Ridefast April 2022

The two other Gen 2 Busa’s that came along are equally fun.
Hayabusas officially went out of production in 2018 as Suzuki struggled
to keep up with ever-tightening emissions regulations in Europe. Suzuki
quotes 194.bhp and 115ftlb of torque. The motorcycle isn’t restricted in
the lower gears its full power all the way to the 300KPH speed limiter.
Fully adjustable suspension front and rear comes as standard and
like every new big Suzuki motorcycle there’s a three-way power switch
limiting power. It’s not just a gimmick you really notice the difference
between the power modes, making the Hayabusa less of an animal.
Both of these bikes have performance pipes, and the orange one has
an aftermarket quickshifter fitted. Twist the throttle on this iconic
motorcycle and it reacts with awesome acceleration and crisp throttle
response in every gear with an unbelievable top-end charge.They buzz
and vibrate and snort and that quickshifter makes the exhaust pop
and grunt – it’s simply fantastic the way the bikes talk to you! Like a
heavyweight boxer—muscular yet surprisingly agile.
You absolutely expect them all to be fast, but it’s the way they
accelerate that makes you grin – and glancing down, well suffice it to
say, jail time is just a twist of the throttle away.
We need to say that the new bikes tailpiece is a marked improvement on
the previous gen bikes.
So – if you can find decent condition used versions of any of these
bikes – you’ll never be sorry.
Having Trace and Craig along was excellent because they could
instantly pic up on the advantages and upgrades on the latest Busa.
Having Clive along was also cool – he’s always been a Fireblade man,
but he’s spent lots of time on the ZX, so swapping out to the New gen
Busa gives a really cool perspective.
Tracy says:
I clearly remember the day Suzuki’s “new” big bore was launched on
the internet. I sat and watched it live, across various platforms and
the realization hit – the old dog was back, with vengeance and with a
bit more of a bite! I’ve been wanting to ride it, with a sore heart since I
heard it was hitting the South African shores so when the call came in
from Glenn asking if I wanted to swing my leg over its saddle, I was like
the proverbial kid in a candy store.
Sunday dawned with perfect riding weather and we headed out to the
R21 Engen to meet up with the rest of the clan to partake in some
sedate big bore riding.
Standing in front of the black and burnt orange clad legend, I was
taken back to that oh so romantic line from Notting Hill “I’m just a girl,
standing in front of a boy - erm Busa asking him to love her” and it hit
me, I was finally going to get to ride this.
Off the bat, the minute I turned the key on the new Busa, I got a definite
sense of refinement if I can call it that (no wonder Suzuki calls it
S.I.R.S). I missed the growl I get from my Two Brothers pipe and if I was
to buy the new one, that would be the first mod that I would do.
Off the Big Bore crew went, heading out towards Legends past Que
Sera. The new Busa is most definitely smooth and sedate, until you
twist that throttle. Talking of that, the second mod I would incorporate
would be a high-rise screen. Once I ducked my head down behind the
standard screen, I got a waterfall-like whooshing sound in my Arai which
cemented the idea that I would most definitely add a high-rise screen.
After numerous photo op stops, we made our to way to a road that had
some downhill, off camber corners and the Gen 3 sort of felt like it
was on rails. It stuck to the black top and not once did I feel that it was
skittish or stepped out. The renowned chassis and KYB inverted forks
soaked up the irregularities that have become part and parcel of South
African roads.