In the big wide world of motorcycles, there are bikes that set the bar sky high
and there's one motorcycle I have with me today that has done this since it came out
for the first time in 1999.
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Today, we're talking about, this, the generation-three, brand new, Suzuki Hayabusa.
The Hayabusa needs little by way of an introduction.
But Suzuki stopping production, taking a break
and then introducing the new Busa was a big surprise.
And obviously, it led to all manner of speculation about what would be new.
But as I like to say, you ride the bikes, not their spec sheets, right?
Now you know that Hayabusas fly really well, right?
I mean, they are incredible machines.
So incredible in fact that when Suzuki took a break after generation-two ended to create
generation-three, they tried a six-cylinder and just said no, not really,
they've tried bigger displacements, 1500-1600cc, I don't know and they said, not really
and they returned back to that, the 1340cc inline four-cylinder engine.
Now the old engine, it just made incredible amounts of beautiful torque and
whether you're doing 40 or 180, you open the throttle, it didn't matter what gear you were in,
the Busa would fly forward. That one does more.
So you've got more mid-range according to the press release,
you've got a slightly weaker top-end which has been discussed to death,
but I'm going to tell you that, all of that is just pure BS.
The torque that this Busa is making
comes from a endless well of torque, to the point where I would say the well doesn't
have an end, it shoots through earth and comes out on the other side into outer space,
it's that kind of deep, and there's a hint of anger in there now,
which makes the experience just so much more emotional.
And yet, people with intermediate skills, people like us,
will come to an airstrip on a wet day and say, can I do 250 today?
And the Busa will say, resoundingly, yes, you can!
And that's what I love about this engine.
So much so that I'm going to make a statement.
If you think about the world's best motorcycle engines, the best,
that, is one of them.
And yes, I know you want to discuss the drop in power,
afterall, it is a big deal in the context of the Busa, right?
Well, not really.
The old Busa is faster post about 260-270 kilometres an hour for sure, I can verify that,
but the new Busa accelerates harder from lower speeds and has more grunt.
That may not be as cool as a top-speed claim, but it's a lot more useful.
The old Busa was no wilting Lily, but the new one is full on sinsemilla.
And let's not forget, this engine might be the same size and shape but it's heavily reworked.
Heads, cams, valves, pistons, you name it, and it's been optimized, lightened strengthened,
or all of the above.
Now the legend of the Hayabusa might be build on the idea of its top speed,
but what it is, is a tourer because eventually you'll be out there on some really nice, twisty roads.
So what does the Busa do there?
Now let's see,
the Busa is a large machine, there's no getting away from it,
but, the Busa handles like nothing this large should be able to, so think about it,
I'm sitting on a wheelbase that would easily sit on a cruiser, a rake-geometry combination
that should probably sit easily on a sports bike.
It's 266 kilos wet, it's only two kilos lighter than the previous one
and it handles exactly the way you want it to,
it's neither too sharp, it's neither too agile, it does exactly what you want,
it's the best ice cream I've ever had, creamy and delicious.
Now you're going to see reviews where they're going to say, this frame is made of aluminium,
it's tweaked from the previous one, suspension's adjustable, sophisticated.
I'm going to tell you that the Hayabusa is built from pure 100% confidence.
And what it does when you try to corner it, is deliver all of that confidence to you
and that means, wherever you are, whatever the conditions are,
the Busa is on your side and you'll go faster
and I think that is absolutely incredible.
Underneath, the frame and swingarm are the same, but the subframe is new.
It's got top-shelf KYB suspension, Brembos and Stylema is no less.
And remember, the old Busa's biggest issue was the brakes and that's been fixed.
The Stylemas are impressively powerful and offer lots of feedback,
so no matter what ridiculous speeds you're doing this Hayabusa stops on a dime.
And it's easy to forget that another reason that this Hayabusa is so impressive is that
it gets the full suite of IMU powered electronics.
So riding modes, traction and launch control, wheelie control, the whole shebang.
And testing in the rain without these at the stupid speeds
we got up to on the runway, it would have been a heck of a lot scarier,
if not outright impossible.
Imagine it's a really cold morning outside and somebody hands you a hot mug of
extremely well-made coffee.
That's the ride quality and the comfort of the Hayabusa for you.
Now the one before this was no pushover at all because it had sophisticated suspension
and knew how to use it, but generation-three is a whole level forward.
Suzuki's made two or three crucial changes,
the biggest one is that they moved the handlebars closer to you,
so you sit closer to the motorcycle as it were and feels more connected to yourself.
And on the flip side, great tyres, a lot of weight on those tyres and sophisticated suspension
means it's got levels of grip that you cannot even imagine
and the combination is just incredible.
The first day I was riding this, I was trying to avoid the potholes
and the Busa said to me, very gently in my ears
that avoiding potholes was the suspension's job and not yours.
And after that, honestly, I haven't looked down at the road surface with any sense of concern at all
and to me, that is the greatest compliment I can give to a motorcycle of this stature.
There are bikes out there built for comfort that can't do what the Busa does.
What it does, is impossible.
All of this is wrapped in bodywork that to me is a bit of a victory.
It's unmistakably a Hayabusa.
I do have issues with the tail end, it could have been higher, but the bike looks fresh,
sharp and very, very expensive. I love it.
It takes a moment to notice this but the whole thing is tighter,
more taut and sits lower.
It makes the Busa look current as well as more purposeful.
You can't really talk about the Hayabusa without talking about what it is for, right.
And I think it's been short-changed.
I have ridden Hayabusas from the first silver and copper one onwards all the way to the
first of the new generation ones and I can tell you this,
that a large part of the story of this motorcycle as you see it is
it's top speed 300kmph, gentlemen's agreement and all of those things.
It's 3% of the story because
the story of the Hayabusa is the exact opposite of what you've been taught.
We've been taught that to achieve big stuff, we have to struggle, we have to fight,
we have to strive and the Busa says, things should be easy.
You want a large motorcycle to go around corners well?
Easy.
You want a motorcycle that looked like a sports bike to have actual great ride quality?
Easy.
You want to go to 300kmph just roll on that throttle.
It's easy.
This is a very sophisticated motorcycle inside
but what it presents to you is a very simple machine to appreciate which connects to you directly.
And I'll remind you here, what the Hayabusa reminds you of,
is that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
The Hayabusa, love it or hate it, this is a legendary motorcycle.
Its tales will be a voluminous part of motorcycle history.
I cannot even imagine the courage it would have taken to decide to drop the horsepower,
boost torque and present to the world a slower Hayabusa with relatively few changes,
or at least on paper.
But when you ride this machine, all the doubts evaporate.
This is an amazing update.
It's hard to believe that the old Busa needed an update at all, it was that good.
But when you ride the new and the old one back to back, there is no doubt at all.
The Falcon is sharper, stronger where it matters and still a unique thrill to ride.
If you haven't ridden a Busa yet, your motorcycle education is incomplete.
And when you ride the new one, it will make you forget everything you've learnt.