My reading skills as a kid weren't that good. Luckily my dad bought his first motorcycle in 1974. Honda CB360, blue. And my mother saw I really liked my dad's new/first bike. So she decided to get me a subscription to Cycle World magazine. And my reading skills greatly improved. When all was said and done. I ended up with a closet full of boxes of Cycle World magazines. I wish I still had them. I'm now 59 yrs old. 17 bikes later, I'm still riding. And yes, I had a Glacier White 2012 Hayabusa. Bought it new. One of my 17 bikes. 1 KZ900, 4 Suzukis, rest Hondas. Thank you guys for all the yrs of motorcycle information and fun!
I owned a 2005 and 2006. I heavily modified the 2005, built the engine myself, and turned it into a 1441cc naturally aspirated monster, with 220whp. I pinned that thing in every gear at the Mojave Mile and topped 200mph multiple times. The Hayabusa is legendary and holds a special place in my heart.
For a year I’ve been trying to finish up my Gen 2 Hayabusa by adding a TTS Performance/Rotrex Supercharger to her!! So many will say “should have gone turbo”, I wanted something a bit different and a smooth everyday bike that I can still take to the strip and have fun with! She will be ready by the time my local track reopens in the Spring! Can’t wait…. ^the best description or work for the Gen 1 when it was released: Polarizing You either fell in love, you hated it, or you learned to like it then feel in love. Now after owning my TL1000R for nearly 20 years, hating the look of the Gen 1 Busa when it came out, and now owning the Gen 2 and loving the Gen 3 look….now I’m HIGHLY considering buying a Gen 1 as I’ve fallen in love all over again! Again, and Again!
The remarkable Hayabusa is also at the heart of the world's largest selling sports racing car. The stock 1340cc engine is stroked to 1500cc, utilises forged Arrow crank, rods and forged Cosworth pistons and is dry-sumped to deal with the g-forces involved. It produces 226.2bhp and 134.3 ft/lbs. Over the last 20 years they (Radical Motorsport in the UK) have sold some 2,000 of these production sports protoypes around the world. Even better - they also build a 72 degree flatplane 2.7L V8 version which sounds absolutely incredible!! That produces 431.3bhp and 236.5ft/lbs. These are not short-life engines for drag racing - just the opposite - they retain that Suzuki reliabilty and performance for endurance racing.
Thank you Mark and Kevin! I’m loving these chats, the Hayabusa was a revelation back in ’99 and its progeny are a testament to its brilliant original design! Please keep them coming! 👏🏍️🇿🇦👍
Jay Leno said something like " It behaves so well at lower throttle that you would never guess how much is there at the higher throttle until you try it."
Never ridden a Hayabusa but do own a ‘08 BKing. There is something special with that engine. The way it spins up is something special and puts a smile on my face with every wick of the throttle. Cheers 🥃🥃
Remember the superbike revolution the 1985 through 1988 GSXR 750 caused? Light, fast, well handling and a a revolution for the era. The Busa is still around, 25 glorious years later. It’s still fast, comfortable, reliable and beautiful (obviously not all agree). The motor is bulletproof and has become a favourite donor heart for many vehicles. There is however that issue with a ravenous appetite for rear tyres. Thanks Suzuki, we salute you.
I was a Suzuki technician when the first Hayabusa's were delivered to the dealerships in 1999. They had a series of recalls because the cam chain tensioner's failing. Which resulted in bent valves and about a dozen or so broke the crankshafts. The first automatic/ratcheting cam chain tensioners would break the ratchet mechanism causing the hyvo type cam chain to jump time. So the first recall was replacing it with a manual type cam chain adjuster. Same thing happened to a few more bikes. The last recall was around 2001 and the recall kit was a replacement shoe, ratcheting type adjustor, and hose so it could be assisted by oil pressure from the front oil galley. I honestly have no idea how many of those engines I rebuilt, but I think those chrome plated bores look amazing.
It's kinda amazing that you can fit an extended swingarm, fit a turbo and do the supporting mods to the engine and trans. And you have a bike that can run faster than a Pro Stock Motorcycle, yet is perfectly happy to take you to Jack in the Box on the way home..
I've ridden Suzuki most of my life from the 80's GS's, then the GSe bikes to the mid-00's Katana. Finally upgraded to a Hayabusa which I wanted since they first launched 25 years ago when I was 17, and got the Anniversary edition at that. It's been everything I always dreamed about, a great combination of god like power throwing you down the road while being able to tour for hours in moderate comfort.
I remember a Brit mag doing a run to south France with Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha. The xx got the jump and toped out at 178 I think and a little bit later, here comes the Busa at 190+. Like the XX was standing still.
I very much enjoy your podcast. The stories bring me back to my intro to motorcycling in 1972. I'd like to see you do a story on Cook Nelson and Phil Shillings' Ducati, the California Hot Rod/Deja Blue. Thank you.
WHY do I love Kevin? Because my brain initially wants to say , AH he's an old CRANK... But THEN I listen to what he is SAYING.. and I go, "Oh JEEZIZ... this motherfuztger is a G-damn GENIUS!"
As a longterm Blackbird rider (since 2011) with a little experience on Busa and ZX-12, I would say the XX is a superior do-it-all everyday roadbike. The Busa is much more of a sportbike, less comfortable and relaxing, both in terms of body position and throttle response, brakes etc. The ninja 12 is even more of a sportbike, the smallest of 3, and the least comfortable, with footpegs too far forward and i think the 12 would be the fastest of the 3 on the track. But in real life everyday use, especially in the city, especially on not-so-Perfect roads, I would say the B.bird beats them all.
Lucky, I got my 03. Had to buy a new body kit because it was kind of thrashed, but it came with 86,000 miles on it. I’ve taken care of her cents but now there’s 106,000 miles and you wouldn’t be able to tell any kind of difference.
This is all true bought an 07 the last of the gen1 in 016 not knowing much about them at all it had 23k’s on the clock so now I’ve ticked over 174’s these bikes are so infectious it’s almost not funny in a crazy way,,.I still to this day absolutely just want to get on the bloody thing and ride you fall in love with them how ever you want to ride. Absolutely an amazing motorcycle and here we are 25 years down the track Yeahaaaaaar
Between my dad and i we have had several hayabusa’s throught the years, with that said my 23 i currently own has been not so good, its plagued with a hot start issues that suzuki knows about yet will not get a recall going, and speaking of recall i just got one for the dealership to replace the front brake master cylinder because the brake fluid is eating the rubber enternals??? wtf
In the year 2018 I took a stock streaming Eagle Dyna stage 4 and entered it and they all out Dyno drags that is a stimulation of real drag strip for a quarter mile simulated by strapping your bike down to a roller that you activate by watching this Christmas tree go from pre stage to stage then three caution lights finally the green and manually launching your bike from a dead stop...I was racing against a Hayabusa who turned in a 9.7 ET that was advertised stock for a Hayabusa at that time. Somehow I manage speed shifting six times on my Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob turning in a ET of 9.6 in the simulated 1/4 mile ... Today on the tracks across America Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles are in a championship contest called King of the baggers with top speeds faster than the original Hayabusa... We have700 lb baggers reaching speeds of 185 miles per hour and dragging their knees around the corners like sports bikes.... And I'm not exaggerating one bit as I'm sure none of you have ever seen this before/...... What will bring tears to your eyes it is still the old rivalry over 100 years old of Indian versus Harley no matter who wins it's a win-win situation for everybody
Suzuki can make the Busa Euro 5 (or whatever it is named) compliant but Yamaha can’t do the same thing w/the Vmax? Yamaha, I’m not buying it. What do/did u sell more of ….. MT-10’s or Vmax’s? I’ve never ridden either one but I can’t believe an inline-4 crossplane is better than a V-4. Who’s winning championship’s in WSBK and MotoGP? It’s NOT the inline-4 crossplane.
Yes, Yamaha cannot make V Max euro 5 complaint. Additional cats won't help. They would need to reengineer the whole engine to make it emissions compliant. And that's not economically viable. If Yamaha were competing with the Hayabusa the will need to come up with the new bike basically.
It’s time for a REAL update. Kawasaki set the bar really high for hyperbikes and Suzuki is really lacking with Busa. It’s TIME! The teapot 90s style did OUT the door already!
The Busa is far from lagging behind. It's not just about outright top speed and performance with these types of bikes. By the time kawasaki caught up with Suzuki, with the zx14/zzr1400, it was too little too late. The Hayabusa held the hyperbike crown for several years (which is a lifetime in the motorcycle world). with no real rivals until the zx14 toppled it (but only marginally)... and it was only slightly better than the Busa. Plus, in my opinion, the Kawasaki is better looking. But the Busa is a cultural icon! Even folk who don't care about motorcycles, know of the name Hayabusa, and have heard of the bikes impact on modern pop culture. I am a huge Kawasaki fan boy, and I own a zx9r e1 (2000), but the hyperbike crown will always stay firmly a top of the Hayabusa's jelly-mould fairing. It's one of Suzuki's greatest creations, and I'm glad they're still making it as their flagship bike.
Could have been worth watching had you interspersed some video of this bike in action over the generations. You could have stolen it from your own footage! 2 talking heads? No thank you
And today I can't get aftermarket pannier carriers for my '23 V-Strom 800DE because everyone is working on the Transalp, the Desert X, the new 1300GS, etc. Despite their heritage, Suzuki still gets no respect.
RIPPED OFF - What ever happened to the B KING? An incredibly good concept, wilted by some God-awful Rocket Boy anima styling. What a GREAT idea, a Naked Hayabusa... I would haved bought one in a second, if not for the ridiculous teenage styling
Kevin Cameron is a national treasure. More stuff from KC! Cool you guys are doing this.
Thank you! Stay tuned for more!
My reading skills as a kid weren't that good. Luckily my dad bought his first motorcycle in 1974. Honda CB360, blue. And my mother saw I really liked my dad's new/first bike. So she decided to get me a subscription to Cycle World magazine. And my reading skills greatly improved. When all was said and done. I ended up with a closet full of boxes of Cycle World magazines. I wish I still had them. I'm now 59 yrs old. 17 bikes later, I'm still riding. And yes, I had a Glacier White 2012 Hayabusa. Bought it new. One of my 17 bikes. 1 KZ900, 4 Suzukis, rest Hondas. Thank you guys for all the yrs of motorcycle information and fun!
I owned a 2005 and 2006. I heavily modified the 2005, built the engine myself, and turned it into a 1441cc naturally aspirated monster, with 220whp. I pinned that thing in every gear at the Mojave Mile and topped 200mph multiple times. The Hayabusa is legendary and holds a special place in my heart.
By the way, the ZX14 was comparable in performance, but the Hayabusa was superior build quality.
Owned a Gen 1 for 12 years and 65,000 miles. I’ve only owned 7 motorcycles, but that one is my favorite.
For a year I’ve been trying to finish up my Gen 2 Hayabusa by adding a TTS Performance/Rotrex Supercharger to her!!
So many will say “should have gone turbo”, I wanted something a bit different and a smooth everyday bike that I can still take to the strip and have fun with!
She will be ready by the time my local track reopens in the Spring!
Can’t wait….
^the best description or work for the Gen 1 when it was released:
Polarizing
You either fell in love, you hated it, or you learned to like it then feel in love. Now after owning my TL1000R for nearly 20 years, hating the look of the Gen 1 Busa when it came out, and now owning the Gen 2 and loving the Gen 3 look….now I’m HIGHLY considering buying a Gen 1 as I’ve fallen in love all over again! Again, and Again!
The remarkable Hayabusa is also at the heart of the world's largest selling sports racing car. The stock 1340cc engine is stroked to 1500cc, utilises forged Arrow crank, rods and forged Cosworth pistons and is dry-sumped to deal with the g-forces involved. It produces 226.2bhp and 134.3 ft/lbs. Over the last 20 years they (Radical Motorsport in the UK) have sold some 2,000 of these production sports protoypes around the world. Even better - they also build a 72 degree flatplane 2.7L V8 version which sounds absolutely incredible!! That produces 431.3bhp and 236.5ft/lbs. These are not short-life engines for drag racing - just the opposite - they retain that Suzuki reliabilty and performance for endurance racing.
Thank you Mark and Kevin! I’m loving these chats, the Hayabusa was a revelation back in ’99 and its progeny are a testament to its brilliant original design! Please keep them coming! 👏🏍️🇿🇦👍
Jay Leno said something like " It behaves so well at lower throttle that you would never guess how much is there at the higher throttle until you try it."
Very true!
Cannot get enough of these two. Cameron’s legend only expands.
Never ridden a Hayabusa but do own a ‘08 BKing. There is something special with that engine. The way it spins up is something special and puts a smile on my face with every wick of the throttle. Cheers 🥃🥃
I "borrowed" a used 2012 from my local dealership and rode it around for an hour.
What a nice, comfortable, fast motorcycle.
Remember the superbike revolution the 1985 through 1988 GSXR 750 caused? Light, fast, well handling and a a revolution for the era. The Busa is still around, 25 glorious years later. It’s still fast, comfortable, reliable and beautiful (obviously not all agree). The motor is bulletproof and has become a favourite donor heart for many vehicles. There is however that issue with a ravenous appetite for rear tyres.
Thanks Suzuki, we salute you.
I was a Suzuki technician when the first Hayabusa's were delivered to the dealerships in 1999. They had a series of recalls because the cam chain tensioner's failing. Which resulted in bent valves and about a dozen or so broke the crankshafts. The first automatic/ratcheting cam chain tensioners would break the ratchet mechanism causing the hyvo type cam chain to jump time. So the first recall was replacing it with a manual type cam chain adjuster. Same thing happened to a few more bikes. The last recall was around 2001 and the recall kit was a replacement shoe, ratcheting type adjustor, and hose so it could be assisted by oil pressure from the front oil galley. I honestly have no idea how many of those engines I rebuilt, but I think those chrome plated bores look amazing.
Got a Gen1 recently with 62000 km, beautiful condition. What a ride. It is a keeper. Absolutely in awe of your technical knowledge.
Awesome discussion, interesting, educational!
Thank you!
It's kinda amazing that you can fit an extended swingarm, fit a turbo and do the supporting mods to the engine and trans. And you have a bike that can run faster than a Pro Stock Motorcycle, yet is perfectly happy to take you to Jack in the Box on the way home..
Suzuki’s are so underrated as a brand.
I've ridden Suzuki most of my life from the 80's GS's, then the GSe bikes to the mid-00's Katana.
Finally upgraded to a Hayabusa which I wanted since they first launched 25 years ago when I was 17, and got the Anniversary edition at that.
It's been everything I always dreamed about, a great combination of god like power throwing you down the road while being able to tour for hours in moderate comfort.
I remember a Brit mag doing a run to south France with Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha. The xx got the jump and toped out at 178 I think and a little bit later, here comes the Busa at 190+. Like the XX was standing still.
Awesome story Mark & Kevin! I remember this time and even the television commercials.
I very much enjoy your podcast. The stories bring me back to my intro to motorcycling in 1972. I'd like to see you do a story on Cook Nelson and Phil Shillings' Ducati, the California Hot Rod/Deja Blue. Thank you.
More of Kevin! What other bike would Kevin rank as important?
Excellent, as always.
WHY do I love Kevin? Because my brain initially wants to say , AH he's an old CRANK... But THEN I listen to what he is SAYING.. and I go, "Oh JEEZIZ... this motherfuztger is a G-damn GENIUS!"
I ride the canyons in my 2006 Hayabusa and have videos of it. What an amazing motorcycle 🏍️
As a longterm Blackbird rider (since 2011) with a little experience on Busa and ZX-12, I would say the XX is a superior do-it-all everyday roadbike. The Busa is much more of a sportbike, less comfortable and relaxing, both in terms of body position and throttle response, brakes etc. The ninja 12 is even more of a sportbike, the smallest of 3, and the least comfortable, with footpegs too far forward and i think the 12 would be the fastest of the 3 on the track.
But in real life everyday use, especially in the city, especially on not-so-Perfect roads, I would say the B.bird beats them all.
The Busa was all about that massive torque....
Still have my 02 Busa , still like new 15 k miles
Lucky, I got my 03. Had to buy a new body kit because it was kind of thrashed, but it came with 86,000 miles on it. I’ve taken care of her cents but now there’s 106,000 miles and you wouldn’t be able to tell any kind of difference.
Where do I find your podcast?
It is coming soon to Spotify and Apple Music!
This is all true bought an 07 the last of the gen1 in 016 not knowing much about them at all it had 23k’s on the clock so now I’ve ticked over 174’s these bikes are so infectious it’s almost not funny in a crazy way,,.I still to this day absolutely just want to get on the bloody thing and ride you fall in love with them how ever you want to ride. Absolutely an amazing motorcycle and here we are 25 years down the track Yeahaaaaaar
Yep I have the 99 quite the Powerhouse
Between my dad and i we have had several hayabusa’s throught the years, with that said my 23 i currently own has been not so good, its plagued with a hot start issues that suzuki knows about yet will not get a recall going, and speaking of recall i just got one for the dealership to replace the front brake master cylinder because the brake fluid is eating the rubber enternals??? wtf
Subscribed
In the year 2018 I took a stock streaming Eagle Dyna stage 4 and entered it and they all out Dyno drags that is a stimulation of real drag strip for a quarter mile simulated by strapping your bike down to a roller that you activate by watching this Christmas tree go from pre stage to stage then three caution lights finally the green and manually launching your bike from a dead stop...I was racing against a Hayabusa who turned in a 9.7 ET that was advertised stock for a Hayabusa at that time. Somehow I manage speed shifting six times on my Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob turning in a ET of 9.6 in the simulated 1/4 mile ... Today on the tracks across America Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles are in a championship contest called King of the baggers with top speeds faster than the original Hayabusa... We have700 lb baggers reaching speeds of 185 miles per hour and dragging their knees around the corners like sports bikes.... And I'm not exaggerating one bit as I'm sure none of you have ever seen this before/...... What will bring tears to your eyes it is still the old rivalry over 100 years old of Indian versus Harley no matter who wins it's a win-win situation for everybody
Internal thread rolling, perhaps you’ve crossed your wires
Suzuki can make the Busa Euro 5 (or whatever it is named) compliant but Yamaha can’t do the same thing w/the Vmax?
Yamaha, I’m not buying it.
What do/did u sell more of ….. MT-10’s or Vmax’s?
I’ve never ridden either one but I can’t believe an inline-4 crossplane is better than a V-4.
Who’s winning championship’s in WSBK and MotoGP? It’s NOT the inline-4 crossplane.
Yes, Yamaha cannot make V Max euro 5 complaint. Additional cats won't help. They would need to reengineer the whole engine to make it emissions compliant.
And that's not economically viable.
If Yamaha were competing with the Hayabusa the will need to come up with the new bike basically.
@@vvevvevvvv aren’t the Ducati V-4’s Euro-trash compliant?
Hey Yamaha, buy one of Ducatis’ V-4’s and figure it out.
Sure they can, they just don’t want to spend the $$ to do so nor kill the power that it’s going to take to make it compliant!
It’s time for a REAL update. Kawasaki set the bar really high for hyperbikes and Suzuki is really lacking with Busa. It’s TIME! The teapot 90s style did OUT the door already!
Well when you make such a bike as they did back then...and it continues to sell....why not just improve on it while its still selling?
The Busa is far from lagging behind. It's not just about outright top speed and performance with these types of bikes. By the time kawasaki caught up with Suzuki, with the zx14/zzr1400, it was too little too late. The Hayabusa held the hyperbike crown for several years (which is a lifetime in the motorcycle world). with no real rivals until the zx14 toppled it (but only marginally)... and it was only slightly better than the Busa. Plus, in my opinion, the Kawasaki is better looking. But the Busa is a cultural icon! Even folk who don't care about motorcycles, know of the name Hayabusa, and have heard of the bikes impact on modern pop culture. I am a huge Kawasaki fan boy, and I own a zx9r e1 (2000), but the hyperbike crown will always stay firmly a top of the Hayabusa's jelly-mould fairing. It's one of Suzuki's greatest creations, and I'm glad they're still making it as their flagship bike.
Could have been worth watching had you interspersed some video of this bike in action over the generations. You could have stolen it from your own footage! 2 talking heads? No thank you
Man you completely missed the value of this conversation.
MARK- Love you man but you talk too sloooooowwwwwllllyyy. Let's get to the Grits, man
ZX14.......sorry, the better legend.
Wouldn’t exsist without busa. Period
And today I can't get aftermarket pannier carriers for my '23 V-Strom 800DE because everyone is working on the Transalp, the Desert X, the new 1300GS, etc.
Despite their heritage, Suzuki still gets no respect.
Suzuki is a great brand!
@@cycleworld I sure think so. I do however wish aftermarket companies would get crackin' on some stuff for my new bike.
@heyitspete6472 I did.
What I couldn't see was manufacturers putting it on the back burner to work on everything else first.
Hessler Rally team might help you with the Vstrom
@@vvevvevvvv I want to haul stuff on my bike, not race it. They're a great company though and I'm glad to see them take this bike seriously.
RIPPED OFF - What ever happened to the B KING? An incredibly good concept, wilted by some God-awful Rocket Boy anima styling. What a GREAT idea, a Naked Hayabusa... I would haved bought one in a second, if not for the ridiculous teenage styling