Advice needed - worth modifying to improve comfort

[Blitzbok]

Would be grateful for some advice, test rode a gen 3 a few weeks ago for a 50 minute ride over a hill and through some easy twisties. Really enjoyed it. Noticed slightly stiff wrist but nothing major. Really appreciated the quality of the bike in every respect. Went for a second longer test ride over a mountain pass and back, about 2.5 hours ride with a break. Definitely felt wrist pressure and bit of a stiff neck towards the end of the ride, made me question whether to buy. I want to be able to commute and go on long rides with the bike.

Is it worth considering modifying the bike with higher risers/different handlebars to try help or does this present other problems with brake lines / future resale and therefore walk away and move on? Most of my experience is on cruisers, naked bikes and some track days on ninjas.

Appreciate your experience.

Thanks

 

[Bumblebee]

Welcome and howdy.....

The Hayabusa has a slightly aggressive riding position and even with Helibars and drop pegs I still find it necessary to take breaks while on rides to de-cramp everything (I have a Gen 2 but the riding position is still very similar so I'm told).

The Gen 3 section in this forum has many, many threads on this very subject and in these threads they have been discussed at length.

It would be really worth your while to spend some time perusing some of these threads as they are very detailed and useful...

 

[BigBSBusa]

Welcome to the .org!

 

[TallTom]

I can only comment as a 6'6" rider with a Gen 1 Busa.

You can make it better, but in my experience it will never be a bike you can relax on. You can ride it all day, but you will need to be able shift a lot. Take the pressure of your wrist, shoulders, etc. And you're core will always be engaged.

I have lowered my pegs, had a new seat made, and moved my bars up and forward. It all helped. But you can only make it grow so much.

 

[pashnit]

You can set up any bike to fit you, the stock position you're sensing during the test ride is your start point for whatever mods you want to make it fit you. (pegs, risers, screens, seat mods) The Hayabusa (all Gens) make for an excellent sport-touring platform if that's what you're looking for. I've done 1000 mile days on my Hayabusa and winner of the Iron Butt Rally rode 11,000 miles in 11 days (think about that for a moment) on a '08 Hayabusa. To me, this bike is a couch, for distance riding, just put your belly on the tank, lean forward and relax. Don't hold yourself up with straight arms, arms are for steering & leaning, not supporting your torso. I've got a 1" riser on my Gen3 but I've considered taking it off & back to stock.

 

[Berlin Germany]

convert to a superkike bar steering and ur wrist will stay, more or less, quiet.

believe me i know what i´m talking abou - i´m also that tall - 6´4"

pain in the wrists occur due to the tilt of the upper body forward.

if you sit a little more vertically due to the other handlebars, the pain is almost at peace.

OK, pain can always occur after a much longer journey - but it comes from a slight cramp, especially on the right side.

and I think that's completely normal.

take a look at the following pictures and pages to better understand what I mean by superbike handlebars.

other/new mirrors u´ll need

assambling the bar

plus the other links u´ll find at those (my) pages

 

[fallenarch]

I have 1" heli bars, racing foot controls (Vortex are my favorite, currently running SATOS), and a Corbin seat on my 09 Busa. I can ride it forever. In fact, I had a lot of back trouble when I got my BMW K1600. I think there are two things to consider/remember: 1) the busa was designed with a sporty riding position because that is the character they wanted for the bike (versus the ZX-14, which is as fast or faster). The sporty position makes the bike uniquely sublime in fast, swoopy roads. 2) The Busa rewards proper riding position. Meanly, support your weight on your abdomen, not your arms. And use counter steering rather than expend much effort wrestling the pig. If you do these things, the bike will be comfortable for a long time and very easy to control.

BTW: @pashnit probably has more Busa miles on several gens than anyone around. He runs bike trips on the west coast. So I would lean toward his recommendation!

 

[bigoltool]

Where there's a will there's a way!

 

[TallTom]

You can set up any bike to fit you, the stock position you're sensing during the test ride is your start point for whatever mods you want to make it fit you. (pegs, risers, screens, seat mods) The Hayabusa (all Gens) make for an excellent sport-touring platform if that's what you're looking for. I've done 1000 mile days on my Hayabusa and winner of the Iron Butt Rally rode 11,000 miles in 11 days (think about that for a moment) on a '08 Hayabusa. To me, this bike is a couch, for distance riding, just put your belly on the tank, lean forward and relax. Don't hold yourself up with straight arms, arms are for steering & leaning, not supporting your torso. I've got a 1" riser on my Gen3 but I've considered taking it off & back to stock.

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Pashnit brings up a point I forgot. Yes to a tank bag. You can rest against that as you ride. It does also help

I also got a Vario windscreen. My height could never get under the windflow unless you were always in tuck. The Vario moved it higher and around me. Made it a lot more peaceful.

 

[bigoltool]

Pashnit brings up a point I forgot. Yes to a tank bag. You can rest against that as you ride. It does also help

I also got a Vario windscreen. My height could never get under the windflow unless you were always in tuck. The Vario moved it higher and around me. Made it a lot more peaceful.

I have the MRA Vario on mine too, but in anything but the lowest position it just buffets around my helmet.

 

[wellcraft]

If you're worried about comfort then maybe the Hayabusa is not the bike for you and you should consider something more comfortable that you don't have to modify. There are a lot of powerful bikes on the market that provide loads of fun, HP/torque but also provide the benefit of a more comfortable upright riding position. I'm hoping to buy a 2023 Hayabusa and I'm also looking at mods I can make to make the bike a bit more comfortable so I'm looking at risers and lower pegs. But if I get a Hayabusa it will be a third bike and my intent is to use the Hayabusa for day trips and for any serious touring I'll ride my 2020 GSA or 2022 S1XR. I probably wouldn't own a Hayabusa as my only bike but that's just me. ABM makes handlebar kits for lots of bikes, not sure if they make one for the Busa but you can check: ABM ergonomic style | Motorcycle parts manufacturer | Shop

Good luck with whatever you decide

 

[Berlin Germany]

(...) I probably wouldn't own a Hayabusa as my only bike but that's just me. (...)

man?

how tall are u?

and how is ur driving position - felt - on the bike?

4 lowering pegs (footrests?) u can buy vario -pegs in diff. lengths - 20,30,40 and more millimeters long (see this german example)

have u ever had a ride on a gen3 with a superbike bar ?

 

[wellcraft]

man?

how tall are u?

and how is ur driving position - felt - on the bike?

4 lowering pegs (footrests?) u can buy vario -pegs in diff. lengths - 20,30,40 and more millimeters long (see this german example)

have u ever had a ride on a gen3 with a superbike bar ?

I'm 5-11, the dealership won't let me test ride the bike but sitting on it it feels similar to my 2017 ZX14R so I know I'd want to raise the bars a bit and lower the pegs. I've never ridden a Gen 3 or any other Hayabusa :-(

 

[sixpack577]

I'm 5-11, the dealership won't let me test ride the bike but sitting on it it feels similar to my 2017 ZX14R so I know I'd want to raise the bars a bit and lower the pegs. I've never ridden a Gen 3 or any other Hayabusa :-(

I am 5'10", 32"-33" inseam
I can flat foot all 3 gen Busas, seated, with a slightly bent knee.
I have ridden Gen1 and Gen2, not Gen3, but sat on a Gen3 at the dealer.
The Gen1 zx14, I have not ridden in many years, but I just remember it feeling physically larger than the Busa.
The Gen2 zx14, I have not ridden, but sat on at the dealer when they were new, over a decade ago.
Seated, I was on my tip toes, and the reach to the bars was the same, but both gen zx14 bars felt wider.
Both gen zx14's seat to pegs felt the same, to slightly better than the Busas.
The Busa and zx14 gas tank is also longer than the gsxr1k and zx10, so the reach and lean of both the big bikes is more noticeable, which cramps similiar knee room to the 1k's
Cycle-ergo is pretty cool too, so once you've ridden a few bikes, you can get a good idea in your head of how similiar another bike's riding position is or isn't, check it out...

Motorcycle Ergonomics

 

[Oz22]

Are you old OP? Perhaps doing pushups regularly might help. Fitness is an overlooked factor riding sports bikes and when we're young we tend to be fit and never have issues. It's why so many older dudes ride cruisers, they haven't the fitness for anything else. Personally I cycle a fare bit and workout some on a home gym and don't have any issues, though I do on something like an RR, too tall for them basically.

 

[TallTom]

Are you old OP? Perhaps doing pushups regularly might help. Fitness is an overlooked factor riding sports bikes and when we're young we tend to be fit and never have issues. It's why so many older dudes ride cruisers, they haven't the fitness for anything else. Personally I cycle a fare bit and workout some on a home gym and don't have any issues, though I do on something like an RR, too tall for them basically.

Very valid as well. The Hayabusa is going to require core strength always. And if it gets tired, you shift more weight on to your wrist to relax the core.

And yep joints need to be up to being in bent positions for long periods of time. And I do feel the difference when I've laid off for a season. It does require you be fitter in these areas.

 

[Berlin Germany]

Very valid as well. The Hayabusa is going to require core strength always. And if it gets tired, you shift more weight on to your wrist to relax the core.

And yep joints need to be up to being in bent positions for long periods of time. And I do feel the difference when I've laid off for a season. It does require you be fitter in these areas.

sorry not right in that view.

pain in the wrists has more or less nothing to do with the drivers fitness.

the main problems arise from the relationship between body size / values and the posture caused by the motorcycle and its standard geometry.

i myself, with my height of 1.94 meters / ~6'4", like countless others, have always had the problem that when my upper body tilts forward to a certain extent, the pain in my wrists becomes so severe after 30 minutes of driving at the latest ,
that I completely missed the fun of biking.

only on the German "autobahn" , above about 160 km/h / 100 mph, it got better - it felt like the wind was carrying me and the load on my wrists was reduced to almost zero - wrist pain ended.

and yes - a bulging/tightly filled tank bag can be a good chance of being able to lean on your upper body.

but nevertheless, the whole problem is basically caused solely by the geometry of the body/bike.

and since I don't feel like driving around with a pretty big tank bag all the time, all I had to do was convert it to superbike handlebars.

but even with the sb-bar - after an hour (or so) at around 140-150 km/h on the highway my RH wrist started to hurt - this , i guess, is caused by the cramping on the right caused by constantly holding the throttle grip
what made me pausing every ~ 1.5 h .
___________________________________________________________
to the screen (at the gen1) :
i moved to the MRA racing screen with its two 3-angled holes what massively reduces the under pressure behind it .
what then made me able to ride my gen1 with my "jet"-helmet even over 160 km/h / 100 mph without any wind issues .

4 ur info :
"jet"-helmet we here in egermany call the helmet type peter fonda weared in the easy rider movie - a helmet without chin saver .

 

[Blitzbok]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I have read them all 2-3 times over as every response contains good information for me.

In essence it seems you can modify the mighty Busa to, in some part, make the bike a better fit, cognisant of the fact that it primarily remains a sport bike and individual comfort is very much a personal experience based on your particular body / bike geometry. I need to make a call. I love the look of the bike and the engineering.

A few personal questions were asked about me: im 52, 172cm, fairly fit, gym 6 times a week and do HIIT. Core is fairly strong. Thank you all

 

[Blitzbok]

Ps how does the ZX 14 body position compare to the Hyabusa, similar ?

 

[Berlin Germany]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I have read them all 2-3 times over as every response contains good information for me.

In essence it seems you can modify the mighty Busa to, in some part, make the bike a better fit, cognisant of the fact that it primarily remains a sport bike and individual comfort is very much a personal experience based on your particular body / bike geometry. I need to make a call. I love the look of the bike and the engineering.

A few personal questions were asked about me: im 52, 172cm, fairly fit, gym 6 times a week and do HIIT. Core is fairly strong. Thank you all

ask @Kiwi Rider if u can join him and his workshop to eventually have a test sit on his busa.

if i remeber correctely he has a suberbike handlebar mounted.

only that way u can get a feeling , what a h-bar change can cause .