Learning curve

[BULLRIDERZ]

I've read a lot on this and other sites from riders that are buying 'busas as their first bike and I have to comment...

If one buys a 'busa as their first bike, they are limiting how good a rider they can become.

How?  Because pushing the envelope is how you learn, going too far could get you hurt, and the edge is a fine one on a 'busa.  One needs to slightly scare themselves on a bike as they approach a bike's limits, and once the bike is mastered (I'd say the level you need to get to before moving up is being able to use 80+% of the potential of the machine, no mean feat on a modern mototrcycle).

Every time I moved up (RD350C to GPZ550 to KZ750E to GS1100E to ZRX1200R to '07 'busa) I took most of a season to become accustomed to each bike.  Even going from the GS1100E (lightly modded about 100 hp, good for 11 flats at 120+) straight to the 'busa without the ZRX between them would have flattened my learning curve.

If someone I knew wanted to start riding today, I would recommend at least one season on an SV650 or something comparable.

What do you think?  And people that got a 'busa as a first bike are not qualified to answer, given their lack of perspective...

yee-haw all wassup bullriderz here in detriot, m.i. first of all mad respect for all those here. i have wanted a bike for years and got a busa(first bike!) 2 months ago, it is sick fast and demands respect. first bike? yayaya wawawa it gets boring reading all the negitive here. o.k. about me i'm 27 6'1 250 (alittle stockey!

) i was in the marines for four years. my occ. was motor transport with 21 diff. types of liscences. did i have a moto lic.? nope BUT 10 months of intense driver training under all sorts of cond. everyone says it will kill you! ok. let's see should you buy a corvette? how bout a gun? stay inside it's raining there may be lightning! common

i am not dumb take a class learn EVERYTHING you can about your busa. take it very slow practice practice practice but most important respect it! if you want one get it! but dabburn you better treat it right! I WAITED FOR 8 YEARS FOR MY BUSA AND IM VERY HAPPY TAKING IT EASY, AND JUST BEING ON THE SADDLE! MUCH LOVE FOR ALL THE BUSA BOYS AND GIRLS OUT THERE.!

how about we encourage others to join our sport for the love of it and tell them to be VERY careful and learn your machine before you ride it hard. if you want one and are RESPONSIBLE AND SMART -- GET ONE THIS IS AMERICA AFTER ALL!!!!! GOD BLESS! BULLRIDERZ!!!

 

[SAMBUSA]

 

[CanadienMike]

No comment... other than thanks for those who will be keeping me employed in the future.

 

[SANDFLEA85]

Here a quick true little story ocurred 5 or 6 years ago: A friend of mine who I knew had learned to ride for less than a year on his first bike, a 750cc asked to borrow my GL1100 for a day so he could tour with his gf. I did, knowing he is level headed and mature. He comes back about 15min later, visibly shaken and pale. I asked him wth was wrong. He readily admitted to me that he almost ditched my bike in the first sharp turn he took. He said he just couldn't get it to turn enough and even hit the gravel shoulder. He handed the keys back. This year, after a few years of learning to properly counter-steer and confidently leaning and controlling a bike's weight into various turns he knows he is ready to move up and his looking to an F4. Moral of the story: Had he survived ditching my GL I would have finished him off myself. haha
Mike B

NO...Moral of that story is because he was used to rideing a smaller bike and tried to ride the bigger bike the same way he wasnt prepared for it...so again....someone please tell me how yrs of rideing smaller bikes ,progressing to a larger bike is a better idea then just buying the damn bike you want and learning how to ride and control it from the get go....I never ever ever rode a bike in my life until i bought my Busa last yr,I bought and taught myself to ride,read everything i could,picked everyones brain i could,,took the MSF safety class and gradually built my confidence to where I make that pig do whatever i want whenever i want it to...so much for your theories...oh yeah I am still alive BTW.....

 

[GMbusa]

Blue, your seeing riding from one perspective. Not everyone is out to master their skills on a motorcycle. Some just want to ride or cruise.

But i agree with what you say about working your way up from a certain point as i do not believe in starting out on anything smaller than a 600. How do people know how good a liter or Busa is if they started at the top? I myself started on a ZRX1100 just for the fact that i'm a big guy and i cannot fit on smaller bikes. When i did get a Busa, it opened a whole new world of riding.

Seat time is what really makes a rider. Ask Yamahor, that guy went from never riding a sportbike to a very capable corner carver in 1.5yrs. It was an amazing transformation.

 

[SAMBUSA]

I've read a lot on this and other sites from riders that are buying 'busas as their first bike and I have to comment...

If one buys a 'busa as their first bike, they are limiting how good a rider they can become.

How?  Because pushing the envelope is how you learn, going too far could get you hurt, and the edge is a fine one on a 'busa.  One needs to slightly scare themselves on a bike as they approach a bike's limits, and once the bike is mastered (I'd say the level you need to get to before moving up is being able to use 80+% of the potential of the machine, no mean feat on a modern mototrcycle).

Every time I moved up (RD350C to GPZ550 to KZ750E to GS1100E to ZRX1200R to '07 'busa) I took most of a season to become accustomed to each bike.  Even going from the GS1100E (lightly modded about 100 hp, good for 11 flats at 120+) straight to the 'busa without the ZRX between them would have flattened my learning curve.

If someone I knew wanted to start riding today, I would recommend at least one season on an SV650 or something comparable.

What do you think?  And people that got a 'busa as a first bike are not qualified to answer, given their lack of perspective...

You saying that I shouldn't answer this due lack of perspective could go both ways. You yourself have a lack of perspective. You could have gotten a Busa as your first bike and be just as good of a rider as you are now. You have no idea how good or how bad you would be. Just as you have now idea how good or bad I am.

Of all of those bikes that you've had, how many did you wreck?


I get tired of hearing the "Busa as a first bike is a bad idea" It's almost as bad as the guys on the smaller bikes dissing guys on Busa's. It gets old and your perspective is no better than mine.

 

[Zoinks!]

Here a quick true little story ocurred 5 or 6 years ago: A friend of mine who I knew had learned to ride for less than a year on his first bike, a 750cc asked to borrow my GL1100 for a day so he could tour with his gf. I did, knowing he is level headed and mature. He comes back about 15min later, visibly shaken and pale. I asked him wth was wrong. He readily admitted to me that he almost ditched my bike in the first sharp turn he took. He said he just couldn't get it to turn enough and even hit the gravel shoulder. He handed the keys back. This year, after a few years of learning to properly counter-steer and confidently leaning and controlling a bike's weight into various turns he knows he is ready to move up and his looking to an F4. Moral of the story: Had he survived ditching my GL I would have finished him off myself. haha
Mike B

NO...Moral of that story is because he was used to rideing a smaller bike and tried to ride the bigger bike the same way he wasnt prepared for it...so again....someone please tell me how yrs of rideing smaller bikes ,progressing to a larger bike is a better idea then just buying the damn bike you want and learning how to ride and control it from the get go....I never ever ever rode a bike in my life until i bought my Busa last yr,I bought and taught myself to ride,read everything i could,picked everyones brain i could,,took the MSF safety class and gradually built my confidence to where I make that pig do whatever i want whenever i want it to...so much for your theories...oh yeah I am still alive BTW.....

+1,000,000. I'm not elligable to answer? I believe this is a free country, and free board. I rode my buddies 600 for about 8 months every time I was at his house. The busa is a completely different feel. It's big, bulky, and stinkin fast. BUT! The ENTIRE reason I got it over a smaller bike was the comfort factor. I have a 45 min. commute one way to work every day. You really think a 600 or 1000 would suffice for the comfort factor the busa has? There's no way. SO. . . Why would I go spend my money on something I know I'm not gonna keep, something that's going to be uncomfortable and something that in general I'm gonna be saying "I don't want this thing. I want the busa". . . It'd be a waste of money and a waste of a pain in my a@@ (literally). I got the busa cause I saw it to be the most practical sport bike for what I'm using it for. Now, that's not to say that I never ride it hard. But there again, MY riding hard and YOUR riding hard are most likely 2 very different things. It's like others have said above. It's your maturity level and staying within your limits. If I want to take a little longer to be able to pull the knee dragging, and all that stuff that's my choice. Who are you to say that I can't get the bike I want and take a little longer to learn the more advanced stuff?

Sambusa has a good point as well. You have no clue what you would or wouldn't have done if you had gotten one as your first bike just like I have no clue what it would have been like if I had gotten something else as a first bike. We both have lack of perspective. You have no right to say that your perspective is better than mine or some of the other guys that got busa's first just because that's not what YOU did. Just my

Now you may proceed in telling me how ignorant I am and that I'm just a beginner and don't know half as much as yada yada yada. . . As stated above. . This topic has been beat to death. In the end, it's the choice of the person buying the bike, and if someone that wants a busa really wants a busa their not going to listen to anyone else telling them they shouldn't get one. If you want the bike, get the f'ing bike.

 

[Blue1]

I've read a lot on this and other sites from riders that are buying 'busas as their first bike and I have to comment...

If one buys a 'busa as their first bike, they are limiting how good a rider they can become.

How?  Because pushing the envelope is how you learn, going too far could get you hurt, and the edge is a fine one on a 'busa.  One needs to slightly scare themselves on a bike as they approach a bike's limits, and once the bike is mastered (I'd say the level you need to get to before moving up is being able to use 80+% of the potential of the machine, no mean feat on a modern mototrcycle).

Every time I moved up (RD350C to GPZ550 to KZ750E to GS1100E to ZRX1200R to '07 'busa) I took most of a season to become accustomed to each bike.  Even going from the GS1100E (lightly modded about 100 hp, good for 11 flats at 120+) straight to the 'busa without the ZRX between them would have flattened my learning curve.

If someone I knew wanted to start riding today, I would recommend at least one season on an SV650 or something comparable.

What do you think?  And people that got a 'busa as a first bike are not qualified to answer, given their lack of perspective...

You saying that I shouldn't answer this due lack of perspective could go both ways.  You yourself have a lack of perspective.  You could have gotten a Busa as your first bike and be just as good of a rider as you are now.  You have no idea how good or how bad you would be. Just as you have now idea how good or bad I am.

Of all of those bikes that you've had, how many did you wreck?


I get tired of hearing the "Busa as a first bike is a bad idea"  It's almost as bad as the guys on the smaller bikes dissing guys on Busa's.  It gets old and your perspective is no better than mine.

Nothing personal, but how can you comment on something you haven't done?

Answer: you can't.

 

[SANDFLEA85]

I've read a lot on this and other sites from riders that are buying 'busas as their first bike and I have to comment...

If one buys a 'busa as their first bike, they are limiting how good a rider they can become.

How?  Because pushing the envelope is how you learn, going too far could get you hurt, and the edge is a fine one on a 'busa.  One needs to slightly scare themselves on a bike as they approach a bike's limits, and once the bike is mastered (I'd say the level you need to get to before moving up is being able to use 80+% of the potential of the machine, no mean feat on a modern mototrcycle).

Every time I moved up (RD350C to GPZ550 to KZ750E to GS1100E to ZRX1200R to '07 'busa) I took most of a season to become accustomed to each bike.  Even going from the GS1100E (lightly modded about 100 hp, good for 11 flats at 120+) straight to the 'busa without the ZRX between them would have flattened my learning curve.

If someone I knew wanted to start riding today, I would recommend at least one season on an SV650 or something comparable.

What do you think?  And people that got a 'busa as a first bike are not qualified to answer, given their lack of perspective...

You saying that I shouldn't answer this due lack of perspective could go both ways.  You yourself have a lack of perspective.  You could have gotten a Busa as your first bike and be just as good of a rider as you are now.  You have no idea how good or how bad you would be. Just as you have now idea how good or bad I am.

Of all of those bikes that you've had, how many did you wreck?


I get tired of hearing the "Busa as a first bike is a bad idea"  It's almost as bad as the guys on the smaller bikes dissing guys on Busa's.  It gets old and your perspective is no better than mine.

Nothing personal, but how can you comment on something you haven't done?

Answer:  you can't.

AND HOW CAN YOU COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU NEVER DID??

tell ya what,your in NJ im in Philly,I've been rideing for 1 yr and apparently you have been rideing for 20+yrs the way you speak.i'll put my one yrs experience on my Busa next to yours on a track of your choice and then we can settle this debate....you let me know

 

[MrGxr]

Went from Yamaha 125 (79-80) to the YZ250 (81-82) on the dirt, then moved to street with Yamaha 750 (83) and then moved down to the Harley Softtail Custom (83 - 84)... then took 19 years off from riding. Wanted back in and wanted it to be a sports bike... looked around and found I was only comfortable on the Busa... bought the bike, got it home and then found out what it was that I bought. So... no it was not my first bike, but it was my first sportsbike and I ride the hell out of it when I feel the need (WAG can attest to this).

Oh.. I also ride an 07 Vulcan 2000... after riding one in 03 at Copper Mountain I saved up and got me one... great bikes and each is awesome depending on the mood I am in that day...

 

[jasonc32amg]

I think it is silly to get a Busa as a first bike but I'm not sure if it is the most dangerous one to get. It's not nearly as wheely prone as others and it is is extremely stable; although this could instill a false sense of security. I think a litre bike may be even deadlier for a newbie.

 

[WishinOnABusa]

and how can you comment on something u havent done (getting busa as 1st bike)

answer: you cant

 

[Zoinks!]

You know what this thread needs? Deletion by the moderators. . . It's a pointless debate. The guys that had other things first will never believe that it's a good bike to start on, and the guys that got one as a first bike will never agree with them. . . You can bicker back and forth all day and it'll never change. I think this topic should simply be banned from the boards. . . It would save a hell of a lot of arguments, frustration, childish bickering, and ppl getting pissed off.

 

[Burger King]

For young riders, a tiered licensing system would be an excellent idea. High levels of testosterone and mega-hp make for a toxic mix on the streets. Handing a 18 year old male a 130 + hp motorcycle for his first bike and expecting him to exercise throttle control is like asking him not to ogle the girls at the beach. Now if you're 30 or older maybe you can twist your wrist a little slower and won't need to prove your manhood every time you hop on the bike. Too many kids are crippled or dead because they said they could handle that type of power responsibly. Besides, they're invincible......it will never happen to them.....yada yada.

It was always fun watching the guys get on the track for the first time, doing all they could do, going so fast and dragging that knee. They were flying........or so they thought until an experienced racer came flying around them twice as fast through the corner and then reaching out and touching them. You could almost see the brown spot forming on their leathers.......point being......many people think they have the ability to master any high horsepower machine they hop on, but few take the time to really learn the capability of the bike they ride or have any clue about their own riding abilities and unfortunately that can mean the difference between an enjoyable day riding or very bad riding experience when the unthinkable happens in front of you.

 

[CanadienMike]

The King has spoken.. and spoken with wisdom indeed.

 

[Zoinks!]

For young riders, a tiered licensing system would be an excellent idea. High levels of testosterone and mega-hp make for a toxic mix on the streets. Handing a 18 year old male a 130 + hp motorcycle for his first bike and expecting him to exercise throttle control is like asking him not to ogle the girls at the beach. Now if you're 30 or older maybe you can twist your wrist a little slower and won't need to prove your manhood every time you hop on the bike. Too many kids are crippled or dead because they said they could handle that type of power responsibly.  Besides, they're invincible......it will never happen to them.....yada yada.

It was always fun watching the guys get on the track for the first time, doing all they could do, going so fast and dragging that knee. They were flying........or so they thought until  an experienced racer came flying around them twice as fast through the corner and then reaching out and touching them. You could almost see the brown spot forming on their leathers.......point being......many people think they have the ability to master any high horsepower machine they hop on, but few take the time to really learn the capability of the bike they ride or have any clue about their own riding abilities and unfortunately that can mean the difference between an enjoyable day riding or very bad riding experience when the unthinkable happens in front of you.

Do me a favor. . .Don't generalize ALL teenagers as stupid, immature, and irresponsible. When I was 18 I was plenty responsable. Don't believe me. . Ask my parents and every other adult I was around. They will all tell you. How do I know this, because they have all told ME and others around me that am, and was, A LOT more responsible than most ppl my age. (I'll be 21 in a few months) I never thought I was invincible. . . While my friends were off doing something "death defying" I was the one sittin back goin, "Y'all are stupid". If you have enough of a brain to know that this thing could kill you at a moments notice before you can even figure out what's going on and that you had better respect it if you want to live, then you can be perfectly fine on one.

 

[CanadienMike]

OK this is my last comment on this thread. Let me start off saying that the reason I was posting was not for those who already have Busas but more for those who were inquiring of the idea of owning a Busa as a first bike. To those inexperienced riders who have already purchased a Busa and have posted defensive posts.. too bad. We are not in Sadam's Iraq or communist China and still have liberty of expression and opinion.

If you want to understand the message I 've been trying to convey to new bikers, take some time this summer to observe a class of beginner motorcyclists in your area. Call your vehicle ministry or check their website for dates and locations. Compare their skills to those of the instructors (as am I). Then, try to imagine their skill levels 1 or 2 years down the road and ask yourself if you think they would have acquired in that time, the same skills which the instructors (experienced operators) demonstrated during their class. Please take some time and go have a look, you will find it funny and troubling at the same time. Also note what kind of bike they are practicing on. Lastly, be honest with yourself and ask yourself if you would lend any of these riders your Busa for 15 minutes or how hilarious it would be if they were all practicing their maneuvres (cones, instictive counter-steering, sudden obstacle, braking in sharp turn, etc)on Busas that day "as their first bikes" instead of the 125cc or 250cc!!!!!

Mike B. 10-7 on this thread.

 

[jasonc32amg]

and how can you comment on something u havent done (getting busa as 1st bike)

answer: you cant

The cognitive skills may escape you but others have the ability to use reason and logic and make inferences.

 

[SANDFLEA85]

For young riders, a tiered licensing system would be an excellent idea. High levels of testosterone and mega-hp make for a toxic mix on the streets. Handing a 18 year old male a 130 + hp motorcycle for his first bike and expecting him to exercise throttle control is like asking him not to ogle the girls at the beach. Now if you're 30 or older maybe you can twist your wrist a little slower and won't need to prove your manhood every time you hop on the bike. Too many kids are crippled or dead because they said they could handle that type of power responsibly.  Besides, they're invincible......it will never happen to them.....yada yada.

It was always fun watching the guys get on the track for the first time, doing all they could do, going so fast and dragging that knee. They were flying........or so they thought until  an experienced racer came flying around them twice as fast through the corner and then reaching out and touching them. You could almost see the brown spot forming on their leathers.......point being......many people think they have the ability to master any high horsepower machine they hop on, but few take the time to really learn the capability of the bike they ride or have any clue about their own riding abilities and unfortunately that can mean the difference between an enjoyable day riding or very bad riding experience when the unthinkable happens in front of you.

SH!T..when I was 18 I was in the Marine Corps...served in Desert Storm...I thought I was pretty responsible at 18...actually I think I was more responsible at 18 then now at 37....I still havent mastered "Throttle control" or have I ...all I know is when I want to go fast,I twist the throttle and when I want to go faster I turn the spray on....is there anything else I should know? maybe you can teach me oh wise one

 

[GSXcite]

For young riders, a tiered licensing system would be an excellent idea. High levels of testosterone and mega-hp make for a toxic mix on the streets. Handing a 18 year old male a 130 + hp motorcycle for his first bike and expecting him to exercise throttle control is like asking him not to ogle the girls at the beach. Now if you're 30 or older maybe you can twist your wrist a little slower and won't need to prove your manhood every time you hop on the bike. Too many kids are crippled or dead because they said they could handle that type of power responsibly.  Besides, they're invincible......it will never happen to them.....yada yada.

It was always fun watching the guys get on the track for the first time, doing all they could do, going so fast and dragging that knee. They were flying........or so they thought until  an experienced racer came flying around them twice as fast through the corner and then reaching out and touching them. You could almost see the brown spot forming on their leathers.......point being......many people think they have the ability to master any high horsepower machine they hop on, but few take the time to really learn the capability of the bike they ride or have any clue about their own riding abilities and unfortunately that can mean the difference between an enjoyable day riding or very bad riding experience when the unthinkable happens in front of you.

Do me a favor. . .Don't generalize ALL teenagers as stupid, immature, and irresponsible.  When I was 18 I was plenty responsable.  Don't believe me. . Ask my parents and every other adult I was around.  They will all tell you.  How do I know this, because they have all told ME and others around me that am, and was, A LOT more responsible than most ppl my age.  (I'll be 21 in a few months)  I never thought I was invincible. . .  While my friends were off doing something "death defying" I was the one sittin back goin, "Y'all are stupid".  If you have enough of a brain to know that this thing could kill you at a moments notice before you can even figure out what's going on and that you had better respect it if you want to live, then you can be perfectly fine on one.

+1 I think I was responsible when I was 18 Too. Responsible for trying to keep my azz from being shot off in Viet Nam during Tet. Bottom line, are there people who have been able to learn to ride on a busa without killing theirselves, yes. Are there people who have tried to learn to ride on a busa and crashed bad, yes. Are there better bikes to learn to ride on, probably.