The Busa, My First Bike ?

[OB_CanuckBusa]

The good news is that you have ridden dirt bikes alot, so you understand the basic physics. I think dirt is the best place to learn.

But, as I have stated elsewhere, also consider: a) your discretion, b) your talent level. If you can keep the throttle under control, and you are a talented rider, then proceed cautiously.

As a side note, I stopped bike riding for 10 years and the Busa was my first bike after starting riding again. But I must continually remind myself of the challenges of riding a Busa on the street... and I ask my friends to remind me too... because this bike handles and goes so well that normal speeds seem slow... and you can feel like a better rider than you really are.

 

[OB_NathanPrice]

I have been reading a lot on the internet lately about which bike is the best. The Busa has been at the top of the list in every article I have read. I want a sport bike that can be ridden to visit family on the weekends and get around on. Im not brave enough to race a bike but I do race my 95 Mustang Gt weekly =) I have been riding a friends Busa for a few months now and I have almost decided that its the bike dreams are made on. What do you guys think about me getting it for my FIRST ever bike ? Many people have told me its too much, but others have told me it is as tame as a scooter if you want it to be. I think I have the brains to hold her under 150 for a while =)

I have had many dirt bikes in the past so the riding part is pretty much no problem. Its just that people say its too much power for your first street bike. What do you think?

Nate

P.S. Looking at the `00 Blue bike.. It looks too awsome to not own =)

 

[OB_SoCalBusa]

Hapo,

Thanks for your vote of confidence. I have 2K miles in three months of only weekend riding. As for my tires, I've already gone through my first. I like how you make disparaging comments without knowing sh*t. I bet your **** is the size of a peanut.....as if I was there to see it. Tell me if I'm wrong. Granted, it took me a good month and 800 miles until I started to trust the tires and bike, but I don't ride in traffic, mostly twisties east of San Diego. Quite a way to get comfy on her. I have taken it up to 150 but that is not where the real rush is. It's when you lose your bearings for a second when you give the throttle a hard twist and feel the pure rush of acceleration.

Some of these holier than thou mentalities amuse me. Bang your chest elswhere. I ride for riding's sake, not so I can spank some prick on a straight away.

 

[OB_Hapo]

...yes I have a small dik, but you have missed my point...by your own testimony you support my case for a smaller bike...it is realy EASY for any one, newbie or otherwise, to "go' 150 on a Busa, and most newbeis burn off the center of the rear tire in short order...how do your tires wear?

Kudos to you for learning to ride this thing and survive, and much Hapo Kudos to your priorities, but my point is you can learn more and faster on a much smaller bike, then transfer that new data to your Busa Program...the Busa is no place for mere mortals like us to push the envelop...that's for Turbo Rick and Gary Rothwell...fortuetly I have access to a yard full of RZ 350's and things for that...the only reason I sold the RZ and DR and all is cuzz I went crazy for a while behind the Busa...

I am looking to get a smaller bike again now...there is no reason not to keep your Busa, but if you got the reasorses, you could learn a lot from a small light bike that could improve your riding on all bikes by an order of magnitude...I am not challenging any one's manhood here, but don't get in my fuken way on the road! I learned to RIDE on a small bike! And I am getting better on the Busa... About those edges...?

 

[OB_Hapo]

...and CanukBusa has made perhaps the most important point...the Busa may suk you in over your head so fast you could find a new religion...

 

[OB_JohnnyB]

I also did a lot of dirt bike riding then 14 years ago bought a FZR 1000 for my first street bike. I made the transition pretty well. I do encourage you to go to a Sport bike riding school like Kieth Codes California superbike school.

The 'Busa is like Dr Jeckel & Mister Hyde, actually docile and smooth when riden slowly and a screaming maniac when given the stick. The bike won't hurt you but you may hurt yourself. Do it, but be careful.

Good luck

 

[OB_SoCalBusa]

Hapo,

Kudos to making a civilized response. Edges are rough to about a millimeter or two short of where the tire angles in towards the rim. While I haven't scraped the fairing, I have dragged my toes a couple of times when they are pointed down in a turn. I do enjoy pushing the bike down. I think I had an advantage starting out. I was riding with harley guys for awhile. I think I could have gotten myself in trouble following sportbikes through the twisties due to the Busa being a pig compared to the smaller ones and me going into turns way too fast. I go out by myself when I want to push(for me)the bike. I think peer pressure is probably a major cause of losing it. On another not, I'm curious to who that drives around town doesn't have uneven wear with a bias to the center?

 

[OB_Ninjaknight]

I am with you on this one Hapo. I bought a KLR 650 a year ago and I have more all around fun on it than my 1984 VF1000F Interceptor, 92 C3 ZX-11, or any other big bore bike I have ever owned.

Why?

It is by no means fast but it is comfortable gets to 70 fairly rapidly and handles amazingly well for a dual purpose thumper. It also happens to be the ultimate urban vehicle and I can do my city commute faster and safer than on my big bore bikes and moderate off road riding is doable. I am currently looking for a pristine used CR500 as a project bike. I want to build the ultimate urban two stroke Motorrad racer.

It may sound stupid but you don't have to go insanely fast to have fun and test your abilities.

And having fun is what it is all about.

If you want to get a Busa for your first bike knock yourself out. But think about why you want it and what you want it to do as a beginner bike. Chances are it will not let you fully develop all the skills you want without a visit to the emergency room and or an insurance claim.

 

[OB_Sarge]

Dude, you're still missing the point, if you say you're getting a 929 because it is less powerful than the Busa. LESS powerful? Come on! Today 600s have more power than an open-classer from over ten years ago, which is to say the 600s are by no means slouches either. And the reason 600s from Japan are so good is because alot were based on Japan's well-developed, home-market 400s, which fit nicely into Japan's licensing laws, regulating young, inexperienced riders to a class of bikes under 400cc. More experienced riders had to obtain a stricter grade license for larger displacement bikes. This is what's wrong with the licensing laws in the U.S. anyway. Anyone with the dough to cough up, and a basic license from the local DMV can go and get any bike they want. Any when so many high performance machines get wadded, all of a sudden, the insurance companies want to classify my bike as a risk, because of the accident stats for the bike, and the cost to fix it....nothing to do with MY stats as an excellent-record rider.
There's no sense at all in a new rider starting out on a Busa in my opinion, unless you're a young factory sponsored racer that started out riding his first JR50 at the age of 3. Yes, there are exceptions, but not many. Smaller bikes are just as fun and cool. In fact, if I could get a road-legal Aprilia 250 2-stroke, I'd have one right now as a second play toy. That V-twin two-stroke sound in a slick race chassis ain't nothing to sneeze at, and it sure wouldn't be just the bike next door. My two-cents/take care.

 

[OB_Hapo]

...so maybe I'm wrong...

The Busa is smooth and tractable but still big and heavy...I learned a lot of things on smaller bikes that makes me better on big ones that would have been vary hard, if not fatle, to discover on a larger one...you may be thinking with your pride and heart...this is how most of us buy our bikes...I realy cannot explain how it is I have a Busa myself, let alone have a Turbo on order...

...but be advised, that while I have no track time to speak of and will never have a racing sponcer, I smoke a couple of ex national motocross racers in the street, in the twisties, anyway...that is what scares me about your situation...we have a guy from the North End we like a bit who has already crashed his Busa because of inexperience...he defeats R1s and all on high speed runs on the highway but does not us the front brakes!?

This is the **** that happens to guys with a lot of natural talent that get in over thier heads... they don't have a chance to figure it out before the laws of physics arrange a demonstration...the dirt and an Ultra Sport bike are very different...dispite the need for a stong dirt backgound to have a chance at a GP ride, even those dudes rarely start out on the 500s...did you get a CR500 for your first dirt bike? Would you recomend this to a friend?

So I will have to stand by my position....you can go to the shools, but they will not keep ypu from crashing the first time you boil up over a hill and around a bend at 90mph and spot parked trucks in half your lane and oncoming traffic that causes you to hammer the rear brake out of some missguided left over braking reflex (don't ask)...

That said, whatever bike you get, got to the schools, and especaily go to a Motorcycle Safty Foundation Advanced Rider's Course, as lowly as it my seem...it will be the best $50 spent on your riding...

I'm not saying to get a 250 Ninja, althoug it is a goodbike, but i thiknk even a 600 would be less than Ideal...considering that you have been spioled to some degree by the Busa, however, I would go out on a limb and recomend a new ZX6, R6, or CBR 600 if you got the coin and need the flash...but be prepared to deal with the expense or even a minor tip-over...I'd go with somthing a bit knarly to start with, as it it likely to get knarled up a bit rather quickly...don't worry, there will still be Busas and upgrades and all in a coulpe of years...It would be nice if you were, too...

I truly believe you will go faster and have more fun on a smaller, lighter bike than the Busa in any kind of demanding riding situation...this has all been pretty well documented at this point...

 

[OB_Joe P.]

When you get on a sportbike for the first time it is a rush.And then when you lean into your first turn.You are hooked.....The busa is an Incredible bike.I wont ride anything else,but the busa is too heavy to carve turns like the lighter bikes...My first streetbike was a 97 CBR600F3.I owe all my riding experience to that bike.I did some awsome knee dragging with that 600.......But the lighter bikes are so powerful these days you'll be able to keep up with the busa to some degree ( except for a straightaway ).Nothing can touch the busa at top end........SCARY POWER......


I have the 00' blue/silver.....
If you get the busa just respect it's power......

 

[OB_stu]

Nathenprice...Don't let none of us choose your bike for you.
If you don't get what you want you will always regret it, after all we are not driving it, you are. If its the Busa..then go get it.
Thats my 2 cents, The busa's is fine for a beginner, just learn your limits before you test the busa's limits.
Fact is...any bike will kill you if you don't respect it, right down to your small 250's.
You'll love the Busa..if you are still not sure, look at a R1, its also a great bike with lots of power.
Whatever you choose....be carefull and good luck..

 

[OB_Hapo]

..not to thump too much, but ask most of the guys that have ridden with me if they would ride of on me if I was on a good 600...some of the riders out there never go faster than 150... most never even that fast...**** happens fast at that speed!...

It is a lot of fun to hang with "better" bike dispite the best efforts of their riders...this happens a lot when big bikes mix it up with smaller, lighter, allmost as fast sport bikes...

KN, I did not think I would be respondeing to one of your posts, but we shur see eye to eye on the Dual Purpose thing...I truly had as much fun on the R 650 as the Busa...it isn't much fun spanking a Vett on a Busa, but you should see them freak when the get cooked on a 90 mph curvy road by a dirt bike! My DR650 pulled an indicated 110 and felt good to me w/o a damper...no one would race me on any of the roads that didn't have a double yellow line on them...even the ones that tried would get smoked...80 mph on dirt roads is as much of a rush as 160 on the high way, (and a much bigger risk, actualy)...

The DR 650 will give you more fun than you can stand, and there is no reason that you need to toss it when you move up...you won't ever out grow a bike like that...I am looking to replace mine now, but my Busa Habit may have fuked that up(turbo)!

 

[OB_Hapo]

...although I dare say that Nathen has had his fill of "dirt bikes" for now, however "reasonalbe" an approach to making the transition to street riding that would be...get a good knrly 600 and learn to ride...if you live through that, you will be much faster on your Busa or whatever, and have a lot more fun THIS summer that you will wresteling whith the Busa and ordering body panals (nothing looks quite as fuked up as a battered Busa)

 

[OB_Ninjaknight]

Not to penn the eloquence of Hapo but the Vette analogy requires a response!

Yes I have noticed that the KLR is superior in the corners for an "adequate" rider such as myself. I have noticed a disparity off the line when racing the new generation "supercar" hence the CR500 project bike (nothing smokes big displacement off the line like a two stroke).

A lighter bike really allows you to showcase your abilities. Any numbnut who passes an MSF course can pass a Vette with either a Hayabusa or any other big bore machine in straight linen. A true minimalist smokes a Vette with a dual-purpose running street tires! If you buy another dual-purpose machine Hapo I would highly recommend doing to an ME series that fits your Dual-Purpose bike if you have not already done so. They key to making a Vette feel stupid in the corners is the counter-steer.

What I have learned on the KLR about counter-steering I now use on the 11. Counter-steering combined with a modified six pot system on the 11 (via a bracket that raises the rotors 5mm) has allowed me to run 320mm front rotors which allow me to attack corners a hell of a lot harder on the 11 than I ever dreamed possible.

Bottom line here is that you can get away with the Hayabusa as a first street bike. This is especially true if you started in the dirt. The difference between the dirt and the road is the front end. In the dirt the rear brake rules the world. On the street the front brake, and your ability to control it can differentiate between a washout and a pass that leaves your opponent feeling as infinitesimal as a fly stuck to a swatter. These road skills can only be truly developed on a light low horsepower bike.

 

[OB_billclinton 69]

It is a great idea to get the busa as a first bike. maybe while you are at the dealership you can pick up an R1 for your woman to ride. maybe you can get a package deal on having some turbos and nitrous slapped on those bikes in case they are too slow to keep you occupied. sounds like a great idea

 

[OB_Martinm2]

I'd say go for the busa!

I went with a katana 600 for my first, also had several years of dirt bike experience.

I traded in my 98 katana 600 for a 00 red/gray busa. I think a 750 would have been the perfect starter, but the busa is just plain awesome, just be carefull, it's true that it tends to inspire confidence too quickly. You will like find yourself entering corners too quickly, I know I did/still do, it feels tame when you're flyin.

Ride safe!

Martin

 

[OB_Hapo]

...well, after all this I have heeded my own advise and will be picking up a DR-Z400E today after chores to replace the DR650SE I sold to get the Busa on the road....Reading KN's post just now removed any lingering doubts I mingt have hade about this expence....I kind of lust for the power of a 650 and delusions of grandure might cause me to believe I should have held out for a KTM, but the little 400 is just the sort of thing I have been going on about in the first place...I truly considered a MZ Scorpian or a Duke, but their are a lot of way cool dirt roads and trails around here and a lot that dirt riding could teach even an old squid like me! It has become clear that smaller lighter bikes are "faster" in the conditions one encouters off the beaten path around here as well...thus the 400 rather than another 650, which did get to be a double handfull at times...

[This message has been edited by Hapo (edited 06 May 2000).]

 

[OB_Ninjaknight]

Good for you Hapo. All the magazines are gushing over that bike. Let me know how it works out.

 

[OB_Hapo]

...not crazy about engine poewer, but I'm only using 1/2 throttle...still, it's no 650....suspension is an order of magnitude better than the DR650 and the bike is notacably nimbler and better handleing, even on the pavement...got about 37 miles on it right now, and the tires are scrubbed to the edge front and rear...it is much better off road, but still a big dirt bike...and just a bit small on the high way,...not much worse than the 650 on a road, although I keep looking for 6th, and better in the knarly stuff...a good enuff trade...the bike is taller and longer than the 650 and fits my frame quite well (6' X 160 lbs)...if your legs are much shorter than 32" you may have some trouble getting both feet on the ground...