South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

Hi folks,
I just wondered if anyone has ever had any experience on either a zx12r or hayabusa on Cornish roads, I would be commuting from veryan to st Austell and maybe Bodmin
Had the zx12 in London and loved it but not sure about either on the back roads
Any advice appreciated
Martin

At the risk of stating the obvious, I would say that what you ride needs, idealy, to be what suits you.
If you have the funds for two bikes then have a big 'un for blasts and touring etc. and a middleweight for commuting. If you're never gonna ride outside pastyland and you only want one bike then maybe a middleweight is a good option, especialy if you're not a confident and/or experienced rider. Don't get me wrong, any middleweight will tour, trackday, cruise all day at very illegal speeds and be great fun, solo or two-up. It's just that, IMHO, a big 'un does it better - for me at any rate . . . . . . . it's always down to the individual.

The bus might cope with those roads when it's quiet and they aren't covered in farmers cast offs. Wait until the summer when it's blocked with more tourists and caravans than you can shake a fist at (and you will). The bus wouldn't be that good at filtering through those narrow/congested roads packed with thousands of satnag dependant drivers.

Like Robbo said, something mid range that's a more comfy riding position as you won't be flying along pace wise.

The busa is a brilliant bike on those roads. Had 3 when I lived there and used it alongside my sportsbikes. Can honestly say it is the best real world bike I have owned and I do between 5-8k miles per year in the UK and Europe.

I had a 2003 zx12r. Was a bit heavy through the twists but happily kept with most. There were some spots where it was far superior to other stuff but was just getting far too silly for me so had to slow down.

Still miss that bike but would look at a zx9r instead now as the 12 can be too much.

Drawn to the zx12 r but am looking at a nice ktm 990 supermoto at the weekend so will try and make my mind up then

Keep us posted

had both never had a problem with the roads down here

Busa is fine in North Devon. Not as nimble as a track day bike but dead easy in real world road riding. I find no problem filtering, can probably get through narrower places than some wide barred naked/adventure bikes. For me it's all day long comfortable and did I mention the mountain of torque for easy riding, none of that charging up and down through the gearbox needed. But it is dinosaur technology if you must have all the bells and whistles they put on bikes now.