dealer recs and negotiation?[/QUOTE]

---Best recommendation negotiation wise is to walk in a with a cashiers check for $10.5 or so.  Tell them you want it now and your paying cash.  What I am saying is either pay outright, or get pre-financed through your own bank.  BUt if you walk in with a bottom line figure allready in hand it puts you in a good position, makes it harder for them to jerk you around...

5. How many miles are folks getting out of the the bridg. b56 tire? Conservative riding.[/QUOTE]

---Define conservative...  

 I got about 2200 outta my first sucky BT 56.  Then replaced it with a much better BT010, that needs replacing at about 2500 I think.  NO burnouts, nothing silly, just twisting it like I mean it...

As you can tell, my criteria is comfort and performance. I figure the busa has the performance aspect covered nicely, not it's just making it comfy for two-up riding.[/QUOTE]

---Corbin Pillion and back rest for your passanger will make a world of difference.  You could PM Raider regarding the back rest, his better half loves it...  Oh, and it's easy to remove..

Welcome to the board...



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[thesnake]

You guys are great--thanks once again.

Revlis- By conservative, I mean no laying down patches of rubber w/ burnouts.

Based on the feedback this will be my strategy:

To start off, I'm going with the stock driver seat, corbin pass seat/rest (keep the wife happy), and helibars (keep my wrists happy).

Get to know the Busa well-- ride, ride, and ride some more.

At, 1500 or so miles, decide on whether I want to corbin seat up front, check out double bubble screens, and get the diablos.

After that, I'll be busy hangin on' to worry about much.

Now if I can just get them to prep and deliver the bike by this weekend!!!

 

[Rob'sBus]

Welcome back to motorcycles. I can't answer most of your technical questions but I will tell you that the Busa is a comfortable machine and can do two-up without any problems. It's a very stable machine due to its weight and arodynamics.

 

[trolleywire]

The Corbin passenger seat is great!! no complaints from the other half