Touring a Turbo?

[Audiomaker]

Hi everyone, my name is Sean.

I hate being that guy who's a newbie and has to come in at the last minute with a "help me!" post, but sometimes it just works out that way and so here goes....

I have been in the market for a Turbo Busa for quite some time. I have had many "fast" bikes in my time, but only one turbo bike many many years ago (Yamaha 650 Seca).

So here's the deal, I'm shopping for one of these bikes all over the country and I live on the west coast of Oregon, but most of the bikes I'm interested in are in Florida...or almost that far.

The final usage of whichever bike I end up with will be mostly commuting and sport touring, but I'm still thirsty for speed and somehow need the fastest bike in the area....midlife crisis I guess (I'm 44).
There is some drag racing in my area too that I'd like to get involved with from time to time.

Many of the turbo Haybusa's I see are drag bikes (all stages), and far far away.

I would love to be able to purchase one and ride it home, but I really don't know what I should expect and what mod's I should be prepared to make or un-make at the purchase site.

For instance... if I find a 2001 with a Stage 3 that puts out 350hp on C16, can I just have the boost lowered and ride it 3000mi on pump gas in July with saddlebags on it?

I know I should be providing the group an actual bike to consider, but in my case I can't. I will actually consider which bike to buy depending on what you guys tell me.

So... need to go a very long distance (at least to get it home), need to commute in traffic, and want to be really really fast at those times when my friend's built GSXR-1000 is showing off again.

I don't really want to buy a stock bike and start building on it. I just don't have the time. I would be perfectly happy with a 250hp bike, but is it OK to take a bike built for much more and taper it down?
Again, I'd rather put the turn signals back on a drag bike than have to install a turbo on a stock bike later...if that makes sense?

Any drawbacks in backing off a stage 3 for touring...or a stage two...etc? BTW I really don't know all the differences in stages or which engine mod's would be beneficial or harmful for my grand plan here?

(sigh)

I hope that makes sense, and any help would be super appreciated.
Sean

 

[semi]

bump

 

[GoldenChild]

I'm right at your front door, and can set you up in no time with however you want your bike to look and run. I have a dyno and multiple hayabusas. You live here, can have it built here and ride it home in 30 minutes to a couple hours from here. If you ever had trouble your close enough we can solve it. Feel free to pm me your # and we can get started now with your build.

I'm at the drag strips all over this coast.

Where you live at in Oregon?

 

[kromdom]

I'm right at your front door, and can set you up in no time with however you want your bike to look and run. If you ever had trouble your close enough we can solve it. Feel free to pm me your # and we can get started now with your build.

Heed GOLDENCHILD above.....his words are worth its weight in GOLD

 

[SS14PSI]

I don't know much about turbo bikes, but I do know that if you buy a bike tuned for something like C16 and you want to ride it cross country home on pump gas, you're going to have to have it tuned on pump gas before you leave in order to be safe with that motor. Just something to consider.

 

[OZBooster]

Part of the STG3 thing will be a bigger turbo , which gives more lag , you probably don't want a gt35 for commuting,
stg 1 are usually a fmu /PC system, cheap , often on a std motor , not very versatile if you want to stage boost through the gears to be more usable
stg 2 very much the pick of the bunch if you don't mind spending a little more money , most will have a secondary ecu responding to pressure for on boost fueling ,your more likely to have it on a part built motor
the above applies mostly to gen 1 , gen 2 can be built as gen 1 but with the ecu editor now available gen 2 does not need extra ecu's or secondary systems or add on boost controllers , it can be all flashed into the std ecu
often refered to as a stg 1/2 this setup can be quite cheap and for general use i think the best option
Intercooler is always an advantage , but an air/air does limit front clearance
Water inj also can be a nice addition , providing greater detonation resistance

 

[TallTom]

Why not just hire Keyboard. Keyboard Motorcycle Shipping - Great Motorcycle Shipping! Transport Your Motorcycle With Keyboard! Cheapest I have found and they do first class shipments.

 

[The Big Red One]

I'm running a stage 1 turbo kit on my 14, its been very reliable for street riding and has way more power than I can actually use on the street. There's a guy on the zx14 forums that has close to 40,000 touring miles on his 14 with a muzzy stage 1 kit.
A stage 1 kit on a gen1 busa would get you 240-250 reliable rwhp without touching the engine, and wouldn't break the bank. Be careful buying a used turbo bike, they can often come with expensive problems. Unless you really know how to thoroughly check a turbo bike out, it might be better to just go with Daniel and have one built for you, especially if you plan on keeping it long term.
BTW I also had a Seca 650 turbo I modded the heck out of, it went from stock slow to stupid fast for such a little engine............I still miss it sometimes

 

[Audiomaker]

Ok, bought one.

2003
T3/T4 57mm turbo
Tial 38mm Wastegate (15lb spring)
HKS SS Blow Off Valve
Custom billiet intake manifold
Walhbro 255 pump
440cc injectors
Port & Polish
Heavy duty valve springs
ARP Head Studs
Cometic Head Gasket
.63/.80 spacer
18T / 39T Sprockets
Stock radiator and swing arm.

The seller tells me all I should have to do is change the waste gate spring to pounds and I should be good to go on 92oct.
He also tells me I can use a boost controller to make that 7 pound spring put out 15 when running on C16.

I was looking at the AEM TRU Boost controller to bolt on in place of the current boost gauge.... thoughts?

Is this a good setup for a 2500mi trip with the 7 pound spring being the only change? What sort of HP would you guess that to be if I don' t get to a dyno on the way?

Is there anything else I should be thinking about. I might have a passenger along.... and it's very hot in the south right now.

Please be gentle, I'm very new to the turbo thing, and have never make a road trip more than a day's ride. I have been riding for 25 years though.

Super Thanks!
Sean

 

[The Big Red One]

Ok, bought one.

2003
T3/T4 57mm turbo
Tial 38mm Wastegate (15lb spring)
HKS SS Blow Off Valve
Custom billiet intake manifold
Walhbro 255 pump
440cc injectors
Port & Polish
Heavy duty valve springs
ARP Head Studs
Cometic Head Gasket
.63/.80 spacer
18T / 39T Sprockets
Stock radiator and swing arm.

The seller tells me all I should have to do is change the waste gate spring to pounds and I should be good to go on 92oct.
He also tells me I can use a boost controller to make that 7 pound spring put out 15 when running on C16.

I was looking at the AEM TRU Boost controller to bolt on in place of the current boost gauge.... thoughts?

Is this a good setup for a 2500mi trip with the 7 pound spring being the only change? What sort of HP would you guess that to be if I don' t get to a dyno on the way?

Is there anything else I should be thinking about. I might have a passenger along.... and it's very hot in the south right now.

Please be gentle, I'm very new to the turbo thing, and have never make a road trip more than a day's ride. I have been riding for 25 years though.

Super Thanks!
Sean

Nice set-up Sean Should be a real rocketship. Excellent turbo choice as well whoever built it. Are you running a dump pipe out the side of the bike or full exhaust? And is it slammed? I've heard both those things can affect a long ride. I'm not sure how much the spacer drops your compression, but you might not need to go down to 7lbs to run premium. With that gearing you'll get good mileage tho. Did the previous owner tell you what hp he got out of it when it was tuned? You gain roughly 10-12hp per lb of boost......so that will give you a ballpark idea of the power diff between 7 and 15 lbs. That will also vary with the fuel type and comp ratio.

I'm new to modern turbo bikes myself....my 14's the first since my Seca 650 as well.......so I'm far from an expert. I did do a LOT of research tho and installed my kit and am tuning it myself. And its been running great for 2+seasons now But my semi-educated guess would be that you're making somewhere around 300hp on C16 maybe? 7lbs on premium will be a BIG drop tho, so don't get to used to the 15lb/C16 combo

And 2500 miles is a big diff from day trips, maybe think about a better seat than the stocker.......thats going to beat you up since you haven't really worked up to it. Same for your passenger and passenger seat.
I have an 04 busa, so same exact dimensions as yours. My wifes 6ft tall, and can only take so much on the back before she has to call it quits. I'm a day tripper myself, and I could never do a 2500 mile trip on my busa's stock seat. In fact I couldn't do it on the busa period, no matter what I modded. I'm 6'3"......a little tall for the busa anyway.

Honestly I would get a connie 14 or something similair...............but I'm a wimp

 

[OZBooster]

What ecu or piggyback is it running ?? some systems are fine varying boost pressure up and down, others less so
If its tuned for c16 at 15 psi with a FMU and powercommander i think you should get it checked on 93 at 7 before riding that sort of distance
Where are you picking it up from maybe there is someone close that knows turbos and can check it out

 

[Audiomaker]

Thanks Guys.... but I don't have the bike yet... I have a deposit down and am preparing for a road trip to pick it up.
I hate to count my chickens.... this has all gone down in the last few days, and of course I'm trying to get as much info' as I can before leaving as I won't be able to get on the net much from the road.

Previous owner says the bike dyno's @ 350 on C16. The motorcycle is running a PowerCommander, but I don't know the version at this time.

I will be taking the bike to the nearest turbo tuner to get it checked out before making the run. The goal is simply to get the bike home safely.... I don 't even care if it has any boost at all (well...adrenaline does help keep you awake so...)

OZ... the bike is dump exhaust and stock height. I inquired about going with a tail pipe but the custom fab' would cost too much time. I guess I'll see how I like it... I hear many people do.

Honestly I was so excited about getting the bike, and also taking a touring trip, that I might have overestimated the torture of it. Currently I'm ready to get off my 03 Z1000 after 3-4 hours and now I have to do 10/day?

On the other hand, I've never done a cross country motorcycle trip and a small gap in my life has made it so I actually can over the next month. It may be a long long time or never before I can spare that time again...and I won't be any younger at that point.

You'll laugh, but part of this deal is that I am selling a truck I own in the area that I am picking up the bike....and delivery is part of the deal so...
...that's right... I have to do 2500 to get there...then get on a bus for 6 hours to get to the bike....and then ride back! Any prep' will have to be on the road! The actual mi# are closer to 2700 each way, so I expect 6k total.

The more I read on this board, the more nervous I'm getting about the trip. 10hrs/day on a bike is a lot and maybe I'm forgetting my age (44). Yes it does have the stock seat and I have purchased a DRAG seat for it (Tobin)...LOL!

Well... I have a good sense of humor (only a sense tho') and I suppose the stock seat will make a good platform for duct taping gel mouse pads and padded toilet seat covers to on the road. It's too late for me to purchase anything and get it shipped unless I come across something on the road.
Frankly, I have the Tobin in hand...which is cut pretty low, so I thought I might bring that and use the cut-out space for padding. Nobody would notice if I cut a chunk out of the bottom of my Tempurpedic right?

If it's too hard, I can extend the trip and do maybe 400/day for 6 days. I want the trip to be enjoyable. The rush back has to do with missing weekends at my club (which can get rowdy) and the babysitting of my Great Dane, but if 600/day is too hard....it's just too hard

By the way, I've made the two way trip cross country several times in a truck....and it's long...but I've done it. I'll take a single person tent and a sleeping bag and cellophane on some luggage....should be a blast!

Anyway...

Sean

 

[The Big Red One]

Good luck on your trip Sean......its def going to be a lifetime experience. I wouldn't rush it for several reasons........first after a couple long days in a row you're going to start feeling like you've been beat by a gang of thugs with bats. Second, take the time to enjoy the scenery and the bike. Maybe even sightsee a little. Sometimes we rush through the best things in life

 

[Audiomaker]

Good luck on your trip Sean......its def going to be a lifetime experience. I wouldn't rush it for several reasons........first after a couple long days in a row you're going to start feeling like you've been beat by a gang of thugs with bats. Second, take the time to enjoy the scenery and the bike. Maybe even sightsee a little. Sometimes we rush through the best things in life

Thanks B.R.O.

I'll make a post about it before I leave and take a camera...

... that way I can photo document day 2 where I ride it quickly to the nearest motorcycle shipping company!

 

[Busa Rookie]

yeah update us bro! happy ventures and be safe on her when you get it. im sure the power will be insane

 

[Audiomaker]

In case anyone is wondering, I'm 5'9 220' and have ordered a Throttlemeister, Knight 1" lowered front pegs, and Helibars for the trip.
Hopefully that will help. I'll have them installed on the road.

Sean

 

[JUSTANOVA]

4-600 miles a day shouldn't be too bad, Just be safe and have fun..........oh and aleve is your friend on a trip like that, 2 in the a.m. when ya get up and 2 in the p.m. before bed