2006 Suzuki Hayabusa 1300 Motorcycle reviews

I am by no means a professional rider. I have been riding motorcycles since the age of 8. I have been ridng street bikes since the age of 14. I have either owned or operated most major manufacturers of motorcycles. This past year, I sold a 1999 Ducati ST2 (70,000 miles), 2000 BMW R1100RT (23,000 miles), and a 2002 Honda CBR 954 (12,000 miles). For the past two years, I have been attempting to find a motorcycle which embodied the betters attributes of these styles of bikes. I enjoy riding through the canyons at every oportunity. I also enjoy the longer rides as well (usually 2500-3500 miles). I have had several people recommend the Hayabusa to me but in my mind I saw a big motorcycle that would be too heavy in turns. I test rode the Honda ST1300 and found it was great on the open road but wasn't enough sport for tight canyons. I felt I was stuck buying a sport bike and modifying it to a sport touring bike or vice versa. I rode the BMW K1200S and K1200R and loved the experience. Additionally, I liked the Ducati Multistrada. I went in to Ducati four times with cash and friends to buy the bike but couldn't get the sales people to help me. BMW was a great bike and at least the sales people wanted to sell a bike. However they didn't impress me that thy wanted my business based on the low trade in value for my bike. I went by a local dealer and stopped in by chance. They treated me fairly and 30 minutes later, I owned a 2007 Black Hayabusa without a test ride. Generally, I can tell in the first 100 miles if I like a bike. The Hayabusa seems to fit me as a taller rider. I feel the position is better than my Ducati yet not as mundane as my BMW. The seats are comfortable. I am six months post op on full knee restructive surgery yet the foot position places my knees at a good angle. I replaced the factory windscreen with Puig smoked double bubble. I bought a throttle rocker for longer rides but every thing else is stock. The Hayabusa is smooth. In town, I average 42 mpg. I was worried it would be a pig in the canyons. I was wrong. The bike has this trust me stability in the turns. Transition from side to side is effortless and the full width of the 190 rear tire gets used. When it's time to go to work, this bike is without equal. Years ago, I rode a BMW K12. I was impressed how stable the bike was at triple digit speeds. The Hayabusa is amazing in this same respect. As indicated, the bike is so smooth and stable it doesn't feel like you're going that fast. On my GSRX 750 and CBR 954, you know when you're in the triple digits. With the Hayabusa, you have no clue. The Hayabusa seems to plain out like a jet ski boat. The bike becomes quiet at high speeds. The Battleaxe BT 055 haven't been a problem in the canyons. Lastly, the one aspect I truly enjoyed about the Ducati was the magnetic pull the bike had in the public. The Hayabusa shares that same animal magnetism. I used to get wow, it's a Ducati. Now I get wow, it's a Hayabusa. I never anticipated the familairity and appeal of this bike. I truly like this bike for all these and many more reasons. Show less

I have owned and ridden lots of motorcycles for 42 years and my 2006 Suzuki Hayabusa (black) is the best bike I've owned. It handles excellent, is extremely reliable, has tons of power, and is comfortable compared to pure sport bikes. It is hard to maximize the power potential of this bike without getting into trouble. I gave it four stars for comfort because your wrists will fatigue on long rides but the Busa is not designed to be a touring bike. I added a double bubble windscreen because the standard windscreen allows too much wind to hit your chest and helmet. The double bubble makes a makes a big difference. The Busa does get a little vibration at about 4500 rpm and then it stops at about 5000 rpm but otherwise it's real smooth. Your have lots of torque throughout the power band. It is a great freeway bike (very stable) with lots of passing power. Even when it is windy on the freeway, you will not notice the wind on the Busa. The Busa is too big for around the town riding. Respect the power of the Busa or you will get into trouble. There are tons of after market products for this bike if you feel the need to modify the Busa. I have seen pictures of the new 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa but I'm not sure I would trade up for the new 2008 Busa at this time. The changes weren't that significant to me but the new power mode button is a nice feature. The only other bike I would consider is a Kawasaki ZX-14. Any bike I own must have fuel injection, six speeds, and liquid cooling. Show less

That is the only thing I could come up with after riding my new 06 Busa. It is everything that you may or may not heard of. This is the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden at high speed. I am a Suzuki loyalist from age 16 now at 32 I am a Busa loyalist. Go get it and understand the meaning of Suzuki life. Show less

I read reviews of motorcycles on the internet since the bike I bought will be my first ever. I read on this site the articles for Busa's and deceide it was the best option. I had to say that EVERITHING said it about the Busa is absolutely true. I love to ride this bike, I ride it every day. The day I bought it I rode more than 460 miles from Citrus county to Miami. I bought it on March 17, 2007 and as for today I have run 2357 miles. It runs excellent in any condition (raining). I think I will own it for the rest of my life. I know I will own other motorcycles in the future, but try making a bike that handles, is comfortable, accelerates and has as much torque as this one - it will be very dificult task to reach. I found it extremely comfortable but I don't like the mirrors which I found as the only thing I dislike when I ride because I need to push my arms to the inside of my body in order to change lanes. I think another part Suzuki can improve is the addition of HID for their line since I have done it myself and found it extremely comfortable for night riding. Show less

I've owned a number of road bikes in my 30 years of riding but this thing hauls. THIS BIKE is NOT for everyone. A good dose of respect helps you stay out of trouble. If you're looking for a well designed, dependable, good looking cruise missle you've found it!! If you stay out of the throttle, the mpg isn't too bad either. Show less

Currently own '02 Honda 919, a '06 GSXR1000 and the '06 Hayabusa. The Hayabusa is a GREAT all around bike. Good long distance freeway eater. Good twisties carver (not as good as the Gixxer, but hey...) and a good daily rider. Only thing the 'Busa lacks are a set good brakes, front and rear. Everything else is GREAT! Show less

I've been riding this beast for 8 months and he shows me something new every time. If you were to go to an amusment park, this would be the thrill of a life time, and be certain, the line is gonna be long. This is my 2nd bike and I don't care to discuss the other, let's just say this is one bad Busa. Show less

I've put 30,000 miles on my 2004 model. I commute every day and do the twisties whenever I can. I've done a fair bit of touring, too. Quite a bit of my riding has been two-up; the other half loves getting on the back. It'll go like a cut cat if you want. Or it'll meander lazily around town all day. Power delivery is linear, and it makes a fantastic amount of torque through the rev range. It'll pull cleanly from as low as 1,500 revs. The suspension is fully adjustable, and the chassis is nice and taught, which all make for a great, confidence-inspiring ride. It's a pussycat under 5,000 revs; get over that with a crisp twist of the wrist, and it's 'Jekyll and Hyde' personality reveals itself in an eye-ball flattening way. Rider comfort levels are good, and pillions are well catered for. Reliability? Absolutely no problems. The Busa is a bit like a Swiss Army knife on steroids: it does everything, and does lots incredibly well. I never get tired of riding the thing ... boredom doesn't fit into the equation. The perfect bike? Arguably, there's no such thing. There's always something to gripe about, regardless of how trivial. First up, the brakes aren't great. Upgrades needed here. On the standard set-up, you could be forgiven for thinking that your pads are knackered or your discs are glazed. Given the Busa's horsepower, torque and mass, the brake issue is a bit hard to excuse. Fit and finish are good, but they're not up to the standard of the likes of Honda. The Busa doesn't like really tight, twisty roads ... horses for courses, I guess. And it's probably not the greatest track-day weapon. But if you're a serious track-day type, you'd probably buy one of the Gixxers. Oh yeah, and then there's the screen: it hides the top of the instrument panel. Double bubble fixes that one. All in all, I wouldn't part with my near perfect Busa. Best bike I've ridden. My next bike? A new Busa, of course. Try one - you'll never become bored. Show less

Well, first of all, I have to say this is it. You gotta love it! This bike will be around for years to come. It demands a great deal of respect but also gives back tenfold. The first trial began with an unexpected response of horsey-power that I haven't seen delivered on anything stock. If I had to sum it up, the "Busa" will go "Nuts" in a second with a slight twist of the wrist. Although powerful, she can be tamed and ridden like anything else. Just be patient and take the time to develop a relationship with her. It will come. This is one of those situations where you develop a feeling for this bike. After you do that, you'll become one with this bike and "everything else" becomes foreign. ------Enter the "BUSA"------ Show less

What can I say about a 'busa that hasn't already been said. Traded my FZ1 (loved that bike) and never looked back. I put 9,000 on the 'busa in 7 months. Lots of open road riding, and with soft bags, a great sport tourer. Fits my LOOONG body well. The thing I hate most is always being asked "How fast have you had it?" Oh well, sometimes you just must be patient. 'Busa is rock solid, no problems, just wish I could get more mileage out of the tires. If you want to join an exclusive club--get the 'busa. Nothing on the road like it!! Show less