The Gen 3 Busa is the greatest all rounder

[kingsolomon12]

I got back into bikes after a 10+ year hiatus and had previously had a slew of Gixxers and a Ducati. The itch came back and I had always wanted a Busa so ended up getting myself a brand new 25th Anniversary bike and could not be happier having put 5k miles on the bike in the first 6 months of ownership.
I recently decided to purchase another bike as I wanted a “dedicated sports bike” as I was fully aware of the weight the Busa is. I was looking for something special/exotic and remembered how much I loved my old Ducati so recently ended up purchasing a Ducati Panigale 1199 Superleggera. The bike certainly is exotic being a blend of some of the finest materials, comprised of carbon, magnesium & titanium. Wet with a full tank of gas the Ducati tips the scales at 390 lbs, has 205 hp and when this bike was introduced in 2014 was a staggering $65k. Needless to say the bike is an absolute animal, quite violent and a truly visceral experience to ride.
I have not had as much time to ride as of late and had not ridden the Busa in the last 2 months having chosen the Ducati in the few instances I’ve been riding given I just got the bike.
Today I had a chance to go for a decent ride (100+ miles), I chose to take the Busa and remembered just how good this bike is as an all rounder.
The Busa is just so easy and comfortable to ride and has ample power with silky smooth power delivery and a very well put together package of electronics.
It truly was a joy to ride and for street riding which is 100% of the riding I do & is hands down the better of the two bikes.
Don’t get me wrong, the Ducati is so special but it’s not nearly as planted or confidence inspiring as the Busa is for the street. People always talk about the Busa’s weight but I believe this really helps it feeling as planted as it is no matter the speed or the quality of the road you’re on. The Ducati is so sensitive to the surface it’s being ridden on that street riding feels somewhat dangerous by comparison.
If I could only keep one bike it would be the Busa and I know as long as I have the ability to ride I’ll always have a Hayabusa at hand.
The Ducati is pretty beyond belief & makes such a glorious sound. I have no doubt with a more competent rider than myself, particularly in the corners it would leave the Busa in the dust. I come from the car world and the best comparison I can come to is the Busa is a Bugatti and the Ducati is like a Porsche Cup Car that should be track only.
I couldn’t be happier and feel more fortunate to own the Ducati but riding the Busa again today made me remember just how good it is as an all rounder and just wanted to share my thoughts with you guys to say how lucky we all are to own a Gen 3 Busa.
Long live the Busa.

MarK

 

[Dai.]

I had the exact same opinion when I first purchased my Gen 2’s then made them even better by tipping ridiculous amounts of money into them. I first test rode a Gen 3 press bike that was in Australia and knew I had to have one, they were sold out then the problems starting arising, left the first year models and opted for a 23 grey Gen 3, first few thousand kms were excellent then it started slowly becoming unreliable like an early BMW. Figured I’d deal with it and racked up 26,000kms or 16,000 miles within 6 months but the last straw when was it broke down on the way home from a holiday.

Traded it for a 2021 KTM 1290 SD GT which in my opinion does everything extremely well, excellent quality and doesn’t feel like a budget and rushed to production bike.

Maybe one I’ll find one with all the problems and bullshit sorted out, I may hop back onto a 3….. til then I’ll enjoy bulletprooof Gen 2’s.

 

[kingsolomon12]

I had the exact same opinion when I first purchased my Gen 2’s then made them even better by tipping ridiculous amounts of money into them. I first test rode a Gen 3 press bike that was in Australia and knew I had to have one, they were sold out then the problems starting arising, left the first year models and opted for a 23 grey Gen 3, first few thousand kms were excellent then it started slowly becoming unreliable like an early BMW. Figured I’d deal with it and racked up 26,000kms or 16,000 miles within 6 months but the last straw when was it broke down on the way home from a holiday.

Traded it for a 2021 KTM 1290 SD GT which in my opinion does everything extremely well, excellent quality and doesn’t feel like a budget and rushed to production bike.

Maybe one I’ll find one with all the problems and bullshit sorted out, I may hop back onto a 3….. til then I’ll enjoy bulletprooof Gen 2’s.

Fair play & I'm sorry you had so many issues with your Gen 3, my bike has been bulletproof thus far and hoping this reliability continues as a series of problems would be the only thing to get me off a Busa which I hope does not happen. That being said I’m glad you have a bike that you enjoy and still have a Gen 2 that you love.

 

[chrisso]

it broke down on the way home from a holiday.

Traded it for a 2021 KTM 1290 SD GT

What was the cause of the break-down?? I went the other way, traded my Super Duke R for the Hayabusa. Apart from a couple of minor seal weeps, the KTM was definitely reliable but news of KTM's demise convinced me to sell and jump ship.

 

[Dai.]

Fuel pump and coil pack poop themselves. This was many warranty repairs from wiring harness melting in the rear and front running light shorting out.

This my second GT, both fault free and hours of endless joy.

 

[Bumblebee]

I got back into bikes after a 10+ year hiatus and had previously had a slew of Gixxers and a Ducati. The itch came back and I had always wanted a Busa so ended up getting myself a brand new 25th Anniversary bike and could not be happier having put 5k miles on the bike in the first 6 months of ownership.
I recently decided to purchase another bike as I wanted a “dedicated sports bike” as I was fully aware of the weight the Busa is. I was looking for something special/exotic and remembered how much I loved my old Ducati so recently ended up purchasing a Ducati Panigale 1199 Superleggera. The bike certainly is exotic being a blend of some of the finest materials, comprised of carbon, magnesium & titanium. Wet with a full tank of gas the Ducati tips the scales at 390 lbs, has 205 hp and when this bike was introduced in 2014 was a staggering $65k. Needless to say the bike is an absolute animal, quite violent and a truly visceral experience to ride.
I have not had as much time to ride as of late and had not ridden the Busa in the last 2 months having chosen the Ducati in the few instances I’ve been riding given I just got the bike.
Today I had a chance to go for a decent ride (100+ miles), I chose to take the Busa and remembered just how good this bike is as an all rounder.
The Busa is just so easy and comfortable to ride and has ample power with silky smooth power delivery and a very well put together package of electronics.
It truly was a joy to ride and for street riding which is 100% of the riding I do & is hands down the better of the two bikes.
Don’t get me wrong, the Ducati is so special but it’s not nearly as planted or confidence inspiring as the Busa is for the street. People always talk about the Busa’s weight but I believe this really helps it feeling as planted as it is no matter the speed or the quality of the road you’re on. The Ducati is so sensitive to the surface it’s being ridden on that street riding feels somewhat dangerous by comparison.
If I could only keep one bike it would be the Busa and I know as long as I have the ability to ride I’ll always have a Hayabusa at hand.
The Ducati is pretty beyond belief & makes such a glorious sound. I have no doubt with a more competent rider than myself, particularly in the corners it would leave the Busa in the dust. I come from the car world and the best comparison I can come to is the Busa is a Bugatti and the Ducati is like a Porsche Cup Car that should be track only.
I couldn’t be happier and feel more fortunate to own the Ducati but riding the Busa again today made me remember just how good it is as an all rounder and just wanted to share my thoughts with you guys to say how lucky we all are to own a Gen 3 Busa.
Long live the Busa.

MarK

View attachment 1691022

Those Ducks are awfully pretty.......

I recall riding a colleague's 890 Panigale years ago and although it was very pretty and very capable, it was a really rough ride and the seating position was extreme for riding in traffic...

He was on my GSXR 1K and said compared to his Duck, it was a luxury cruiser.....

My all time favorite Duck is the 916 though.

 

[wellcraft]

I had the exact same opinion when I first purchased my Gen 2’s then made them even better by tipping ridiculous amounts of money into them. I first test rode a Gen 3 press bike that was in Australia and knew I had to have one, they were sold out then the problems starting arising, left the first year models and opted for a 23 grey Gen 3, first few thousand kms were excellent then it started slowly becoming unreliable like an early BMW. Figured I’d deal with it and racked up 26,000kms or 16,000 miles within 6 months but the last straw when was it broke down on the way home from a holiday.

Traded it for a 2021 KTM 1290 SD GT which in my opinion does everything extremely well, excellent quality and doesn’t feel like a budget and rushed to production bike.

Maybe one I’ll find one with all the problems and bullshit sorted out, I may hop back onto a 3….. til then I’ll enjoy bulletprooof Gen 2’s.

What issues did you experience and what happened your Busa left you stranded? If any vehicle I own becomes unreliable it's got to go, can't risk being stranded on the side of the road especially when I ride mostly country roads where it would take time to be rescued.

 

[chrisso]

Fuel pump and coil pack poop themselves. This was many warranty repairs from wiring harness melting in the rear and front running light shorting out.

This my second GT, both fault free and hours of endless joy.

Not acceptable! I'd better be careful because I'm already violating warranty - I've only done 200km in about 2 months (long story) and apparently I'm supposed to have done 1000km and brought it in for a service. Luckily, Suzuki gives you an additional 2 months and 1000km allowance for the initial service, so it's time to get some Klicks under the belt. Enjoy that brutal 1301 V-twin!

 

[chrisso]

Following on from the above, was planning on putting on some break-in clicks today, but it hit 43c (109F) - so fookdatshitmate, stayed under the aircon and contemplated the bling I'll be buying for it during the boxing day sales. And it's 5pm right now and still at 37C.

 

[Oz22]

Following on from the above, was planning on putting on some break-in clicks today, but it hit 43c (109F) - so fookdatshitmate, stayed under the aircon and contemplated the bling I'll be buying for it during the boxing day sales. And it's 5pm right now and still at 37C.

Come on mateeee, 6am and the suns up, no excuses

Where are you in WA? I spent a lot of time in Perth, and down in Albany. back in SE Qld now.

 

[chrisso]

Come on mateeee, 6am and the suns up, no excuses

Where are you in WA? I spent a lot of time in Perth, and down in Albany. back in SE Qld now.

Yup, I live on the strip in Vic Park. An eon ago, I lived in SE Qld for a while in Enoggera when I was a grunt in 8/9 RAR. Last night I floated on the surface of my sodden bed, my throat parched from the combination of hot air and bush-fire smoke, and I slept for about 2 hours. I've decided to take the Busa to work and I'm bloody miserable.

 

[Oz22]

Yup, I live on the strip in Vic Park. An eon ago, I lived in SE Qld for a while in Enoggera when I was a grunt in 8/9 RAR.

Ahhh, Vic Pk. I lived there for a bit, then moved to south Perth, then padbury. When it gets hot it gets HOT, I remember that. I was in construction. When I moved into the Vic Pk house I said to the guys "you gonna mow this lawn?" The grass was like over your knees. They said nah, it'll be summer soon. I didn't know what they were on about but 3 months later the backyard was all sand. Then I realized why everyone had super-6 fences, to stop their yard blowing away