Hayabusa; Future "Classic" ?

[Frank]

The Hayabusa is both more and less than what some say.

It is more of an overall useful, reasonably comfortable, anvil reliable motorcycle than many realize. The motor is hugely understressed, lasting forever. They bang and clank and generally are less refined than machines like the CBR 1100xx, but they pull like with authority from right off idle in a way that makes hopping on to most other machines somewhat disappointing. Yes, matched or surpassed by machines like the ZX10 in terms of top end pull, few can match the everyday grunt of the 'busa.

That said, while the big girl dances well and certainly can and does slay many a more nimble bike in the hills, an equal rider on a GSXR will leave a rider of the same skill and pace on a 'busa fairly quickly when things get twisty. Yep, a GSXR weighing more than 100 lbs less will stunt better and be sportier as well as being far handier on the track, I more often find myself pleased with how well the big girl moves rather than get all fussy over her thick thighs and muffin top.

If you have always wanted a Hayabusa, just do it. Pull the trigger, live the dream. Enjoy the basso profondo soundtrack, it helps mask the speed. Hoist some minters, bully some R6s at the light. Enjoy spanking rich fools in the Onramp Challenge. It may not be the best sporting mount, but it is still a damn fun, memorable, charismatic bike with a big bad motor that responds well to tuning. You may not keep it forever, but like the summer with that thick, tan girl with the pierced tongue, tats, a lack of inhibitions and an abundance of enthusiasm and strength, you are in for a memorable ride that you will look back fondly on for many years.

Long time no see. Good to see you still posting Jason!

Yes when it comes to bottom end torque there is no match for the Busa. They can sit there and do burnouts at just about idle, and thats a very neat thing if your a big guy.

They can also do some very impressive long roll on burnouts onto a wheelie.

 

[Blankpage]

Am I the only one who hates the "fat suit" look of the busa? I don't care if it's got 200HP or 500HP - how can you love it when it's so ugly?

I thought they were ugly until I saw a black one, then when I saw the next one not black I thought they were ugly again.


But if you ever need a 200mph bike to get you around on the farm...
(This movie didn't help their image)

 

[budbandit]

Frank, too long. Good to see you sharing some real world experience here. Many times these discussions get off on some sort of myths and legends direction. Were I to change bikes it would be a tossup between newer GSXR 1000 and Gen II 'Busa.

Long time no see. Good to see you still posting Jason!

Yes when it comes to bottom end torque there is no match for the Busa. They can sit there and do burnouts at just about idle, and thats a very neat thing if your a big guy.

They can also do some very impressive long roll on burnouts onto a wheelie.

 

[codger]

I sure hope so its a great bike that deserves to be remembered. I dont know if it will ever eclipse the Vincent Black lightning but many more riders have had the priveledge to own a busa than have probably seen a black lightning in person. I didnt care for the look of the busa for a while then i saw an all black model with the blacked out frame and had to have one its the one bike I will keep for some time.
If messing with fools in their ferarris and lambos is your thing busa is the bike. The fact that a $10k motorcycle can absoloutely humiliate a $200k car so easily is a never ending source of entertainment when riding the bus.

 

[Bluenote]

Dude, STFU and fix it.

Relative to the rider, or passenger? Or is this just an observation? The ZX14R and CBR1100xx are very close. Matter of factly the CBR and GSXR share the SAME wheelbase of 58.5 inches. The ZX14R is 57.4 inches. So again. What are you implying?


[.

I didn't *imply* a damn thing ,in point of fact I made a statement that holds quite true , and your citing of bikes that are equally long and heavy is nothing more than a strawman , furthermore I believe that I *did* state my affection for the Hayabusa , I was also quite clear in stating that in my opinion they handle quite well for as big as they are. As far as power goes ( and since I DO ride with some guys with 'Busa's) my lightly modified GSXR1k had no trouble with completely stock ones , once the modifications begin it's of course a different story. Though not as much as you might think until the mods start to get somewhat involved. If I was purchasing a bike solely to modify to obtain the maximum possible horsepower I'd buy a Hayabusa , and in fact I might own one at some point yet , however at this juncture I'm quite enjoying the GSXR1k.

And I'm quite well aware of the fact that a 'Busa can be made to hustle on the right road ,I thoroughly enjoy watching a friend of mine from Chico pass 600s on our jaunts out 36 and I freely admit that it's often quite a job to get past him , and the friend I mentioned earlier in this thread that has 86k on his 'Busa is equally entertaining to ride with , you can't flog the daylights out of a bike for that long and not learn what it's about (unless you're an idiot) and watching him paint big black stripes off midspeed corners is immensely entertaing.

You seemed to be of the opinion that A. I was slagging off Haybusa's and B. That I had no hard knowledge of them or what I was talking about.

Both A. and B. are quite far from the truth.

By the way , the quickest bike in the north end of the state is quite likely a certain notorious turbocharged 'Busa out of Redding that I've *seen* run low nines in full street trim ( meaning not lowered , no extended swingarm and with no strap on the forks) with a greasy launch pad , though the guy in question doesn't ride it real hard on the windy roads up here due to the ferocious horsepower and the way it makes it's power. There's rumored to be one down in the Sacto street scene and a couple of cars down that way that *might* be quicker but given what I've seen him do to some folks up here ( including a certain purple '70 'Cuda with a blown 538 inch Hemi) I would have my doubts about that.

Now can we put this to rest and can *you* quit accusing me of stating things that I most certainly did not state. Apparently you missed the positive input I had on the bike.

 

[Bluenote]

They can also do some very impressive long roll on burnouts onto a wheelie.

Boy howdy , as I found out the very first time I ever rode one and romped it in second gear , resulting of course in a 100 foot long black stripe.

And for me a 'Busa is easier to get launched than my '04 GSXR1k,YMMV.

 

[Diezel]

Don't worry you won't burst my bubble, I've been in the game a long time, and have done a LOT of testing in Florida. The new bikes have 'around' the same HP (busa might have 3-4 more) and very true the Busa has a lot more torque. But it also weighs a lot more than the very light GSXR.

But where do you run in a long straight line in California?

BTW- My Buddy who owns/races a very fast turbo Busa got hurt bad on a built pocketbike. Those pocketbikes are dangerous!

Good to hear man, many of us on busa's "have been around the block" and know performance. Good to see you got a damn good head on ya. And yes I agree. The 09 1k's vs busa's, it really is a rider shootout, up to about 160-170. Then the busa's aero's take over (provided your not a "wideass" on the seat.

Straight line in CA.. Yeah, Good luck with that.

My worst wreck, one that sidelined me the longest.. Was on a "built" pocket bike. Ported, Polished, Lightened, with a NOS sneaky pete shot on it.. Yeah, that's a story on it's own... All I can say is... NO ONE makes a chain upgrade kit for them that I know of.. and with that much work.. It's needed... That was a bad week for me.

 

[Diezel]

The GSXR is more forgiving to indiscretions.

I didn't see it that way on the GSXR 750 I rode. Then again I do have my busa setup suspension wise for me. So again, it may just be me being a lot more comfortable on my bike.

I didn't *imply* a damn thing ,in point of fact I made a statement that holds quite true , and your citing of bikes that are equally long and heavy is nothing more than a strawman , furthermore I believe that I *did* state my affection for the Hayabusa ,
Now can we put this to rest and can *you* quit accusing me of stating things that I most certainly did not state. Apparently you missed the positive input I had on the bike.

No your right, you didn't imply a damn thing. I was simply trying to clarify your statement. In regards to what you said, YOU over generalized your statement.

I didn't miss the "positive input" you stated. Those of us who own a busa and have spent any amount of time on it. Are already aware of the "positive aspects" of owning one.

 

[Bad Santa]

Is the 'Busa a "classic"? Sure. How many modern-day sportbikes have had so much of a cultural impact? Even people who don't ride motorcycles have heard of the Hayabusa and its reputation. Heck, I've even run into Harley guys who feel compelled to give the 'Busa a certain grudging respect.

I love mine. Best bike I've owned, a real do-everything jack-of-all-trades. Bulletproof motor. Linear power delivery and broad torque curve make it easier and more rewarding to ride on the street than most of the peakier, more track-oriented 600s and 1000s. Relatively comfortable. Plenty of attachment points, so strap on some after-market luggage and you've got an admirable sport-tourer. The only thing I don't like about my '08 is the brakes; the brakes suck and need a major overhaul, and I'm pondering what upgrades to pursue.

If trackdays are your big thing, get a lighter bike. But, like I said, if you want a great all-around street bike, it's hard to go wrong with the Hayabusa.

 

[Bluenote]

I didn't see it that way on the GSXR 750 I rode. Then again I do have my busa setup suspension wise for me. So again, it may just be me being a lot more comfortable on my bike.



No your right, you didn't imply a damn thing. I was simply trying to clarify your statement. In regards to what you said, YOU over generalized your statement.

I didn't miss the "positive input" you stated. Those of us who own a busa and have spent any amount of time on it. Are already aware of the "positive aspects" of owning one.

No I didn't 'over generalise' , in the 'general' sense I don't indulge in 'over generalsing' things , anything. And if you think that what I stated was aimed at folks who have ridden a 'Busa more than a bit or owned one you need to rethink that , because it was aimed at the naysayers. But hey if you want to be sensitive about your scoot it's no sweat off my dangly bits.

I would disagree in a minor way with the issue of the bike being forgiving , it's not forgiving of the hamfisted or inept. But then neither are most of the modern 4 cyclinder sportbikes.

 

[Lesbusa]

Is the 'Busa a "classic"? Sure. How many modern-day sportbikes have had so much of a cultural impact? Even people who don't ride motorcycles have heard of the Hayabusa and its reputation. Heck, I've even run into Harley guys who feel compelled to give the 'Busa a certain grudging respect.

I love mine. Best bike I've owned, a real do-everything jack-of-all-trades. Bulletproof motor. Linear power delivery and broad torque curve make it easier and more rewarding to ride on the street than most of the peakier, more track-oriented 600s and 1000s. Relatively comfortable. Plenty of attachment points, so strap on some after-market luggage and you've got an admirable sport-tourer. The only thing I don't like about my '08 is the brakes; the brakes suck and need a major overhaul, and I'm pondering what upgrades to pursue.

If trackdays are your big thing, get a lighter bike. But, like I said, if you want a great all-around street bike, it's hard to go wrong with the Hayabusa.

Brakes are the one real weakness to the bike. That's why I run a gixxer front end including the M/C on mine.

 

[auntiebling]

But where do you run in a long straight line in California?

hwy167 east from lee vining. of course it turns into nevada pretty fast....

 

[Bluenote]

hwy167 east from lee vining. of course it turns into nevada pretty fast....

Better known as Pole Line Road , on the north side of Mono Lake , nice run.



And there's a number of other places , many in the northeast part of the state , and a bit farther south of 167 there's 6 that runs northeast out of Bishop up through Chalfant and Benton before it turns a bit east to cross into Nevada , after Chalfant it's almost straight for a bit more than 20 miles , south of I-40 there are several options including the road the one going out of Ludlow roughly southeast , after Amboy there's only one sweeper as I remember between there and Essex. And 95 from 40 ( Needles) south to Vidal is good , 52 heading toward 29 palms isn't bad but 177 running down to I-10 on the east side of Joshua Tree is better.

 

[warDialer]

This thread had a missionary like effect on me. I've seen the light and will never bad mouth a Busa again. I put my vote on future classic.

 

[planegray]

This thread had a missionary like effect on me. I've seen the light and will never bad mouth a Busa again. I put my vote on future classic.

+1

I thought riding my K1200RS would cover my 'Busa deficiency ....but I can see now that I was only fooling myself