ST on a Busa anyone?

[thompsonian]

Well, I guess in my options of looking for a new bike, not that I REALLY need one , but I never considered the Busa as a viable option. However, I have seen some decked out pretty good and was curious if anyone out here had any opinons on this matter. I did a search and only found a couple of threads about them, so if anyone has anything to say chirp up!


Dave

[Vladimir]

BigBlock on here tours all over the west coast on his 'Busa... two-up even! You might send him a PM.

[bureaucrat]

Seems viable.  I've seen some forum chat about Suzuki pushing it as an ST.  Maybe a reaction to the new Concours, which is up to its helmet locks in power, evidently.

[keystonejenks]

The Busa is actually a comfortable bike. They make beetle bags for them. When the finances are where I want them, I've would like to add a Busa as a full time touring bike.

[thompsonian]

That's kind of what sparked the idea is seeing the beetle bags and the gunfighter style backseat for the wife. I figure with the new 08 being released soon, I might be able to convince the local stealership to cut me a deal on the all black they have in stock. I have bought my last 2 Suzy's from them after all! Might have to start looking into what all is available for them!

And thanks for the heads up on BigBlock. I'll try to track him down and pick his brain!

[CoolWhip]

Dave, you might want to check out Pashnit:  http://www.pashnit.com/forum/index.php

It is a great forum and the owner of the site tours on a Busa.   If you do a search, I am sure you will come up with a lot of info.  

[county]

Busa, XX, ZZR1200, ZX14 are what "sport touring" is all about.  Very powerful "sporty" bikes that are more than capable of long distance touring.

Busa is an excellent choice.

[servicerifle]

I saw a nice white one well decked out with luggage recently in NC...his plate read "TOURBUS"  I thought that was good.

[Albie]

Busa, XX, ZZR1200, ZX14 are what "sport touring" is all about.  Very powerful "sporty" bikes that are more than capable of long distance touring.

Busa is an excellent choice.

+1, can't really go wrong with any of the GT bikes.

[Scratch33]

During my 2003 cross country I ran into two guys, one in Washington & another in Oregon, both in their 50's/60's, who were riding 'busas outfitted for sport touring.  They loved their bikes.

[Woody]

I just recently got home from a 7,000+ mile trip on my busa to the BMW RA national rally in Ashville, NC with a stop at the Red Rocks rally the following weekend in southern Utah on the way home. Been using mine as a sporttourer for the past two and a half years and have racked up 34K miles in the process. Makes a superb tourer with minor comfort modifications. And, oh yes, I'm 60 years old too.

[NitrousGuy]

Havent toured on my Busa yet. But it it sure is fun to ride!

[chesthing]

I just recently got home from a 7,000+ mile trip on my busa to the BMW RA national rally in Ashville, NC with a stop at the Red Rocks rally the following weekend in southern Utah on the way home. Been using mine as a sporttourer for the past two and a half years and have racked up 34K miles in the process. Makes a superb tourer with minor comfort modifications. And, oh yes, I'm 60 years old too.

How do you deal with  knee/hip/neck pain?

[Woody]

Chesthing,

The short answer is I didn't have any knee/hip/neck pain. Two of the mods I made to address those issues are a 3/4" genmar riser to relieve that little nagging pain in the neck from holding the head up and some pegs off a Suzuki TL1000 to give a little more leg room. Buell pegs also work nicely if you really need more room. I'm 5'8" and about 150# so I don't feel cramped anyway.

[chesthing]

I'm impressed and jealous.  I'd love to be able to do miles and miles on a Busa.  As it is, my limit on my VFR w/helibars is 400 miles/day, and the last 150 sucks.  I think alot depends on genetics, being able to ride motorcycles for long distances wo/ pain.  I basically found the most comfortable "sportbike" I could and do the best I can, I'm not going the FJR route - I'll give up motorcycling when my body just says no.  btw I'm only 41.

I would add though that when I bought my CBR1000F for cheap a couple years ago to see if I could deal with the sporty position, I couldnt go 20 miles without pain - now it's about 200 on the VFR.  Maybe I'll be riding a Busa for 1000 mile days a couple years from now.

[Willie G]

I just recently got home from a 7,000+ mile trip on my busa to the BMW RA national rally in Ashville, NC with a stop at the Red Rocks rally the following weekend in southern Utah on the way home. Been using mine as a sporttourer for the past two and a half years and have racked up 34K miles in the process. Makes a superb tourer with minor comfort modifications. And, oh yes, I'm 60 years old too.

+1

My Nelson Riggs soft bags give me as much room as I ever had on my ElectraGlide.  Factory gel seat, HeliBars, and Buell pegs solved the comfort issues - I like the stock windscreen because it puts my helmet in clean air.  

I think what matters most in touring is torque, it makes downshifting optional - and the Busa has lots of it, everywhere!

Oh, and I'm 54.

[Woody]

"I'm impressed and jealous.  I'd love to be able to do miles and miles on a Busa.  As it is, my limit on my VFR w/helibars is 400 miles/day, and the last 150 sucks.  I think alot depends on genetics, being able to ride motorcycles for long distances wo/ pain.  I basically found the most comfortable "sportbike" I could and do the best I can, I'm not going the FJR route - I'll give up motorcycling when my body just says no.  btw I'm only 41."

I find what works for me is to get off the bike every hour and a quarter to hour and a half and walk around a bit. If I do that I have no problems at the end of the day except maybe being a little butt sore (the busa could use an improved seat). If I stay aboard two hours or more, even early in the day, I'll have knee pain for most of the rest of the day even if I shorten the saddle stints afterward.

[RodeRash]

I picked the Busa as a replacement for an aging Honda Blackbird.
I think it makes a great sport touring bike.   I've done a couple of rides this season.
1600+ miles exploring Colorado back roads, and 3500+ miles on a western US tour.

Most days, I averaged around 500 miles, with a longest of 750 miles.   I use a magnetic tank bag and a ventura bag system for luggage.    As an added bonus, if I keep the rev's down, my fuel milage is in the 40-50 mpg area.

I did swap the stock bar for Heli-Bars, but left the seat alone.   It may also help to lower the pegs a bit.

[Rocket_Cowboy]

I did swap the stock bar for Heli-Bars, but left the seat alone.

I found the Suzuki gel seat option to work quite well for doing long distances on the Busa. Had I added bar risers to the bike, it probably would have been perfect.

[chintohara]

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,12261.0.html

here is a link to a ride report I just posted after a trip on my busa.

cheers