Sheep effect

HayaVegas

Donating Member
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Just sharing a bit of wierdness, so forgive me.

I just got an 05 busa. I had a zx11 and zx12. Obviously, many of you are aware of the rivalry between the legion of die hard Kawi owners and die hard suzie owners.

Here is my perspective so far about my new ride:

When I rode the zx11, I was on a classic bike, and quite a performer - I flew under the radar -so to speak, meaning that most young riders had no clue what bike I was on, and when I parked at gas stations and such, - it was the older guys that would stare and walk around my bike asking questions. Most of them had probably wanted a zx11 when it was the current bike to have back in the 90's.

I liked surprising folks with the 11's speed, - but for the most part, I could enter a place where other bikers were and not be noticed. I liked that.

Then of course, I got hungry for more power and I got the zx12. That bike was unbelievably fast, - you know the drill.
Still, because it was a zx12 - and no one really cares much about it -nor knows much about it, - I could fly under the radar still. I would blow past nearly everything I wanted to.
When I saw a couple busas screaming down the highway, I would get right up there with them -no sweat.

While I owned the 11 and 12, - busa riders would pull into a place where I was with other bikes, - and I would admire the busa for what it was, - but people, -especially those who know nothing about bikes, would just drool all over the busa.
Being a 12 owner, I would just think, "whatever", -it may hold the title of top speed, but the 12 is right there with it and less cc's.

That may be true, but what always bugged me was that the busa got all this hype. I mean for people who know nothing about bikes, they sure did know that the busa was the "fastest bike in the world". A lot of doofuses buy busas for that reason alone, -even if they dont plan on riding it. Even for a FIRST BIKE!

I truly enjoyed being on the zx12 and knowing no busa -"stock- for the most part" - was going to hand me my ass. I loved riding along and having the confidence that whoever looked at my bike probably didnt know what it could do.

Now that I have a hayabusa, I am thrilled not at all because of the popularity. I am thrilled because I can touch the ground at a redlight. I am thrilled because the fairings feel like they line up and are solid. I am thrilled because it came with a steering damper, AND ITS HIDDEN!!!!

I am thrilled to own a hayabusa because I can get a backrest from corbin for it. I am thrilled because it has torque down low that I can use more often than the the 12's higher HP up top. I am thrilled because it handles more like a GT than a sportbike, and it is more comfortable to me.

BUT here's what I am writing about: I feel like I "look" like one of the sheep that buys the busa for reasons OTHER than whay I like about it. When I roll into a sportbike group, I have this subconscious feeling that they see ME the way I was OTHERS on a busas..."as though they think they have the 'best' and 'fastest' bike.

Its what I call the sheep effect. hehe.

After owning the underdog bike in the popularity contest, - I always felt safe and out of the spotlight. Now that I am on a hayabusa, I feel like no one knows why I love it so much, and I dont want to be thought of as some doofus who bought the "fastest" bike the salesman told to buy.

When people look at me in traffic, they dont know I am so happy to be touching the ground, they think I am some squidly guy who wants to be a hotshot. Nevermind that I owned a 12 and got the busa because it was just as fast....not faster.

When I ride the busa, I dont get a rush that its the fastest thing I ever sat on. Cause its not. I get a rush because its low and smooth and solid.

The hype around the busa after these 6 years has made it a target for some to shoot for, and I hate to think I have to prove that I can win a race because some guy on a current literbike, or a zx12, or a viper for that matter, wants to "teach" me a lesson...

Because I just dont care about how fast my busa is. I even swear I will NOT mod my busa with exhausts, or anything like that. I am keeping it stock because I got tired of tweaking my other bikes to make them faster.

I wonder how many other hayabusa owners who buy the bike for its touring abilities and seat height, and comfort...along with its high speed ability - feel like I do when it comes to being a member of the sheep of hype.
 
Good read! You make some valid points. I don't feel like a sheep however. I bought the Busa because I liked the looks, the way it rides and it is half the price of the other bikes I was interested in. So no baaa for me.
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Yeah there are people who buy the bike for the wrong reasons but I think they are a small percentage of owners...I think most of that sort of talk comes from non-owners.
Who cares what others think , what matters is you are happy. Congrats!
 
Hiya, Hayavegas-
Okay, I have owned (bought and paid for) a CB 450, a Hurricane 600, a GSXR 600 a ZX-11 and now a Busa. By far the Busa is my favorite bike- it is sleek, deceptively nimble, and above all, she treats me right. If I get looks because I am on the Busa, I haven't noticed and I don't care. I ride because I love to ride - so, I'll ride anything. I bought a Busa becuase after doing some research, then sitting on one then riding one.....had to have it. When I pull into places where bike congregate, I look as much at the 12's and R1's as I do the Busas - work and effort put into a bike is admirable. I view the contention between makes and models as friendly. I think people will watch how you ride and you will gain a reputation based on what people observe. I don't stunt, I don't run flat out, I don't need to race every other bike/car airplane out there to prove a point to myself or anyone else. I think that you will find most of the people here prove themselves to be anything but sheep - the sheep that I think you are talking about are those people who go out and buy a Busa, scare themsleves and sell it quickly, realizing that there has to be more than hype behind your purchase.
For the record - I would NEVER recommend that someone buy a Busa as thier first bike. I ain't hatin' but if anyone ever asked me, I would advise against it. Having said that - until they prove themselves otherwise, any Busa rider is okay by me.
 
Don't worry about what other people think. You got the Busa for you and not them. You got it for your reasons and not theirs. Heck, they may be some Busa owners that would think you got for the wrong reasons too. The fact is you have a Busa and you love it! Stick with that thought and it will show. If others don't understand, screw 'em! Just my $.02.
 
"I wonder how many other hayabusa owners who buy the bike for its touring abilities and seat height, and comfort...along with its high speed ability - feel like I do when it comes to being a member of the sheep of hype."

+1....Me...went with 1 1/4" Genmar Riser, SS Braided Lines all around and a Puig "TOURING" Windscreen and some votex sliders to keep the powerplant from bleeding oil if I should ever go down and need to make it back home and....outside of a smart tre???....I feel no engine/exhaust mods are necessary for my daily Hyper Sport Tour rider.

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L8R, Bill.
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I don't really care about the hype stuff, but it is fun to watch people drool over my bike or ask me how fast I've been.
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I love it when people ask qestions that 95% of riders lie about
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While I owned the 11 and 12, - busa riders would pull into a place where I was with other bikes, - and I would admire the busa for what it was, - but people, -especially those who know nothing about bikes, would just drool all over the busa.

....


I wonder how many other hayabusa owners who buy the bike for its touring abilities and seat height, and comfort...along with its high speed ability - feel like I do when it comes to being a member of the sheep of hype.
talk about sheep...I've got Harley as well. Go out any weekend and there's loads of people out on their Dyna-Glides wearing all the Harley merch and not shaving for the weekend. It always seemed like dress-up to me, particularly since most of them seem to be white-collar professionals during the week! To each his own; they're having fun so that's cool....The Harley "mystique" never really meant a lot to me. It's simply a fun bike to ride...Still, it's hard to not feel like you're one of the "sheep" etc...

I'm buying the Busa for it's touring + power capabilities. I wanted a sportbike I could ride all day + the next + the next. Not the most comfortable bike for that, but if you want pure comfort go get a GoldWing. It's also a beautiful bike, and you typically don't see them everyday. It doesn't look like anything else. I took a friend of mine who knows nothing about motorcycles to the Bike Show last year, and the one bike he remembered was the Busa, purely for its looks. He has no idea that it's "the fastest production bike blah blah blah..."

forget the sheep and go ride your own ride.
 
Don't worry about what other people think.  You got the Busa for you and not them.  You got it for your reasons and not theirs.  Heck, they may be some Busa owners that would think you got for the wrong reasons too.  The fact is you have a Busa and you love it!  Stick with that thought and it will show.  If others don't understand, screw 'em!  Just my $.02.
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Hey I can honestly say I respect your thoughts. Enjoy your busa for everything you stated and don't worry about what others think. If someone wants to pay a few notes or contiribute to a few mods, feel fre to let them know why and how you feel. Other than that is is your bike, you know why you bought it, you know why you love it.

It is kinda like when you see a badasss chick with some squirrelly lookin dude. Most people speculate that either he is rich or she is blind. Who knows what the truth really is? Does it matter?

Man, enjoy that bike and mod the shid out of it.
 
It's funny, but you're right everyone know about the "hayabusa". I rolled up on a scene a couple of weeks ago where my neighbor was being taken away by rescue for medical reasons. There were 2 police officers in the dead end and I hear on say to the other "hhhhaaaayyyaaabbbuuuussaaaaaaaaa". My bike turns heads not only because it has some chrome and catchy feautures, not only because it's a Busa, but because it doesn't look like every other sport/touring bike out there. I love the fact that there is no distinguishing the look of a Busa from 300' away. The "bird of prey" look and the kanji just set it apart from all the rest, the very thing that the balance of power/torque/handling has also done. I honestly think I'll keep my busa even beyond when they're no longer for sale. It will be a collectors item!
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Sadly enough it is the squids that make us all look bad, when they purchase the Busa just to say I'm on the fastest motorcycle ever to ride of the showroom floor. Fortunately as previously mentioned once they ride the beast a few times it's performance usually guarantees a quick move from the squidly lifestyle with quick sale/trade in. Also like mentioned, I could care less how guys look at me, I pay more attention to the kids (they're completely honest and innocent in their curiosity-not hating).

The Busa has been the bully on the street for the last 6 years, but the other kids in the neighborhood have been eaten their weaties and creatine, while the Busa hasn't worked out in 6 years (sounds like me). However on any given day it can still hand someone their rearend (sounds like me LOL). Just my .02.

BD
 
I will yard out on this one. I did buy the Busa because it was the king of bikes. I also did my own research and decided that it fit me well. I have a habit of always buying the best, why waste your $ otherwise. I just think if your already 75% of the way there, go all the way and do it right. I look at your situation a little differently though. I don't have to prove the bike is the "best" with every squid. I can just shake my head, ride along and we both still walk away knowing the Busa is king. whether they would admit it or not. I also know that I can pour it on if I decide to and make most bikes look inferior.

On a ride last year with some friends on a liter Triumph, CBR and R1 were with me and they all decided on a long straight with good visibility they would pass a group of cars, and they did. They all dropped a couple of gears and I decided at the back of the pack that I would too. Well I passed them, while they were passing the cars, like a missle. They were doing 140ish and climbing with everybit of throttle they had. At our next stop they all without coordination said holy SH%@! They said I went by them like they were standing still. The wind from me actually moved there bikes over and all they heard, as one put it, "was a sonic blast".

They all new the same stories and hype of the Busa as well but none had ever seen it. They were completely dumb founded as to how I could not only reel them in so quickly but to pass them so handily when they were all the way in it with some great performing bikes. No I didn't just shake my head on that one and let them ride along with all of us knowing the Busa was a better bike, I completely reset their expectations and showed them what 180 in the blink of an eye looked like.

They still talk about stuff the Busa does to them when we are out on rides and they are truly fans of the bike even though they have, and are loyal, to other brands. We all ride pretty agressively and are all quite capable, but they know which bike can hand it too them when it wants. The HAYABUSA! The bikes time may have come and gone as the true king of the road but I believe it will be along time to come, if ever, before another motorcycle get this much of a deserving reputation. Think about it, 6 model years wihtout a dethroning and the only thing changed is the color they offer. That's impressive and they all know it.
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The bikes time may have come and gone as the true king of the road but I believe it will be along time to come, if ever, before another motorcycle get this much of a deserving reputation. Think about it, 6 model years wihtout a dethroning and the only thing changed is the color they offer. That's impressive and they all know it.
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Totally agree with you there. Who else was on top for soooo long? What would be the case if there was no governed restriction, guess we'll have to speculate LOL.
 
You certainly didn't buy the bike because its the fastest, you bought it because you felt you had to. once you know that the bike is good, i don't think you should be bothered about the rest of the world thinks about you or your bike. The fastest bike tag for 6 years certainly has the bike all hyped up.. but thats all a part of the package.
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The way she looks got me. don't care what anyone else thinks I love the Busa. The ride is smooth acceleration is smooth This is the bike I've always wanted.
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Welcome to the board. Now get out there and ride the damn thing, and who the fugg cares what anybody else thinks as long as you are having fun.
 
When people ask me about the Busa the first thing I tell them is how comfortable it is. This usually gets me an odd look.

Like every one else said screw the haters, just enjoy the ride.
 
Got yourself a busa eh
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...Thats good!

But tell me.. what took you so long
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....oh, and by the way! welcome to the board...

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I bought the busa for one purpose to have a fast bike. I asked a Kawi rider what was the best bike to build and race and he said a Hayabusa. He runs low 9's
Long time friend and drag racer.
 
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