OK BT, let me be the voice of reason. Before you go out and just sell the busa for a 600, do me one favor. Go sign up for the MSF Experienced Rides Course. In this course you will practice maneuvering the busa at low speeds and handling sharp turns. If your confidence is not improved then by all means, buy something that makes you feel comfortable. I would rather see you spend $100 (not quite sure what the exact price is up there) then loose your money on the busa. The busa can be an agile piece of machinery, but like anything in life worth while, it takes practice and time.
Thinkin' of sellin' the busa...
- Thread starter BulletTrain
- Start date
Hey BT, got in on this late, but I'll throw it in anyway.....I'm a big guy like you, 6'4", 280 lbs. You will find that if you buy a 600 and want to push it hard, there won't be enough suspension to accomodate your current weight. You will need to upgrade both ends of the bike, and that ain't cheap, my friend. And another thing...you drop a 600 or a 750 and the repair bill is gonna be darn near as ugly as it will be on the busa. Plastics ain't cheap nowadays for anything.
If you just gotta see for yourself, find an old (late 80's) 600, you should be able to get a runner for around 1500 bucks. That's only 2 paint jobs, buddy, and I'll buy the first one you do. Get your shop up and running, and you'll have enough paint business from this board alone to support a 600 track bike habit!!
I'm not bluffin here....I'm in for your first set of custom painted plastics....name the price.....but you gotta keep the busa!
TBone
If you just gotta see for yourself, find an old (late 80's) 600, you should be able to get a runner for around 1500 bucks. That's only 2 paint jobs, buddy, and I'll buy the first one you do. Get your shop up and running, and you'll have enough paint business from this board alone to support a 600 track bike habit!!
I'm not bluffin here....I'm in for your first set of custom painted plastics....name the price.....but you gotta keep the busa!
TBone
Right dead perfect spot on answer.....you won't believe how much you will learn riding a dirt bike...and repairs and injury risk is super low in comparison.two words. dirt bike
you can get one in the hundreds of dollars and can teach you slow riding skillz like you can't believe.
If you are telling the truth about your intentions, I think you are making a big mistake going with another liter bike... A liter bike is LESS forgiving then a Busa. The handle-bars are positioned very low and I think you will find your confidence factor is even lower on the 1000 then it was on the Busa just by mere position. I have had an aggressive zx7r and I still think that bike was way to big and aggressive to learn slow turns or anything else for that matter but speed...
If you are serious... you will go with a MUCH smaller bike then a 1000
I wouldn't go any higher then a 600 and I doubt it would be a real sportbike. The Katana someone suggested is not a bad idea for what you have in mind.
I would also stick to the cheapest bike possible. Your fear of wrecking your new 1000 will be just as high as it was for the Busa, continuing to stunt your growth...
Cloud
If you are serious... you will go with a MUCH smaller bike then a 1000
I wouldn't go any higher then a 600 and I doubt it would be a real sportbike. The Katana someone suggested is not a bad idea for what you have in mind.
I would also stick to the cheapest bike possible. Your fear of wrecking your new 1000 will be just as high as it was for the Busa, continuing to stunt your growth...
Cloud
I feel you should worry about wrecking ANY bike. Oddly, busa's cost the same as liter bikes, and thus are really no different. Besides, reguardless of what kind of bike you are on, in street-based twisties, one loose chuck of pavement, one patch of sand missed at 90 mph, one large twig, one slick from roadkill is STILL gonna toss you and your bike to your fate. It's your choice, roll with what you need to do. I will still love you... in that manly sort of way
gaw
Registered
BT,
Kind of been kicking around the same idea lately.
Here is what I am going to do. Not ready to sell the busa, and I want to be a better rider on the busa, especially in the twisties. I have done track days on a 600, a lot of fun, but still not the busa.
I can afford another bike, and have been thinking of getting a smaller track bike, but then again why!
The busa is the bike I will ride on most, if not all, my trips. I ride with a group of friends that have many different bikes and go at different speeds.
If I get better on the 600 bike at the track, I still am going to ride the Busa on the trips and through the twisties.
I have decided to just get better on the bike I am going to ride almost all of the time, the busa.
Can't really worry about droppig it, if I drop it I drop it!
Truth is, I have dropped my wife's 600 bandit several times, and it is a much lighter bike than the busa.
At this point instead of spending the money on a different bike I am planning on some track schools and track days.
I have taken the level I Keith Code superbike school, learned a lot. I did take that school on their bike, but will take level II on the busa, I maybe slower than most for a while, but I have a feeling that the busa will hold it's own once I learn how to throw her into a corner
I really like the busa, the comfort, the power, the speed. I guess the comfort of the busa is what I will not give up. Having this bike's power with the comfort to ride all day, I have not seen another bike like it yet.
The busa is really the best of all bikes.
So as for me I have decided to become a better rider on the bike I currently ride, the busa.
Track days and track schools.
Whatever you do, do it for you and enjoy the ride. I have owned several bikes over the last 10 years, and I really like the busa the best.
Always keep the rubberside down and ride safe.
Kind of been kicking around the same idea lately.
Here is what I am going to do. Not ready to sell the busa, and I want to be a better rider on the busa, especially in the twisties. I have done track days on a 600, a lot of fun, but still not the busa.
I can afford another bike, and have been thinking of getting a smaller track bike, but then again why!
The busa is the bike I will ride on most, if not all, my trips. I ride with a group of friends that have many different bikes and go at different speeds.
If I get better on the 600 bike at the track, I still am going to ride the Busa on the trips and through the twisties.
I have decided to just get better on the bike I am going to ride almost all of the time, the busa.
Can't really worry about droppig it, if I drop it I drop it!
Truth is, I have dropped my wife's 600 bandit several times, and it is a much lighter bike than the busa.
At this point instead of spending the money on a different bike I am planning on some track schools and track days.
I have taken the level I Keith Code superbike school, learned a lot. I did take that school on their bike, but will take level II on the busa, I maybe slower than most for a while, but I have a feeling that the busa will hold it's own once I learn how to throw her into a corner
I really like the busa, the comfort, the power, the speed. I guess the comfort of the busa is what I will not give up. Having this bike's power with the comfort to ride all day, I have not seen another bike like it yet.
The busa is really the best of all bikes.
So as for me I have decided to become a better rider on the bike I currently ride, the busa.
Track days and track schools.
Whatever you do, do it for you and enjoy the ride. I have owned several bikes over the last 10 years, and I really like the busa the best.
Always keep the rubberside down and ride safe.
Mikey D
Registered
Can't believe I didn't mention this earlier!Right dead perfect spot on answer.....you won't believe how much you will learn riding a dirt bike...and repairs and injury risk is super low in comparison.two words. dirt bike
you can get one in the hundreds of dollars and can teach you slow riding skillz like you can't believe.
It's the ADD thing.
I've said it before BT, a CR500 has the same power to weight ratio as the busa and it weighs 220 lbs! (roughtly 67 HP)
This is where I learned to slide the back end around. I rode street for 8 years before buying my first dirt bike (an IT490). After riding the IT around for a year or so, I was on the street (KZ700 at the time) and I broke the rear end loose going around a turn. Prior to mey experience in the dirt I definately would have panicked and crashed. Instead I was able to keep it cool, slide it around and come out saying to myself, "Hey, that was cool!"
Try the dirt routine first, best to find a friend (Come on there's got to be some dirt riding popo down there! There is here!
Good luck bro!
1127 TO 1299
Registered
by a used bike and practice on it
you will regret it if you sell the busa.
Like fstbusa said: get a dirtbike this is how i learned and made me a better rider today.
KEEP THE BUSA YOU WHUUS!
no seriously KEEP THE BUSA
why don't you sell your house and move in a 1 bdr apartment so you can get better in cleaning it!
good luck with your decision.
you know what's best for you.
Blue-GSX
Registered
you will be better off keeping the busa and learning on it .....take a motorcycle safety course and spend some time looking at motorcycle road racing and ride with other busa owners the reason i can give this tip is i ride a 82 kawasaki 1300. 6 cyle motorcycle 650 lbs and it can be done
p.s don't sell the busa.......you won't regreat it.
p.s don't sell the busa.......you won't regreat it.
BT,
You are having the same problem my wife has, not enough seat time, but you have one other, trying to do too much too soon.
She's been riding a cruiser bike for 2-1/2 yaers and has a grand total of 1640 miles on it. She wanted a sport bike, so I got her a YZF600 that probably has about 300 miles in 6 months.
She still freaks out riding on inclines, and she slows way down on curves. It totally annoyed me this past Sunday when I got her out on the cruiser bike, whenshe asked me how to lock the bars when we parked. She rides so infrequently, she doesn't remember how things work on the bike.
She get's pissed at me when I tell her she needs to ride more and practice new and old skills. Not withstanding the fact that she is only a fair-weather rider, she claims she doesn't have time to ride more, but she has been making noise about getting another bike.
The impression I get from you from what you posted so far, is that you envision yourself whipping through the twisties effortlessly with your bike leaned way over with your elbows scrapping the ground while all decked out in leathers. Doing it while riding the baddest machine out there, the Busa, is even better.
Kicking in the afterburners on the Busa while in the twisties is very scary, and very dangerous, especially when trying to lean the Busa way over around tight turns. You need to really know the road you are on, knowing every turn from memory before you crankup the speed. From what I can recall, you mostly ride alone and probably never followed behind someone who knows the proper lines to ride on the roads.
I ride once a week with guys on 600 and 1000 cc bikes in the twisties who float through the turns like they are on a cloud, while I am using 100% concentration to follow them and am still falling behind. Why? Because these guys have ridden those roads for years, they ride them 4-5 times a week, and they do track days. Plus, the Busa can't necessarily corner as well as those lighter and smaller bikes.
There are thousand upon thousands of riders here in Cali, with hundreds of miles of twisties to ride. Just on the local bike board I post on, every week there are at least four newbies and guys who should know better who wad their new bikes into cars, trees, and rocks. The bike of choice? The Yamaha R6. Why? Because they want to go fast through the twisties without ever learning how to do it correctly and with minimal skills. Most of these bikes have less then 100 miles on them. These are the guys who didn't need anyone to show them how to ride, they will learn it as they go.
The local board puts on free twisty rides every week where they teach a skill first then take people on three hour rides to practice that particular skill, such as cornering, tight turns etc. There are 30 to 80 riders who participate, with the main problem is getting enough leaders and sweepers to break the groups up in small groups.
Very few people have a natural ability to ride fast and well. It takes practice, more practice, and proper instruction on how to do it right. The best way is a novice trackday class. Around here, tht costs about $200 for a one day, or $350 for a two day class. The second way is to ride with someone who can give you pointers and show you how to hit the turns. If you have to hit the brakes or change your lean angle in a turn, you aren't doing it right. the third way is to read books such as "A twist of the wrist II" or "Sport Riding Techniques", preferably with a video.
A skill like riding takes practice to get proficient. Once you get better and smoother, you get faster. Trying to be fast won't make you smooth. When I learned how to fly, it took me 40-50 practice attempted landings before I could consistently make good landings. If I don't go out on a sunday and practice a few landings, I get sloppy. It's the same with with everyone, no matter how many years you have been doing it.
Do a novice trackday, find a few riding buddies who know how to ride before making a final descision about the Busa or getting another bike.
Good Luck.
You are having the same problem my wife has, not enough seat time, but you have one other, trying to do too much too soon.
She's been riding a cruiser bike for 2-1/2 yaers and has a grand total of 1640 miles on it. She wanted a sport bike, so I got her a YZF600 that probably has about 300 miles in 6 months.
She still freaks out riding on inclines, and she slows way down on curves. It totally annoyed me this past Sunday when I got her out on the cruiser bike, whenshe asked me how to lock the bars when we parked. She rides so infrequently, she doesn't remember how things work on the bike.
She get's pissed at me when I tell her she needs to ride more and practice new and old skills. Not withstanding the fact that she is only a fair-weather rider, she claims she doesn't have time to ride more, but she has been making noise about getting another bike.
The impression I get from you from what you posted so far, is that you envision yourself whipping through the twisties effortlessly with your bike leaned way over with your elbows scrapping the ground while all decked out in leathers. Doing it while riding the baddest machine out there, the Busa, is even better.
Kicking in the afterburners on the Busa while in the twisties is very scary, and very dangerous, especially when trying to lean the Busa way over around tight turns. You need to really know the road you are on, knowing every turn from memory before you crankup the speed. From what I can recall, you mostly ride alone and probably never followed behind someone who knows the proper lines to ride on the roads.
I ride once a week with guys on 600 and 1000 cc bikes in the twisties who float through the turns like they are on a cloud, while I am using 100% concentration to follow them and am still falling behind. Why? Because these guys have ridden those roads for years, they ride them 4-5 times a week, and they do track days. Plus, the Busa can't necessarily corner as well as those lighter and smaller bikes.
There are thousand upon thousands of riders here in Cali, with hundreds of miles of twisties to ride. Just on the local bike board I post on, every week there are at least four newbies and guys who should know better who wad their new bikes into cars, trees, and rocks. The bike of choice? The Yamaha R6. Why? Because they want to go fast through the twisties without ever learning how to do it correctly and with minimal skills. Most of these bikes have less then 100 miles on them. These are the guys who didn't need anyone to show them how to ride, they will learn it as they go.
The local board puts on free twisty rides every week where they teach a skill first then take people on three hour rides to practice that particular skill, such as cornering, tight turns etc. There are 30 to 80 riders who participate, with the main problem is getting enough leaders and sweepers to break the groups up in small groups.
Very few people have a natural ability to ride fast and well. It takes practice, more practice, and proper instruction on how to do it right. The best way is a novice trackday class. Around here, tht costs about $200 for a one day, or $350 for a two day class. The second way is to ride with someone who can give you pointers and show you how to hit the turns. If you have to hit the brakes or change your lean angle in a turn, you aren't doing it right. the third way is to read books such as "A twist of the wrist II" or "Sport Riding Techniques", preferably with a video.
A skill like riding takes practice to get proficient. Once you get better and smoother, you get faster. Trying to be fast won't make you smooth. When I learned how to fly, it took me 40-50 practice attempted landings before I could consistently make good landings. If I don't go out on a sunday and practice a few landings, I get sloppy. It's the same with with everyone, no matter how many years you have been doing it.
Do a novice trackday, find a few riding buddies who know how to ride before making a final descision about the Busa or getting another bike.
Good Luck.
I have riden a lot of motorcycles, not all by any means, but a lot. I have owned/ridden cruiser style, sport style and two full on ProMod drag bikes. Through out all this one thing that has always struck me is that they all ride the same. Your skills will not improve faster with a different bike, they will improve with practice on any bike.
I had a 1991 GSXR750 that was the champion superbike in 91, won all the races that year and the next too. A stock 91 GSXR750 weights 459 pounds. My 2003 Busa weights 473 pounds. The busa is every bit as easy to ride in the twisties as my GSXR750 was. Also, like others have already mentioned, my busa is WAY more stable to ride and does not have the weird head shake problem my old GSXR750 had that nearly killed me twice comming out of fast coners. It also had a shorter wheel base and felt like it was falling over any time I was below 35 or 40.
My humble opinion is that you should keep your Busa because getting a different bike is not going to solve your problem. If you don't feel confident take a professional class and learn the skills you feel are weak.
<!--EDIT|Krieg
Reason for Edit: None given...|1087506224 -->
I had a 1991 GSXR750 that was the champion superbike in 91, won all the races that year and the next too. A stock 91 GSXR750 weights 459 pounds. My 2003 Busa weights 473 pounds. The busa is every bit as easy to ride in the twisties as my GSXR750 was. Also, like others have already mentioned, my busa is WAY more stable to ride and does not have the weird head shake problem my old GSXR750 had that nearly killed me twice comming out of fast coners. It also had a shorter wheel base and felt like it was falling over any time I was below 35 or 40.
My humble opinion is that you should keep your Busa because getting a different bike is not going to solve your problem. If you don't feel confident take a professional class and learn the skills you feel are weak.
<!--EDIT|Krieg
Reason for Edit: None given...|1087506224 -->
Just thought I'd update everyone. I have traded my busa for a Ninja 250 and some boot $$$. It's BAD ASS!!!
Ok, I can't even play like that is true!
The real update is this... All the replies I got both here and on the other board gave me a lot to think about that I couldn't have taken into consideration without tappin' into the knowledge bases of more experienced riders through the forums. I wish I could say that after readin' all the replies and doin' some thinkin', the right choice was crystal clear. That's just not the case. I can't say what I'll ultimately end up doin'. The truth is that after readin' all the replies and doin' some thinkin', it's not that I think I should stay my current course. I'm simply not as sure of the path I was about to choose.
Every reply from both boards gave me information and ideas that I may have initially resisted. I may have tried to defend the course of action I thought I needed to take. After absorbin' all of it though, I am beginning to see more and more the logic behind the replies and suggestions.
So, for now I'm gonna hold onto the busa and try to get more seat time. I'm also going to go to a big empty parking lot and practice some stuff that I feel like I'm lackin' in. I guess if I drop the damned thing, I just drop it. Maybe I won't fug 'er up too bad learnin' what I need to learn. I'm determined to learn all I can though.
If I trash 'er it'll break my heart but I'll just have to live with the fact that I started out on the wrong bike to learn on and pay the price for my stupidity. Maybe I'll be blessed and at least not break anything I can't fix myself. Me thinks it's a good thing I can paint!
Wish me luck. I'll keep ya posted with my progress... and pics of the rash.
Oh, before someone comments on my cynical outlook on this, I'm just kiddin'. I'm actually feelin' pretty confident that I can do this without trashin' 'er. She may not come out scratch free, but I'm feelin' pretty good about it if I just take it slow and work up to whatever I wanna do on 'er.
Thanks again to all who took the time to reply and allow me to take advantage of your riding experience and knowledge base. If I succeed at learnin' to master these things on the busa, I'll be very thankful to those of you who urged me to keep 'er. If I trash 'er, there's nowhere on this earth that you guys can hide that will make yer ass safe from The Train. Hehehehehehehehehehe...
The real update is this... All the replies I got both here and on the other board gave me a lot to think about that I couldn't have taken into consideration without tappin' into the knowledge bases of more experienced riders through the forums. I wish I could say that after readin' all the replies and doin' some thinkin', the right choice was crystal clear. That's just not the case. I can't say what I'll ultimately end up doin'. The truth is that after readin' all the replies and doin' some thinkin', it's not that I think I should stay my current course. I'm simply not as sure of the path I was about to choose.
Every reply from both boards gave me information and ideas that I may have initially resisted. I may have tried to defend the course of action I thought I needed to take. After absorbin' all of it though, I am beginning to see more and more the logic behind the replies and suggestions.
So, for now I'm gonna hold onto the busa and try to get more seat time. I'm also going to go to a big empty parking lot and practice some stuff that I feel like I'm lackin' in. I guess if I drop the damned thing, I just drop it. Maybe I won't fug 'er up too bad learnin' what I need to learn. I'm determined to learn all I can though.
If I trash 'er it'll break my heart but I'll just have to live with the fact that I started out on the wrong bike to learn on and pay the price for my stupidity. Maybe I'll be blessed and at least not break anything I can't fix myself. Me thinks it's a good thing I can paint!
Oh, before someone comments on my cynical outlook on this, I'm just kiddin'. I'm actually feelin' pretty confident that I can do this without trashin' 'er. She may not come out scratch free, but I'm feelin' pretty good about it if I just take it slow and work up to whatever I wanna do on 'er.
Thanks again to all who took the time to reply and allow me to take advantage of your riding experience and knowledge base. If I succeed at learnin' to master these things on the busa, I'll be very thankful to those of you who urged me to keep 'er. If I trash 'er, there's nowhere on this earth that you guys can hide that will make yer ass safe from The Train. Hehehehehehehehehehe...
Let's hope the side business does well. I'm tired as Hell of bein' broke!
Nah, I'm gonna continue to prep the spare body for custom paint. I don't think I'll put the newly painted body on 'er until I've done some practicin' though. I'd HATE to rash the new custom paint!!!
jumbo
Registered
Heres a thought BT since your keeping the Busa why don't you get some longer frame slider so if you do lay it down you will not mess up the body work. Make sure that they are long enough so that none of the body will come into contact with the ground. They may not look pretty but they will protect the bike. Just my .02
Similar threads
