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A 6 year Old’s 20 Year old Dream - Story of my Hayabusa Love
I have absolutely no clue when my love for bikes began. Being a 90’s kid who was fascinated by cars, little did my parents expect me to get bitten by the motorcycle bug. I used to admire the old gen Yamaha R1 & Suzuki TL1000 which were my favorites & whose names I discovered sometime later :P. A school time buddy of mine and me were totally into the superbike stuff and used to draw different models during those days hoping to own sometime later.
Then came the turning point of my life (a lot of youngsters too) in 2004 when Mr. Aditya Chopra introduced the all-time blockbuster “Dhoom”. I’ve had a lot of crushes in my school life and the real love at first sight was when John Abraham came flying on the red black livery GSX1300R in the movie. That was the moment where I decided this is the Love of my Life . One of my family friends gave a DVD of the movie and I still remember watching it daily after school for a long time. Such was the excitement and happiness watching it every time. (I still watch the second chase scene once in a while)
Then were the days of dream and research of the bike and even dreaming how to become rich so that I could get my falcon. Then in 2007, the Suzuki showroom in Trivandrum, got a blue 2007 Hayabusa as a showpiece to attract customers to buy their bikes “Heat” and “Zeus”. My parents agreed to take me there and finally I got to see the machine in naked eyes. Trust me fellas, literally was in tears. The arrogant watchman at the showroom didn’t allow to touch the bike at any cost even though I did sweep my hands on the curves .Obviously later I understood why it was not allowed to touch :P
My grandma was surprised to know about my dream and used to say its plain stupid of what I dreamt off. She had gifted me some money for which I subscribed an auto mag for two years that offered two 1:12 scale models of the Hayabusa and the GSX-R 1000. Off course I read the magazine though . Like a 5 year old kid, I used to play with the busa on my study table.
During this research period in our Orkut era, I tried to find Hayabusa owners in our country and one thorough search in Trivandrum led me to meet out a BHPian friend who used to own a 2005 Red Black Hayabusa with Yoshimura pipes in 2007 -08 . Never got the luck to sit on or see it closely as he sold it off later. As years passed and the dreaming kept on happening, I joined college and my parents gifted me a Red Bajaj Pulsar 220F in 2011 which became my steed for the years to come (Still is my commuter) .I was given a small budget every month for fuel expenses. Those were the days when I used to churn out max kilometers per litre from my bike. My grandma used to fund me for rides and stuff. Once she said to me that your 18 lac worth bike dream will come true if I did good on studies while hoping that I’ll forget this as I get matured. That day I promised her, when I own my dream, she’ll be the first to sit on the rear seat. I used to ride with my biker hood brothers and the superbike thirst still swirled inside me. Then one fine day when I visited Bangalore, I got the luck to ride my cousin’s friend's Ninja Zx-6r and a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 which was my first ever superbike experience. Then came another Friend’s anniversary edition 2006 R6 which was the best 600 I rode till date. Riding different superbikes continued and I never got the chance to sit on my dream on those days. Later in 2014, I went to Bangalore for my MBA Internship and one Sunday morning, I went to meet another BHPian friend of mine. To my surprise one of his friends came on a 2006 Busa which was the second one I was seeing closer. The owner happily offered a passenger ride and damn, it was one of the scariest but happiest experiences ever.Bangalore is a city where you find n number of big bikes especially on weekends. One morning walk through Indira Nagar main road will get you to see many of them ripping across. I used to take early morning walks on weekends just to see them or let’s just say it was a motivation walk. During this time, one of my friends had bought a 2010 black red livery Busa in my hometown and I got another ride on it sweeping my feet away.
Time passed, still the same me caught the train to Hyderabad where I got placed for my first job and I had a plan on putting aside a huge savings account for the busa fund. Like many of us, the initial earning excitement made sure to leave bank balances empty for some time. Then it’s Hyderabad, you see lot of superbikes and super cars on weekends and that did ignite me to start saving for the funds.
In 2016 end, I shifted to another firm in Kerala and had an onsite opportunity which brought my dreams nearer. After 6 sore and painstaking months in Saudi Arabia, I joined my office back and had some funds and moreover, confidence to get the finances sorted. I ran almost 2 and half months for finance with different banks and searching for bikes all around. Trust me people, it was a hell of a task. Then one fine day I got to see the ad of a beauty outstate and called up my friends all over to enquire about it. My research and stalking all over for superbikes had got me some good contacts before and this proved fruitful during this search mission. All of a sudden on Friday evening, I just wanted to see the bike in person. So called up the owner and a friend of mine and took a bus that evening. Next morning , saw the big black beauty parked on a corner and I had a test ride on it. The lovely yet amazing roar of Brock’s performance slip-ons made me fall in love with it again and again. After some basic checks and stuff, talked with the owner and offered an advance which he happily refused and assured me he’ll wait till the end of month. Next week, I got my loan approved and pooled in my savings as well together.
On the morning of December 25th 2017, with my Ex busa owner BHPian friend & another friend of ours, we left to get my dream home. On 26th December 2017, I finished all the payment formalities and saw my bank account left with a petty amount which I’ll be silent on. The owner passed on the keys of my dream which I had been watching in my mind for all these 15 years, every single day.
The joy knew no bounds and I was silent for some time. All I had to think was a young kid's wallpaper materialized into the reality of a man. As I started riding back, I realized that the thrill was worth every penny I saved and spend and this would never ever put away my smiles. Happiness was that this was something I had promised my grandma and like what I wanted, she was the first ever person to sit on the passenger seat: D. Every time I see the falcon parked in the garage, it takes me for a joyride in mind because behind all this, there were times when I was working without thinking of anything else, skipping pubs, restaurants and rides. People at my workplace and my friends thought I was stupid to go behind this. But then the same people were the first among to call up and applaud me. More than that, happiness was seeing my black beast smiling at a 26 year old with his memories since he was 6 year old.
As of yesterday, the same date on which i got my bundle of joy last year, I am happy and contented that owning my dream was one of the best decision of my life.
Now let me take you through a brief ownership review-
I have done around 6000 Kms till date and these points would describe my experience
Initial Riding Impressions
First and the most important fact of all - It's a sofa on two wheels. Literally the most comfy bike i have ever been on. This is purely a personal opinion and my friends who own or owned a busa before would definitely vouch for me on this fact. It's a hyper-tourer and the engine is one of the torquiest motor i have been on. You need to crouch forward and sit similar to other super-sports machines since this is a part of the aerodynamics as well for the bike. But even though you crouch, it is comfortable to ride it around. Unlike the R1 or an S1000rr or a RSV4, i found the busa far more comfortable. I can't even ride a R1 for more than 10-15 minutes as I'm on the bulkier side and my shoulder's can't take the aggressive position. You need to have real strong arms and shoulders to ride the busa around as it's way heavier than any other litre class bikes. You can feel the adrenaline rush literally when the speed builds up . You have three power modes to choose from the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS) which they call it. A, B and C which have will approximately have the power similar to 800, 1000 and 1300 cc's respectively.The suspension is rigid and hard for supporting the bike in high speeds. Cornering the beast takes some effort but can be done if you are an experienced rider. The seat is also very much comfortable and plushy so you won't stress on long rides. The stability is high speeds is awesome and is planted to road and you feel very much confident on this part. The maneuverability is too good for its size and is very agile. Another very effective feature of the busa i love is that it doesn't get heated like other superbikes in city. This is because it has two fans in the radiator to cool it off unlike the older generation .I use the bike in city a lot for local runs and I'm pretty impressed with it. You can do either 40 in 6th gear or 300. I have done 260 kph till date on the bike which is totally a mesmerizing feeling on the Busa.
Engine
The engine is a 1,340cc inline 4 cylinder DOHC Liquid cooled engine with 16 valves and Twin Swirl Combustion Chambers (TSCC). The Hayabusa's engine is supplied through Suzuki's SDTV (Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve) fuel injection system with dual 12-hole, fine-spray injectors per cylinder and ram air intake with sizeable volume airbox. It's advanced design boasts liquid-cooling, ram-air downdraft induction producing 145kW (197 hp) @ 9,500rpm with 155Nm of torque @ 7,200 rpm. The engine is very much refined and smooth and I felt content doing good distance on high speeds.
Styling and Design
The Hayabusa doesn't need any introduction in terms of styling as it's been one of the most popular bikes even since it was launched. If you compare the Gen1 and the Gen 2 (current) model, the overall bulky and curvy design remains unchanged. Yes many will say it ugly cause most people like the radical razor sharp styling. This bulky design is totally in consideration for hyper-touring and you will agree with me if you check out the Kawasaki ZX-14 R as well. For me, it is one of the best looking bikes and commands respect wherever you take it.
Brakes
The Brembo Monobloc caliper brakes with the ABS is a must i would say comparing the old Tokico ones as i have ridden that as well. The Brembo does a good job in taming the beast at high speeds. The pads last like 10-11K Kms. You can use other aftermarket brake pads like EBC which i use now and i would say it's better than the stock ones.
Fuel Efficiency
Now like everywhere i go, it's like a mandate question every other guy asks me "Ek litre pe kitni deti hai bhai?" . Honestly, city rides i don't check the mileage but i have got 12-15 kms per litre constantly. In highways, the bike is a bliss i always get 20 litres plus per litre every time. You don't need to do high speeds either. I got a 23-24 constantly while i was doing 80-120 kph in 5th and 6th gear during a recent 200 km ride.
Maintenance
Suzuki Service Intervals are every 4000 kms and will cost you around 8-10 K Rs if you do it in their service centers. For me unfortunately, I reside in Trivandrum (southernmost tip of Kerala) and Suzuki has service for Big bikes only in Calicut which is north of Kerala difficult for me to visit there. Luckily we have a superbike garage "Motonerdz" which had started recently and they are equipped with many diagnostic gadgets as well specifically for every brand. So I get serviced it here. Till date my services included Oil change, Air filter and oil filter change and normal service. If you can get the consumables yourself, you can save a little on the bill. Again it was like around 7-8 K rupees. Suzuki parts you can get through the showroom. If not, there are lot of suppliers all around India who get you any part you need and is cheaper compared to other brands.
Here is a list of parts and prices i had changed in my last service -
Air Filter - Rs 1100 /-
K&N Oil filter - Rs 1250/-
Motul 10W40 Double Ester Fully Synthetic oil (4 bottles) - Rs 4400/-
Front Fork Oil seals - Rs 1492/-
Labour - Rs 3500-5000 ( Had oil seal replaced as well)
Additionally had replaced front brake pads to EBC which were Rs 6700/-
for two sets.
Accessories on the bike are -
1. Puig Double Bubble Visor (Have a Zero gravity Visor which the Ex owner gave me)
2. Brock's Performance Slip-on Exhaust
3. Frame Sliders, Swing arm spools.
4. BMC Airfilter ( Soon)
5. Also did some cosmetic changes where i removed some OEM stripe stickers from the nose fairing and tank as i wanted the bike to look more "Blackish"
I had tried the stock exhaust for some days but switched back to Brock's as stock was too silent for my taste and another fact is that we can feel a remarkable power difference as well.
Cons
Regarding the cons, I would have merely anything to say. But obviously one concern will be the weight and taking this beast to track is something doubtful for me. But guess what, I am no track guy and my purpose is solely touring and want a super-sport experience. Busa is a complete package for me since both my regular and touring needs are met. End of the day, what really matters is that I am fully happy and content with it.
I will be updating more pics and ride experiences in the coming posts. Till then Stay tuned guys.
Then came the turning point of my life (a lot of youngsters too) in 2004 when Mr. Aditya Chopra introduced the all-time blockbuster “Dhoom”. I’ve had a lot of crushes in my school life and the real love at first sight was when John Abraham came flying on the red black livery GSX1300R in the movie. That was the moment where I decided this is the Love of my Life . One of my family friends gave a DVD of the movie and I still remember watching it daily after school for a long time. Such was the excitement and happiness watching it every time. (I still watch the second chase scene once in a while)
Then were the days of dream and research of the bike and even dreaming how to become rich so that I could get my falcon. Then in 2007, the Suzuki showroom in Trivandrum, got a blue 2007 Hayabusa as a showpiece to attract customers to buy their bikes “Heat” and “Zeus”. My parents agreed to take me there and finally I got to see the machine in naked eyes. Trust me fellas, literally was in tears. The arrogant watchman at the showroom didn’t allow to touch the bike at any cost even though I did sweep my hands on the curves .Obviously later I understood why it was not allowed to touch :P
My grandma was surprised to know about my dream and used to say its plain stupid of what I dreamt off. She had gifted me some money for which I subscribed an auto mag for two years that offered two 1:12 scale models of the Hayabusa and the GSX-R 1000. Off course I read the magazine though . Like a 5 year old kid, I used to play with the busa on my study table.
During this research period in our Orkut era, I tried to find Hayabusa owners in our country and one thorough search in Trivandrum led me to meet out a BHPian friend who used to own a 2005 Red Black Hayabusa with Yoshimura pipes in 2007 -08 . Never got the luck to sit on or see it closely as he sold it off later. As years passed and the dreaming kept on happening, I joined college and my parents gifted me a Red Bajaj Pulsar 220F in 2011 which became my steed for the years to come (Still is my commuter) .I was given a small budget every month for fuel expenses. Those were the days when I used to churn out max kilometers per litre from my bike. My grandma used to fund me for rides and stuff. Once she said to me that your 18 lac worth bike dream will come true if I did good on studies while hoping that I’ll forget this as I get matured. That day I promised her, when I own my dream, she’ll be the first to sit on the rear seat. I used to ride with my biker hood brothers and the superbike thirst still swirled inside me. Then one fine day when I visited Bangalore, I got the luck to ride my cousin’s friend's Ninja Zx-6r and a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 which was my first ever superbike experience. Then came another Friend’s anniversary edition 2006 R6 which was the best 600 I rode till date. Riding different superbikes continued and I never got the chance to sit on my dream on those days. Later in 2014, I went to Bangalore for my MBA Internship and one Sunday morning, I went to meet another BHPian friend of mine. To my surprise one of his friends came on a 2006 Busa which was the second one I was seeing closer. The owner happily offered a passenger ride and damn, it was one of the scariest but happiest experiences ever.Bangalore is a city where you find n number of big bikes especially on weekends. One morning walk through Indira Nagar main road will get you to see many of them ripping across. I used to take early morning walks on weekends just to see them or let’s just say it was a motivation walk. During this time, one of my friends had bought a 2010 black red livery Busa in my hometown and I got another ride on it sweeping my feet away.
Time passed, still the same me caught the train to Hyderabad where I got placed for my first job and I had a plan on putting aside a huge savings account for the busa fund. Like many of us, the initial earning excitement made sure to leave bank balances empty for some time. Then it’s Hyderabad, you see lot of superbikes and super cars on weekends and that did ignite me to start saving for the funds.
In 2016 end, I shifted to another firm in Kerala and had an onsite opportunity which brought my dreams nearer. After 6 sore and painstaking months in Saudi Arabia, I joined my office back and had some funds and moreover, confidence to get the finances sorted. I ran almost 2 and half months for finance with different banks and searching for bikes all around. Trust me people, it was a hell of a task. Then one fine day I got to see the ad of a beauty outstate and called up my friends all over to enquire about it. My research and stalking all over for superbikes had got me some good contacts before and this proved fruitful during this search mission. All of a sudden on Friday evening, I just wanted to see the bike in person. So called up the owner and a friend of mine and took a bus that evening. Next morning , saw the big black beauty parked on a corner and I had a test ride on it. The lovely yet amazing roar of Brock’s performance slip-ons made me fall in love with it again and again. After some basic checks and stuff, talked with the owner and offered an advance which he happily refused and assured me he’ll wait till the end of month. Next week, I got my loan approved and pooled in my savings as well together.
On the morning of December 25th 2017, with my Ex busa owner BHPian friend & another friend of ours, we left to get my dream home. On 26th December 2017, I finished all the payment formalities and saw my bank account left with a petty amount which I’ll be silent on. The owner passed on the keys of my dream which I had been watching in my mind for all these 15 years, every single day.
The joy knew no bounds and I was silent for some time. All I had to think was a young kid's wallpaper materialized into the reality of a man. As I started riding back, I realized that the thrill was worth every penny I saved and spend and this would never ever put away my smiles. Happiness was that this was something I had promised my grandma and like what I wanted, she was the first ever person to sit on the passenger seat: D. Every time I see the falcon parked in the garage, it takes me for a joyride in mind because behind all this, there were times when I was working without thinking of anything else, skipping pubs, restaurants and rides. People at my workplace and my friends thought I was stupid to go behind this. But then the same people were the first among to call up and applaud me. More than that, happiness was seeing my black beast smiling at a 26 year old with his memories since he was 6 year old.
As of yesterday, the same date on which i got my bundle of joy last year, I am happy and contented that owning my dream was one of the best decision of my life.
Now let me take you through a brief ownership review-
I have done around 6000 Kms till date and these points would describe my experience
Initial Riding Impressions
First and the most important fact of all - It's a sofa on two wheels. Literally the most comfy bike i have ever been on. This is purely a personal opinion and my friends who own or owned a busa before would definitely vouch for me on this fact. It's a hyper-tourer and the engine is one of the torquiest motor i have been on. You need to crouch forward and sit similar to other super-sports machines since this is a part of the aerodynamics as well for the bike. But even though you crouch, it is comfortable to ride it around. Unlike the R1 or an S1000rr or a RSV4, i found the busa far more comfortable. I can't even ride a R1 for more than 10-15 minutes as I'm on the bulkier side and my shoulder's can't take the aggressive position. You need to have real strong arms and shoulders to ride the busa around as it's way heavier than any other litre class bikes. You can feel the adrenaline rush literally when the speed builds up . You have three power modes to choose from the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS) which they call it. A, B and C which have will approximately have the power similar to 800, 1000 and 1300 cc's respectively.The suspension is rigid and hard for supporting the bike in high speeds. Cornering the beast takes some effort but can be done if you are an experienced rider. The seat is also very much comfortable and plushy so you won't stress on long rides. The stability is high speeds is awesome and is planted to road and you feel very much confident on this part. The maneuverability is too good for its size and is very agile. Another very effective feature of the busa i love is that it doesn't get heated like other superbikes in city. This is because it has two fans in the radiator to cool it off unlike the older generation .I use the bike in city a lot for local runs and I'm pretty impressed with it. You can do either 40 in 6th gear or 300. I have done 260 kph till date on the bike which is totally a mesmerizing feeling on the Busa.
Engine
The engine is a 1,340cc inline 4 cylinder DOHC Liquid cooled engine with 16 valves and Twin Swirl Combustion Chambers (TSCC). The Hayabusa's engine is supplied through Suzuki's SDTV (Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve) fuel injection system with dual 12-hole, fine-spray injectors per cylinder and ram air intake with sizeable volume airbox. It's advanced design boasts liquid-cooling, ram-air downdraft induction producing 145kW (197 hp) @ 9,500rpm with 155Nm of torque @ 7,200 rpm. The engine is very much refined and smooth and I felt content doing good distance on high speeds.
Styling and Design
The Hayabusa doesn't need any introduction in terms of styling as it's been one of the most popular bikes even since it was launched. If you compare the Gen1 and the Gen 2 (current) model, the overall bulky and curvy design remains unchanged. Yes many will say it ugly cause most people like the radical razor sharp styling. This bulky design is totally in consideration for hyper-touring and you will agree with me if you check out the Kawasaki ZX-14 R as well. For me, it is one of the best looking bikes and commands respect wherever you take it.
Brakes
The Brembo Monobloc caliper brakes with the ABS is a must i would say comparing the old Tokico ones as i have ridden that as well. The Brembo does a good job in taming the beast at high speeds. The pads last like 10-11K Kms. You can use other aftermarket brake pads like EBC which i use now and i would say it's better than the stock ones.
Fuel Efficiency
Now like everywhere i go, it's like a mandate question every other guy asks me "Ek litre pe kitni deti hai bhai?" . Honestly, city rides i don't check the mileage but i have got 12-15 kms per litre constantly. In highways, the bike is a bliss i always get 20 litres plus per litre every time. You don't need to do high speeds either. I got a 23-24 constantly while i was doing 80-120 kph in 5th and 6th gear during a recent 200 km ride.
Maintenance
Suzuki Service Intervals are every 4000 kms and will cost you around 8-10 K Rs if you do it in their service centers. For me unfortunately, I reside in Trivandrum (southernmost tip of Kerala) and Suzuki has service for Big bikes only in Calicut which is north of Kerala difficult for me to visit there. Luckily we have a superbike garage "Motonerdz" which had started recently and they are equipped with many diagnostic gadgets as well specifically for every brand. So I get serviced it here. Till date my services included Oil change, Air filter and oil filter change and normal service. If you can get the consumables yourself, you can save a little on the bill. Again it was like around 7-8 K rupees. Suzuki parts you can get through the showroom. If not, there are lot of suppliers all around India who get you any part you need and is cheaper compared to other brands.
Here is a list of parts and prices i had changed in my last service -
Air Filter - Rs 1100 /-
K&N Oil filter - Rs 1250/-
Motul 10W40 Double Ester Fully Synthetic oil (4 bottles) - Rs 4400/-
Front Fork Oil seals - Rs 1492/-
Labour - Rs 3500-5000 ( Had oil seal replaced as well)
Additionally had replaced front brake pads to EBC which were Rs 6700/-
for two sets.
Accessories on the bike are -
1. Puig Double Bubble Visor (Have a Zero gravity Visor which the Ex owner gave me)
2. Brock's Performance Slip-on Exhaust
3. Frame Sliders, Swing arm spools.
4. BMC Airfilter ( Soon)
5. Also did some cosmetic changes where i removed some OEM stripe stickers from the nose fairing and tank as i wanted the bike to look more "Blackish"
I had tried the stock exhaust for some days but switched back to Brock's as stock was too silent for my taste and another fact is that we can feel a remarkable power difference as well.
Cons
Regarding the cons, I would have merely anything to say. But obviously one concern will be the weight and taking this beast to track is something doubtful for me. But guess what, I am no track guy and my purpose is solely touring and want a super-sport experience. Busa is a complete package for me since both my regular and touring needs are met. End of the day, what really matters is that I am fully happy and content with it.
I will be updating more pics and ride experiences in the coming posts. Till then Stay tuned guys.
, The Hayabusa looks so beautiful and mesmerizing 
, enjoyed reading your story; I must say it is very emotional.
. But luck didn’t leave my hand and I got to know a friend in trivandrum had plans to let go of his beast and I had a chat with him. Talked to my friend who had this beast and he was more than happy to give the bike to me even though he had better offers in hand. Just got the finances ready and went to my friend's home just 6 kms away. (unlike the 800km ride I had to bring my first busa home
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