First I'd like to say this is a fantastic web site and most of the posters seem to have a healthy maturity level that's pretty refreshing.
Lately I've been considering the purchase of a Busa, and up until I ran across this website, I was choppin' at the bit to get one. The more posts I read, the more I'm thinking about venturing carefully into this decision.
I'm in my early fifties and still as active as any 30 year old (jetskiing, powerboating, etc). I began riding small trail and street bikes in the 60's. In the 70's I ventured into the world of motorcross bikes; not racing professionally, but rather the typical weekend-warrior stuff (250's). Also in the 70's I moon-lighted as a Kawasaki saleman which provided me a great opportunity to ride a wide variety of bikes; Kaw'ie H1's, H2's, 900's; Goldwings, Suzuk's, HD's..., just about everything there was at that time. My main ride at the time was a 350cc enduro, and a 250cc motorcross bike.
A few years later I got the bug to buy a street bike and ended up with a KZ1000. It was pretty quick compared to everything else I had ridden at the time. I never went down on it, or even had a 0 mph fall over. Like any bike, if you keep a healthy respect for it, the battle is half (but not totally) won.
In the early 80's I ended up moving into the Northern Virginia/DC area and street riding became more of a highway crap-shoot than a fun experience. Seemed like nearly every time I'd ride someone would cut me off, pull out in front of me, etc. Most of us have been there. Eventually the FU traffic conditions took its toll and I got away from street riding for close to 20 years. Of course every spring I'd get the bug to buy one, but I'd talk myself out of the purchase because of the the worsening traffic conditions.
Finally, I ran into some new friends that were riding and that pushed me over the edge. Plus I was really getting sick of the sitting in eco-box commuter cars. Traffic or not, I began my search for another street bike. Cruisers and HD's were definitely out of the question. R1's, GSXR's, etc, while definitely cool, didn't feel like anything I wanted to ride for any prolonged periods of time, so I crossed those off my list too. I was basically looking for something with plenty of power and good handling, and with at least a moderate level of riding comfort.
I've always felt as soon as you become complacent with your machine, it will bite you, so I tend to buy powerful machines so the 'complacency bug' doesn't rear its ugly head. Besides, I've always road on the conservative side anyway, only opening it up when there was plenty of clear space ahead and no one around. I decided that a Yamaha FJR1300 would be able to get me back in the game. At 145hp @ 99 lb/ft of torque it had plenty of power, and even when loaded down with the hard bags, it has good handling characteristics. Claimed top speed is in the 160 range, (not that I have the bug to see the speed-o pointing there).
I have to admit, after being away from riding for so long, riding the FJR back from the dealership was somewhat of a white-knuckle event. I definitely gained an immediate respect for the FJR's torque. With some miles accumulating on it now, everything is falling back into place. Traffic is still a PIA and I find myself riding on back roads mostly, rather than on highways just to stack the odds in my favor a bit.
While my FJR is a great bike and I intend to keep it for a long time for general cruising, I'm getting the itch to buy something else. It's just something about those hard saddle bags, rear storage box, and pull back bars, that says, "semi-Goldwing" And that bugs me a bit.
When I started my search I saw the Busa in amongst the R1's, GSXR's, Duc's, and didn't pay it much attention to it because it seemed like just another uncomfortable rocket bike. Then one day I sat on one and realized it didn't have that same R1 feel and agressive lean forward angle. At 6' & 220# I felt comfortable on it. So I started doing some research. Like most of you, the power was definitely an intriging factor, even though I figured very few people could tap it's full capabilities. The big thing was, its looks attracted me to it like a drug.
So lately I've become serious about buying a Busa. Then I ran across this website and particularly the thread; "Thinking about buying a Busa as my first bike?" After reading several of the posts, I decided to give more thought to the purchase. Even with my moderate level of riding experience, I'm not sure I'm ready for it. Some of the posts actually made me feel fearful of it. Obviously the Busa is faster and more powerful than the FJR. What bothers is, I fear the Busa may require so much attention to the right grip, that the fear factor might outweigh the fun factor.
I'd be interested in hearing from anyone that has experience on both the FJR and the Busa to hear what the differences are. Paricularly from you older riders.
Lately I've been considering the purchase of a Busa, and up until I ran across this website, I was choppin' at the bit to get one. The more posts I read, the more I'm thinking about venturing carefully into this decision.
I'm in my early fifties and still as active as any 30 year old (jetskiing, powerboating, etc). I began riding small trail and street bikes in the 60's. In the 70's I ventured into the world of motorcross bikes; not racing professionally, but rather the typical weekend-warrior stuff (250's). Also in the 70's I moon-lighted as a Kawasaki saleman which provided me a great opportunity to ride a wide variety of bikes; Kaw'ie H1's, H2's, 900's; Goldwings, Suzuk's, HD's..., just about everything there was at that time. My main ride at the time was a 350cc enduro, and a 250cc motorcross bike.
A few years later I got the bug to buy a street bike and ended up with a KZ1000. It was pretty quick compared to everything else I had ridden at the time. I never went down on it, or even had a 0 mph fall over. Like any bike, if you keep a healthy respect for it, the battle is half (but not totally) won.
In the early 80's I ended up moving into the Northern Virginia/DC area and street riding became more of a highway crap-shoot than a fun experience. Seemed like nearly every time I'd ride someone would cut me off, pull out in front of me, etc. Most of us have been there. Eventually the FU traffic conditions took its toll and I got away from street riding for close to 20 years. Of course every spring I'd get the bug to buy one, but I'd talk myself out of the purchase because of the the worsening traffic conditions.
Finally, I ran into some new friends that were riding and that pushed me over the edge. Plus I was really getting sick of the sitting in eco-box commuter cars. Traffic or not, I began my search for another street bike. Cruisers and HD's were definitely out of the question. R1's, GSXR's, etc, while definitely cool, didn't feel like anything I wanted to ride for any prolonged periods of time, so I crossed those off my list too. I was basically looking for something with plenty of power and good handling, and with at least a moderate level of riding comfort.
I've always felt as soon as you become complacent with your machine, it will bite you, so I tend to buy powerful machines so the 'complacency bug' doesn't rear its ugly head. Besides, I've always road on the conservative side anyway, only opening it up when there was plenty of clear space ahead and no one around. I decided that a Yamaha FJR1300 would be able to get me back in the game. At 145hp @ 99 lb/ft of torque it had plenty of power, and even when loaded down with the hard bags, it has good handling characteristics. Claimed top speed is in the 160 range, (not that I have the bug to see the speed-o pointing there).
I have to admit, after being away from riding for so long, riding the FJR back from the dealership was somewhat of a white-knuckle event. I definitely gained an immediate respect for the FJR's torque. With some miles accumulating on it now, everything is falling back into place. Traffic is still a PIA and I find myself riding on back roads mostly, rather than on highways just to stack the odds in my favor a bit.
While my FJR is a great bike and I intend to keep it for a long time for general cruising, I'm getting the itch to buy something else. It's just something about those hard saddle bags, rear storage box, and pull back bars, that says, "semi-Goldwing" And that bugs me a bit.
When I started my search I saw the Busa in amongst the R1's, GSXR's, Duc's, and didn't pay it much attention to it because it seemed like just another uncomfortable rocket bike. Then one day I sat on one and realized it didn't have that same R1 feel and agressive lean forward angle. At 6' & 220# I felt comfortable on it. So I started doing some research. Like most of you, the power was definitely an intriging factor, even though I figured very few people could tap it's full capabilities. The big thing was, its looks attracted me to it like a drug.
So lately I've become serious about buying a Busa. Then I ran across this website and particularly the thread; "Thinking about buying a Busa as my first bike?" After reading several of the posts, I decided to give more thought to the purchase. Even with my moderate level of riding experience, I'm not sure I'm ready for it. Some of the posts actually made me feel fearful of it. Obviously the Busa is faster and more powerful than the FJR. What bothers is, I fear the Busa may require so much attention to the right grip, that the fear factor might outweigh the fun factor.
I'd be interested in hearing from anyone that has experience on both the FJR and the Busa to hear what the differences are. Paricularly from you older riders.