2021 Suzuki Hayabusa: Could this be my first-ever superbike?

I have around 15 years of riding experience, but it has mostly been with Royal Enfield motorcycles.

BHPian drgeorgeroy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Suzuki has done such a stellar job in the design of Gen3. The instrument cluster is indeed my favourite part too.

The Hayabusa has always been THE dream superbike for me, and no other machine out there can cut it in terms of its desirability.

Just a doubt. Is the gen3 tame enough to handle for someone who's never ridden a superbike before? Should I go for the Busa, or work my way up the displacement categories? I've been riding for around 15 years but it's mostly been only Royal Enfields. But the Gen3 is has been driving me crazy ever since it's launched and my heart's set itself to owning the Gen3 while my mind is telling me otherwise!

Here's what BHPian GoBlue had to say on the matter:

I would not recommend a Hayabusa as a first SBK. The weight, handling, dynamics on the open road, slow speed manoeuvring shall be a completely new experience relative to RE motorcycles.

Also, the way this motorcycle accelerates and achieves ridiculous speeds needs a relative experience of at least 650cc / 750cc class motorcycles.

You could always get a Gen 3 and ride it in C mode for some time. However even in “low power mode”, it is quicker than other litre-class motorcycles.

Would be better to work your way to Gen 3. Get something like a CBR650R or a Street Triple RS as an intermediate motorcycle. As you’ve been riding for 15 years, this segment should be perfect to get accustomed to the power delivery/dynamics.

Here's what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

I am completely with BHPian GoBlue on this. No way should you go straight to the Busa. You will also enjoy your Busa more if you have worked your way “up” through some mid-order bikes. Since your ultimate aim is a Busa, perhaps a tolerable entry-level bike might be a Ninja 1000 since it will make you more accustomed to that style of riding position. But I am doubtful of that recommendation too. The CBR 650 may actually be a more apt starting point.

Also, since you’re used to RE style bikes that have more upright riding styles is another reason to go middle CC first. I have been riding a Tiger and I recently test rode a CBR 650. I was extremely tentative on the handling aspect of the CBR with its hunkered-down stance. It was way too different to what I am used to.

Here's what BHPian bigron had to say on the matter:

I am a strong proponent of the notion that anyone can and should get any bike that they like as long as their right wrist is controlled by their head and not testicular fortitude.

Since you've been riding for some time, you already understand the basic fundamentals of motorcycle riding. In fact, a 1000cc bike at 80 km/h is far safer than a 150 cc bike doing 80. It will brake faster, sooner with better control, balance, everything.

Respect the bike and it will not fail you. With all that power comes added responsibility that's all. And that responsibility is there even if it's a 650cc or a 1000cc. They both will bite your head off if you misbehave. So might as well go for the one you want and like.

Get in touch with superbike groups in your city. Talk to the owners, sit on their bikes and see if they will let you take it for a spin. Visit showrooms and see what's available for test rides. That will give you an idea of what you getting into beforehand.

There are absolutely no issues in getting a Hayabusa as your first superbike. I know so many people who have done it and loved it.

There are a few golden rules I often tell first-time superbike owners:

• Never indulge in street racing. You will be pestered, ignore it.
• Just because you can do 140 km/h on a stretch of road does not mean you should.
• Always wear your gear, even if it's only to get milk.
• Always take care of your ride and maintain it well.
• Know your capability and accept the fact that you will use merely 10% of what your bike is capable of doing.

Lastly, never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly.

This is in fact a perfect time to get yourself a used Gen 2 Hayabusa. And trust me, it is more bike than one would ever need.

What the Gen3 has is phenomenal. No used bike is going to give you that. There is no denying that electronics can and do save you in sticky situations. However, if you are banking on just electronics to save your skin hold on a bit because they are aids and don't replace the rider's instinct.

Find someone who has a Gen2 and take it for a spin. The later models came with ABS, but that's about it. Mine has no ABS, nothing. Everything has to be done by the right wrist.

Having said that, it can be intimidating knowing that just a splash of water on the road can make the bike skittish. So in that sense, it is smart to go with a bike that has basic electronic aids.

Here's what BHPian neil.jericho had to say on the matter:

BHPian drgeorgeroy, first of all, welcome to the forum. It is always good to have another fellow motorcycle enthusiast from this lovely part of the country. I will just add a few points to what the others have mentioned. This is based on my 20 years of riding motorcycles and finally upgrading to a Triumph Street Triple 675 in 2018.

There are a few aspects that I would suggest you strongly consider:

• Your skill level
• Your next motorcycle
• The conditions in which you will ride your next motorcycle

Let me share my own experience. I was all set to buy a litre class sports bike after moving to Cochin but due to some twists and turns, I ended up with a preowned Triumph that I bought from an enthusiast in Trivandrum. I am glad that I did so because:

• It has helped make me a much better rider than I was before.
• Using a middleweight motorcycle in KL is tough. And I'm not even mentioning sporty 1000cc and above motorcycles. Between traffic, narrow roads, cops, speed cameras, idiots on the road etc, you will find it tough to even use 40% of a middleweight naked bike. With a bigger bike, expect that to come down to below 30%. It's an unfortunate truth.
• I realized that I don't need anything more than a middleweight bike for my riding in Kerala.

You mentioned that you have been riding for 15 years but please do remember that a middleweight bike (I'm not even mentioning a litre-class tourer or the Busa here!) can get you into 100+ km/h in a matter of seconds. The bikes capabilities will in all likelihood outweigh yours and a rider will need time, patience, experience and a willingness to learn, to get to grips with say a 100 HP motorcycle.

As great as the Hayabusa is, with your motorcycling background, please don't jump straight into it. Look at the Triumph Street Triple 765, Kawasaki Z900, Ducati Monster 950 or the Honda CB650R. All the dealerships conduct service camps in Trivandrum and you also have support from excellent superbike garages like Motonerdz to cater to all your needs. Personally, I would suggest the Honda CB650R as I find it incredibly user friendly for Kerala's conditions and it is a perfect bridge bike for a rider like you to own for a few years. The icing on the cake is the excellent sales and after-sales support from the Big Wing Honda dealership in Cochin. The Kawasaki, Ducati and the Triumph are all great bikes but I find the Honda to be most suited to riders who are new to the big bike world, given the motorcycling constraints in Kerala. Heck, if I had a choice today, I would give up my Triumph and get the friendly Honda instead!

Spend a few years with a middleweight, make a lot of riding buddies, explore other motorcycles and then take a call on whether or not you will actually want to get yourself that Gen 3 Hayabusa.

Here's what BHPian no_fear had to say on the matter:

I will be a bit blunt here and my words may sting, but I will not recommend you to jump from a Royal Enfield to a Busa. That's a sure way to end in misfortune.

You are moving from 20~30 hp to 200hp in one shot. It's not a linear progression and you will not know how to handle this power. Even though you have riding skills, it's a massive jump in your ability to actually ride a bike that is not as forgiving as a lower cc one. It's best to take incremental steps. A 650 cc bike with 100 hp is a better bet. If your ultimate goal is the Busa, better buy a used 600 cc bike, get the hang of it, upgrade your skills and then climb the rungs.

Here's what BHPian SnS_12 had to say on the matter:

To answer your question if the Busa is tame enough yes it is if you ride it at 60kph in 6th gear, but once you open up the throttle even in 6th gear at that speed it can very quickly turn into an unpleasant experience if you're not prepared to what is going to come next.

When I rode my Busa for the first time I was really intimidated by it and felt that I had bitten more than I could chew. But over time once I better understood the bike and what it can do and when is how I started getting more comfortable/confident riding it.

I had limited riding experience when it came to litre bikes before buying the Busa and I moved from a Yamaha RX to a Ninja 650 (this lasted only for 18 months and less than 5k km) and then to the Busa. But as Neil mentioned in his post the deciding factors will be your riding skills and where you plan to ride the Busa.

As I said, I had limited riding experience when it came to big displacement bikes (500 and above). However, I had ridden many powerful two strokes up to 350cc (RZ/RD's) which created an insane amount of power very very quickly as you build up the revs. How a bike is tuned and builds up the power is what matters then the displacement is what I learnt with two strokes.

Further, the small winding roads where I enjoy riding the two strokes is not the tarmac I would consider riding the Busa. Even the within city limit rides on the Busa is no fun as you know you can't even tap into 10% of its capability and the open highway is where it needs to be ridden to enjoy it the most.

Hence, I think you should take a call primarily keeping these two points in mind. All the best with your decision.

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say on the matter:

I am just curious, what if I am an RE rider for the last 15 years and I go ahead buy myself a Busa and ride it pretending that it's a 50bhp first few months, 100bhp next few months and maybe I am never interested in using more than 100bhp - I just love the idea of owning such a lovely bike and I don't have much else to do with my spare cash. Why can't I do a logical progression on the same bike instead of wasting time and money on a bike that doesn't excite me much?

Why can't I simply buy the bike of my dreams and tame it with all the caution and progressive learning? I mean what if I buy a mid-level practical bike that I don't actually have any emotions for and end up being content with it and losing steam to do the upgrade? Timing is equally critical in life?

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.