[Kat-A-Tonic]

As a person who started on a bike that was "too much for a beginner" I can appreciate that buying a bike is a personal choice. I thought if I was careful nothing bad will happen.

With that said, however, a Hayabusa is not for anyone who has limited riding experience. Riding motorcycles is unlike any other street activity and requires a graduated approach. The potential for danger is far more real than driving a car.

As a further comment, just because you can do something (e.g. buy a 'Busa as a beginner) doesn't make it appropriate. In Canada, there is a loophole in the law that allows for cars to have no windshields but they must have working wipers. Would anyone drive a car like this? I certainly hope not.

I personally think we have a duty to offer input into someone's choice if there is a significant risk or hazard.

[Dan Dubeau]

The same as I would tell someone going skydiving "Are you freakin NUTS? Never jump out of a perfectly good airplane."

I've never landed in a perfectly good airplane

While theres nothing that one can really do in that situation. The only thing you can do, is to give your own advice based on experience. It's up to the person to decide wether or not to heed your advice.

On the plus side. In a few months time, there could be a very cheap busa available in your area. Maybe she'd even trade for your kat (plus a bit of $$)

[blkpitbull]

Re: Thought I'd heard it all

Outside on break today, beautiful day, about 55 degrees and sunny.. talking to a coworker who's BF is in the bike club I ride with from time to time. He's got an 05 Gixxer 1000, nitrous, steel braided lines, air shifter, lowerd, the whole 9, beautiful fast bike.. but anywho, she's never ridden in her life save for on 4 wheelers now and then and all off the sudden she comes up to me today and says "Hey guess what", Im like, what ? I just bought a bike!! Im like REALLY ? as my interest is now peaked... yeah I finally decided to start riding, Im tired of being left out from his bike stuff..blah blah blah.. so I went out to ray wilt honda/yamaha/suzuki ( one of the local dealers around here) and put money down on an '06 Pearl White HAYABUSA !!!

I told her I said, and keep in mind I know this girl fairly well, Are you freekin nuts !!! I proceeded to tell her how this bike will top 200 mph right outta the crate, fastest production bike, not a good starter bike, insurance will be thru the roof, etc. She's like nah I can handle it, Im a girl and dont have the need for speed and the ego to boot like the guys do. I just want a hot bike !

I told her you really outta consider starting out on a much smaller bike, and a pre owned one at that to learn on, take the MSF course, you know all the usual talk you give to a prospective new rider.

She was hearing none of it. " I want a busa, its pretty, and I got it, I can't wait to ride"

UGH !! Im just hoping I dont come to work one day and read about her in the morning paper.

First let me say that I know im gonna get hell for this, especially around here. And I am just stating MY view/opinion. And I mean no offense at all!

OK, Why do you feel you must tell her what bike she should or shouldnt get?? Maybe she cant ride a bicycle with training-wheels, maybe she can ride the bike to the limit. But I DO NOT believe you have the right to force your "ultimate" wisdom upon her because shes buying the bike SHE wants. Its her life period. If you see someone lighting a cigarete, do you stop them to tell them it could hurt them one day??? No I bet you dont. Cause it none of your business. SO why is this any different??? I guess im different and I would not say nothing like that to her, cause I wouldnt want you telling me what I should or shouldnt get.

Perfect example: My younger brother, hasnt rode a bike but a total of maybe 20miles, calls me this may and says " hey bro i bought a bike today. Keep in mind hes 23 ( a grown man that can make his own decisions without my help). I said cool what ya get?? Um a 2002 kawi zx12r. My first thoughts were damn thats big. BUT he can choose for himself. And all I said was " please be carefull, and remember that your right hand decides it all."
He has rode all summer on that bike and rides really good now......

All im saying is that people are grown and make there own life changing (good or bad) decisions on ther own. And I personally dont think anyone should tell someone that they made a bad decision, who made you decision god. I do believe in helping the situation thats already there. Give her pointers, tips, from your experiences....

That said, Im sure ill hear it now. But thats just my view and thats exactly why me and Wildkat are two different people.

Todd

Well let me be the first

"If you see someone lighting a cigarete, do you stop them to tell them it could hurt them one day??? No I bet you dont. Cause it none of your business. "

Well that cigarete isn't going to plow into and kill me or a loved one like a out of control Busa doing triple digits can...

Sure she has the right to buy anything she wants, your just stating the obvious, everyone's freedom to do so...but please don't push your views on us because you think anyone anywhere should have the right to get on a bike totally above their driving skill and kill themself...

Myself like everyone here give's advice not to push my/their opinion on others, but to show them the errors of my/our ways and maybe they can learn from these mistakes...We are not telling them to do anything.

I care about people, and have always felt a bond of sorts with other motorcyclist's...as we are all a part of a elite club in my opinion. I would hate to see her injure/kill herself, hell I hate to see a woman even cry.

I can only hope she will take some good advice from friends, and bring her skills up at least a little before getting on the rocket ship named Busa...by purchasing a good used learner bike, keep it for 6 months to a year, and then moving up (still not to a Busa in my opinion though).

If she does get the Busa anyway, she is going to wreck it...lets face it if we had all gotten 2006 Porsche 911 Turbos when we were 15 yrs old with a learners permit, we probably wouldn't be here either...when she does wreck it, I only hope she has on full leathers and just gets some bruises and scratchs...and totals the Busa...then in the 3 months it takes her to get the insurance money, reallity sets in and she gets something more on her level.

I respect your opinion, but all of us here know what a Busa is and can do...and there is no way in h_ll you can say with a straight face it's a great "beginners" bike . You would have to be crazy to think so, plain and simple.

Peace out...

First of all I never ONCE said that a busa was ok for a beginner. I also agree that she is probably not getting the right bike, BUT thats not for me or you to decide, PERIOD.

Are you 100% positive she will wad it up???? No. She may be fine for years. and may wreck the first 10 feet. Who knows. Its not that I dont care, I do, but that I care and respect everyones decisions. I started on the street on a 79 kawi H2. A bad mother for the time and never once wrecked.

And on the cigarete, that was just an example (just like you 911 at 15).
Let me tell ya that it may not be her that Rams your pretty little ass with her big busa. It could be the brand new rider on the ninja 250!!! Or a bitch in a hummer on the cell.

Peace out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[trinc]

i ride with a guy that has a black & red busa. he's pretty timid i'd say & doesn't ride alot. he talks about the busa as being two different bikes, under 5-6k it's a really easy bike to ride, very smooth; but crack it open and away you go.

another girl i know - first bike: gsxr1000. she rides slow and handles it well for a beginner.

a local racer got his girlfiend a bike zx10r: he's teaching her.


my point: it can be done. these new hyper bikes make a lot of power up top but lower in the rpm range are streetable. i used to shake my head when i heard these stories... maybe i'm just getting old.

tim

[katana bob]

i agree the busa is too much bike for anyone but a very experienced rider. wich leads to another issue. should a dealer/salesman even sell a bike like that to someone who's never ridden before? she said she bought it because it was "pretty" she has no clue the power that beast posseses and how quickly mistakes are magnified on a bike like that. I would think at the very least her bf would have steered her toward something else. unless he thinks it will scare her and he'll end up being the one riding it. I hope the best for her.

[trinc]

bob,

interesting points, in america we can buy what we want. i hope that doesn't change. i would like to see a graduated license though.
getting away from the RR topic, i think the biggest sellers are the big bore cruisers sold to middle aged men. a stepped license would kill that market or maybe get the manufacturers to build smaller motors.


tim

[cdy64118]

the one thing that appealed to me to start riding is the freedom you feel while on a bike. being a female myself i dont think the size of the bike matters much. the bottom line is your driving style and your driving limitations.i am a beginner myself, but yet i rode my husbands 04 vrod and his 01 bandit600. i also took his bestfriends 04 busa out and drove a 04 cbr 1000. i love the style of the busa and it rode good for me but i hate to pay the high insurance premiums plus i like being different. i couldve bought a newer bike but something about this katana that appealed to me plus everything that ive done to it so far. my take on your friend be excited for her and support her and if you really care about her why not teach her the right technics and fundamentals of riding a motorcycle busa or no busa

[bamarama]

I've only been riding for a month and I just bought myself a busa .

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=133&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=MPA_39053_G

[Dan Dubeau]

I've only been riding for a month and I just bought myself a busa .

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1...em=MPA_39053_G

Sweet deal too

[bamarama]

I've only been riding for a month and I just bought myself a busa .

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1...em=MPA_39053_G

Sweet deal too

I know, 9 bucks for a busa. I am a little worried at how well those plastic wheels will stick to the road in a turn at 100 mph though.

[woobie]

People are gonna get what they want regardless of what others think.

What can you do?

Recommend the MSF course. Talk about the different types of gear, the good and bad about the leather textile debate and so on. Give an informed opinon and leave it at that. Mention newenough.com or any good local dealers and so on.

Maybe she's a natural, maybe not. she could very well end up riding the bike and mastering it, or learning the hard way that maybe it's too big. There's so many variables.

I bet it you put a poll up asking

have you ever been told.....

your nuts for riding a motorcycle
you'll kill yourself
You have a family to think about
Those things are dangerous
it's a donorcycle
I had an (insert friend/relative here) that bought a bike and he crashed
yada yada yada

we've all heard it and for the most part made informed decisions about riding.

I don't know the girl, you do, so you'll know that maybe (or not) if you push it too hard you'll come off as a holier than though jerk and be ignored. You have to walk a very fine line when dealing with first time buyers.


Out of curiosity though that has her BF said about the Busa purchase?

[Junior]

She'll be fine Matt. Don't worry aboot her. Just don't ride INFRONT of her and you'll be fine too.

[blkpitbull]

People are gonna get what they want regardless of what others think.

What can you do?

Recommend the MSF course. Talk about the different types of gear, the good and bad about the leather textile debate and so on. Give an informed opinon and leave it at that. Mention newenough.com or any good local dealers and so on.

Maybe she's a natural, maybe not. she could very well end up riding the bike and mastering it, or learning the hard way that maybe it's too big. There's so many variables.

I bet it you put a poll up asking

have you ever been told.....

your nuts for riding a motorcycle
you'll kill yourself
You have a family to think about
Those things are dangerous
it's a donorcycle
I had an (insert friend/relative here) that bought a bike and he crashed
yada yada yada

we've all heard it and for the most part made informed decisions about riding.

I don't know the girl, you do, so you'll know that maybe (or not) if you push it too hard you'll come off as a holier than though jerk and be ignored. You have to walk a very fine line when dealing with first time buyers.


Out of curiosity though that has her BF said about the Busa purchase?

This is exactly what I mean. Nice post. Help her, not to make the decision, but after on things like gear, technique etc.....

[blkpitbull]

the one thing that appealed to me to start riding is the freedom you feel while on a bike. being a female myself i dont think the size of the bike matters much. the bottom line is your driving style and your driving limitations.i am a beginner myself, but yet i rode my husbands 04 vrod and his 01 bandit600. i also took his bestfriends 04 busa out and drove a 04 cbr 1000. i love the style of the busa and it rode good for me but i hate to pay the high insurance premiums plus i like being different. i couldve bought a newer bike but something about this katana that appealed to me plus everything that ive done to it so far. my take on your friend be excited for her and support her and if you really care about her why not teach her the right technics and fundamentals of riding a motorcycle busa or no busa

VERY nice post.

[Jax]

I've been reading through this thread and everyone makes a good point..except sonny...but I'm still laughing about the comment he made...just funny...but seriously...if anything and I think we all agree make sure she buys gear...helmet, gloves,jacket, boots at the minimum...talk to her BF and maybe he can help her out on buying some of the gear...also tell her about the mods for the Busa...especially the frame sliders...maybe a set of training wheels??? but seriously stress gear especially since she is new at it....