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And just that like that, the fun was over (well almost) and it was time to<br />
head back to the real world, you know the one with jobs, responsibilities<br />
and kids and stuff. We used the N1 highway onto the R21 home and I held<br />
back from a pack a bit so I could play with the modes available and get<br />
a real good look at the somewhat familiar but very Starship Enterprise<br />
looking dash.<br />
The advanced electronic control systems builds confidence and makes<br />
the Gen 3 quite predictable, which in my humble opinion is not necessarily<br />
a bad thing. I know getting off a bike a going “Phew, I’m glad I got<br />
through that one” gets the heart pumping, the adrenalin going with lots of<br />
campfire stories but getting off and going “Yoh!” without quite as much<br />
heart pumping, is just as much, if not more exhilarating.<br />
The rider positioning is great and the braking is most definitely leagues<br />
above the old one, just as it should be with the Brembos and the front<br />
and rear ABS. Gone are the days where you shouldn’t brake in a corner.<br />
The handlebars are positioned slightly closer to the rider and to me, the<br />
bike overall feels nimbler, lighter and easier to handle and the lean angle<br />
display makes you want to keep on striving for a personal best. It has a<br />
slightly lower seat height and by slightly lower, I’m talking 5mm than the<br />
Gen 2 which can only benefit vertically challenged riders like myself.<br />
The bi-directional quick shifter and slipper clutch is smooth and very user<br />
friendly and although I never got to try out the hill start feature, I’m darn<br />
sure it’ll come in handy somewhere.<br />
I was asked the question “if the Gen 2 and the Gen 3 were the same price,<br />
which one would you buy?”. My response: most definitely the Gen 3 but<br />
there isn’t a chance of that unless Ithuba Holdings find it in their cold<br />
heart to gift me with a substantially large Lotto win.<br />
Sadly I never got to ride the ZZR1400 but I have no one to blame but<br />
myself … I didn’t want to lift my butt off the Busa Gen 3.<br />
I’m not a journalist who is concerned with how much tyre I’ve shredded or<br />
how far I’ve managed to get the needle on the speedo to go up. I’m just<br />
a regular girl on the street who loves to ride bikes and the lifestyle and<br />
freedom it gives me.<br />
Actually I’m just a girl, standing in front of a Busa, asking him to love me…
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