How to kill a Hayabusa Thread on a Kawasaki forum

[c10]

Hello:

I look at things differently. I don't understand at the moment why you would want to kill it instead of keeping it going. Like you planting seeds in someone elses garden so to speak. I don't know if that is the right analogy along those lines I guess.

Tried that years ago a few like the bird but it's a kaw forum.

 

[Bumblebee]

The ZX11 could do 173mph, then the Blackbird came along and did 178mph.
Which brings us to here...
The Busa came along 2 years later, and does 194mph!
I think the old comparison puts things back into perspective.
There are alot of high tech superbikes today, but a 20 year old bike is still a contender.
I measure time in motorcycles, and my favorite decade was from the 91 ZX11, up to the 01 gsxr1k(another game changer).
And all the sportbikes that came in between.
Amazing watching things change through the years.

The Busa holds it's own even today, the current litre bikes are not that much faster and really nothing has been done to the Busa since 2008 to make it faster.

I always hear H2 this and H2 that, it's the H2R that is always brought up, I keep reminding people it is not a street legal bike. I'm really surprised BMW hasn't supercharged their S1000RR yet. The German companies are usually into supercharging things.

 

[Mr Brown]

Work in inflation and the prices were on par to today's prices.
I recall I paid something like $7000 for my '86 Gixxer (in '86) and people thought that was outrageous.
My Gen 2 Katana was $5500 in '86 which was a lot of money in those days.

Inflation covers some but not all of the increase. They cost more than they should, but we keep buyin em, so.....

 

[c10]

I need to share my magazine article with my ZX11D that made a HD magazine Full throttle. I think mainly because I got the editors Indian back up n running in Eureka springs Arkansas.
I managed to wring out 186 on the ZX11D with light wheels, full exhaust and many weight reduction mods.

 

[Bumblebee]

Inflation covers some but not all of the increase. They cost more than they should, but we keep buyin em, so.....

Of course...of course, and why wouldn't we-we love them!

 

[Bumblebee]

I need to share my magazine article with my ZX11D that made a HD magazine Full throttle. I think mainly because I got the editors Indian back up n running in Eureka springs Arkansas.
I managed to wring out 186 on the ZX11D with light wheels, full exhaust and many weight reduction mods.

So....the weight reduction sickness is not a new ailment.....

 

[c10]

So....the weight reduction sickness is not a new ailment.....

No not at all. Titanium started with mountain bikes, carbon fiber was a Aegis frame

 

[Bumblebee]

No not at all. Titanium started with mountain bikes, carbon fiber was a Aegis frame

I remember when Magnesium was all the rage for engine parts and rims, etc.

 

[Bumblebee]

The original GSXR began the repli-racer arms race, but Suzi and Kaw have been fighting the hyperbike battle with each other for over 40 years. Honda and Yamaha have fired shots (Interceptor and FJ 1200/1300) but it's been a two sided war for the most part.

I was going to say, there were a few repli racers before the Gixxer. RZ500, RG 500, NSR 400, 600R Ninja. People were blown away when they saw these bikes.

The 600 Ninja and Gixxer both came out in '85.

 

[c10]

I remember when Magnesium was all the rage for engine parts and rims, etc.

Still is. ZX12 and hayabusa use magnesium engine covers. I don't know if zx14 does

 

[Johnnie Phatt]

I've had the pleasure of owning at least one and sometimes more of a broad range of manufactures motorcycles. I tend towards buying what ever bike talks to me at the time I still think my all time favourite motorcycle was my Suzuki GS 850G. Reasonable handling in its day very torque motor from about 1500 rpm up. What can only be described as the most comfortable stock factory seat ever made in the history of the world slick as butter gear shift. It was as reliable as a toaster and truly not a lot more exciting. But it was a great bike To Ride. Across town across the country. It was up for either.

 

[Mr Brown]

I was going to say, there were a few repli racers before the Gixxer. RZ500, RG 500, NSR 400, 600R Ninja. People were blown away when they saw these bikes.

The 600 Ninja and Gixxer both came out in '85.

Gixxer was out in 85, ninja 600 in 86 I think. The two stroke bikes were some kind of evil genius magic makers. Four strokes were much more user friendly, and with a yosh, kerker or Vance n Hines exhaust, they had that sound....
Thinking back, I grew up on the sound of cosworth V8 formula 1 engines. My grandparents house was a mile or so from the Silverstone circuit, the cars were clearly audible from their garden. I think that's where I learned to love motors. I don't remember hearing the bikes though....

 

[Bumblebee]

Gixxer was out in 85, ninja 600 in 86 I think. The two stroke bikes were some kind of evil genius magic makers. Four strokes were much more user friendly, and with a yosh, kerker or Vance n Hines exhaust, they had that sound....
Thinking back, I grew up on the sound of cosworth V8 formula 1 engines. My grandparents house was a mile or so from the Silverstone circuit, the cars were clearly audible from their garden. I think that's where I learned to love motors. I don't remember hearing the bikes though....

Here in Canada, we had the little Ninja in '85 (later '85 could have been an '86 model come to think of it) so you are right the Gixxer was the leader of the 4 stroke race replicas.
I know I liked mine, it was quick, light and handled great. I had a Gen 2 Katana at the same time and the Gixxer would absolutely walk away from it anywhere, anytime. I put a Yosh pipe on the Gixxer and a Harris pipe on the Kat, honestly the Kat sounds better, that Harris is sweet.

My Bandit has that same oil boiler engine and it is a great power plant.

The sound was unique, there is a person here who has an old Z900 with a Kerker pipe and it sounds so good..

 

[Mr Brown]

Here in Canada, we had the little Ninja in '85 (later '85 could have been an '86 model come to think of it) so you are right the Gixxer was the leader of the 4 stroke race replicas.
I know I liked mine, it was quick, light and handled great. I had a Gen 2 Katana at the same time and the Gixxer would absolutely walk away from it anywhere, anytime. I put a Yosh pipe on the Gixxer and a Harris pipe on the Kat, honestly the Kat sounds better, that Harris is sweet.

My Bandit has that same oil boiler engine and it is a great power plant.

The sound was unique, there is a person here who has an old Z900 with a Kerker pipe and it sounds so good..

I may be wrong about the year, but it was around there. And Canada may have been different. I've never heard a Harris pipe that I remember, but a high revving 4 stroke is the sound of fast, at least in my mind.

 

[Bumblebee]

I may be wrong about the year, but it was around there. And Canada may have been different. I've never heard a Harris pipe that I remember, but a high revving 4 stroke is the sound of fast, at least in my mind.

I looked it up and 600 Ninja came to Canada in 1984, same year as the GPZ 900 Ninja...go figure.

The Harris pipe came from the UK, I got it from a friend of mine there. It is quite unique.

 

[04LE]

Inflation covers some but not all of the increase. They cost more than they should, but we keep buyin em, so.....

Inflation + R&D = today's price. Can't really compare a carb bikes of the 80s with all the tech advances that are in a new bike. That more than makes up for the cost difference I'd say.

 

[Bumblebee]

Inflation + R&D = today's price. Can't really compare a carb bikes of the 80s with all the tech advances that are in a new bike. That more than makes up for the cost difference I'd say.

....but in their day, they were cutting edge tech. When they were making bikes then, people had Commodore Vic 20's as personal computers.

 

[04LE]

I can agree with that, but times are always changing and more tech needs even more $. They are just passing along the cost. I'd be curious to know the profit that is in each bike now vs profit in them in 80s.

 

[Bumblebee]

I can agree with that, but times are always changing and more tech needs even more $. They are just passing along the cost. I'd be curious to know the profit that is in each bike now vs profit in them in 80s.

Hard to say really, as tech got more and more common, it got cheaper to produce. Bikes back then were probably more expensive to produce as the R&D was done by hand, not virtually like today.

I know in the day bikes like the GSXR, FZR, ZXR, and CBRR were leading the charge for tech much like they are today.

 

[Mr Brown]

I'm sure profit margins are still good for the manufacturers, less so for the dealerships. As said, tech costs drop quickly, and inflation is certainly some of it. But, consider how much more of the average check everything else consumer more of, bikes are probably th same.