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The "bad-ass" Busa Riders......

2K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  Dad 
#1 ·
Every Sunday night here in St. Louis, an industrial strip of road, Hall St., turns into the local Drag Strip. The bikes present range from Kawasaki ZX-6 to the "bad-ass" Suzuki Hayabusa.:eek: Well, my coments are not about the bikes (all are beautiful), but about the riders who pilot them:finger:
Having been to Hall St. only a few times, each visit appeared to be the same old "testosterone" contest between riders who in my opinion, DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY HELL THEY ARE DOING!!!! Sure, when the guy at the start of the 1/4 mile strips drops the flag, they can haul ass, but is that a good measure of their riding "skill?" I don't see it! Everyone, including their mothers:twofinger, had a Hayabusa. Each of which had a chrome frame, chrome wheels, chrome handle bars, etc., and were lowered lower than a "road ridden" bike should be! But, they looked beautiful. However, the attitudes of the riders where far from friendly!! :finger:
I pulled up on my R6, and I got the "what the hell are you doing here" stares. They were sitting on their machines as if they owned the world, and no one could tell them differently! But, how good of riders are they? 6 out of 10 of the "busa-wannabes" had on shorts, t-shirts, and "battle-scarred" helmets. I didn't see any good riding techniques, but what I did see was a bunch of "flunkies" who thought just because they were piloting the "busa", they were "the shit"
After listening to a few of the conversations between the "busa kings", I noticed that many of them were riding with, NO license, NO insurance, and they only reason they purchased the 'busa's were because they are the "baddest and fastest" bike to ever be produced. Plus, "the police can never catch us" I did not understand that? What's with the attitudes of said riders?
Maybe it's just me, but that experience took some of the joy out of "motorcycling"( although, not much:twofinger ) When I normally run into other riders, I have good experiences. We stop, chat for a while, I learn about their machines, and I tell them about mine. Hell, many times we end up riding for a few hours, together. (sorry mom, he is not a stranger, but a fellow motorcycle rider):twofinger But, many of the 'busa riders here in St. Louis act as if they are the next Ricky Gadson because they financed a capable machine.

God, please let me run into these assholes on a nice country road with lots of twisties!!!!!!!!!!:cool:

Any opinions out there?
 
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#2 · (Edited)
LoveMyR6 said:
God, please let me run into these assholes on a nice country road with lots of twisties!!!!!!!!!!:cool:

Any opinions out there?
Heh. Not bloody likely. Squidus Feetdraggerus isn't often found away from its' natural habitat, which is a straight, flat stretch of suburban asphalt with plenty of onlookers to show off for. ;)

(Besides, as far as 1/4 mile work goes, unless you're talking experienced drag racing riders on stretched-swingarm or wheelie-bar equippes bikes, once you get into literbikes that can run deep tens, it all comes down to who can shift better and can avoid groundlooping the bike. I've seen idiots on Hayabusas lose straightline stoplight contests to many bikes that are slower on paper, but are piloted by someone who actually knows how to get a bike to accelerate like it's capable of doing.)
 
#3 ·
LoveMyR6 said:
However, the attitudes of the riders where far from friendly!! :finger:
I pulled up on my R6, and I got the "what the hell are you doing here" stares. They were sitting on their machines as if they owned the world, and no one could tell them differently!

After listening to a few of the conversations between the "busa kings", I noticed that many of them were riding with, NO license, NO insurance, and they only reason they purchased the 'busa's were because they are the "baddest and fastest" bike to ever be produced. Plus, "the police can never catch us" I did not understand that? What's with the attitudes of said riders?

When I normally run into other riders, I have good experiences. We stop, chat for a while, I learn about their machines, and I tell them about mine. Hell, many times we end up riding for a few hours, together. (sorry mom, he is not a stranger, but a fellow motorcycle rider

God, please let me run into these assholes on a nice country road with lots of twisties!!!!!!!!!!:cool:

Any opinions out there?
You're right about their attitude & the difference between you & them was apparent in your statement about meeting fellow riders & not being strangers. :cool: Compare this to the cold stares you got. It's hard to imagine such a "local only" attitude in our sportbike community but sadly it is a real problem in some quarters. Just keep your good attitude & recognize this small segment of our culture is the result of poor parenting & most likely some physical "short comings";) that a big bike won't ever really compensate for. @ the end of the night their girlfriends will realize the only "rocket" they are going to ride is parked in the garage:D
As for the twisties, Tamara has made this point perfectly & I can only say "Ditto"
 
#4 ·
Yep. Just 'cause it's got the magazine numbers, don't mean it's THAT quick.

There's a fellow up in the Reno area with a mid 80's Suzuki GS 1100 that will spank just about anything. It's got that ugly tank and square headlight with a funky little quarter fairing...but beware: I know he's clocked mid 9's at Fallon drag strip and that's at 4,500' elevation. It looks very stock, but the trained eye will pick up on the slightly extended and majorly beefed swingarm, in addition to a peculiar set of braided lines routed near the intake manifolds :D

From my observations of street drag racers, the majority are not that quick. A really experienced rider will smoke 'em on much lesser equipment. For the most part, it's all about the launch and controlled wheelspin for the first 50 yards.

My 6 year old daughter can twist a throttle just as fast as anyone, it takes boatloads of skill to do it right.
 
#5 ·
I agree with most all the statements made but not all Busa riders are aholes. This drives me nuts when anyone no matter the bike acts this way. Yes my bike visits the strip and it will run in the 9's with a stock wheel base and a bit of skill but I have been doing this since I was 16 and got my first bike. I'am soon to be 33. Also I might point out some of the other toys I have list to the left of this post. But to think I will be way behind in the twisty stuff may fool you. My Busa is about one of the only ones I know of with upgraded front and rear suspension parts at about the stock ride height. The rear was changed to a Penske that I had made for my size and weight. So don't let the Busa's fool you some will run you down on just about any type of road. I think the key thing here is skill and the type of attitude the person has. Can't we all just get along????????????????? Damn it we are all on two wheels!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#6 · (Edited)
I Love Broad Generalisations

Those suicidal, ego driven, street dragster, busa riders out there are just as bad as those crazy, lane splitting, wheelie popping, peak-hour-racing, R6 owners.

I like to point out that the busa is a sports tourer not a track bike. So the only racing you could really be comfortable doing is drag racing. Ego's can get out of hand in both camps.I'd be lying if I said It's not the bikes that make touring fun. Touring is about people and places as well.
 
#7 ·
Re: I Love Broad Generalisations

Billy2stroke said:
Those suicidal, ego driven, street dragster, busa riders out there are just as bad as those crazy, lane splitting, wheelie popping, peak-hour-racing, R6 owners.

I like to point out that the busa is a sports tourer not a track bike. So the only racing you could really be comfortable doing is drag racing. Ego's can get out of hand in both camps.I'd be lying if I said It's not the bikes that make touring fun. Touring is about people and places as well.
By no means am I referring to "all" hayabusa riders!! I am specifically comenting on the guys riding the 'busas that I encountered last night. I have 2 cousins who each ride Hayabusas, and they don't have such an attitude. Man, you should have seen these guys last night. As long as they were hauling ass in a straight line, they were "the shit". But, they could barely turn the bikes around without dropping them. They did not look like they had any riding skills at all. The only thing they seemed capable of doing is opening the throttle and hanging on. But, as far as "controlling" the bike, they did not look like they could do it. But, if you were to judge their skill by their attitudes, you would think they were Ricky Gadson or Nicky Hayden. I am not into broad generalizations in the least bit.
 
#9 ·
I ran into some of those guys at a gas station in Daytona this year. There was 3 of them that had trailered the 'busa's in, unloaded them at the gas station and parked out by the street so they could pose with the bikes. They were stretched, lowered, turbo'ed, NOs'ed, chromed, polished, you name it. One guy in particular sticks in my mind. He was the typical "surfer dude" type...wife-beater, leather sandals, print shorts, Mr.-T starter set (about 6 gold chains). I went up to him and was asking him about his bike. His attitude was like "Hey dude...I'm here to be praised, revered, and worshipped like the motorcycle God that I am. I'm not here to answer questions about motorcycles that I don't know. Where's the 12 year old girls, dude? My ego is deflating here." It was really sort of comical.

On the other hand, I know a couple of guys around here that have 'Busa's. One of them can actually ride the thing. The other is learning pretty well...I was a little worried about him at first...it was his first motorcycle. They are both good guys...fun to hang out with and ride with.

You find the same sort of divergence in car owners, too. Some Corvette and Viper owners are the same way. I think it's people that can't seem to find an identity, so that's what the car, motorcycle, whatever is for. Other buy them because they like to ride or drive them and hang out with other people that do.
 
#10 ·
LoveMyR6 said:

Any opinions out there?
BAW HAW HAW!!! Let them dig their own graves, my friend. Drag racing has always been silly in my view. The real test comes with the twisties. Mano vs. Machine(o).
 
#11 ·
GA Bandit wrote:
I think it's people that can't seem to find an identity, so that's what the car, motorcycle, whatever is for.
Boy did you hit the nail on the head there!

I've also observed a lot of guys who's egos are so wrapped up in what they own, that it truly reflects their insecurity. As the "Token Harley Boy" here I will be the first to proclaim that the majority of HD riders fall into that category. Just too much like "halloween" let's dress-up and go pretend. It absolutely baffles me though.

Why on earth would you measure yourself or someone else, based upon what they drive? I can understand a little materialism and pride of ownership but way too often this gets out of hand. Simple minds I suppose.

Personally, I'd love to put a 'Busa in my garage, but with my right-wrist control issues, it would be the death of me, or at the least, the end of my driving privilege :D

Ride safe.
 
#12 ·
Re: Re: The "bad-ass" Busa Riders......

Honda919Rider said:

Drag racing has always been silly in my view. The real test comes with the twisties. Mano vs. Machine(o).
That's a broad brush that's faulty, too. As a 30+ year rider, I have participated in most styles of riding and each has it's points. I still get the biggest kick out of mountain road twisties and do that to the tune of 15 to 20,000 miles a year. In the seventies, I participated in drag racing all the way up to lay-down dragsters. I always saw it as a mechanic's sport and not much of a spectator sport. This was especially true when you did all of your own work. The challenge was to figure out the best combinations and still have it stay together. You got your ideas, figured them out, executed, and then got the proof of your efforts. Like anything done well, it's not easy. On the other hand, it was VERY educational. It inspired you to study materials, design, flow, machining and fabrication techniques, etc. and forced you to see the bigger picture and tune for your equipment's strengths and weaknesses, striving to optimize the whole package. I still say to each his own. Those guys have their jerk-off posers and lord knows, so does the sportbike community.:)
 
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