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Friend and myself went shopping on Sunday, he has a TL1000 but is looking for something for himself and his wife to come touring with us. He is just not a touring guy and would not look at cruisers or BMW tourers or even that first class Yamy FJR 1300. Not quite ready to join the slow and comfy yet. Both himself and his wife can not manage more than two hours on the TL. He rides quick and is very attentive and it is probably this that wears him out, he has a two hour adrenaline rush. So needs something that he can still throw around but that he can ride for longer. Anybody with experiance of the ZX12 or the 13 Busa comments would be greatly appreciated.

Not actually ridden either, but after having sat on both at shows, and the many reviews i've read, the 'busa wins hands down on comfort. But, that's my ergos - not your friend's. Best thing he can do is go to a couple of dealers, sit on them, maybe even see if he can sort out a test ride....?

sapaul wrote:Friend and myself went shopping on Sunday, he has a TL1000 but is looking for something for himself and his wife to come touring with us. He is just not a touring guy and would not look at cruisers or BMW tourers or even that first class Yamy FJR 1300. Not quite ready to join the slow and comfy yet. Both himself and his wife can not manage more than two hours on the TL. He rides quick and is very attentive and it is probably this that wears him out, he has a two hour adrenaline rush. So needs something that he can still throw around but that he can ride for longer. Anybody with experiance of the ZX12 or the 13 Busa comments would be greatly appreciated.

I can't speak for the zx 12, but I can give you all the info you want on the hayabusa. I've had mine for a little over a year, it took a few weeks to get comfortable on it. The riding position wasn't too hard to adjust to, but the power was. ( I went from a gs1100) I now ride up to about 400 miles in a day with the only pain being a sore butt. I've never tried riding more than 400 miles in a day.

Check out Hayabusa.org for more info, that is the board I'm on most of the time.

Kevin

I've been on both for short trips. (Part of the joy of fixing other peoples bikes ... you get to ride em to make sure the are sorted !!!)

I'd choose the Busa personally, it's got better (for me) ergos. However it's a bit slower out of the corners (Especially compared to a TL1000 !!)

He really needs to consider his wife's ergos too. The busa has an adequate pillion position but she really needs to try the bike out as well.

Has he looked at the Honda VFR800??? The bike is plenty sporty, roomy for a pillion and even comes w/ bags.

Another option is the Yamaha FZS1000 which is more curve oriented than the busa and also features great passenger ergos.

Relsek wrote: I now ride up to about 400 miles in a day with the only pain being a sore butt. I've never tried riding more than 400 miles in a day.
Kevin

If you twist the throttle on that 'busa, 400 miles is just over two hours of riding

TechBMW wrote:
Has he looked at the Honda VFR800??? The bike is plenty sporty, roomy for a pillion and even comes w/ bags.

lol.. I'm on a VFR800 and I'm looking at both these bikes now.. The Busa has more room than the VFR, for the rider anyway.. and the idea of not having to reset the suspension from 1 up to 2 up apeals as well.. Need to get my leg over the Kawa.. The Honda CBR1100XX is also another nice big bike with room for both.. and it might be 'old' but it is quick and cheaper (if that matters).

flynrider wrote:

Relsek wrote: I now ride up to about 400 miles in a day with the only pain being a sore butt. I've never tried riding more than 400 miles in a day.
Kevin

If you twist the throttle on that 'busa, 400 miles is just over two hours of riding

Oooooh Yeaaaaah

suckingair wrote:

TechBMW wrote:
Has he looked at the Honda VFR800??? The bike is plenty sporty, roomy for a pillion and even comes w/ bags.

lol.. I'm on a VFR800 and I'm looking at both these bikes now.. The Busa has more room than the VFR, for the rider anyway.. and the idea of not having to reset the suspension from 1 up to 2 up apeals as well.. Need to get my leg over the Kawa.. The Honda CBR1100XX is also another nice big bike with room for both.. and it might be 'old' but it is quick and cheaper (if that matters).

As far as the rider goes, it took my wife a while to learn how to ride back there, she had a tendency to slide forward when I would slow down. I don't know if it was her, or me. She, (and my daughters) have no trouble now, they just had to learn how to hold on and I had to learn how to make smooth moves. My wife has ridden over 200 miles at a time with me and did fine other than a sore rear. I bought her her own bike now.

Kev

flynrider wrote:If you twist the throttle on that 'busa, 400 miles is just over two hours of riding

Yeah, that is a bit of a pain, but they are tring to bring that lengthy time down for you.... they're targeting 200mph with the new version

I went to a show in '99 with the idea of buying a Busa, but went for the XX instead. No comparison, at least for me. But then, a younger back than mine might have more tolerance to the Busa's asshigh, head down seating position. And isn't the Busa's seat a little pad? The XX comes with a full sized seat. Further, there are a few new '03's scattered around the US, and probably other countries as well. With all your luggage on, and your wife behind, there really isn't much room for oversized balls on a touring bike, anyway.
You might want to check websites for complaints and parts/systemic failures for Busas vs. any other bikes you are considering. Busas had many issues over the years, not the least of which was fire. It pays to do a bit of homework.