Hayabusa

[Nzpure]

Hey there, my old man is thinking about getting back into riding. He's not actually old being only 45, but he loves his sports bikes and is looking at getting a 2008 Hayabusa. He loves the look and really loves the sound of the power it makes. He just wanted to know.
1.) How do they handle in corners?
2.) With the power they produce are they Wheelie demons?
3.) Is it a comfortable bike to ride on?
He lives out in the sticks so it's a bit hard to get into town just to try a bike out.
He has always had sports bikes but the last bike he had was a Kawasaki 1100 something. Bearing in mind he hasn't ridden anything in the last 10 years.
Anything you would like to add would be appreciated.

[mattian]

10 years away from riding? back on a Hayabusa?......... good luck.

[Nzpure]

Hey man the bike only goes as fast as you tell it too

[Teflon]

I was set on buying one, until...



Wicked motors dude, but watching that video fucked that idea up for me,, so i brought a Kawasaki.. then I saw this:



fuck.. turbo blackbird would be cool

[Edbear]

Hey man the bike only goes as fast as you tell it too

The cemetary's are full of people who said that when returning to bikes after a long break. Twice the power and a lot less weight than anything he's ever ridden means he won't know he's going too fast until it's too late!

That's the real issue. You don't know how fast you're going. The speedo gives a number, not the neccessary speed for the corner you've arrived at going 30km/h too fast for! Or on a Hayabusa, 60km/h too fast for... That's when you die!

[YellowDog]

Hey man the bike only goes as fast as you tell it too

Do your family a favour and get your dad to spend some time at a track to see if he really wants such a big and powerful bike.

Twisty bends aren't the place to learn how bikes have changed

[Teflon]

If he owned a ZZR1100, he will find the Bus rides like it's on rails.. I'm sure he will be fine

[98tls]

Hey man the bike only goes as fast as you tell it too

Xactly,therein lies the problem,motorcycles dont cause crahes human error does.

[bsasuper]

If I was to test such a powerfull, middle of the range in the handling department bike on a track, where you would be itching to open it up, after a 10 year break from bikes----well do really have to think about what will happen

[riffer]

He might be fine but I wouldn't recommend it without some serious retraining.

I suggest he look at some refresher courses before getting on a Hayabusa. As others have commented the ride is sooooo smooth you just don't realise the speed you are doing until you hit a corner. And although a rider with good experience can generally get body positioning right, and push the beast into line, without the recent experience you're just not match fit so to speak.

Don't laugh but a good condition RF900R will give you 9/10s of the Hayabusa experience without the ability to kill yourself quite so quickly. Similar handling, power delivery is similar but not the same top speeds (only 260km/hr instead of 300km/hr) and it's a lot easier to trade up once he's got used to the power again.

[kiwifruit]

Don't laugh but a good condition RF900R will give you 9/10s of the Hayabusa experience

[riffer]

What - only ONE cynic?

I have actually ridden both bikes.

[porky]

depends what sort of Kwaka he came off. 10 year ago the zx and busa were pretty much neck and neck for bragging rights. Bikes have also got easier to ride and handle. How those old timers got those piles of shit around the way they did beats me. Some records still stand today. Bert Munroe is one such name that springs to mind..........He could toast himself just as easily on a 250. Now if it was the old LTD a 6 undie would be the go!

[Johnny Fartpants]

I'm 47 and have a similar situation. I bought a brand new CB1300s (I know it's not
Hyabusa fast, but it's no slouch) last year after not having even sat on a bike for 25
years. Born again biker wanting to experience my youth again. Last bike I owned/rode
was a '83 GPZ1100. I didn't even test ride it (the new Honda) - I just paid for it and rode it home. The big difference between now and 1984 is the volume of traffic and the number of cops about. This forces you to keep to sensible speeds while getting used to the bike.
One thing is for sure....if you keep to the speed limit, (and keep your eyes peeled) you WILL NOT have an accident. I've wound it up a couple of times but the fear of getting severely busted makes you back off.

I also had a real bad crash on the GPZ and things like that tend to make me ride with caution even after 25 years. It's the corners that are gonna get ya, so I tend to
go in at a really moderate speed which gives me plenty of scope to get the feel of the bike without pushing it, so now I'm finding that I'm braking later and leaning over further without having any close calls.

So, yeah - if he's careful I reckon he'll be fine.

[Nzpure]

I found out what particular bike he was riding it was a 1995 GPZ1100.
I should mention that said bike had a turbo from a D2 digger on the side of it.
He had a fair bit of experience going at speeds that my mother would have a heart attack at.
He hasn't bought the bike yet but is deffinetly swinging towards a busa.
I will be sure to forward all of the comments.
Thank you for taking the time to reply.