Hayabusa owners, tell me everything there is to know

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robotnut

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Hi all. Long time lurker, first time poster.
I want to know everything there is to know about buying and owning a Busa in Ontario. Been riding for a few years. I've owned mostly cruisers cause that's what I started on, which lasted until I took a BMW F800R for a spin two years ago and bought it on the spot. It's been a great bike but I want something bigger with fairings. I'm 6'1 210lbs and I find the wind blast on the F tires me out. I've been fascinated by the Busa ever since it came out and I know I won't outgrow that engine. I mostly do long range touring for the record. I know there are better bikes out there for touring but I just love sitting on it. I have ridden a 1200 bandit but I didn't like it one bit. The K1300S is expensive plus it doesn't have as much power as the Busa. Not like I really need it but why not:p. I might look at the FJR13 as well but I always go back to looking at the busa.

So please tell me everything if you currently own one or you have owned one in the past.
 
it's awesome...that's is all you need to know.

:P

edit: check hayabusa.org and/or busanation.com. lots and lots of info there.

it's good for long distance touring, but I added a bar riser to mine. the suzuki genuine accessory gel padded seat is also nice for long treks.
I get about 230-245 km/tank of gas

the longest I've ridden on the Busa was about 1400 km straight from Deals Gap back to Toronto.
 
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I wouldn't worry about the Hayabusa having more power than a K1300S. It will never ever ever ever never ever never make a difference on the street. I presume you are only looking at the 2nd gen?
 
If you like only needing 2 of your gears, it's great. Or so my coworker that has one says. He prefers to take to for spins around 300 kph on the 400/401.
 
I've had both, and there are quite a few improvements on the 08+ busa, I think they are worth the price difference. Bit of power increase, gear indicator, and the fuel injection system is just more sophisticated than the 1999 design. The steering is livelier, there's about a 1 degree difference, it feels light when moving.

I mostly do longer rides, a short spin is 100 km, it's not the best for stop and go riding. The first gen bikes can run REALLY hot in traffic, like overheat (1 fan), and the second gen bikes will run cool, but roast you (2 fans).

Mileage, I can easily get 300km on a typical fillup, all kinds of riding, from loafing along to riding like an a-hole.

Comfort: My longest straight shot was 850 km, felt alright, but a 600 km day is just fine for me. Wind protection especially lower body is fantastic, legs are hit with very little wind, it's just shoulders and up that catch wind. The suspension soaks up bumps better than a super sport, it's more of a sport touring machine than it is sport, it's just notoriously fast.

Yes it can do 300, but that means it can do legal-ish speeds effortlessly, I'm getting better economy than my cbr600rr did.
 
They are a bit of a pig in corners.
That being said, I know a guy who could ride this Hyabusa through corners like it was a 250.
Still don't know how he did it.
 
The 08+ is definitely a better bike than the 1st gen in terms of acceleration, handling and braking...I just love the looks of the 1st gen so much more.

Mike makes a lot of good points. My 1st overheated in stop and go traffic in 30+ C heat.


It's heavier in a corner but by no means a pig. I had no problems dragging my knee at deals gap on it. (but I did have the suspension set up with heavier springs front and back as the stock bike is set up for a 160 lbs rider)
 
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I've never kept a bike as long as my current Busa ('09). My 4th season with it. No other bike I've bought in 40yrs has hung around so long.
To say they're a 'pig' is saying "I've never ridden one, but I THINK they're a pig".

Pros: Arms / shoulder ripping power. Handling. Fuel consumption. Comfort. Upgrades / mods readily available. Angry sounding engine.
Build quality is better / heavier bolts etc than the GSXR lineup.
Decent 1/4 mile times, right out of the crate. Fit is better than the ZX14 for people <6'2".
I rode Honda SS bikes for the better part of 4 hours on a demo day, a couple weeks ago. Getting back onto the Busa, I felt like I was sitting 'in' the bike, rather than 'on' the bike.

Cons: A style only a mother could love. Harder on rear tires than the average SS bike. Stock windscreen limits me to ~240kph (at the strip) before my head starts buffeting / shaking so bad I can't see. Others may not have this issue. I put a double bubble on it the other day, but haven't had a chance to ride it yet. Hopefully it deflects the air away from my head.

Would I recommend it? definitely.
Would I sell it? make me an offer :-)
 
From a new owner perspective, I just bought a new to me Gen 1, and the bike is simply amazing. Huge power, but controllable, you have to act like an idiot to make the ride sketchy or twitchy.

I liked my old bike, but I currently love my new bike
 
I agree with everything said above. Great touring vehicle, and although not the best in stop and go traffic it's nice never having to switch gears unless you are going to hit 80+ (almost like driving an automatic in town). The bike does handle quite well, but you do have to get use too it. After you spend even just a few hours on it, you forgot how heavy it felt when you first took off. A good Corbin gel seat, some pipes, zero gravity windshield, and perhaps a Heli bar to raise the handles up a bit and you can easily ride this bike all day.
 
Low rider said:
They are a bit of a pig in corners.
That being said, I know a guy who could ride this Hyabusa through corners like it was a 250.
Still don't know how he did it.
Click to expand...


Ahh good ol Dirty Pete...198 RWHP all motor Busa if I recall. And he was retirement age even back then...I couldn't even keep him in sight on a snaky road.

In 99 when the Busa came out, I had a demo for a week. I was fascinated by the bike. It was wildly fast, but only if you made it so. It was so well behaved, smooth and seamless, that it could easily be ridden like a scooter as well. No harshness or spikes in the powerband to catch you out. The OEM windscreen blocked the view to a couple of the idiot lights on the gauges, and that was about my only irritation with it.
Riders comparing it to modern sportbikes often call it heavy or a pig. I say "ride one". They are lighter than a 2002 Kawi ZX7, with 75% more power. People didn't have a hard time racing ZX7's, did they? Or the first 10 yrs of GSXR's either did they? Those too were heavier than a Busa.
 
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Yeah my coworker rides the thing like a 600 but faster. No chicken strips. Not sure about Gary saying he can only to 240 because I've got vids of my friend going 270-290 through traffic (never said he was smart).

He test drove a Diavel for an hour and hated the handling in comparison.

Also, his insurance actually went down when he got it. Upgraded from an SV1000.

Hope he doesn't see this and get ****** at me for posting it. :P
 
unL33T said:
Yeah my coworker rides the thing like a 600 but faster. No chicken strips. Not sure about Gary saying he can only to 240 because I've got vids of my friend going 270-290 through traffic (never said he was smart).

He test drove a Diavel for an hour and hated the handling in comparison.

Also, his insurance actually went down when he got it. Upgraded from an SV1000.

Hope he doesn't see this and get ****** at me for posting it. :P
Click to expand...

My ins for the Busa is less than the GSXR750 I had prior.
Maybe it's my helmet (Arai), but my head shakes so violently at mentioned speed, my eyes don't work - no joke.
I've ridden another bike I owned up to 308kph without the "head wobble".
I'll give the new double bubble a workout shortly, and report back.
If the new windscreen doesn't help, I'll buy a Shoei, and see if that makes a difference.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. To be honest, I couldn't care less about the top end. Even if all bikes were limited to 160km/h, I'd still want the busa. I just like having the displacement for acceleration.
 
Greetings

I was considering switching to the new K1300S but my generation 1 modded custom Busa has it all over the BMW except for traction control and ABS. I have -- Dual 16 inch perimeter brakes, Ohlins R&T forks, Marchesini magnesium wheels, Akropovic titanium exhaust etc... Oh and at least 75 pounds lighter, lol.

Heli bars, lower peg mod and higher screen make bike much better. Have done over a 1000Km in a day no problem.

Torque is really what any of the big bikes are about....

Busabim
 
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Gary, the double bubble windscreen really is the way to go when travelling at speed.

I had the same issue as well with the stock windscreen (I wear a Shoei RF1000). The wind buffeting my head around made visibility difficult, and the air coming through my helmet vents made my eyes water to the point I almost lost vision. All was fine after I ducked my head under the windscreen (planted my chin on the tank to do so). The bubble of still air there is incredibly tranquil in comparison.

A double bubble windscreen would make doing so more comfortable IMO.

Oh, and OP one more thing: the Busa is SMOOOOOTH. I've had an SV650, and GSX750 and a ZX636. The Busa is incredibly smooth and planted on acceleration and at cruise in comparison.

In city traffic, it's perfectly comfortable plodding around between 2500 and 4500 rpm.

My ONE issue with my particular bike is that I have a slight flat spot between 3000-3500 rpm at 1/4 throttle. It isn't really an issue as I rarely hit that range with that amount of throttle opening.

Another minor point: I have a 4-2-1 exhaust and had the Busa Dyno-tuned by Wheeler at Deals Gap (166 max. HP to the rear wheel, 98.5 ft-lbs max torque) which is great, but it killed my fuel consumption. I average only 12.4 km/L (28.7 mpg), which apparently is on the low side for Hayabusas. Gary's 2nd gen apparently gets much better fuel economy (even with the way Gary rides...hehehe), but the 2nd gen has a closed-loop fuel system, whereas the 1st gen does not.
 
BusaBob said:
Gary, the double bubble windscreen really is the way to go when travelling at speed.

I had the same issue as well with the stock windscreen (I wear a Shoei RF1000). The wind buffeting my head around made visibility difficult, and the air coming through my helmet vents made my eyes water to the point I almost lost vision. All was fine after I ducked my head under the windscreen (planted my chin on the tank to do so). The bubble of still air there is incredibly tranquil in comparison.

A double bubble windscreen would make doing so more comfortable IMO.

Oh, and OP one more thing: the Busa is SMOOOOOTH. I've had an SV650, and GSX750 and a ZX636. The Busa is incredibly smooth and planted on acceleration and at cruise in comparison.

In city traffic, it's perfectly comfortable plodding around between 2500 and 4500 rpm.

My ONE issue with my particular bike is that I have a slight flat spot between 3000-3500 rpm at 1/4 throttle. It isn't really an issue as I rarely hit that range with that amount of throttle opening.

Another minor point: I have a 4-2-1 exhaust and had the Busa Dyno-tuned by Wheeler at Deals Gap (166 max. HP to the rear wheel, 98.5 ft-lbs max torque) which is great, but it killed my fuel consumption. I average only 12.4 km/L (28.7 mpg), which apparently is on the low side for Hayabusas. Gary's 2nd gen apparently gets much better fuel economy (even with the way Gary rides...hehehe), but the 2nd gen has a closed-loop fuel system, whereas the 1st gen does not.
Click to expand...

I'm too old & pear shaped to do the tuck thing.
You did get your fuel consumption whacked Bob.
Here's some of my info from Fuelly:

85 fuel ups:

55413.png



(10/09/11) 47.7 best MPG
 
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Get a triple bubble then :P

I'm always shocked when I see your fuelly numbers. So jealous

Gary said:
I'm too old & par shaped to do the tuck thing.
You did get your fuel consumption whacked Bob.
Here's some of my info from Fuelly:

85 fuel ups:

55413.png



(10/09/11) 47.7 best MPG
Click to expand...
 
I just switched back to the OEM windscreen, and I think the wind might be better. My cheap ebay screen just seemed to direct everything (bugs mostly) into my face. Helmet is a Schuberth C3 Pro and I haven't had any buffeting with either windscreen.
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