Rs of old . It accelerates phenomenally quickly and has the chassis , suspension and brakes to back that up . It ’ s sharper than a sports tourer and more all-round than the typical racereplica ; an honest to goodness ‘ sports ’ bike that will put a huge smile on your face . And for that it deserves to be in Suzuki ’ s sales brochure for years to come . torque and power forcing you forwards . The Lewis was great , but the twists from Murchison up and over the Hope Saddle put one of the biggest smiles of the trip on my face .
AND ...? After a couple of thousand kilometres , I ’ ve got a handle on the Hayabusa . It has a great tech suite , I like the traction control set to the least intrusive ‘ 1 ’ in all conditions , both wet and dry , with the engine mode in ‘ A ’ for the dry and ‘ B ’ for the wet . ‘ C ’ doesn ’ t give me the throttle response and power I want , while any more TC dulls that beautiful motor . The suspension and brakes do everything they should with no fuss . Is it too fast for our roads ? Depends on how fast you go . I love the monstrous motor , and the torque it puts out , and the way it ’ ll make ANY overtake , which makes it very safe in my book , no more ‘ just squeaking it ’. It ’ s not a bike for everyone ; it best suits those with long arms and shorter legs , just like GSX-
42 KIWI RIDER