Newb from Vic.

[CapeBusa]

I'm hoping this will be the beginning of a long and pleasurable relationship (the bike that is...)

Wow! Your missus is kewl with this? Mine refuses to let me have the Busa in the bedroom and gets jealous everytime I polish her. Something to do with sounds I make as i gently caress those smooth plastics whilst gripping the supple rubber of the handlebars. .... Hugh? Where was I?

Busa's can corner???
Just kidding. I've ridden a heap of two wheeled tryhards over the years and well, yeah the Busa ain't the best in the corners. But it is a hell of a lot more capable then a majority of bikes. You wont have any trouble cornering the Busa. As always, inspect the corner as you approach reducing speed dependant upon your ability to see the exit. Once in the corner keep sight of your line at least two bike lenghts infront of the bike. To my surprise when i first rode a busa, they are nimble in comparison to other bikes thier size. You, can for instance, make quite a considerable change of line mid corner if you need to do so. Is this case they are also quite forgiving if you screw up your choice of line into the corner and find your exit is going to be too wide, with a gentle push of the inside bar they will easily dig deeper into the corner, just keep your eyes on where you "want to go" not "where you could come to grief".

As mentioned earlier, suspension set up is important, on any bike, but take your time setting up the Busa. I found for a sports bike that she was comfortable and as such tended to have too soft a setup in the early days. I'm only a light weight, and have a firm setup for my weight but this suits me and the way i ride. Like Raz said there is stacks of room on a Busa to move your weight around. As you come to terms with her you'll find that you can gain a significant increase in cornering speed by riding the front brake into the lean to pull the weight down into the corner. Then with your arse to the side and your knee forward and down and your eyes peeking over the the outside edge of the mirror. Well, you get the idea. They are a very forgiving bike, and yet they are a very capable bike. Of all that I have ridden (Including Vespas, and those boat anchors that Harley Davidson make) the Hayabusa is, in my opinion, the most all-round-motorcycle EVER!

Three sleeps to go slowandsteady!

Geoff