(FulThrotl @ Jul. 20 2003,19:12) i thought i'd write something here....
i qualify as one of those old fossils.
i've been riding since 1969. this makes
me 3 years older than dirt. i've also got
about half a million miles (literally) on
street bikes, and 5 years racing desert
(2 at open expert level).
30 years ago, bikes weren't all that well
engineered, compared to today. if
you wanted to have something fast,
you pretty much had to build it yourself,
and in the process, you had a chance to
learn about surviving the experience.
sort of an apprenticeship, if you will.
the only thing i'd ever gotten a leg over
during the '70's that exceeded the
stock bike you have in your garage was
a 1 liter suzuki running alcohol/nitro, built
for the salt. the bottom of fifth gear on
that bike was 195 mph. it went 205 one
way at edwards dry lake with me on it.
that was enough. i was willing, but the
owner of godzilla was nervous i'd prang
his toy.
up until i bought the 'busa, i've never had
a street bike on it's side, and i ride fast.
lotta years.....lots of miles. no road rash,
yada, yada, yada.
the day i picked up the bike from the dealer,
i filled the tank up, and got on the 405 freeway.
i cracked it open until it felt like the motor
was working a bit... it had this surgey feeling,
like it was loafing along on trailing throttle,
and i glanced down at the speedo, and it said 115....
and i thought, "oh, my god, what have i gotten
myself into?" then i got this silly grin that wouldn't go
away.....
the first 12,000 miles on the 'busa saw
it on it's side twice. the first time, damage
was $6,800. second time, it was $7,900.
bike looks new at this point, but there is
a HUGE box of dead parts in the garage.
AAA ****. so did i last year when i paid the
new insurance rate.
when the bike was in the bike shop the second
time, and i was walking around with 5 stainless
steel pins in my right hand (at least they didn't
amputate fingers) there were five busas in that
bike shop, including mine.
one for a tune up.
4 for wreck repair.
the shop owner said that 70% of the busa's he
had sold, to the best of his knowledge, had been
wrecked at least once.
look on ebay at the busas. most of them have
salvage titles. there is a reason.
just a frendly word of caution.... if i'd of had
anything remotely this fast when i was 22,
allowing for testosterone and all, i wouldn't
be writing to caution you at this time.
it's insanely fast, very stable, controllable,
and easy to launch. the sensation of speed
is deceptive. 100 on this bike doesn't feel
like 100.
until you f### up. if you want to get a
good taste, a second gear roll on is about
the safest approach.
pick a nice straight section of road, clean
and dry. ride over it first, to check things out.
go back to the start, and let the clutch out in
1st. don't light the tire up. just pull away from
the light. shift into second. get it lined up
straight, and in one smooth motion, from about
a 15-20 mph roll, open the throttle completely.
it'll try to climb out from between your legs,
and the rear fairing will smack you in the butt.
when it hits 6,000 rpm, the front wheel will
start coming off the ground nice and easy.
you can control it up to 11,000, but realize
this..... you are now on the back wheel, and
the bike is going thru 100 mph.
most everything is streaks in your vision. from
9,000 to 11,000 was blinding, the first time
i tried it in second gear.
if you pick up engine oil or ATF from the roadway
while in this power wheelie, and the bike crosses
up, your chances of being killed or maimed are
high. remember i said to check out the pavement
you are going to ride over beforehand. i wasn't kidding.
i was coming south on 101 from san jose, going to LA,
and there was about 20 miles of pretty fresh paving,
maybe about a month old..... and nobody was around,
and i nailed it hard, and the rear tire must have picked
up some oil from the asphalt, and all of a sudden it lit
up at about 160, and started to come around. i barely
had time to get a handle on it, it started to cross up
so fast. it felt like the tire had gone flat, the engine
redlined in 6th at 160, and the back end started to
come around.
that suggested second gear roll on i mentioned above?
don't even consider it until you have 6,000 miles on
the bike, and feel very comfortable with the bike.
please be very careful. it's been 2 years, and i still
cannot make a tight fist with my right hand, and most
likely may never be able to again.
back when i was racing desert on a husky, i'd buy my
parts from a guy named mitch payton in anaheim, who
had this little husky shop, in a converted gas station.
at the time, mitch payton had been the fastest 250
expert in district 37, until the accident that left him
in a wheelchair. he was 23. it was a good reality check
for me.. i'd go in each week for parts and stuff, and
he'd be popping wheelies in his wheelchair..... and i'd
decide that my balls didn't really have to clink all that
much....
mitch's shop was called pro circuit racing, and he's huge
these days.... he's a multi multi millionare.......
and he's still in that wheelchair. be careful.
randy
