[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Personally, I would suggest the Honda CB650R (Honda CB650R Review)

OT, but quoting you from that thread:

- I think the indicators stay on while the bike is on the move. Im not a big fan of this system though.

Do you mean that the hazard lights blink while the bike is on the move? What do you think is the reason? Or is it because of some factory / showroom setting? I believe I’ve seen some YouTubers having their superbike’s blinkers On and always assumed it to be a result of their bragging / attention seeking nature.

[bhardwhu]

Originally Posted by karanddd

By and large the big thrill people get out of their middleweight Ninjas et al is the highway pulling power, and it requires the very important skill of twist your throttle but not too much.

You can do the same thing on a Hayabusa. Plenty of kids in America end up getting a liter class bike as their first bike (because they can). There are many Hayabusa as first bike posts on various forums if you look. And those are people who've barely ridden at all before. You have experience riding, which means you can ride anything. Have faith in yourself and go get a Busa.

Edit: Saw your post that you've been riding for 15 years. Come on, man, you can ride anything, just don't think about it. You have more than enough experience.

I agree with this post that with control and maturity, bigger bikes are manageable. I myself did migrate to liter plus bikes after riding Royal Enfields for decade plus. I had to be cautious for initial few weeks and once I started understanding potential and limitations of machine and myself, I took to the rides better than Royal Enfields. The other aspect to buying these bikes is economics. It is not easy to simply buy and sell without a significant depreciation. In my opinion, it would be okay to go for Busa with the caveat that one takes it slow and also intends to keep the ride for long period of time.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by drgeorgeroy

But as many of you guys have mentioned, i would probably first have to get a feel of how a superbike rides , since i have never experienced it before. Perhaps a middleweight bike might be the right fit for me , and a Hayabusa might just be an overkill and way too powerful for me!

Doc, the best course of action for you is to come down to Cochin for a weekend and visit all the showrooms and take test rides of all the bikes in your budget. Get a sense of the dealer experience, find out how often they are willing to come down to Trivandrum for service camps, costs of service etc. Barring Suzuki, all the other big brands are here.

Some of us are suggesting naked bikes, given your Royal Enfield based riding, but you might enjoy an altogether different flavour of motorcycles. Only once you try them out, will you know what you like. Keep an open mind and see what resonates with you the most.

Since you are yet to cross 25 posts, I cannot PM you the contact numbers of the sales folks in the dealerships.

Originally Posted by drgeorgeroy

I am so overwhelmed by the response I've got to this simple query of mine. I presumed that the answer would also be simple and unanimous. This thread has now left me even more confused to be honest!

If you had asked us for advice on whether to buy a smallish big bike like an Interceptor 650, a middleweight bike like a Z900 or a big bike like the Suzuki Hayabusa, then we would have been on page 10 by now and you might have left the forum for good

Originally Posted by karanddd

I also don't understand what "skills" people are talking about here. Indian roads are too broken, ill designed and traffic dense to ride any big bike fast. By and large the big thrill people get out of their middleweight Ninjas et al is the highway pulling power, and it requires the very important skill of twist your throttle but not too much.

A couple of weeks ago, my friends and I were returning from a Sunday morning ride and pulled over for breakfast. My buddy who was riding behind me for the preceding hour, told me that the brake lights on my Triumph were not working. I quickly checked both the front and rear brakes and found that there was nothing wrong with the brake lights. Only then did I realize that since it was a flowing road, I was riding almost entirely using engine braking and that I didnt need to use the brakes at all. We had a good laugh about it.

All of this comes together from throttle control, clutch control, engine braking, body positioning, braking, vision, quick reflexes etc. I thought I was a good rider earlier (dont we all!) but Ive found that my skills have improved with considerable practice, applying the lessons learnt from track days and a better (in this case middleweight) motorcycle.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by drgeorgeroy

I am so overwhelmed by the response I've got to this simple query of mine. I presumed that the answer would also be simple and unanimous. This thread has now left me even more confused to be honest!

Are you planning to do extensive motorcycle riding and looking for the right bike for the job? Test ride and research to find the right bike.

Or is it an indulgence to buy your dream machine that will gradually progress from garage queen > parade bike > weekend ride > retired work of art? Stick to your bedroom wall poster.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by drgeorgeroy

My only intention was to fulfill my childhood dream of someday owning a Suzuki Hayabusa. You know, the Dhoom syndrome. Pretty sure many of us had it at one point . My bedroom wall used to be filled with Haybusa magazine cut outs and wallpapers.

Can turn out to be a "never meet your heroes" situation too.

I am someone who feels at-home on an upright motorcycle. Took me a lot many test rides to figure that out though - but now I'm convinced that the stance is one of my first priorities in any motorcycle. Hayabusa (along with the K5 Gixxer) was my poster bike too (and would be the case for most Indians), but now I'm not sure I would personally enjoy one as much as a Versys 1000 or S1000XR. Haven't ridden a Busa, but I sure didn't enjoy the Ninja 1000 as much as I would have liked, even though that engine was one of the best I've experienced.

Poster heroes do change! Your case may/may not different.

Like Neil rightly mentioned above - your best bet is to drive down to Cochin for a weekend and then to try out all the available options till you find the one that connects with you instantly.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by drgeorgeroy

But as many of you guys have mentioned, i would probably first have to get a feel of how a superbike rides , since i have never experienced it before. Perhaps a middleweight bike might be the right fit for me , and a Hayabusa might just be an overkill and way too powerful for me!

Doc, all the discussions and advice become pointless if you feel you can’t do it or handle the Hayabusa in your heart, then you can’t and you shouldn’t venture anywhere near it with these thoughts. Be happy with whatever pleases you and you feel confident about. Whatever you decide to buy, take it easy, slow for the first ~1500 kilometres and you should be good to go. Please do update us about the bike you buy.

Originally Posted by no_fear

@Cyborg - your post has raised a lot of food for thought.
In the end it's about the journey. If the OP wants to buy a Hayabusa, by all means he should. But he should be able to enjoy the bike

It’s super to see you have an open mind and are actually seeing the other side. Credit to you no_fear, many people in your place couldn’t or wouldn’t want to acknowledge the other side.

I feel if one has maturity (not saying old directly), experience (~15 years riding), confidence, healthy fear (fear is good, it ensures you stay on your toes) and respect (for the bike or what the bike can do) in equal measure, then you can go for a modern day litre class straight away after riding smaller bikes. The one that Bigron rides (without any rider aids) is a scary proposition/pant spoiler and not recommendable for sure.

Our good Doctor has made up his mind, but just for discussion with the generation 3 Hayabusa, stick it in mode 3 for the first 500-700 kilometres, then move to mode 2 for another 500-700 kilometres and an experienced rider as stated above should be good to go with mode 1 and live happily ever after

Cheers

[GoBlue]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Our good Doctor has made up his mind, but just for discussion with the generation 3 Hayabusa, stick it in mode 3 for the first 500-700 kilometres, then move to mode 2 for another 500-700 kilometres and an experienced rider as stated above should be good to go with mode 1 and live happily ever after

Merely re-stating for the sake of clarity - C Mode does not convert the Busa into a commuter motorcycle.

The user manual does not state how much percentage of full power the C mode makes, but from what I felt, it was still w-a-a-a-y faster than my erstwhile Suzuki GSX-S750. What the S750 was doing at 9-10k RPM, the Busa does at 5-6k RPM in C Mode. This should paint a more accurate mental picture.

C Mode changes the power output as well as the power delivery. B mode changes just the power delivery, output remains full power. In A mode, well, one should be prepared for slightly damp trousers.

If one wants to enjoy a Hayabusa on Indian roads, which was a point that was presented by no_fear, there should be that intent to ride it at-least at 7-8K RPM on highways. That is where the real fun is on this bike. One should first take a test ride and see if that kind of riding is one's cup of tea.

There's no point buying a higher displacement motorcycle and riding it below 5K RPM.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by GoBlue

Merely re-stating for the sake of clarity - C Mode does not convert the Busa into a commuter motorcycle.

The user manual does not state how much percentage of full power the C mode makes, but from what I felt, it was still way faster than my erstwhile Suzuki GSX-S750.

C Mode changes the power output as well as the power delivery. B mode changes just the power delivery, output remains full power. In A mode, well, one should be prepared for slightly damp trousers.

Thank you for clarifying GoBlue, look forward to your updates in life with the falcon. Please update us with all the minutest details of the beautiful baby.

By using the modes I meant giving a new rider time to learn and adjust to the power delivery of the Hayabusa. I certainly did not mean to imply the mighty Hayabusa is in any way comparable to a commuter motorcycle . It was just some old fashioned book (internet) knowledge and common sense which may be applied to any modern day motorcycle with power mode selection. RPM’s would and am sure will rise for any rider using this or any high power bike after some actual riding time with her, it’s a matter of natural progression after a learning curve.



Cheers

[vignesh.cv]

Welcome doc ! I can relate to the feeling of wanting to own a dream bike, after having waited for it for a long time. In that sense, you definitely should go ahead and make the purchase. However, you also need to prep yourself to handle these new capabilities. Two main things come to mind and I would apply this to whichever bike you end up going for.

• Riding gear & protection - goes without saying that a decent investment has to be made towards helmet and riding gear if you don't already have it.
• Riding school - please invest attending riding schools. This would help you learn the bike in a controlled and safe environment as well as help get acquainted with the capabilities of the bike in some ways. This will pay big dividends in terms of being smoother, faster and safer with your newly acquired steed.

[GoBlue]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

I certainly did not mean to imply the mighty Hayabusa is in any way comparable to a commuter motorcycle

Merely kidding. Some old fashioned internet humor.

The underlying point being, it's potency does not reduce with power modes.

[drgeorgeroy]

Originally Posted by no_fear

. For the Busa, the key riding factors are power / weight ratio, throttle control, clutch control, engine braking, and braking. There’s an old saying that it’s more fun to go fast on something slow, than to go slow on something fast and this is very true for a bike like the Busa. With it's large motor, the torque is always available, which means you will constantly concentrate on throttle control instead of concentrating on other skills, like leaning, steering and braking. The last thing you want when coming out of a tight turn is to give the bike too much throttle and break the rear tire loose. People get too engrossed in just throttle control and forget about clutch control, engine braking or counter steering.

A middle weight bike provides you a more encompassing platform to get acclimatized and tune your riding skills. It is more forgiving. The throttle power is manageable and not too crazy, and you get to learn how to play with the bike through clutch control and engine braking.

Perfectly worded advice. With all the chaos that our Indian roads have to offer , these skillsets are even more crucial to survive.

I guess this is why there are proper superbike schools and training out there for riders to understand how to handle such powerful machines.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by GoBlue

Merely kidding. Some old fashioned internet humor.

The underlying point being, it's potency does not reduce with power modes.

I understand you were kidding

Nobody could be so stupid to think anyone else could be so stupid to think the Hayabusa could be anything but a rocket projectile in any mode, least of all a 1960’s model like me

All in all, like almost everything on our forum, this topic has been extremely interesting to discuss. One persons food could be another’s poison and to each their own.

Ride safe and enjoy your beauty.

Cheers

[drgeorgeroy]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

All in all, like almost everything on our forum, this topic has been extremely interesting to discuss. One persons food could be another’s poison and to each their own.

Exactly. It was really a pleasure to read all the different thoughts and perspectives everyone had to say on the matter. It gave me a lot of insight on how to venture into the world of Superbikes.

After a lot of introspection and a bunch of test rides, i am hopeful that i too would find out my perfect machine. Whether or not it's the Hayabusa, only time will tell!

[Bhupesh_2628]

Great valuable life-long tips & precautions shared here by experienced BHPians.

After reading, I think these lessons are also applicable to bikes that start from 500/600 CC segments.

Because these are also quite powerful bikes (though less powerful than litre-class ones) that some people take/judge them as slightly less powerful when bigger litre-class bikes come into picture. They can also take riders by surprise if not handled well due to misconception.

So IMO, the title of this thread should be modified as follows:

1) "Should I buy a bike starting from 500/600 CC to a litre-class as my first big bike?".
2) "Valuable lessons & tips for considering your first big bike starting from 500/600 CC till litre-class & above".
3) "Planning to buy your first big bike? Read these valuable tips before getting one!"

The reason I put up: To make people aware that these same tips/precautions/rules also apply to 500/600 CC bikes too apart from litre-class bikes.

[nitro.1000bhp]

@drgeorgeroy

Hi, I would suggest you get a KTM 390, a used one and ride around for a few months and get used to the power, braking and cornering style of it and then go for the Busa. Granted, the 390 is not a spec compared to what the busa can but, you can get used to the seating position and in general, understand how to ride a 'fat tyre' bike. The style of braking and cornering lines will be very different to a RE (I am assuming its a classic/bullet). The bike will encourage you to use your body to shift the weight around to make it turn.

Not many of us can afford to get a 300, 600, 1000 and then a 1300 and suffer the depreciation. I think a 390 is good 'first step' to a big bike and the depreciation won't be massive if you can get hold of a decent used one with low mileage.

Also, you can take a look at the 'cornering bible' series on youtube. Its very informative and has a lot of useful info on how to ride a bike properly although, its only theory but it is still an eye-opener.

All the best.