1st Busa Ride vs Superhawk :) long observation.

[ndgns1]

Hi All..

George here again from the "Rocket III to Busa" topic...

Well.. I got an opportunity to do my 1st Busa Ride today...

the fact that I lasted about 1.5 hours through some street, highways, backroads and twisties was a great sign that this could be the next bike for me.

a few observations though because I also got to ride an 01 superhawk.

There is no doubt this Busa is a full on bad azz powerhouse and I have to admit..you guys had me a little scared about the power of this bike..

but luckily for me.. my time on a 2300cc R3 was plenty to prep me for the power of the Busa..

Full on fun was the Busa.. one of the biggest problems I had with the bike is that I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS HITTING 110+ on the highway... this beast gets there so fast and smooth that you don't realize it....

but I have to admit.. I thought the superhawk was a much more responsive bike through the turns and I felt more confidant on the hawk

where as the busa felt a bit sloppier through the turns.. kinda Caddalac-ish?

The busa's throttle response CANNOT BE BEAT... whew.. that was fun..

but then again.. on the highway.. the busa seemed to either follow groves in the highway much more... or was more prone to being blown around a bit more?

the Hawk still felt more stable?

my prob.. I love the looks, power, legend and general handling of the busa

but I still think the handling of the superhawk was much nicer, the power isn't bad and the price is much easier for me to deal with.. (but Im not impressed at all with the looks)

Im looking at a $2k difference in price

anyone have other opinions? or input?

oh yea.. also any input about the two engines?

busa being and inline 4 vs Nighthawks V-twin?

 

[Bird Hunter]

IMO.....

You get what you pay for in most situations, and I DEFINITELY feel this is one of those situations...

Once you go Busa, you will never look back.....

 

[ndgns1]

IMO.....

    You get what you pay for in most situations, and I DEFINITELY feel this is one of those situations...

 

 

    Once you go Busa, you will never look back.....

sure..

but what about the opinion that the busa felt a little sloppier in the handling?

Im sure if I dump some cash into the suspension ... then It will be better

but the hawk felt a lot more stable overall?

another prob I had the hawk though... .is that it seemed dated? looks, engine, guages etc?

the busa seemed much more refined as far as style..

Keep in mind.. my main reason for looking into these bikes is so I can get that sport bike experience through some canyon riding, twisties etc. that is lacking on my Rocket III

speed/power is just a bonus...

 

[Lamb busa]

Fix the minor suspension probs and the busa is the equal of the hawk on the street! It's all about making it fit a more than 150 pound rider, which it is set up for.

 

[TruWrecks]

Get the static sag set properly and dial in the compression and rebound. The Busa will handle extremely sharp.

 

[kennym4]

If you're looking for a bike that handels, why not just get a liter bike ? Because of comfort ? The thing about the Busa is you can find a million ways to personalize it, bling, or even better, performance, I would choose the latter, IMO. But out of the 2 I'm afraid I could only give a 1 sided opinion, I've never been on a Rocket.

 

[Bird Hunter]

IMO.....

    You get what you pay for in most situations, and I DEFINITELY feel this is one of those situations...

 

 

    Once you go Busa, you will never look back.....

sure..

but what about the opinion that the busa felt a little sloppier in the handling?

Im sure if I dump some cash into the suspension ... then It will be better

but the hawk felt a lot more stable overall?

another prob I had the hawk though... .is that it seemed dated? looks, engine, guages etc?

the busa seemed much more refined as far as style..

Keep in mind.. my main reason for looking into these bikes is so I can get that sport bike experience through some canyon riding, twisties etc. that is lacking on my Rocket III

speed/power is just a bonus...

My Busa doesn't feel sloppy to me.. Once again, 10 people will have 10 different opinions.. She does all I ask of her (Including some awesome trips through the Kern River Canyon), and is happy to do it... If a person has the opinion that the Busa has a sloppy ride, there are so many aftermarket goodies out there for the Busa, you could most likely have her feeling more to your liking pretty easily... One thing I did notice with mine as far as handling goes, she feels a million times better with the full 42 psi in her shoes...

 

[Spudley]

IMO.....

    You get what you pay for in most situations, and I DEFINITELY feel this is one of those situations...

 

 

    Once you go Busa, you will never look back.....

That's a fact.....besides...."WHAT'S BACK THERE TO LOOK AT

?

?

" Oh ya !!!! THAT WORKED.....Thank ya...thank ya very mushhhhhh..........

 

[Bird Hunter]

IMO.....

    You get what you pay for in most situations, and I DEFINITELY feel this is one of those situations...

 

 

    Once you go Busa, you will never look back.....

That's a fact.....besides...."WHAT'S BACK THERE TO LOOK AT

?

?

"  Oh ya !!!!  THAT WORKED.....Thank ya...thank ya very mushhhhhh..........

 

[Projekt]

Get the suspension dialled in like everybody else said. If you are a heavy fella, you can get the fork and rear internals matched to your weight. The extra mass of the Busa will be evident when riding it back to back with the SuperHawk so that is where your negative views stem from. Ride it for a while and learn to muscle it over with body shifting and a little more push on the bar. Doing that will make you more confident.

 

[heavyjeffd]

<div class="iF-Passage"><div class="QUOTEHEAD">Quote:[/Quote]<div class="QUOTE clearfix"><span class="quoteBegin"> </span>
the busa seemed to either follow groves in the highway much more[/quote]

Probably worn and/or cheap tires.

I have no such issues.

As for the slop, it's just not setup for you. I went from an RC51 to the 'Busa. While the 'Busa is nowhere near as sharp and/or responsive as the RC51 in turns (and probably never will be), for a big heavy bike with a motor that size up front, I can push it about ~8.5/10's as hard as the RC into corners just fine, not feel shakey at all.

While you did spend 1.5hrs on it, that's not really near long enough to be totally comfortable with the bike, tires and the current setup.

If you liked it that much, by the time you get one, put new rubber on it and set it up for your height and bodyweight, you'll be just as happy.

 

[Mr Bogus]

<div class="iF-Passage"><div class="QUOTEHEAD">Quote:

<div class="QUOTE clearfix"><span class="quoteBegin"> </span>
the busa seemed to either follow groves in the highway much more[/quote]

Probably worn and/or cheap tires.

I have no such issues.

As for the slop, it's just not setup for you. I went from an RC51 to the 'Busa. While the 'Busa is nowhere near as sharp and/or responsive as the RC51 in turns (and probably never will be), for a big heavy bike with a motor that size up front, I can push it about ~8.5/10's as hard as the RC into corners just fine, not feel shakey at all.

While you did spend 1.5hrs on it, that's not really near long enough to be totally comfortable with the bike, tires and the current setup.

If you liked it that much, by the time you get one, put new rubber on it and set it up for your height and bodyweight, you'll be just as happy.[/quote]
was what I was thinking.. on my bike, that is the first indicator that it wants new shoes..

Getting blown around a bit could be possible if you are comparing it to a bike with 2300cc's of displacement, it would most certainly be heavier?

 

[drfbusa]

Its tough to compare apples to oranges. The Honda will be better for the purpose that it was intended. The busa is the same. THey are not designed to do the same thing.

The busa is my touring bike. Long distance comfort, 200+mile range, not buzzing at legal speeds, the most modded non cruiser bike = aftermarket/Org support. These are reasons why I didnt consider the SH. The busa rocked crossing states to get to the Dragon. I prefer a near boring ride ie not buzzing, wind protected smooth and fast. But when I got to the dragon, I would have prefered to be on a SH. Its my compromise, as are all sport touring rigs.

Have you been to sport-touring.net? Im sure someone has made this ST comparo in the past. If money was no object, Id probaby be on the new Concours or a duc ST3/4, but as I was on a budget, the Busa fullfills all of my wants in a ST rig. I almost bought a Futura a few years back because the sport vtwin sound in a ST set up just rocks.

The tank range and fairing of the SH and the SV1000S was not big enough for me.