How long did it take.....

[StuandJoy]

I finally went WOT form about a 40mph roll on the Busa today. I had a real hard time just holding on to the bike.

Little background: I just bought her in September and its my first real bike. I had a ex500 when I was 16 but only for 4 months. Rode alot of dirtbikes growin up but nothin like the Busa.

How long did it take you guys to learn to ride the Hayabusa really hard? I'm not expecting to become an expert in 6 months but I'm moving to Hawaii soon so I'll be able to ride alot.

I was gonna go down 1 tooth in the front and maybe 2 in the rear because there is nowhere down there to hit 180+

Does that sound like a good combo for street riding and lots of short blasts?





Thanks guys, Stu

 

[rob t]

why do you want it to pull even harder if its your first real big machine!stay cool for a season or two get used to it !!and remember STAY OFF THE REAR BRAKE !!!!!!!!!!!!a panic skid will cost you your bike. and may cost more !remember 1st and 2nd are real long gears and can get you up in speeds real fast!!

 

[StuandJoy]

Oh its gonna be awhile before I do any more mods. Unless it involves chrome or powdercoating. Just curious.

 

[PACIFICBUSA]

Ok...first off: Get some good gear!

Next, I would recommend holding off on blasting the throttle WFO so early in the game. Stuff like that can get ya hurt...real quick.

Learning to ride the Busa hard just takes time, patience and control. Using myself as an example, it was 7 months...and I still had so much to learn. Just don't push yourself too hard...or things could get ugly quick.

I've found that the asphalt is not so forgiving.

You can compare riding the Busa to learning how to taste wine. People usually don't start with a 20 year Merlot and say "Oh my! What Body! Taste! etc. etc." They usually try a merlot and say "Dayum! I don't think I like this one."

I guess the point I'm getting at is that riding the Busa is better when you have more appreciation for it...kinda like that 1974 Vintage Merlot. Just take your time with it...that way you can really get to know all her quirks and nuances.

As for the gearing, -1 front and +2 inth rear is plenty enough. I would recommend just going -1 for now. Try to get used to what the throttle can do stock before you try and get more grunt down low. Trust me....it's a whole lot more fun to ride on two wheels than your ass. Been there, done that.

Overall, it's just safety, bro. Learn more about the bike first before doing any more grunt mods....and take your time with it so that you can appreciate it more. Heck, if you're gonna be in HI, you'll plenty of time to ride.

Just my .95, FWIW.

 

[StuandJoy]

Check on the good gear. I didnt go into this like a rookie. The bike scares the piss outta me but I have always had a slow methodical way of learning things. I'll get there I was just wondering what some of your guys experiences were.




keep em comin guys.

 

[UR IT!]

I've had mine two years now and I'm still getting used to it. Just when you think you know the Busa she'll jump up and learn you a couple of things.

Go easy and get use to what you have now. Cocky and Busa don't go well together.

Oh and have fun learning your bike!

Dan

 

[MeltDownZ]

I did a lot of street riding before I had the busa. I've had it about 8 months now. I can really lean into the throttle from time to time. However, there are still times when it's controlled caos. I'd figure I'm a couple of years away from being able to approach this bikes full potential... if ever.

 

[ChronosWS]

I just recently bought a Busa myself (about three weeks ago) so I can tell you how it's gone for me. If you are gonna go learn to twist the throttle and get used to the rush, do it away from everything. A drag strip wouldn't be a bad place to go, although I'd do it at a time when you don't have to feel the pressure of competition. I'd also not be pegging the throttle in 1st or 2nd. If you get out on the highway, you'll find that the bike cruises at 90mph in 6th gear at about 4500 rpms. Acceleration in this gear at that speed should be easy for you to handle, though it's still enough to trivially pass cars (shifting down on the Busa is totally unnecessary for any highway driving.) If you are used to that, try shifting down and accelerate. Each gear down will pull harder, and will give you a chance to get used to it. Again, only do this on an open highway, away from any other traffic and away from any curves.

If you feel yourself holding on by the handlebars, you aren't using your legs properly. If you grip the tank hard with your legs just before you get on the throttle, then your whole body will accelerate with the bike at once instead of just your legs and waist. Also, get tucked down BEFORE you start to lay it on. The bike builds speed so fast that the wind resistance will become difficult to deal with in no time.

In the few weeks I have had the bike, I still haven't really tested its full acceleration potential. What I can say is that the bike has not yet left me feeling that I need more than it can give. And I guess what that means is that I'm not ready to unleash the full power of the beast.

 

[stkr00]

What, you get used to it? I'm still learning.

Ride safe and keep your gear on.

 

[Charlesbusa]

Depends on how much you ride. And I'm not talking about riding to work. Serious riding in the twisties. Assuming you can do that once a weekend, at least a year for good throttle control while leaned way over. If you like twisties forget the gearing change, the damn bike is torquey enough when leaned over, its very easy to break the rear loose coming out of the apex.

For straight line riding, a couple months. All you have to do is keep the front down right??

 

[Bronto]

After four months and six thousand miles. Just getting familar with 4-7k rpm range. 3rd gear roll ons with enough throttle play to manage it. Felt only few woots above the 8k and 2nd gear. Like hyper drive

, something to get used to. Made concious effort to take it easy to learn everything all over again. This time on a different bike. Next Summer will be a different story, start pushing it harder.

 

[The Big Red One]

I've been riding for a long time and worked my way up to the bigger bikes....so for the most part I adjusted to the Busa fairly quickly. I think the biggest thing about the Busa (or any new superbike), is adjusting to the way they eat up distance without you even realizing it. The Busa especially is VERY smooth and accelerates VERY fast VERY deceptively

Thats what you have to watch out for. So let your senses adjust to the bike before you get to aggressive with the throttle. And Charles is right...if you plan on doing any twisty work the lower gearings prolly gonna hurt you more than help you. I'm not a real aggressive cornerman, so (at 5000 ft. of altitude) I ride a gear higher in the tight stuff to keep the revs around 6 grand or so which helps keep the throttle more manageable (while my buddy is flogging his GSXR-1100 to redline trying to hang...lol). But If your not spot on in the corners with the throttle on the bike stock, you can get in trub quick. So watch the lower gearing..we don't want that pretty Busa kissing asphalt...or anything else

 

[paineless4u]

I ain't real sure how to answer your question, the Busa for me is a pulling monster but I just practiced roll ons in 4th (mainly for the breakin period) after that as long as you get used to what the bike is going to do under a hard snap of the throttle just be easy on it. Lean forward a bit when getting on it to avoid the sudden wheelie situation
If it breaks traction let off a little or learn to control the spin to avoid it kicking out (completely) sideways on ya. More then anything have fun and be safe.

 

[tedbiele]

Well.
ummmmm........ yeah........
so, you mean that you get used to running 9 - 10 second quarter mile blasts on two wheels?
and top speeds out of the stratosphere??
LOL.

"said the wiseass"

 

[Revlis]

Seriously? I think this is prolly one of the Biggest problems of riding a Busa, or any modern Litre or bigger sportbike. Where the hell can you really ride these things to there potential. Honestly, I don't think there are very many places to do so, and when you do find a place it's still a bad idea. The track would be the best place to explore the bikes potential.

Now how long did it take to ride the Busa HARD? Oh... on the way home for about 4 seconds?

Seriously though, I know what you mean and honestly the Busa is taking me a LOOONG time to really start feeling like I can whoop her around. I am not riding as much as I thought I would be, and the Busa is just big enough and powerful enough to make mastery difficult. On my old 750 it took me prolly 6 months and I was whipping her around and sliding the rear, and just basically owning the thing. The Busa, not yet... I'm competant, I'm fast enough, but still no where near feeling like I "OWN" her. Heh, but it only took me a few weeks to get comfortable pinning the throttle in first or second... While verticle, with lots of open road of course.

I think the best idea would be to save up some coin and go to a racing school for the weekend. A Keith Code type of school. Where you get to rent a bike and really push the limits on the track. That should help a bunch in the real world, and it's something I know I want to go do...