New to the bike world.....

L

LateNightDJ

Registered
Just found the website today and it is really well done and the forums seem to be really active.

I just wanted to get some opinions on what I should do.

I am brand new to the bike world. Very little experience on dirt bikes.

No wife or kids or gf that I need to worry about.

Have completed a beginners motorcycle class. Learned the basics of riding and some slightly more advanced techniques.

I am in love with the Busa. They are god-like machines and I want one so very bad.

I am not crazy behind the wheel, well except when I am racing at the track, and do not feel the "need for speed" on the open roads.

I have read some other posts that people have suggested going with a smaller bike first. I am curious as to why they make the suggestion of a smaller bike when the big difference is the amount of power that can be made and how fast you get that power.

So any tips, suggestions or you're out of your freaking mind comments are welcome.

Also I was curious about comfort. Haven't sat on one because all of the dealerships around the STL are out of them. I am a bigger guy, weight wise. 6' about 250.

Thanks for the read from a n00b.

Late
 
you're going to get a whole mix of opinions, helpful though. you probably read my "gotta ask" right? you should read that too because you kinda sound like me, i havent bought one yet, but i will soon. ive own 0 streetbikes but i live to ride dirt, so even then, you're still gonna hear it from both ends, which is good
 
CanIDream asked the same question and you do get a mixed bag, BUT I would also check out the <span style='color:orangered'>first time void</span>, lots of discussion and you can get a feel for the reasoning behind whats being said.

Basically, NO a Hayabusa is not a good place to start....But....
 
Welcome to the board!

There are a few people here who have bought a busa as their first bike. The choise is really up to you. A smaller, less powerful bike may be a better choice but you can get hurt on anything.
 
Welcome to the board!

Yes, please read First Time Void.
 
Welcome to the world of speed LateNightDJ,

The other posts are correct. You will see many different responses on this site.

You can think of starting out on a Busa as climbing an entire flight of stairs in just three really big steps. Hard, but not impossible. Where people get in trouble on sportbikes is acceleration and not top speed. The Busa has 100 ft pounds of torque. That is neck snapping compared to any other bike out there. Even the new GSXR 1000 is only 75ftlbs. How that bites you is when you get on it hard in a busy area with distractions. You will NOT realize that you are going as fast as you are so quickly. You can't imagine the accelration until you experience it. Things can happen faster than you can anticipate because there is nothing on this earth you could have ridden to give you the same sensation. You can accelerate unbelievably quickly in only a couple of seconds and then it is too late to slow down.

You sound like a mature rider (regardless of your physical age) and have respect for the power involved. That will save you if you continue this path. I worry about young new riders who want a Busa just because they read it is the fastest bike available. "They think they are qualified because they rode mountian bikes in highschool sort of thang". Eventually they will test themselves against much more experienced riders and get into trouble.

It is simlar to new pilots. They are most dangerous not when learning, but at 100 hours of flight time. By that time they have "mastered" the local area and start to get cocky. They don't realize how little they actually know and start to push it. Soon they are in over their head and they can't back out. Hopefully they survive but some don't. Insurance companies resist insuring this level of experience. As harsh as that is to the young pilot, it probably saves their lives.

With a smaller bike you will have more managable accelerations that are similar to experiences you already have. It is harder to get into trouble than on a Busa (not impossible though). You will probably enjoy a motorcycle closer to your experience level much more than a bike that is too high performance for your experience. That kind of bike is harder to control smoothly, the power band is more peaky so throttle control is critical. The steering geometry is more aggressive and requires you to be "ahead" of the bike. You can't just sit back and cruise as you can on a touring bike or cruiser. I push people toward the Honda VFR because it is a very forgiving bike but still is a full sportbike. It is not a race bike. The V4 engine is smooth and has a lot of torque over the whole powerband. It will teach you good habits and is a great bike. "Bike of the year" for 4 years.

Anyway, good luck whatever you choose.
 
Oh yeah, one more thing. I am 6 feet and 250lbs. The Busa is perfect for our size person. You will like the feel of it. The bars are a little low for cruising long distance. Your weight will be on your wrists somewhat. Helibars can help if it bothers you. I put on a throttlemiester (Throttle lock) so I can let go of the throttle while on the freeway and get the blood flowing again. Foot postion is good but I will probably move the pegs back about an inch and up slightly. The overall size is good for our size too. I used to ride a Ducati Monster and I looked like a basketball riding a thimble. NOT ANY MORE!
 
"CanIdream"  
11doh.gif


I think by and large the folks at this board really do try to give honest opinions, based on experiance.  You want to know why I think current Busa riders by and large say not a good idea?  
Because they have been riding for years and realize that the Busa specifically is a bit much...just that much more powerful.  
But hell, you have to take advantage of good opportunities whilst stationed over seas, feel lucky you went to Japan and not 6-months in Saudi.  No fun at all.  Good Luck.

OH good idea, look for posts from FINNBUSA, he had never been on two wheels until he got a Hayabusa, from all accounts he is doing fine...
 
Welcome to the board, LateNightDJ!

I'm also a new member and the Busa is my first bike. I had never ridden a bike in my life before the Busa. Maybe you've read some of my earlier postings? I've put about 1500 miles on it during the last week and I'm slowly gaining more and more confidence and learning how to ride the bike under good weather conditions. I've been careful with the throttle and taken time to practise basic bike handling, braking, cornering slow-speed riding etc. It's amazing how much my skills have improved during this first week but I keep reminding myself that I still know very little about riding a bike, I've only scratched the surface. I could have started with a smaller and lighter bike but the Busa was the reason I wanted to ride a bike in the first place, so I prepared myself as well as I could and bought the bike.

My opinion is that it is possible to buy the Busa as your first bike but good self-control and utmost caution are essential!!! What comes to performance, you could most probably get enough satisfaction from a smaller bike at this point but it's up to you to decide if you are ready for this power bike.

Had I owned/ridden other bikes before the Busa I would probably respect its capabilities a lot more and could get more out of it. So, one could think that in a way I'm half wasting this faboulous performance bike by just slowly cruising along and not even trying to use it to the fullest - but let me say there are no words to describe how much I've enjoyed riding the Busa. I feel this is the right bike for me and I love just looking at the bike in the garage after a 5-hour ride!  :D

But if I had a 20-year old son (I'm 33) I probably would try to talk him out of buying a Busa as his first bike. I believe that with age and experience comes maturity and ability to maintain self-control even in most tempting situations. And the power of the Busa can be sooo tempting, believe me. If you decide to get the Busa, be VERY VERY careful with it! If you decide to get a smaller bike first, be just as careful with it!

Don't know if this helped or not  ;) I believe there are people who definitely shouldn't buy the Busa as their first bike and there are people who can, with enough respect and caution, ride and enjoy it! I really can't say which group of people you belong to. It's your decision.
 
Welcome to the board latenightdj.
We just covered this one pretty thouroughly last week with
canidream.
Just read all the stuff in his thread.
 
Welcome to the board!
:thumbsup:

I think starting with the 'busa will be fine. Respect it and baby it when you are starting off.

Also, if you buy it new, remember to take it very easy on tires first 75-100 miles. They need to break-in (scrub) and will be slick as ice off of the showroom floor.

Many people are scared away from bikes like this because of idiots who rode wrong without any experience. There are alot of riders here who have ridden for years without any SERIOUS incidents.

"As long as you respect it... It will respect you!"
 
Yeah! What FinnBusa and VR said. Good point about scrubbing them tires in as well.
 
I do appreciate all of the input you guys have given.

I have a friend who rides Gixxer's and he pointed me to the Busa when I started inquiring about bikes in general.

I personally have no problems with taking everything very slow at first. I am a patient learner and if I have to cruise around my block at 20 mph and let everyone on bicycles blow by me and laugh then so be it.

Anyone from the St Louis area?

Late
 
I was in the same situation as you. I had never ridden a dirt bike, let alone a street bike. I bought a cbr 600 and took the rider safety course. Needless to say, I had my 600 for less than 2 months before i traded it in on my busa. I ride exactly like you do. Trust me, that balls are there if you want/need them, but mostly, I just accelerate to the speed limit or barely beyond and close the throttle. I'm 6' 3" and last summer (before i stopped working out) i weighed 240 pounds. People told me I looked top heavy on the 600, but the busa just feels awesome man. Trust me, it's all how you ride it. Unfortunately I have to sell mine, but trust me, next year, I'm getting another.
 
Welcome to the forum! FinnBusa is exactly on the money.
He wrote the best answer I've seen on this question. Of course, he's pretty mature being a 33 year old.

But thank goodness we don't have to use license plates that look like his ;)

FB: just teasing :D

Dep
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

josh.list
New to the forum with a new Busa
2
Replies
23
Views
1,698
raimac_56
R
J
Hello, new to the forum and to the "BUSA fam"
2
Replies
30
Views
1,872
JaviBUSA08
J
afrothunder
New to the site
2
Replies
28
Views
1,634
Need for Speed!
Need for Speed!
D
New to forums and first Hayabusa
2
Replies
31
Views
1,836
Destin07
D
StwBusa
I'm new....& Slightly disappointed
2 3
Replies
51
Views
4,094
1Falcon989
1
Back
Top