buying a hayabusa and what to look for.

[ADAM79]

I just sold my 06 VFR and im now looking for a first gen Hayabusa. Im trying to find one that hasn't been abused, is in stock form, and was used for commuting.
I also want one that has been well maintained over the years.

Correct me if im wrong but I researched the valve adj intervals online and I found every 6k miles they need inspection. Are ya'll seeing valves out of adjustment at this point, or are you guys and gals waiting longer. Are there any issues with these bikes that I need to look for when buying a used Hayabusa.

Im looking at a one owner 2005 limited edition with 11,000miles on it. New plugs, air filter and he has a Smart tre installed. What would be the reason for installing a TRE. If there hasn't been a valve adjustment done on this bike, would it be better to wait and buy something else.

Thanks for reading this long post.
Adam

 

[twotonevert]

Welcome to the oRg. There are a lot of things to consider when purchasing a used bike. Just look everything over very well, check the chain, sprockets, tires. Look for signs of a drop on the bar ends, mirrors, body work, etc. Check the transmission to see if it shifts smoothly, particularly second gear. Also check the brake rotors. Check the oil sight glass and see how dirty the oil is.
I have an 05 and they are very solid bikes. I have also never had my valves adjusted with just at 12,000 miles, she still purrs like a kitten. The TRE is installed for a couple of reasons, 1) To remove the 186 top speed limit set by the 5th gear map, 2) some say that this helps smooth the bike out at lower gears. Personally, this is not true for me, I have a TRE installed, but have it turned off(GIPro w/tre). If the price is right, be sure and post up pics when you get her home.

 

[ADAM79]

This is my 4th bike in four years so im pretty familiar with the basics of buying a used bike. But it seems that every bike has its own set of issues, and I was trying to see what the hayabusa's were. How's the fuel maping on these bikes. Any flat spots or on/off throttle response at lower RPM's in lower gears? Anything prone to going out? Im guessing second gear is prone to issues or the gear box in general. Good to see some people from Oklahoma on here. Thanks for the fast replay.

Adam

 

[rusheriv]

• On a stock bike you'll notice a little of the timing retardation jerking in lower gears at low RPMs. TRE helps, but it also uses the 5th gear map so it has it's disadvantages too. Best fix is a custom tuned ECU flash.
• 2nd gear is a problem for some folks. The issue is 2nd gear isn't undercut, so if you don't give it a firm shift it can slip out of gear and wear/round off the dogs which cause it to jump out of gear under hard acceleration. Fix, have the dogs undercut.
• Pre '08 models only have one cooling fan and tend to overheat in stop 'n go traffic. Common fix is to fit with a Muzzy fan blade ($40) or fab a GSXR1K fan to fit on the right side.
• Depending on your weight, some find the front springs to be not up to par. Common fix is to upgrade the springs or entire shock/fork cartridges.

I think that covers all of the "out of the box" items. Other issues are usually owner/mod induced. Just like any vehicle, a well maintained stock machine will give you many joyfull miles of happy riding.

 

[twotonevert]

This is my 4th bike in four years so im pretty familiar with the basics of buying a used bike. But it seems that every bike has its own set of issues, and I was trying to see what the hayabusa's were. How's the fuel maping on these bikes. Any flat spots or on/off throttle response at lower RPM's in lower gears? Anything prone to going out? Im guessing second gear is prone to issues or the gear box in general. Good to see some people from Oklahoma on here. Thanks for the fast replay.

Adam

Be sure and send a note to DEMMYM, he will get you added to the Oklahoma list. Dont want you to miss a local event.

 

[ADAM79]

• On a stock bike you'll notice a little of the timing retardation jerking in lower gears at low RPMs. TRE helps, but it also uses the 5th gear map so it has it's disadvantages too. Best fix is a custom tuned ECU flash.
• 2nd gear is a problem for some folks. The issue is 2nd gear isn't undercut, so if you don't give it a firm shift it can slip out of gear and wear/round off the dogs which cause it to jump out of gear under hard acceleration. Fix, have the dogs undercut.
• Pre '08 models only have one cooling fan and tend to overheat in stop 'n go traffic. Common fix is to fit with a Muzzy fan blade ($40) or fab a GSXR1K fan to fit on the right side.
• Depending on your weight, some find the front springs to be not up to par. Common fix is to upgrade the springs or entire shock/fork cartridges.

I think that covers all of the "out of the box" items. Other issues are usually owner/mod induced. Just like any vehicle, a well maintained stock machine will give you many joyfull miles of happy riding.

This is exactly what I was looking for, thanks so much.

 

[ADAM79]

Be sure and send a note to DEMMYM, he will get you added to the Oklahoma list. Dont want you to miss a local event.

Will do.

 

[kml]

Get a '03 or later, by then Suzuki had fixed the fuel pump issues, used steel instead of aluminum in the rear subframe, installed an anti rattle spring in the clutch, resolved the cam chain issues with a new oil feed design, upgraded the ecu to a 32 bit unit, and most importantly installed a torque limiter in the starter idle/reduction gear, larger gears as well, to prevent the cases cracking went the starter went bad.

The valve inspection interval is 15 thousand miles.

Just my two cents.

cheers
ken

 

[ADAM79]

went to look at an 05 with 11,000miles. Bike was in great condition, but the one thing that bother me was his chain, it was completely dry with out any chain oil on it at all. This makes me think he might not be careing for the bike in other places also. His garaged was very dirty and cluttered, which could be an indication of someone that is lazy when it comes to up keep on his things.....or I could be reading into it a bit much.

The passenger pegs are very craped for my passenger, does anyone know of a company that makes lowering blocks for the rear pegs?

Thanks for all the info.

 

[kml]

does anyone know of a company that makes lowering blocks for the rear pegs?

Not off the top of my head.

My solution was the raise the butt with a Corbin saddle as opposed to lowering the feet.

11k is nothing. The only thing I would be concerned about if if the rider has had preformed a lot of ham fisted 1st to 2nd shifts and has started to round of the engagement dogs on 2nd. Did he seem like that kind of rider?

I purchased the above one off e-bay used for 250 bucks.

cheers
ken

 

[Kaptain Kanji]

All in all, the Busa's a well built bike and I wouldn't worry about valve adjustments at
that mileage if the motor sounds good.
Like KML says, go with an 03 or later.!!
Good luck.

 

[bartosh]

i am getting this evil machine very soon
cud someone post here a link from youtube or else(with good quality sound) of the very good example how hayabusa's engine should sound like?
many thanks

 

[saygbye]

ride it and ride it hard. i just wnet through the same thing youre about to do. looked and looked for a low mileage stock bike. finally found one, 2007 with 5500 miles. started great, idled great ran great. the day i test rode it, it was sprinkling rain so i couldnt get on it but the tranny shifted smoothly and stayed in gear. so i thought good bike.

WRONG!!

first time i rode it in dry weather and got on it i got the old jerking/bucking associated with second going out.
$1200 later i learned a valuable lesson. they only pop out of second if the shift fork is completely worn out but the bucking/jerking will happen if the gear is slipping past the dog(which is what wears out the fork). so my advice is to ride it hard all the way through second and make sure its smooth.
sorry bout the long post i just dont want to see anybody else get burned like i did.

 

[sixpack577]

ride it and ride it hard. i just wnet through the same thing youre about to do. looked and looked for a low mileage stock bike. finally found one, 2007 with 5500 miles. started great, idled great ran great. the day i test rode it, it was sprinkling rain so i couldnt get on it but the tranny shifted smoothly and stayed in gear. so i thought good bike.

WRONG!!

first time i rode it in dry weather and got on it i got the old jerking/bucking associated with second going out.
$1200 later i learned a valuable lesson. they only pop out of second if the shift fork is completely worn out but the bucking/jerking will happen if the gear is slipping past the dog(which is what wears out the fork). so my advice is to ride it hard all the way through second and make sure its smooth.
sorry bout the long post i just dont want to see anybody else get burned like i did.

2nd gear failing in gen1's is a common problem. No real cause other than the design, as common as it is, some gen1's never have that problem.