Two bikes sharing what little room is left behind my car in the garage. Car bumper touches back wall of garage which left just enough room for 2 bikes and stock exhausts. Both bikes are almost touching one another, interlocked like two pieces in a puzzle. I had to stand the 14 up to get my leg out. Notice the proximity of the 14's exhaust to the garage door. Now look at the side of the busa and the rear bumper of my car.

The busa is now stored at a friends barn for the winter. The 14 is here with me. It was that or put the car out in the snow all winter.

* Last updated by: Rook on 11/7/2009 @ 10:48 PM *

I think the car should be in the barn.

Why is the BUSA out front.....Boo....LOL

^^Depends on how you look at it, Rom. Notice the 14 is closest to the door.

Good thing that the Corolla is not left outside!

Depends on how you look at it, Rom. Notice the 14 is closest to the door.

Good point, I missed that one.LOL. I was waiting for the text book answer that the Busa guys give. U know "Because the Busa has higher compression and it makes 5 more Horse Power of course it's out front" LOL. Rook, you have to get a blanket for her, she will get cold parked there.

I can say for certain the busa doesn't give 5 more anything below 9K rpm. Above that, I don't feel the dif much -- maybe when I first hit the next gear. High speed runs, I could almost forget which bike I'm on. 0 - 120, the 14 always had more, even stock. Now that the pipe is on there, the 14 will trounce the busa. The busa has had more years of R & D and this shows in the overall quality of the the way it's put together and it runs so smooth.

Both bikes have a blanky. That rerminds me, I have to go out and cover up the 14 after the ride home.

High speed runs, I could almost forget which bike I'm on

How about the weight difference between the two. I know the Busa weighs in heavier. Just curios, can you notice the difference when going from one bike to the other?

The busa is heavier lifting it off the side stand but I can't feel that once I am rolling, even at very low speed. The busa is better at cornering. I have a full system on the 14 that weighs 17 lbs now but it still won't corner as light and easy as the busa does stock. I have not played with the suspension much on either bike but I doubt that will make much dif. Suspension shouldn't matter a whole lot at real low speed, I don't think. The busa feels better in the corners at all speeds. I've cornered a lot harder on the busa'a stock tires than I ever did on the 14's stock tires. Manuverability is where the busa outshines the 14. When I was riding the busa at lower tire pressure the difference was even more pronounced. It was very noticeable to me from the first ride.

That being said, I doubt either one could rival any liter bike on cornering. Bare in mind, these are the only two sportbikes i have ever ridden.

Just curious as well Rook. Do you notice the known/reported vibration/"Busa Buzz" @ 4500 rpm and up or is this not an issue? Supposedly this is where Suzuki screwed the pooch. The Busa G2 still has the single-counter balanced motor. Do you feel they should have used a dual-counter balanced mill like the smooth ZX14? Anyway, nice Busa. The orange/black combo really looks great in the sun.

Here are my thoughts on these two being compared...

I really don't care about the stock vs stock comparos b/n any of the bikes.
Who leaves their bike stock???
All the buzz about the Busa being 1 sec faster from 0-180 mph... so stupid IMHO.
Spend $25 for a 16T front sprocket and put it on the 14 and run that test again- it's well proven that the 14 hits 180 corrected with the -1 front! Anything to do with roll ons and such- aftermarket gearing for f@ck sake will fix anything!!!

The stock 14 turns like $hit due to the soft (and honestly bad) suspension combined with the tons of weight on the bike.
The rear shock on the 14 is just terrible IMHO. Combined with the crappy oem tires and the bike is just not good enough in the turning department.

Other than that- mod them up and I'll like 'em a lot!

Mass is right on the comparo. The stock 14 is a faster drag bike for ametures and pros. They're equal drag bikes after mods. Seems like no matter what mods, the busa always makes a bit more peak hp but honestly, I don't feel it when riding. I look for it, but if it's there way in the top revs, it's not obvious whether it's for real or my imagination.

The gearing is dif on the busa:

Sprockets:
Front: 17
Rear: 40

^^I guess our 14s are actually geared lower stock. So slap a 16T on the busa and the 14, then see what happens. I guess you could keep one upping on the gearing until it was too much bike for anyone to handle anywhere.

I would like to put a thinner head gasket on the 14 this winter. I have to do some research on what effect the higher compression will have. I do not know whether it increases top or bottom end hp or all across the board. I suspect this could be the only real dif in engine performance between the two bikes. Seems to have done well for slowninja but you don't hear many other people using this mod.

The busa has a slipper clutch, but I don't have much use for it. I would rather control that manually and have the full decel when I want like on the 14. The busa has an electronic steering damper which is a very nice feature. I think an after market steering damper would be just fine for a 14 given how often anyone actually needs one on these bikes.

Looked to me like the busa had a built in antifreeze tester on the rad the last time I looked. Also has big strong scraper pegs, nicer sounding stock exhaust (IMO), shift lever linkage rod (like on the liter bikes and I think this is cool, radiator style oil cooler. It's little details like this that I find almost every time I look at the busa that reinforce my feeling that it has had a lot more thought put into the design than the 14.

Do you notice the known/reported vibration/"Busa Buzz" @ 4500 rpm and up or is this not an issue?

The 14 has more power and is more fun on the street and even at normal highway speed. That's the main reason it was sitting close to the door and ready to go. The busa feels more at ease at high rpm and I think I would feel more comfortable at really high speed.

The 14 is more of a bad boy bike. The busa is softer. A bit contrary to the busa image, IMO but that's the way they feel.

I was had started to take for granted the great looks of the 14 and really starting to like the look of the busa. Now that I have them both, I once again favor the more traditional look of the 14 with the high tail.

If there were a few of you guys around here and you wanted to take the busa for a ride straight down a highway, I would let you take it. I'm sure you would find it different, but you would see it's not better and it's not faster. Better at cornering -- I think so. Maybe cured/improved with suspension mods but based on what i feel at low speed, I think the busa will always corner better with equal mods.

The busa is smoother if comfort is your thing, but the riding position is slightly more forward too. I hardly notice the riding position change. The busa is a bit more demanding on the back if you like to sit upright on the highway. I can tuck my head about the same on both bikes. The busa has a higher windscreen but the 14 has that dip in the tank cover. The 14's stock windscreen deflects wind over my helmet better.

I was real enthused by the busa when I first got it but i am gravitating more back to the 14. It just feels more down and dirty. However, if I ever top out the speedo, it will be on the busa first. It's nice to have both. A smaller bike would be the way I would go next. I don't know which big bike I would sell. I'd probably have to keep all of them a long time.

* Last updated by: Rook on 11/11/2009 @ 10:32 AM *

Thanks Rook. I knew you would give a thorough & honest response. Glad to hear that your G2 Busa is smooth as glass. The rags kept harping on the G2 Busa for being a vibrating dildo queen. LOL. You just can't trust dem rags. For shits & giggles I did get a chance to ride a GASP...B-King! I believe it's tuned fairly close to its counterpart (Busa). I found the bike to shift/run flawlessly. Never once could I feel or detect an obtrusive buzz or vibration. P.S. don't tell anyone. It's like getting caught with a fat chick.

DDAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! fun to ride but no one wants there friends to know about it!

Rook, you're killing me...

stock gearing on the 08-09 Busa is 18/43!!!

the 14 is at 17/41.

Well, I lifted that strai=aight off a forum that came up ina search. Shows how much that is worth. I will check the SM.

Can't find it in SM so I checked another forum- lol. Yeah, busa.org says 18/43. If one T up in front equals 2 T down in back, we have equal gearing for both the busa and the 14. Right?

Right?

Nope

I'm sure someone will explain this to me some day.

Wow, we(zx-14)have a slight(tiny)advantage from the factory(depending how you look at it).Learning lots Rook, Thanks. Here is simple quick view of gear ratios. I will be honest, I never got past the Camel hump on the back, but........lol

Sprocket Gear Ratios
GEAR RATIOS FOR SPROCKETS
In theory increasing the number of teeth on the front sprocket and/or decreasing the number of teeth on the rear sprocket you will result in higher top speed, lower acceleration and better fuel economy. And vice versa: decreasing the number of teeth on the front sprocket and/or increasing the number of teeth on the rear sprocket will result in lower top speed, higher acceleration and worse fuel economy. However whilst generally true in practice this is not allways the case, mostly due to the power output of the machine at certain revs being higher or lower than at others. So use the following table as a guide only, to achieve your desired result will often involve some trial and error. It should also be noted that some models cannot accommodate larger front sprockets: check before ordering. Often the fitting of larger sprockets may require a longer chain: check before ordering.

R
e
a
r

S
p
r
o
c
k
e
t Front Sprocket

      10    11    12    13    14    15   16    17    18    19 
30 3.00 2.73 2.50 2.31 2.14 2.00 1.88 1.76 1.67 1.58 
31 3.10 2.82 2.58 2.38 2.21 2.07 1.94 1.82 1.72 1.63 
32 3.20 2.91 2.67 2.46 2.29 2.13 2.00 1.88 1.78 1.68 
33 3.30 3.00 2.75 2.54 2.36 2.20 2.06 1.94 1.83 1.74 
34 3.40 3.09 2.83 2.62 2.43 2.27 2.13 2.00 1.89 1.79 
35 3.50 3.18 2.92 2.69 2.50 2.33 2.19 2.06 1.94 1.84 
36 3.60 3.27 3.00 2.77 2.57 2.40 2.25 2.12 2.00 1.89 
37 3.70 3.36 3.08 2.85 2.64 2.47 2.31 2.18 2.06 1.95 
38 3.80 3.45 3.17 2.92 2.71 2.53 2.38 2.24 2.11 2.00 
39 3.90 3.55 3.25 3.00 2.79 2.60 2.44 2.29 2.17 2.05 
40 4.00 3.64 3.33 3.08 2.86 2.67 2.50 2.35 2.22 2.11 
41 4.10 3.73 3.42 3.15 2.93 2.73 2.56 2.41 2.28 2.16 
42 4.20 3.82 3.50 3.23 3.00 2.80 2.63 2.47 2.33 2.21 
43 4.30 3.91 3.58 3.31 3.07 2.87 2.69 2.53 2.39 2.26 
44 4.40 4.00 3.67 3.38 3.14 2.93 2.75 2.59 2.44 2.32 
45 4.50 4.09 3.75 3.46 3.21 3.00 2.81 2.65 2.50 2.37 
46 4.60 4.18 3.83 3.54 3.29 3.07 2.88 2.71 2.56 2.42 
47 4.70 4.27 3.92 3.62 3.36 3.13 2.94 2.76 2.61 2.47 
48 4.80 4.36 4.00 3.69 3.43 3.20 3.00 2.82 2.67 2.53 
49 4.90 4.45 4.08 3.77 3.50 3.27 3.06 2.88 2.72 2.58 
50 5.00 4.55 4.17 3.85 3.57 3.33 3.13 2.94 2.78 2.63 
51 6.10 4.64 4.25 3.92 3.64 3.40 3.19 3.00 2.83 2.68 
52 6.20 4.73 4.33 4.00 3.71 3.47 3.25 3.06 2.89 2.74 
53 6.30 4.82 4.42 4.08 3.79 3.53 3.31 3.12 2.94 2.79 
54 6.40 4.91 4.50 4.15 3.86 3.60 3.38 3.18 3.00 2.84 
55 6.50 5.00 4.58 4.23 3.93 3.67 3.44 3.24 3.06 2.89 
56 6.60 5.09 4.67 4.31 4.00 3.73 3.50 3.29 3.11 2.95 
57 6.70 5.18 4.75 4.38 4.07 3.80 3.56 3.35 3.17 3.00 
58 6.80 5.27 4.83 4.46 4.14 3.87 3.63 3.41 3.22 3.05 
59 6.90 5.36 4.92 4.54 4.21 3.93 3.69 3.47 3.28 3.11 
60 7.00 5.45 5.00 4.62 4.29 4.00 3.75 3.53 3.33 3.16 
61 7.10 5.55 5.08 4.69 4.36 4.07 3.81 3.59 3.39 3.21 
62 7.20 5.64 5.17 4.77 4.43 4.13 3.88 3.65 3.44 3.26

Lowering the ratio increases top end speed - Increasing the ratio increases acceleration and bottom end power.

wemoto © Worlds End Motorcycles 2001-2009

* Last updated by: bgordon on 11/12/2009 @ 2:08 PM *

Thanks, Rom for shedding some light there. 18/43 and 17/41 look close enough to be called equal to me. The advantage that the 14 has in gearing is minuscule. The mid range power has to be coming from the 14's engine. You can feel that in the bike.

Can you even really compare the gearing on two bikes with different Primary Drive Ratios is that even possible? Rook run both bikes up to about 90 in thrid and then drop it back into second to get some drive out of a corner. I think you will find out how much you really need\want a slipper clutch assuming you don't crash. I think even the Connie has one now right?? LOL why Kawaski didn't put one on there biggest "sportbike" is a mystery to me.

Can you even really compare the gearing on two bikes with different Primary Drive Ratios is that even possible?

Rook run both bikes up to about 90 in thrid and then drop it back into second to get some drive out of a corner. I think you will find out how much you really need\want a slipper clutch assuming you don't crash.

hahah - by the time I'm good enough to do that, I ought to be able to modulate the clutch manually! I suppose it's a mute point for now. You're right though - the slipper clutch doesn't do much except at very high rpm. That's exactly where I would like to be able to smooth into a full decel like i do on the 14. My last high speed run on the busa left me headed into a corner at 0 throttle and about 150 mph and the bike was just not slowing down like I thought it would. I had to grab the brakes for a half second to get it down to about 100. I suppose you just have to get used to less engine breaking at high speed/high rpm. I really enjoy the feeling of the hard back-pull on the 14.

* Last updated by: Rook on 11/16/2009 @ 7:28 PM *

To me,the 08 Busa is kinda in the "myth" category(to me).I rode my Buddy's 08 Busa.I will say-after ten minutes...I pulled over and got my bike back.It DID buzz.It wasn't smooth.Could feel every bump in the road.High(er) speed turns-felt like the front end wanted to kick out.Uncomfortable seating position.Hands were starting to feel strange.No power advantage that I could feel.The ONLY thing that beat my Kawi was the Busa's Shift quality.Very smooth and effortless-with NO notchyness or noise(with or without clutch).I think time in the saddle on either bike will give the rider a certain confidence in their machine.I did not feel "safe" on the Busa-I feel COMPLETELY safe on my 14.Think that just comes with usage.My Bud is a damn good rider-no doubt about that.He can crank that Busa really well.Strangely,he is normally following me as we hit our favorite high speed canyon runs-and I often see him"back there"in my mirrors.He may just be smarter and more prudent than I am.But it seems strange that he doesn't go blasting through the curves and such with the same amount of "enthusiasm".When I do follow him,he's usually around 5 to 10 mph slower than I will go.Yet he's quite quick on the sharper stuff.I'm not completely convinced that the Busa will "outhandle" a 14.I personally don't think it can.But still-an awesome bike.I'd not own one though.(I HOPE he's not reading this!Probably eat my words right quick!!!)He's the smart one-I'm,well,not so bright!

* Last updated by: blue07 on 12/25/2009 @ 3:12 PM *

It could depend on the rider and riding habits. The busa definitely feels like it wants to turn in a lot easier but even so, the chicken strips tell the tale. I have not cornered as hard on the busa as I have on the 14. Perhaps I will have a better idea about cornering difference between the two by the end of next summer if I can ware the stock tires out and change to BT-016s on the busa like the 14 has. That tire makes a big dif in cornering all by itself.

The busa feels calmer or more at ease at higher rpm. Sometimes I like that. Most of the time I am riding, I like the maniacle feel of the 14 when it gets into mid revs. True, no dif in peak power is perceptable stock to stock. The 14 feels stronger at low and midrange.

If i had the chance to make the decision again, I'd have purchased a new bike but it would have been a liter bike. I am very satisfied with the busa though. If I turbo, I think that will be the one. I don't think i would enjoy the 14 as much if I had to soften up the engine for turboing.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/17/2009 @ 5:26 PM *