Thinking about a Hayabusa as a first bike?

I have a question for you gentlemen I currently own a 600 katana and looking at the review i see most the of eynali's problems have to do with the weight of the boosaa (what i want on my license plate). Any way i talked to a guy the other day who said the katana and the busa weigh about the same so my question to you is besides the hp/torque what other difference are in the bikes. I also heard that the boosaa was a lot more stable at low speeds than the kat, which is where me and the kat usually get involved in our wrestling matches. I took the brc on my kat and was able to stay in the little u turn box and even got a little peg scrap on the cornering drill. I feel really comfortable leaning the bike over turns and have become really proficent on the bike. Am i ready for the boosaa?
 
First post.  Anyways I just want to add that my first bike experience was a 2000 Kawasaki Ninja 750 i believe or 600....it was cafe style.  Anyways it was at night and I was 17....it was my friends dads haha
tounge.gif
well I drove it for about a hour at like 2am and didnt drop it or anything.  Although I slipped on the clutch and almost pulled the wheel off the ground.  But I didnt crash or anything.  My only explanation for getting the hang of a bike so quick is I was a HARDCORE street biker.....uhh meaning street BMX biking....and I had and have amazing balancing skills....even when flying down a 10 step handrail :p.  I am thinking about getting a Hayabusa but it would take like a year to buy it straight up cash so I have time to think about it.  The reason I wont be getting a bike if it isnt a busa is simply because im not buying something I dont want just to get experience its just a waste of my money.  Nuff rant.
biggrin.gif
 Nice people here btw!



<!--EDIT|IanBMW
Reason for Edit: None given...|1088980180 -->
 
Fellas,
Just want to chime in with my experience as a relatively new owner of a 2003 Silver grey Busa. I have been riding on and off since the early 70's and by nature tend to be conservative and cautious when riding. have taken all the Saefety courses and am committed to being the very best rider that I can be under all circumstances.
My previous motorcycle was a 2001 Suzuki Bandit 1200S which I set up for sport touring and have done the same with the Busa. Honestly, I was a little intimidated when I first left the dealer and made a series of right turns until I started feeling comfortable. I took it out to large vacant parking lot that same day and did tight figure 8's, circles. stopping, starting, shifting, getting a sense of the heft and how she handles in slow speed situations. Eventually, as I became more comfortable, took her out on the highway, have ridden the canyon roads and have been on extended road trips.
When I rode the Bandit, I was usually riding sweep which is fine for me and frankly, that hasn't changed with the Busa. I find riding the canyons the most challenging and sobering. I find this bike is so powwerful, fast and reasponsive that you can go into a corner too hot very easily, if you're not careful. She is an absolute beaast on the straightaways or wide sweepers. But she's not a Gixxer. She's long, low, heavy and fast and requires very careful throttle control and attention.
Ironically, I feel that she makes me a better rider by not taking her for granted, being cognizant of it's power and responsiveness and demanding more of me. In the interest of familiarizing myself with her, I took her out to a track day in August at Buttonwillow and that was an interesting experience. I found myself in 3rd gear most of the time and I leaned her over to the max without losing traction. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of upshifting approaching a right turn and then when downshifting and braking, she fishtailed and rather than attempt the turn I braked and rode her off into the dirt, eventually dropping her on the right side. I jumped back on the bike finished the session, sat out the next one but finished the day. It cost me $478 to repaint the right lower cowling, the upper cowling and front fender and replace the decal. But, all in all, it was a great and confidence inspiring experience. Would I take her to the track again, no, but I don't regret it.
In summation, I bought her in July, have 2500 miles on her, She's the absolute best machine, I've ever owned. She's smooth, powerful, comfortable, responsive and within reason handles very well. I think any bike without the right mind set or attitude will hurt you. I think the key to riding the Busa is an acute awareness and respect for what this bike is capable of and also of your own limitations and having a sense of humility. Enjoy what she does best and be mindful of her limitations.

Rafael
 
I haven't heard from anyone with my experience/age about their experience, so i'll put my 2 cents in.
1.I'm 22 years old
2.This is my second bike(my first was a nighthawk 750 that i bought 6 months ago)

     I consider myself not so experienced, and young with a tendancy to ride fast, but i believe that I am more qualified to ride this bike than alot of experienced riders out there.Why? It's very simple..............Common sense!
I have only ridden 4 motorcycles in my life, and those have all been within the last 6 months of my life(nighthawk, bandit 1200, yamaha 600r, busa), but I can tell you of those the busa is the easiest, and most stable one of all.
     The only thing you have to keep in mind about this bike as compared to others is size.......It's big..physically it's heavy and would be hard for someone to control who does not completely trust themselves or the bike. I can't say I will never go down, because the odds are not in my favor, but I can say that I have complete confidence in myself.  And I believe that is what you need(And sense...Lots of sense)!
     If you can drive a car safely and you know that you pay attention to all traffic and cell phone sigarette smoking loud music listening(I listen to loud music too) morons behind the wheel of huge suvs, than a Busa is an option.  
              If you have ridden at least one motorcyle and have a general idea of how you perform, you should be able to decide.....The hayabusa is a beast, but it is very tameable and easy to controle if you trust it.  I, by no means, believe that I am a great rider, nor do I know how to use this bike as the performance machine that it is(I bow down to all of you who help us newbies and share your wealth of knowledge).My point here is that it is a motorcyle that someone with minimal experience can ride safely as long as they believe in themselves and can manuver a smaller bike.  If you are in any way unsure of yourself with a smaller bike, STAY AWAY! Getting a hayabusa will only complicate the matter.

I just hope people read this because i know this is an older post and I will probably have to write it again in the future, but i think that someone in my age group and experience can relate to me better than the rest of you experienced guys.


Oh BTW, I took the MSF course and that was where I rode my first motorcycle, 6 months ago!  I highly recommend it to beginners as it will teach you what every rider that wants to stay uppright knows!!!!!TAKE THE COURSE!!! It is there that you will find out your skills and see if it comes natural to you....all on a bike you don't have to worry about if you drop it.
 
Some usefull info might also be that i had about 3000 miles on my first bike(nighthawk) before I got the busa......I never droped a bike, yet, and i do agree that the hayabusa shouldn't be the first bike you ride, though i'm not sure about the amount of time you should spen on another bike before you go for the beast. Like i said before, the only difference between this bike and most others is size and speed. If you can controle a smaller bike fairly easily, you can learn to control the speed of the busa and it's size will not make a difference as long as you don't freak out in a parking lot and try to stop with your feet or something stupid like that.(You may see lots of people, usually woman, trying this in the msf class)
 
Well guys I am the person you write about. I researched several bikes for a few months all in the 750-1000 class wa saware of the Busas existence but never considered it. Came to game time and went to the dealership to find a great deal and if that included a motorcycyle then that would be awesome. Last day of the year closeouts on the floor year end inventory loomed in the near future, was able to land the Busa for $4700 under list now thats a great deal. 2 helmets and 3 year extended warranty tossed in on top of that! So now as I surf the amazing web at light speed I find your site oh and id I mention this owuld be my very first bike and havent ridden for 18 yeras and didnt do much back then either. I've been racing mtn bikes for 8 years and have hit any God created obstacle you can think of, I became wiser and lost the NO FEAR mentality after several hospital visits. So as I sit here and ponder all of your wisdoms and insight. I keep 2 tings in mind. 25 years ago my dad hit a flock of sheep as he crested a hill at 70 mph. didnt see it coming and he told when you are no longer afraid of the bike that's when it'll get you. I have great amount of respect for any bike wether it be with 2 pedals or 1300cc. I've seen the idots in traffic and you think car drivers dont look out for motorcycles try rippin thru NYC, D.C. or Columbus at 35 mph on a bicycle they never dream you are travelling that fast and ALWAYS pull out in front of you. So I've said all of that to say this, I'm 6'4 225 lbs and the Busa was the best fitting machine, everything else made me feel handcuffed, I got a great deal (2004 Ltd ed.)and a level of fear that is only surpassed by my fear of God and I have no interest in "catching the bike". I will take the MSF and practice out in my rural area get to know my Busa and respect the Beast while trying to tame it. Godspeed.
 
After reading these posts it makes my decsion that much harder. I have no motorcycle experience, none. My problem is I would hate to waste my money on a bike I don't want just to practice. Knowing the whole time all I want is a Busa.
 
I have to say I just bought a Busa on Sunday and drove it 200 miles home after taking a weekend class 3 months ago to get my license. This is my first bike, and the only one I have been on outside of the training class. I was very worried about getting it home so I took someone with me with some experience if I could not handle it. All in all I found it very easy and was fairly comfortable by the time I was home. I did also make sure to have a very nice helmet jacket gloves boots and pants just in case. I almost wish I had experience with other bikes to compare with but the bike is smooth as silk very forgiving on the gears and stears sooo easy. After all the horror stories I was concerned now I just think you have problems if you drive like an ass! So all in all its a bad idea that works for me
smile.gif
 
when you buy tires, be very careful.
get the same tires you have,
or better (like the michelin pilot power)

because the busa is a straight line bike.
not meant for corners.

anything less than what comes stock comes at the price of handling.

just my 2 cents, busa is my 3rd bike.
 
Hi all, I like and understand alot of concerns about a hayabusa being a first bike. Well as much as that is true, its also true that it takes a certain type of person to respect anything and have the will power to hold back. even if it is holding back their need to speed.

My first bike is my 2005 Busa. I bought it a month ago. Never rode anything before that except my friends cruiser about 10 years ago once and my brothers yzf1000 once a few months ago. Ive never been down and i have no problem keeping up in group rides.

So as i said as much as i agree its also a disagree. I say to each their own.
 
Well, i have wanted a bike for years. I will be turning 20 on July 5, 2006, and was tought how to drive a manual car when i was 13. I do not have a fear of riding, and have ridden anything and everything except a bike. I have never had any trouble with riding pretty intense trails on a Race Quad, and riding the mountains of Montana on a snow mobile. I know i will be able to save up for a Hayabusa within a year, and have been debating whether to start on one or not. After reading all these posts and taking in all the knowledge from you "seasoned" riders, i think i will go ahead and get a Hayabusa. i will most definately take the MSF class, and i have also been told that there is a book out that is great to read...it is one of the "dummie" books, like "Riding for Dummies" or something. i have never been in a car accident, i see myself as a confident and sensable driver. i am young, but have driven 600+ miles in a day several times, on top of a 60 mile commute to college every day...+the distances i have to go to get to Paintball practice that are about 100+miles away every sunday. as of now, i am hopeing that i become intimidated by the Busa when i get it and will be able to tame it. so thank you all for putting in your words of wisdom, and i will keep in touch here and post up pictures as soon as i get my bike.


also, any idea about how much insurance might cost?? I live in Pittsburgh PA....and one other thing, where would you all reccomend buying a bike from?? a dealership, new or used....thanks everyone who has helped us noobies so far
tounge.gif
 
if you hope for intimidation she will hurt you. all your quad and car experience can not prepare you for the power of a busa you ,have no idea .with an attitude like that you better go get a 250 rebel and do us and you a favor and learn to ride first . there is a reason you only see older people driving cadillac's
 
why do u think i will hurt myself? because i want intimidation? that means that i am accostomed to speed and would hope that she will keep me in check and that i wont be on a 650 pushing it past what i should.....i'm not trying to take the bike out on the road and do anything stupid, which you either think that, or you think that i will just let it get away from me....well, i don't play on taking her on the open road until i learn to control it on the large open parking lots in my area. i'm sorry you think i need to start on a 250...but to each their own...
 
I am seeking the input of new and experienced rides while I am waiting for a new busa. Let me time box it: 500 CBX, 750 Magna, 1200 Goldwing, 1400 Calvacade Suzuki (dry weight) 850lbs, 1500 Kawa Vulcan Classic. Rid experience 40 years - Physical shape 215 lbs, great shape, inseam 30 1/2". What concerns me is the refernce to dumping the bike at low speeds, is that inherent to the busa? I live on a and made lft right turns with the Clavacade and Vulcan - at low speeds. Also stopped up hill to turn left into my garage. Thank you for your input.
 
I am new here, but we have about the same years riding (47 for me), and even though I have only put 1000 miles on the bike since I bought it last week, I have never had the problem your asking about. Maybe it's the age and riding time thats answered the problem
idea3.gif
 
aside from the weight, busa is a gentle giant in sub 5k rpm area. It'll probably make a better 1st bike than Sv650. Sv650 with it's Vtwin torque and feather light weight would be much more abrupt. If you are a big dude like me, It will be unnerving to ride it on the highway with it's twitch bouncy stock shocks and god aweful damper rod forks not to mention very slippery stock dunlop rubbers.

When I pulled busa out of dealer parking lot. I was scared chitless from all these damn talk about beasty busa this monster busa that. But that's all that is just talk. It ain't so bad. Actually it's a very easy confidence inspiring bike IF you have throttle control. If you are a natural CLUTS, obviously you don't belong on any motorcycle except a 50CC Honda scooter.

If you got the money to repair the plastics and pay for the upkeep of your busa , I'd say go for it. Just don't forget throttle control.
 
5 minutes ago, i completed the purchase of my 06 (burgandy/black) hay-bus! hell, Im in the army, and currently 2 months into my 12 month tour in afghanistan, but i feel almost orgasmic knowing that such a beautiful machine will be sitting in my garage when I get off the plane! This is only my 2nd bike. my first bike was an 02 yami R6, which I rode for two full years. I know the busa will be a world apart, but i respect her already, as just looking at the pic my salesman sent me gives me chills!!!!! GOD I WISH THIS WAR WAS OVER!
 
I wish the war's over too. Have you noticed we've been fighting a major every 12 to 15 years? from 18th century on?
 
Back
Top