Suzuki Hayabusa Must read

[Desibaba]

This is the best review of the hayabusa.This is making me not get it but im glad i read it before i made the mistake of buying it.

You are new to this board. You are new to motorcycling. You are considering buying your first motorcycle or first sport bike. You are thinking about getting yourself a Hayabusa. You are wondering if the Hayabusa might be too much bike. You are considering a Hayabusa for your first bike. If some of those statements apply to you, then take a few minutes and read this post.

First off, welcome to Hayabusa.Org. This is, in my opinion, the best Hayabusa dedicated web site out there. We have a nice community of riders here who share an interest in the world’s fastest stock motorcycle. Many of the folks here are the most helpful and knowledgeable Hayabusa enthusiasts you’re likely to find.

This is a great place to learn about the Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa. And it is a good idea to learn about this bike before buying it. Just about every Busa topic imaginable has been discussed here. The forums contain answers to a huge range of questions and are a very valuable resource to any prospective owner.

One of the most common questions asked around here concerns whether or not someone should buy a Hayabusa. This tends to come up a lot. There is just something about the Hayabusa that draws people to it. It is distinctive, relatively uncommon, interesting, and infamous because of its performance and top speed. Often folks who have begun looking into bikes discover the Busa and fall for it. If this sounds like you, then what can I say... You’ve got good taste.

However, the Hayabusa isn’t a beginner’s bike. I’m sorry. It just isn’t. That isn’t what many new riders want to hear, especially if the Hayabusa is what really fuels their desire to get a bike. This leads to disappointment and maybe a little resentment. I promise you, I’m not saying the bike is too good for you or any other elitist crap. I want more Hayabusa owners and if you love the bike too, then you ought to get one at some point.

There are few bikes worse suited to beginning riders than the Hayabusa. Learning to ride is a process that involves making mistakes. Often those mistakes cause a loss of balance which can send the bike down onto its side, especially at low speeds like in the driveway or a parking lot. As beautiful as all that Busa plastic is, it is also very easy to damage and very expensive to replace. $600 for one of the side panels. $400 for a nose. A simple mistake and a slow drop could cost you $1000 or more to fix.

The legendary power of the Hayabusa is also very attractive and is also dangerous. This bike will out accelerate any car the average person has even been near. From a standing start the bike can break most highway speed limits in less than 5 seconds and that is just in first gear! Second gear can take you to speeds higher than the top speeds of most cars and there are four more gears after that.

Learning how to control that power is vital. Unintentionally spinning the rear tire can happen very easily. And unlike a car if the back end gets a little loose on a bike, it can be very hard to regain control which leads to highside crashes. (When the bike straightens suddenly as the rear tire grabs again, throwing the rider off and in front of the bike.) It takes throttle control and an instinctive feel for the clutch to harness all that power safely. A healthy dose of good judgment doesn’t hurt either. And those are not skills that a new rider has automatically. It takes practice.

That practice is best performed on a bike with a learning curve a little less steep than the Hayabusa. Some will say that a 600cc super sport, like a Honda CBR600, is a good first bike. I respectfully disagree. Those bikes can still break 140 MPH easily and are also covered in lots of expensive plastic like the Hayabusa.

A far better choice is the Suzuki SV650. It has plenty of power to scoot down the road and will still out accelerate most cars out there at a stop light. It has a wide power band, so proper gear selection isn’t critical -- a handy trait when you are learning to shift. It is light and inexpensive. You can really throw it around under you and correct steering mistakes with a minimum of fuss. Plus those inevitable low speed drops will not ruin the bike. With a couple of inexpensive frame sliders installed, the bike will probably survive most falls with no damage at all. There are a ton of after market goodies available to customize it or squeeze a few more ponies out the motor. And because they are so popular, it is easy to resell them.

There are other good choices too. What is boils down to is getting an inexpensive bike with a minimum of plastics. And please, please take the Basic Rider Course from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, if you haven’t already. Then ride as much as possible. Have fun learning a new passion. Then when you feel like you’ve got the confidence and skills, go Busa shopping.

Still not convinced? Then consider the economic angle. If you are under 25, the insurance on the Busa is going to be killer, more than twice the cost of a SV650. Every drop, even in the garage will hurt, often to the tune of $600. Tires are $140 or so. The rear will need a replacement about every 5000 miles or less. And the bike itself usually costs more than $10,000 new. So let's say you get the Busa and finance it with monthly payments and a 10% down payment. You ride a lot and play with that power some, somehow without getting hurt or crashing. So two new rear tires in the first year. Had to get full coverage insurance for the bank. And there were two unfortunate drops, nothing serious but some fairings and bits had to be replaced. That first year of ownership cost you $6000 plus gas. More than the cost of a brand new Suzuki SV650.

Ultimately we buy what we choose to buy. But the Busa will still be available six months or two years from now. If you are careful about how you learn to ride and on what, you will be too. And that Busa will be far more enjoyable and less intimidating if you practiced your basic riding skills on something better suited to it.

In the meantime, keep coming here and posting and reading. There are a lot of great folks here and good stories to tell and hear. Not having a Hayabusa doesn’t disqualify you from being a friend or a fellow enthusiast.

[PDP]

What's the big #$%ing deal about the Busa anyway, a GSXR1000 will shit kick it.

[CyniQ]

You notice that he recommends the SV650 as well. I told you I knew what I was talking about...

[Grizzly]

Originally Posted by CyniQ

You notice that he recommends the SV650 as well. I told you I knew what I was talking about...

I was going to point out you said that, too. If only you thought more like me, you'd be a great mind.

[muslhed1971]

"And please, please take the Basic Rider Course from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, if you haven’t already."
Somewhere I remember someone recommending this too
Glad you finally got it figured out Desi. Good call on the starter bike Cyniq.

[CyniQ]

Originally Posted by muslhed1971

"And please, please take the Basic Rider Course from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, if you haven’t already."
Somewhere I remember someone recommending this too
Glad you finally got it figured out Desi. Good call on the starter bike Cyniq.

Thanks. It's good to see other riders on here that know their shit. Bikes are just like lifting and everything else. You've got a handful of guys who really know what they're talking about. And a whole boatload of morons who think they know what they're talking about.

I highly recommend the Advanced Rider Course too. You get to practice maneuvers in a controlled setting, under the watchful eye of a "professional", and (most importantly) on your OWN bike. In the class I took several years ago. A very nice gentlemen learned that he did not have the necessary experience to ride a full dress Valkyrie Interstate. It helps to know your limitations.

[Joffa]

I agree; take the beginner's course. Mine only took 3 days and at the end of the 3rd day we took the test for the moto license right there on the spot and on their bikes. Taking the moto test on a 200cc dirtbike is a snap

~Joffa

[muslhed1971]

Look into this course too! http://www.ononewheel.com/
Looks like a helluva lot of fun and they supply the bike. A Triumph Speed Triple of course

[THL]

Originally Posted by CyniQ

Thanks. It's good to see other riders on here that know their shit. Bikes are just like lifting and everything else. You've got a handful of guys who really know what they're talking about. And a whole boatload of morons who think they know what they're talking about.

I highly recommend the Advanced Rider Course too. You get to practice maneuvers in a controlled setting, under the watchful eye of a "professional", and (most importantly) on your OWN bike. In the class I took several years ago. A very nice gentlemen learned that he did not have the necessary experience to ride a full dress Valkyrie Interstate. It helps to know your limitations.

When I took my test, I was required to go to a 2 day course because I was under 16. I had already been riding off road bikes for 5 years and thought it would be a snap. Well, actually it was, but I learned more than I ever dreamed I could in a 2 day class. Ever been in a slow race? Everyone starts at the same time and the last one to the finish wins. The trick is, you cant touch your feet down or you are disqualified. Let me tell you, you really learn clutch and throttle control. (BTW, I won the race )

Couter steering, which subconsiosly I already knew how to do, is another valuable thing that was taught. If you don't know what I'm talking about, try this. Get going down the road between 40 and 50mph, and with both hands on the bars, lightly pull the right handlbar toward you. Do it and you'll see what I mean. I got to the point where I could slolum(sp?) through the road lines at about 70mph on a V65 Sabre. That may not seem like much to you sport bike riders, but on a behemoth like that, you are really throwing the bike hard back and forth with a simple tug of the bars.

[CyniQ]

Originally Posted by THL

Couter steering, which subconsiosly I already knew how to do, is another valuable thing that was taught.

I was the same way. Counter Steering was intuitive for me. When someone finally told me what it was, I thought, "Okay. So, now I know what it's called." I had been doing it almost from the beginning.

[THL]

Originally Posted by CyniQ

I was the same way. Counter Steering was intuitive for me. When someone finally told me what it was, I thought, "Okay. So, now I know what it's called." I had been doing it almost from the beginning.

Isn't it cool when you are cruising down the highway with one arm hanging down by your side and with just the slightest pull on the bars from your right finger you shoot out into the passing lane and make a banzi pass on an unsuspecting old lady.