Cajun
29th December 2007, 17:55
Got a phone call from Glen at MotoGB on Friday to say our '08 'busa had arrived. The arrival of this bike has been well anticipated and our talking point for months. The family already had a ’05 model and we knew this would be upgraded as soon as we heard a new model would be released.
Now that our Precious was finally here, we gave Glen firm instructions that no one was to touch the crate until we arrived to watch it being unpacked. Well, it so happens that Christmas came twice this year and our enthusiasm allowed us to unpack the bike ourselves. Not only were MotoGirl and MacDaddy there, but Bravo1 and Barry (non-KBer) had also come along to see the spectacle. Thankfully we were out the back of the shop because everyone stopped to look at the bike and ask us questions. We never would’ve got it together if it had have been more public!
Our helpers were more than happy to partake in the grand unloading and help us unbolt and lift the crate and fit various pieces to the bike. We'd never unloaded a bike from its crate before so this was particularly exciting and an insight into what it takes to get a brand new bike onto the road! It certainly takes more time than we had expected.
Once the cardboard was off the crate we saw the bike was wrapped in protective plastic, and we didn't see it in its full splendor until this was rapidly ripped off. The whole experience could be likened to children eagerly ripping into the Christmas presents they’d been admiring under the tree.
Now, we knew this bike was going to be orange (funnily enough, it's the colour we had ordered) but to see it in the sunshine was simply breathtaking. The orange is by no means dull; in fact, it's very, very bright, has a metallic fleck, and should definitely get noticed on the road. The black isn’t straight black either – it has a blue fleck in it, which is almost identical to the 600 Bandit we previously owned. When the bike sits in the sun the colour is loud and the whole bike has golden highlights. Superb.
Once we unloaded the bike from its crate, we go onto fitting the goodies that were packaged separately. These included the screen, bar end weights, levers, and the mirrors. The rest of the bike had come assembled, except for the battery which we filled and charged. The most challenging part of fitting the parts was the screen because it was tricky to get into the gap. Albeit a pain to fit, the screen is awesome because it’s a light smoke colour instead of the standard and boring clear.
We’d already prearranged alternative tyres to be fitted to the bike. We didn’t want the OEM Bridgestone 015s so opted to put Pilot Powers on it. When I was in the store earlier in the week I made sure these were available by grabbing them off the rack and putting them by the crate. :rockon: Glen didn’t mind that I’d helped myself!
After the tyres were fitted and the mechanic checked the bike over, it was taken down the road for a warrant, and then (four hours later) it was ours to take away!
The bike has been brought home for a damn good wash and so we can apply several coats of polish to it. We’re using a light polish that we acquired from the Pacer rep. It’s damn good stuff that MotoGirl used back in the days when she professionally groomed cars. Should be a good to keep any grime at bay…
The bike’s only done 9KM so the intention is to do the first 1,000KM within the next week. Obviously the bike hasn’t been ridden very far yet, but initial thoughts are that it’s significantly smoother than the previous model and it no longer hunts low-down in the rev range. As expected, it’s also got a great induction noise, typical of a quality Suzuki. The stock pipes are extremely quiet and we’re looking forward to hearing how throaty it sounds compared to the previous model.
Mods to date:
Removed all warning stickers and labels from the plastic, frame, and tank etc
Poached and fitted the swing arm spools from the old ‘busa
Mods coming soon:
Hugger (will fit tomorrow)
Yoshi 4 into 1 race system and PC3 (should be here in January)
GPS mod
Frame sliders
Custom tank bra
Rider custom seat (obviously!)
Rear fender eliminator
It’ll get a pack rack and headlight protector ASAP
Also organising 3M stone guard.
PS. Also saw a white ‘busa in a crate and DAMN it looks nice!
Now that our Precious was finally here, we gave Glen firm instructions that no one was to touch the crate until we arrived to watch it being unpacked. Well, it so happens that Christmas came twice this year and our enthusiasm allowed us to unpack the bike ourselves. Not only were MotoGirl and MacDaddy there, but Bravo1 and Barry (non-KBer) had also come along to see the spectacle. Thankfully we were out the back of the shop because everyone stopped to look at the bike and ask us questions. We never would’ve got it together if it had have been more public!
Our helpers were more than happy to partake in the grand unloading and help us unbolt and lift the crate and fit various pieces to the bike. We'd never unloaded a bike from its crate before so this was particularly exciting and an insight into what it takes to get a brand new bike onto the road! It certainly takes more time than we had expected.
Once the cardboard was off the crate we saw the bike was wrapped in protective plastic, and we didn't see it in its full splendor until this was rapidly ripped off. The whole experience could be likened to children eagerly ripping into the Christmas presents they’d been admiring under the tree.
Now, we knew this bike was going to be orange (funnily enough, it's the colour we had ordered) but to see it in the sunshine was simply breathtaking. The orange is by no means dull; in fact, it's very, very bright, has a metallic fleck, and should definitely get noticed on the road. The black isn’t straight black either – it has a blue fleck in it, which is almost identical to the 600 Bandit we previously owned. When the bike sits in the sun the colour is loud and the whole bike has golden highlights. Superb.
Once we unloaded the bike from its crate, we go onto fitting the goodies that were packaged separately. These included the screen, bar end weights, levers, and the mirrors. The rest of the bike had come assembled, except for the battery which we filled and charged. The most challenging part of fitting the parts was the screen because it was tricky to get into the gap. Albeit a pain to fit, the screen is awesome because it’s a light smoke colour instead of the standard and boring clear.
We’d already prearranged alternative tyres to be fitted to the bike. We didn’t want the OEM Bridgestone 015s so opted to put Pilot Powers on it. When I was in the store earlier in the week I made sure these were available by grabbing them off the rack and putting them by the crate. :rockon: Glen didn’t mind that I’d helped myself!
After the tyres were fitted and the mechanic checked the bike over, it was taken down the road for a warrant, and then (four hours later) it was ours to take away!
The bike has been brought home for a damn good wash and so we can apply several coats of polish to it. We’re using a light polish that we acquired from the Pacer rep. It’s damn good stuff that MotoGirl used back in the days when she professionally groomed cars. Should be a good to keep any grime at bay…
The bike’s only done 9KM so the intention is to do the first 1,000KM within the next week. Obviously the bike hasn’t been ridden very far yet, but initial thoughts are that it’s significantly smoother than the previous model and it no longer hunts low-down in the rev range. As expected, it’s also got a great induction noise, typical of a quality Suzuki. The stock pipes are extremely quiet and we’re looking forward to hearing how throaty it sounds compared to the previous model.
Mods to date:
Removed all warning stickers and labels from the plastic, frame, and tank etc
Poached and fitted the swing arm spools from the old ‘busa
Mods coming soon:
Hugger (will fit tomorrow)
Yoshi 4 into 1 race system and PC3 (should be here in January)
GPS mod
Frame sliders
Custom tank bra
Rider custom seat (obviously!)
Rear fender eliminator
It’ll get a pack rack and headlight protector ASAP
Also organising 3M stone guard.
PS. Also saw a white ‘busa in a crate and DAMN it looks nice!