Buying a Busa for sportsbike rider?

[NZsarge]

ZX14, compared to a 04 zx10, I didn't like the 14. Grunty bike for sure, but pushing through sweepers it felt a little vague and you didn't know where the front wheel was, or what it was doing.

Set it up and get it off the OE rubber and onto some Pilot powers, just put a 2ct on mine (front) and it rails through sweeper's now. Had a pirelli on it before and it was vague as you say, like on most bikes decent rubber makes all the difference if you're gonna ride it sports styles..

[Owl]

There's no second H in Hyabusa.

Hayabusa not hyabusa & to make it worse you were telling someone else off for lousy spelling

You've got to admit Hitcher, that's pretty funny!

[Lonebull]

I've been looking at buying a bike here in Germany and I've been mainly concentrating on R1's or GSXR1000 or ZX10's

However, roads here are mostly open and boring for traveling between cities. And I think I wouldn't be too comfy on a race rep model like a ZX10. Also my girlfriend would like to do a few tours with me on the back of the bike.

So I am now looking at the Hyabushas. Everything makes sence to me about buying this bike for the highways of Germany.

Now for the real quesion. Can the real sportsbike enthusiasts or racers please tell me your opinion on this bike? How does it handle through 45km corners, how does it handle around a race track like taupo, how does it wheelie (stable during stand up or sit down wheelie sitting at around 110-120kmph). Is the balance point very high? I actually have never liked big bikes and I have always loved my 600s like the R6s or the Gixxer6s because I like nimble little bikes. I know the busha would be comfy and should be great for touring but I also would like to use it for fast paced road riding like a GSXR1000. Is this realistic or are there some downfalls as well (Other than the obvious mass and geometry difference)

I would test ride one but the bike shops are pretty far from where I live and I don't have a transport ATM. Cheers.

I own a Busa and have done for the last four years. I live on the West Coast of NZ and I travel tight twistys regularly.

The Busa is not a race track bike and its old tecnology as well. If you want a race track bike get a litre sports bike. If you want a good fast sports tourer thats fun and comfortable for a pillion then the busa will do.

That does not mean the Busa is not fun to ride or quick through tight corners it just means that with riders of equal ability you'll take second place to a litre sports bike. There are some things you can do to help sharpen up the beasts corner perfomance a little. First of all chose a sharp profile tire. I run Michelins and they are not to bad but for what you want maybe a Pirelli or Avon would be better. I have also upgraded the shocks, front and rear are now Ohlins and that completey changed things for the better. I also put braided hoses on and that helped with the stopping thing.

I love the Busa. I can ride long days and I still feel good when I head out for a night out with the boys. Its fun through the corners and it handles well when I get aggressive. For the most part its pretty well behaved. It does what I need it to do. Hope this helps. Good Luck

[Cajun]

Sudeep

the busa is a big bike 220kgs+ dry, so thats a good 50-60kgs on top of the 600 you are use to.

Being a gsx1300r, its a sport tourer, not a sports bike.

THey do handle pretty well for size, and they were pretty much unchanged for 8 years. (08 was the new change).

Big tanks(21ltres off top of head), can easy to 300km between drinks. Being a bigger bike good for touring distance and two up, but being big its got its down sides when yuo want to get to the real right stuff, more weight longer wheel base etc.

The brakes stock are a bit poor moden standards, but some lines, some good pads, and it helps the 6 pots haul its ass up a bit better. There is HUGE number of after market parts to do all sorts of insane things to the busa, since its a cult classic.

Around race tracks should be fine, but your gotta remember not on a small 600, wheel stands no idea, but ghost rider and others don't seam to have problems with them

[Marmoot]

There's no second H in Hyabusa.

and you need an extra 'a' to make a proper Hayabusa

My experience was on the older model, and they are surprisingly nimble for their size. They're not a fireblade or R1, but they handle very well even for the tight corners.
Friggin hard to wheelie. Mine lost traction faster than the front can lift.

Just watch out. They make other vehicles approach you at twice the speed.

[skidMark]

There's no second H in Hyabusa.

Errr it is actually spelt Hayabusa not Hyabusa...

I assume you meant 2nd A not second H.

You are slipping mate.

The minions are not apeased.

[jafar]

The Ultimate Freeway Flyer is a Yamaha FJR1300.

I know where there's a splendid example for sale too.

Goldwing V FJR

[Maki]

To make it easier to remember the spelling, Hayabusa is a Japanese word that means fast falcon.

Haya = fast. Busa = falcon.

"When Suzuki first launched the bike, it explained that hayabusa was the Japanese word for a very fast falcon that, not coincidentally, fed on blackbirds."

http://www.cycleworld.com/article.as...article_id=381

[The Stranger:Me]

Haya = fast. Busa = falcon.

Hmm, do you have a reference for that?

My understanding is that it is literally the Japanese word for the Peregrine Falcon.

[Grizzo]

A bit of guff here on the meaning..... http://web.singnet.com.sg/~viczest/hayabackground.htm

[CHOPPA]

My old man has had several busas and a zx14 that ive been able to take for road trips and on the track. Both are as good as each other, the 14 seemed to have more grunt but it should really come down to which one you think looks the best!

They wheelstand easy, they go around a track fine and there heaps of fun around tight twistys as well as open roads

[vtec]

Sudeep buddy. I'm your man, had my dad's '07 'bus on the track, was fun and fast but I would've been a lot quicker on a 600. Has ground clearance issues on the track, due to exhaust system being low and wide, so you have to leave the hero blobs on the pegs to stop the exhaust scraping. You have to get your body weight right over. Also, crapped my pants when I got brake fade and the lever came back to the bar. They are heavy and hard work, but rewarding, and easy to get the lines right.

He's just upgraded to the 08, and it's a noticeably better bike for the sportsbike rider enthusiast. Seriously test ride both of them, to feel the difference for yourself. The handling is sharper it feels much lighter and much more nimble, the throttle response much quicker, and is capable of a 9 second quarter straight out of the box. Way quicker than the old model. Somehow it's just as good if not better as a tourer despite being noticeably sportier.

What can you afford man? What are you doing for work in Germany?

I would say for long distances in Germany you could not go past a 'busa. I would be worried about getting myself in trouble with the law, and am not a huge fan of going fast with a pillion (got a fright once with my ex on dad's 'busa). Maybe your mrs could get a bike too, that's way more fun to ride together. I hate holding someone else's life in my hands. Get her a CBR250RR man. They kick arse. Just sold my one to finally upgrade to VFR400's for road and race use.

P.S. Just make sure if you are going over 220 with your pillion she's holding onto you and not the sissy bar behind her.

Also, Choppa's the man on a superbike so read closely what he wrote.

[BarBender]

Ive owned the 12 and 14 and ridden Busas and my take is that you definitely have to take them for a ride to see which one you gel with.

Call me old fashioned but I'm partial to the 12. There's a myriad of different opinions on this but while the A1 was the benchmark and possibly most famous...the B1/05 was in my opinion the better all-round bike.
To the layman, the 12 probably doesnt look as nice as the 14 or Bus but there is alot more you can do with it handling wise. Especially if you decide to upgrade the suspension and the like. Im not a wheelie person myself but Im sure Death Inc could tell you - if he hasnt already - what a 12 is capable of.

The reality is that they'll all good. Jay Lawrence took my 14 around Puke early last year and rated it almost as good as his race bike from the Hairpin to Ford. (suspension was upgraded though)
There really should be a race category for the Bus and the 14. That would be cool!

As an aside - I rode a K1200S back in 06 as was really surprised what bike that size could do.

[gixxer-king]

Hey guys, that last reference (for the name of the bike) needs a bit of a head check.

HayaBusa is Mighty Falcon. The mighty can be interpreted a number of ways so large, strong, quick etc are all gonna pop up here and there.
The train is called the Shinkansen not a bloody hayabusa at all.

Anyway the name is a pretty good depiction of the bike, fast and nimble.
Having owned three of the beasts I must say very little has changed.

Bike is obviously fast, no doubt there, but the power is controlled and not a rough diamond as far as knowing what performance your gonna get at each throttle position. Ie its not gonna let you think one thing one day and be different the next, very easy to get used to.

Handling in slow bends: ok you're gonna notice the weight of the bike here. the weight isnt TOO much but its certainly not down low. Ok between towns for a wee while but would use it in a city as my daily rider.

Handling enthusiastically: much better then round town, use some of that weight to your advantage and really push it into sweeping bends. of course power control now moving up the list as things to pay attention to as a good firm twist coming out of a corner can get that rear wheel sliding if you're low in the rev range.

Straight line: well, lets test how quick we can count shall we??? Start off easy by counting each post centre then move onto something harder like each lampost! HOLD ON TIGHT.

Riding pillion: not too bad, comfortable as far as a sports/ sport tourer goes. again wouldn't go a country end to end but hey on the plus side it'kll be a quick ride.
For pillion: grab rider not sissy bar, having weight forward rather than back will make the ride a bit smoother as the standard shock set-up is a bit on the 3 year old could do better side.
rider: remember your loved one and take it a bit easier in the tight turns (you now have a bit of weight to move around there) and again the suspension aint gonna be hot shit from the factory so your arse will let you know all about it after a few hours.

Hope this helps.
Again this is only my experience, on a public forum so opinions are of course sometimes divided.

[Motoracer]

Hey guys, thank you so much for the great info. I am more convinced on a Busa more than ever.

To clarify, NZ bike prices are only about 55-60% of what you have to pay here so new bikes are too rich for my blood in EU. I am looking at earlier models. So ZX14 is out of the question. Might test ride a 12 but only if the chance arrises. Pretty sold on a Busa alrady tho.

FZ1000 are affordable and good performance wise I guess but I REALLY don't dig half faired bikes. Otherwise Bandits are cheap and great bikes. Either the retro full naked look or the sports bike look is what I go for.

Thanks again for all the opinions.

V-tec, Don't know how I can get into trouble with the law as there is NO speed limit on the german highways. "Speeding" is a normal form of driving if you can afford to open the petrol tap. Road sizes, rules and regs are ofcourse more suitable for this here. I taught my GF how to ride a little bit on the FXR150 but she wants to hop on the back. For me giving a ride to someone on a honda civic or a CBR1100XX is no different. You just need to have respect for other people's lives and safety.

Now to wait and see if a bike dealer nearby has a good one for a good price!