Which would you get (and WHY?)
 

Alright, so as ya'll know, I'm on the hunt for a new(er) bike and probably going to do something soon (next couple of weeks).

The two bikes I'm looking at are the '04-'06 R1 and the '04-'07 Busa --- I've ridden both, loved both equally (but differently) and know I'd be happy with either.

Now one thing that a lot of people have mentioned is "You guys already HAVE an R1, so why get another one?" which is a valid point (however the R1 is just a fabulous machine, so why NOT, right? :shrug: ) On the other hand, the Busa is the other bike Chris was considering when he got his R1, so I know it's something he'd also enjoy riding, and we could (theoretically) 'share' both bikes.

Well now there's a couple of really great options that have surfaced that are making the decision really hard and giving us a lot to think about....

First off we found a Shift Red '05 R1 with about 12K miles on it. It's in beautiful shape, already has some basic mods done to it and is local. However, we don't know the owner, so we don't know how it's been maintained. They're asking $6500 on this one.

Then we have an '06 Busa with 10K miles on it. It's already got exhaust, windscreen, frame sliders, the rear seat cowl, HID's and I forget what else. It's owner by a good friend, and I KNOW how well it's been maintained (immaculately). They're also going to change the oil and do a flush and replace with Engine Ice before they sell it. They're asking $6000 on this one.

So based on that information only, which do you think sounds better (not just based on price, but all around)?

This is not even a choice.

I'd get an R1 but that's me. I'm not a touring type of rider, I tear the shit out of twisties everywhere I go.

Me, I'd buy the busa....better price, lower miles, newer bike and you know the condition of the bike. Plus, the busa is a better all-'round bike for slabbing long miles. Plus it is competent in the twisties.....

From a strictly $ standpoint... the busa : $8600 http://www.kbb.com/kbb/OtherVehicles...48&YearId=2006

vs the R1: $7500

http://www.kbb.com/kbb/OtherVehicles...43&YearId=2005

..again, you know I look at these with an eye towards the $'s; so take it with a grain of salt. Just seems to me that the busa is a bike I could ride for a year or two and break even or even make a dollar or two.....:whistle:

:lol: Explain!!!

See if we HAD twisties, it might be an easier choice. But we don't. :lol:

All true... Hmm.... (and we did think about that, that the price on the Busa is so good, I could ride it for a couple years and either sell it and probably still make a bit on it, OR keep it for a 3rd bike.

Hmmm.....

and BAWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... I love that there's already 10,003 votes!!!! :twfix:

I would have to say the busa i agree with otb

Same here, on all of his points. Especially the touring one though. Being in floirida, I'm sure there is a lot cheaper market for the chrome and streched swingarms too. :P

R1 because the busa looks like a cow.

To quote your tagline, thanks ass. :lol:


(if we go with the Busa, it'll become the ANTI bling Busa.... :lol:)

I don't like the Busa, not much more to it than that.

:) Fair enough. :dthumb:

I don't want either the R1 or the Busa, so I'll take Tater's freaky whore of an ex-wife.:rockwoot:

For where you live, go with the busa

:dvrofl:

If it came down to just these two bikes I'm voting Busa. You know the guy...the bike...and how it's been maintained. You would have two different bikes that both like to ride and could switch back and forth. You live in Florida with not many twisties plus the Busa can handle some of them too.

I'm an R1 owner and love my R1 but I also rode a Busa for close to a week on two different occasions and "thought" I didn't like Busas until I spent time on one...thanks to another member here nhgunnut (Rick). Now this one had a turbo but that can always be added to either bike. :whistle:


Good luck with your choice. :dthumb:

I voted Busa, just since you know how it was maintained and this way you two could share bikes.

Good point, you already have access to an R1 and this could give Chris access to a Busa... It's a win-win for both of you.

Yeah a few people have pointed that out. (whereas if I was getting something else he didn't like, then he might not be as prone to let me take the R1 every now and then. :lol:)

:dthumb:

I think we know his vote...

He'll be happy with whatever I get (because new bike for Me = less work/frustration for him :lol: )

Thats also a good point

Very true. I'll be happy with whatever she gets, even if she changed her mind and got a (shudder) GSXR.

However i'm partial to the Busa because of the deal we can get on it and we know the maintance done on it and how it was ridden.

Busa.....people may say that I'm partial because I ride one but comfort wise, the R1 can't compare. Besides....you know the owner and if something goes wrong with it, you can make him feel guilty. :whistle:

:lol: Actually while the seat on the Busa is more comfy (and there's more wind protection) the riding position isn't THAT different between the two.


And LMAO!! Nah, I'd never do that... :lol:

hey what do you know, the r1 is still leading

:rofl: the extra 10K votes was a nice touch. ;)

The busa is just not an attractive bike I don't care how comfortable it is.

The R1 is a friggin gorgeous bike.

Da Bulls, Da Bears, Da Busa...Simply for the comfort, overall usability, and street cred. It'll go 2 up, drag race, handle twisties, go 4 states in a day. pull serious leg (I know your not going to do that, but if you are I wanna watch) and it goes well with cleavage! Post pics when yours comes in!!!

:rofl: See now I agree with EVERYTHING else you said but that. The whole "street cred" thing just isn't my cup of tea. In fact, the kind of "street cred" the Busa gets around here is probably one of the ONLY things I have against the bike. :lol:

Well if you go R1 wait and see if the 09 version is updated or not. This gen R1 has not been the most well recieved and being lite in the mid range, not the best streetbike you could buy.

The Busa on the other hand with an easy to modulate clutch and mountains of torque would be king of the commute, interstate, or even canyon up to a 80% pace. Beyond that (and getting beyond that is racetrack hero stuff) you would appreciate the Yamaha's handling and lightweight the most.

Let's face it, yur gunna get lots of attention showing up on either as most really sexy girls do!:drool:

For me, I'd say R1. But if you're considering the Bus, and it fits your riding style, it is the better deal. Knowing the owner took care of it is a huge plus.:dthumb:

Yeah see most of my riding is commuting and Sunday rides (we don't have any real technical roads here.... nice straights, and some good sweepers, but no real "twisties" to speak of *pout*)... and while I do wanna do track eventually, we'll get a dedicated track bike (probably like an '03 ZX6R or something like that) for that. (I can't imagine trying to sling a Busa around the track at Jennings :lol: )

Yeah the history of the bike is a big bonus in my book too, and the more I think about it, the more I think that's the route I'll go.

well from a financial stand point... there is no choice... BUSA... it's a year newer 2k Less miles... $500 less... and you KNOW how it was maintained... it's the hands down choice...

from the riding standpoint... :idk: you really need to figure out what type of riding you want to do... track days on a busa will be more of a challenge than on the R1 if that's something you wanna do... but commuting, long trips, and daily riding would be more comfortable on the busa I'd imagine.

R1 is a gorgeous bike... and obviously a great bike... but imo... the Busa is a better buy

Yeah see my post above yours. For my riding, the Busa is probably more "practical" (if you can call a Busa practical :lol: )... and I won't be tracking that beast (or our R1 for that matter -- besides, Jennings is every bit a 600cc track from what I hear)

:lol: damn me and my ADD...

plus the busa (I think) has a lower seat hight... so easier to flat foot... can't remember how tall you are...

:lol:

Ah, not an issue for me actually, but yeah it is a hair lower I think. :)

No track days, the Busa (real cofortable).

The occasional track day, the R1.

I personally could not handle either of those bike at the moment...so I went on looks alone...R1 but a loooooooooooooooooong shot! I really don't like the Busa...especially its rear. :td:

how did the R1 get over 10,000 votes :lol: we only have 220 members!

:lol:

oh nevermind... you guys are funny...:twfix:

Same here.

people came from all across the land to vote for the R1

Are you kidding ? This isn't sexy ? :idk:

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...v2007012-2.jpg

http://www.ketzer.com/original_movie_props/wheems.jpg

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/im...ed-Posters.jpg

For now, NO trackdays. Once we do do trackdays, we'll have a dedicated track bike (or two).

:lol: Ah, don't underestimate yourself.

I really despise the back end of the NEW ones (hence my search only went up to the '07 model year) but the previous ones, I like, esp with the cowl on (which the one I'm thinking of buying does have).

:dvrofl: Trip has friends in low places.

:rofl:

It's a very pressing issue apparently!

:dvrofl:

Maybe I was thinking of the new ones.......the one WAR posted does not look bad. :cheers:

Either way...my favorite is the R1. :dthumb:

Busa. If you ever want to go out west and see real twisties, you will be fighting over who gets to ride the Busa. And on my roads, the lunge out of the corner is more important than the maximum corner speed.

busa. u already said u'd have a track specific bike, so that aspect shouldnt be considered. touring, commuting, sweepers, resale, price, previous care, its dif (why the hell would you want 2 r1's) busa hands down. deep aftermarket for the busa, and i dont mean 300mm kits. r1, not so much. bigger than it used to be, but not quite busa big.

looks wise, i think those years u listed the busa and r1 are the two best lookin bikes made.


id go busa

Being somewhat self indulgent my first choice would be to get both.
If you are going to be a one bike house hold I would say get Take the Busa. The R1 is a sexy little machine. Now in my case I love my 1 liter sport bike ( a 999) but it is not something I want to ride as a primary bike. The Ergos make traffic annoying (and any of the twins seem to handle low speed traffic better because of the low end torque) I know this group isn’t fond of the Busa’s and I have to question how many have actually spent real saddle time on one. The common rap among the sport bike crowd is they don’t handle well.. This is a myth the simply handle differently and it takes time to learn the machine. What the Hyeprbikes like the Hayabusa and ZX14 give away in the corners they more than take back in the straights. The extra torque at the low end makes move at low speeds easy and comfortable the much maligned weight difference disappears the moment a hyperbike starts to move no need to bring the revs up it pulls away smoothly at 1200 rpms
Will Hyperbike Handle like the R1? never will the R1 ever be as comfortable longer hauls be as easy to handle in traffic or have as may after market options and be as easy to ride 2 up as a Busa never.
As Z06 points out Turbos are available for both bikes. I believe there are currently 2 bolt on kits for the R1 .. there are at least 2 dozen for the Busa.
I am a ‘All Sting no bling” kind of guy but check after cosmetics for both bikes and I think you will find the Busa has far more options
For you R1 and R6 guys and believe me I love both of those bikes.. If we are on a road not filled with switchbacks I will leave you in the dust on my Busa. (but then I am running a Hahn turbo with secondary fuel rail make 257 rwp and 139 Ft LBS of Torque with peak torque at about 6800 rpms and a clean pull thou 1100+ rpms)
All of that, at 50 years old my if I have to pick one it would be the Busa ,, but me I like the sound of Both better.

Eh, yeah the tail on the new ones are fugly (I've heard of people buying the new ones, but bolting on the tail section of the previous one since the new tail is .. well rather fugly IMO :shrug: :lol: )

:lol: True, before we'll be able to do any long distance touring, we'll need to pick up another tourer (hopefully the 1000cc VFR will become a reality by then! :rockwoot:)

Yup, kinda my thinking at this point... I mean not that there's anything WRONG with having two R1's though... :)

Yeah actually insurance is one thing we have yet to check on... need to do that today.

Hahahaha... I WISH we could get both.

But no, we're not going to be a 1-bike household. Chris already has HIS R1, so no matter which way we go, we'll still be a 2 or 3 bike household. :)

Admittedly, I wasn't a fan of them really until I rode one for an all day ride (including about an hour of it in heavy rain :lol: ). I was actually SURPRISED at the end of the day at how much I enjoyed it, because the reputation is that it's such a pig.

That's the problem with the internet....soooo many people have opinions about things they know nothing about ....("my FRIEND said.....").

SO many bikes get a bad rep becuase of somebody else's prejudices (but ya gotta ask yourself why the 'Busa sells in excess of 10,000 units here in the US every year).

While I understand the emotional component of motorcyles (for God's sake, I ride one of the MOST impractical bikes ever built....but I LOVE how it looks and feels) you've got to look at how the bike functions for most of the riding you do. ANd if it works for how you ride and feels right, then, by God, buy the thing. At the price you ware getting it, if you find out it doesn't suit, you can turn around and sel it in a minute.

........as a matter of fact, if you decide not to buy it, at the price it's going for I might be tempted to fly down and ride it back up here......:whistle:

I only read the first and last page... Busa, for the reasons OTB mentioned.

That being said, I'd never buy either bike.

:lol: If we decide against it for some reason, I'll letcha know. ;)

R1 is still winning, jawesome.

:dvrofl:

By the slightest of margins.

Hey look, I just had China and India join in on the vote.

:lol:

Hmm... Kinda like the :twf: TWT ad contest... :D

How about korea..... Ebbs passed the word along?????????

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAH....

No, no, so far there hasn't been a mad rush of Corvette owners joining the vote.









Yet. :rofl:

I think the forums math is off... it says R1 at 100% :lol:

Do the math... it only figures to the nearest 100th of a percent. Its over 99.996% so it rounds up. :dthumb:

Not to mention the 2 BILLION voters were just too many decimal places for the poll to go out to.

i would get taters whore of an ex wife because i'd know she puts out. and id get a hojack installed so id know where shes doin it.

seriously though im gonna vote R1. i have a great fondness for the litre bike in concept (post fireblade litres that is) and they can be turned into real beasts srsly

:lol: no I know... just thought it was funny

Just based on what you posted up I'd say the Busa is the better option..not because it's a better bike but you know more of the history of it. If it were me I'd go with an R1 over a Busa more than likely because it's just a phenomenal machine as you mentioned. The one you are looking at could be a great buy but if the dude can't produce documention on the history and maintenance on it, man I don't know...

u just answered your own question.
technically its his r1 and your busa, but you're married, so you both should be used to gettin jacked for your shit by your spouse :dthumb:

I said Busa, just because it's nice to be able to pick between two different bikes, plus I like busa's better. I've just never been that enamored with newer R1's. I like the older one's a lot, but the newer one's don't really do it for me. They're pretty bikes, but I don't think I'd ever own one.

BUSA

because it's a great tourer and I know everyone here knows about pashnit. I had my eye on her for a while but the insurance was too expensive. I prob end up getting the big kawi. on hayabusa.org they do trackdays on a regular basis so :rockout: good luck neebs shit they even make a driver and passenger backrest for that thing