Regular readers will know I ride two Bikes. Well over the past couple of weeks that has changed… Its now three.
The VN1500 FI Classic Tourer has been sold to a nice chap from Falkirk, Scotland. In its place have arrived a 2005 Honda VTX 1300 and ..(I can’t quite believe i’m typing this) a Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa.
The VTX is a bit of a mess in truth. More than I thought. What I though was surface rust on the header pipe covers, is in fact deeply pitted rust …. they’re buggered.
Its exciting though. It gives me a whole range of possibilities, Im going to paint up the stock exhaust …see how that looks, if it looks ….well, like a painted stock exhaust (a bit crap) then either new black mufflers and a painted exhaust (the actual exhaust not the cover) or a new full system will be needed.
If I don’t blog for two months…assume its the latter option and my good lady has killed me.
The possibilities are endless, with a black exhaust, the engine will need to be black … or should I do black with chrome fins… should the engine covers also be painted…. its all very exciting.
Rest assured, when its finished it a couple of weeks, in will look fantastic.
Then there’s the Hayabusa. A 194Mph rocket ship.
Now I’ll admit, on the train ride to collect her, I was a touch worried. I had read many things about the acceleration and power of the Busa, and much like looking up medical symptoms on-line, it made the tension worse.
Things didn’t get any better when I left the train, the guy’s house was in the middle of no-where, down tight, narrow, twisty back lanes. Was my will up to date?
When I sat astride her for the first time, I was alone (the seller had gone back in to the house) at dusk…In the middle of nowhere…on a poorly tarmacked dusty road, with a bike capable of 0-60mph in 2.47 seconds.
Deep breath, I swallowed hard…. Pulled in the clutch… small bit of gas…gently release the clutch…..and….. oh…wait a minute… It was smooth as silk.
Yes the clutch was a bit stiff (needs bleeding) … I was in a sporty position that I was not used to …. The suspension felt like a plank of wood compared to the Royal Star and the VN1500 … but wow.. It just pulled away with no drama at all. Quick short shift into second and she was purring away.
I’m not a ‘sports bike’ person at all. They are unsuitable, in my eyes, for today’s roads and traffic conditions. However, if one bike were to change my mind on this its the Hayabusa – you can ride it however you like.
Its effortless, the power delivery is silky smooth and before 6,000 rpm not even remotely intimidating. If fact, at this rev range, it feels like the VTR1000 Firestorm I had a few years ago, immediate power, fast enough and lots of fun.
Its over 6,000 rpm this bike is astonishing. Cruise along on an open, straight piece of road with no other cars or junctions… click down a gear or two…. and hold on!
Its like nothing I’ve ever experienced, not on a bike or in a car. Once again the power delivery is smooth and linear … no gaps in the power, no sudden increase or decrease…just pure power.
This sort of thing would be hard to explain to a 1000cc sports bike rider. Any other sports bike i ridden, no matter if its 1000cc or 600cc the power comes in clumps towards the top end – V-twin sports bikes run out of puff at the top end…. This thing has power everywhere.
Its surprisingly comfortable too. The ride home was about 100 miles, i’d anticipated having to stop but I kept riding (Its actually quite a big bike) and was fresh with no stiffness or aches when I got back.
Its a phenomenal machine, yes the shape means it buffets when behind lorries and side-winds aren’t much fun …but…wow….just wow.
So is that it – is my ‘BigV’ moniker now a waste of time? Am I trading in the Royal Star Venture and VTX 1300 for a fleet of sports bikes?
Not in a month of Sundays.
The Hayabusa is wasted on me. Its fun to know its there in the garage and on some days ill want to take it out to feel that power (and I’m very lucky to have that choice), but I love cruiser and touring riding far more.
I haven’t written a piece like this about my other bikes, because it’s far harder to explain what it ‘is’ about riding them. It’s a feeling. A Je ne sais quoi … A peace with the world.. like Yoga or meditating.
On the Busa, every time I see someone on a cruiser, I immediately want to be on mine.
So I can wax lyrical all day about the power and how this bike is … But next to a Big cruiser…. it’s rubbish!
Big V Motorcycles 