Things that are different Gen 1 v Gen II

[BUSGO]

I've had my two busas side by side for 1 week now and I thought that I would list a few things that I've noticed.
Please remember that I am still running in and have not used the full rev range yet.

1. The new bike tracks really well around bends. This could simply be new suspension v old suspension.
2. The steering is much lighter and you can flick the bike with much less effort.
3. The brakes on the new model are as good when stock as the older model with braided lines and good HH pads.
4. The new lights are quite brilliant and night riding is much clearer.
5. The horn is louder on the gen II.
6. The engine has less tractibillity down below 4,000 rpm on the new bike but my old bike has a TRE which may be the difference here.
7. The gearbox on the new model is super slick and smooth. There is NO clunk whatsoever putting it into 1st from idle.
8. There is no hesitation going into roundabouts and I don't think that a TRE will be necessary on the GEN II, even though they are available to elliminate the speed restriction.
9. The engine revs VERRRYY freely and has a real spurt from the 4000 mark, probably when the timing retard stops.
10. Then engine is very smooth down below about 130kph but from then on, the GEN I engine is smoother. (I haven't ventured up high for very long on my test track)
11. The exhaust pipes are dead silent and I have noticed myself not being noticed by some drivers - but then you get that on any bike.
12. Then engine makes very little noise of any sort with all the fairings in place. The new fairings have seals all the way around the engine cases.
13. Fuel consumption on my first tank was only 15.6ks to the litre. On the GEN I bike, I average 18.5k to the litre but remember this is running in and the bikes are normally set to run very rich when delivered.
(On the second tank that I filled myself to the top - and not a full tank according to the shop -, I got 19.2k to the litre on normal sports tour riding. An easy 400k to the tank).
14. The seat is a centimetre or two higher on the new bike but is remolded along the edges. I can still place both feet flat on the ground on level surface. I am 173cm tall. It is softer and has a new material on the surface. It may not be as long wearing as the older model seat.
The seats from bike to bike are NOT interchangeable.
15. The hump has an access window in the base so that it can be used for storage and the under pillion seat space is slightly larger on the new model.
16. The GEN II has the rectifier inside the undercarraige wing to help keep it cool and it is shaped like a large heat sink.
17. There is not one spec of carbon deposit inside the mufflers after the first 300k of riding.
18. In A mode, high power, the bike does not cruise as easily down around the 70kph in top gear. It really wants to be in 4th or 5th to give the same torque as the GEN I bike around town.
This is quite noticeable. I usually potter around in 6th a lot on the old bike at a steady 60kph with no problem but on the GEN II it is sluggish in top gear below about 80kph.
19. The trip meters no longer have the ability to show kilometres to the litre or litres per 100 kilometres as an option. They simply show total kilometres or Trip a or Trip b.
20. The dash has a RED illumiglo effect at night on the GEN II as well as the change indicator that can be set as flash or blink at any mark over 4000rpm. Also the gear indicator of course that is very large and in the centre.

I think that is about all that I have noticed for now. I might add to this list as I notice things.

[Volvi]

does the new model have that specific busa engine vibration at 4000-5000 revs?

[BUSGO]

No engine vibration at all up to the rev limit that the running in allows.
My older bike did not have the vibe at 4 - 5 thous either but it did have a slight vibe at about 2.5 - 3 thous.

[Ward P]

Interesting comparo Ray,

Obviously tyres make a huge difference. I once test rode the 'new' ZX12 - (pressure from the salesman whilst I was getting new tyres.)
(why didn't these things happen when I was 18??)
My initial thoughts were - wow this thing is really nimble/flickable and just drops into corner so much quicker than my 'busa.
Then I got back on my old bike with new tyres and guess what, it felt just as nimble and flickable as the ZX.
I was just used to the horrendous flat profile my old tyres had worn.

So not being biased -
at NEW which bike do you like "the feel of better" ??
bit hard I know, but you say the old has more low down where you tend to cog around (I'm also guilty of that)
Does it feel like 8-9 years of technology advancement??

Are you riding them both equally so one doesn't get jealous?

[BUSGO]

I haven't had near enough time on both bikes over the past week to make any real comparisons.
I love my old bike and the new bike has everything of the old and more but they feel completely different to ride.
I am reluctant to do too much on the 99 because I have a buyer just waiting on his finance.
The old bike always felt terrific to me from the day I got it till now.
The new bike feels firmer and more clinical in its performance and the electrics upgrade is huge.
They are both super smooth at different areas of the rev range.
I suppose it comes down to the looks and price at the end of the day.
The shortage of torque around town on the K8 feels odd to me but I don't do a great deal of town riding anyway.
It is by no means sluggish unless you sit in top gear down low.

[Speed Demon]

Mine has a vibration from the engine through the seat and tank from about 7000+.
it doesnt vibrate as much if i accelerate smoothly but if i give it a guts full its more noticeable

[Dan85]

if im at 7000rpm im concentrating on the things flying towards me not whether the bikes vibrating. but so far i havent noticed a vibe anywhere

[larra]

mine vibrates between 4500-6500 but it is not that bad although it is very noticable
below that its super smooth and also above is smooth the only thing above 6500 i notice is i am being thrust forward so hard that i start thinking i am on a bike that has no business on public roads

[BUSGO]

I forgot to mention the screen.
The new screen is much better than the stock screen on the GEN I.
It is higher and wider and gives a lot of space to get in behind if you have to.
I have a great MRA double bubble on the GEN 1 and the new screen seems to be as good as that. The wind blast hits a little lower on the chest and the wind noise on the helmet is different. In fact with my Nolan helmet it is much quieter while with the M2R helmet there is a little whistle if you turn your head sideways but otherwise it is good too.

[1hotbusa]

Hi Ray,

Thanks for posting the comparison. I notice that around town my 00 pulls well at 60km/hr in top gear. A bit of advice for running in, take the motor to the redline a few times. Dont race it there, just do a concentrated build up of revs. Freeway on ramps are good for this. I've done it a few times on the 650 for Kathy. The reasoning is that the pistons travel a bit further and bed in a bit further up the bore. You will be happy that you did it in the long run.

Just don't flog it to death...........yet.

[BUSGO]

I have made an edit to my first post at item 16.
I thought that the heat sink under the swing arm was for the catalytic converter but it turns out to be the rectifier for the electrics..
It is an odd place to put it but it must get pretty hot to have a heat sink of that size.

[xxxdamoxxx]

my 05 has lots of vibes
1 vibrant colour
2 vibrant rider ( thats me hehehe)
3 vibrant looks
4 vibrant sound when stopped at lights telling me its waiting to unleash the.....
5 vibrant power with in grrrrrrrrr grrrrrrrrrr raaaaar
ohhhh and i forgot vibrating keys and sometimes my teeth vibrate at around 250 260 for some reason

[BusaNation]

Nice write up, well done!

[Simo]

does the new model have that specific busa engine vibration at 4000-5000 revs?

After doing nearly 3000kms on her now, 1600 of which was in 2 days, I can tell you it does have a vibe around the 4500rpm mark.

[Volvi]

wud make sense it wud have the vibe/buzz as busa engines do that and gen2 is still a busa engine.