I can’t claim a lot of seat time on Suzuki’s iconic Hayabusa, but the few experiences I’ve had with the big bird have all been on the dark side of insanity. Riding a tweaked and lowered ‘99, on loan from a crazy local drag racer, my first ride also became the first time I ever buried a speedometer that had a 200mph mark on it. My second ride was while following the adventures of Rich Yancy’s turbo charged “Bud” Busa. Eventually attaining the mind-blowing speed of 260mph with Lee Shierts on board on a stock wheelbase with lights and license plate in place, it is still a world record holder. During this period Rich let me take it for a spin on a long deserted road where I experienced the feeling of 350 horsepower being applied to the ground. Inducing many sleepless nights reliving the terrifying experience in the weeks that followed, it is a Hayabusa experience I will never forget.

Last but not least during this time, Rich’s buddy Scott Guthrie, aka The Sultan of Speed, decided he would put me in the 200mph club on his nitrous equipped Busa. Breaking the timing lights at 202.247mph, I joined a very small group of raving lunatics who have all been this speed and firmly cemented a lifetime of respect for Suzuki’s flag ship sport bike. It is a missile, bullet proof when it comes to tuning, and for going scary fast there has been little to touch it. Kawasaki’s new ZX 14 has definitely brought the fight to the now aging Busa, but for ’08, Suzuki has rolled out a new version of its heavy weight prizefighter. The first step to regaining their dominance was to ship a truckload of journalists into Chicago to twist the throttle and see what they had to say.

Calling it “The ultimate sportbike for the road,” our first introduction to the new bike was at the Great Lakes Dragway in Wisconsin where we had been promised a couple of runs down the drag strip. This in itself was somewhat intimidating, as I got to sit on the bike for ten second before clicking it into first gear and rolling twenty feet into the burn out area. Then it was time to dump the clutch and put some heat in the tire before rolling to the staging area. Watching the tree lights drop, I took off for the far end of the drag strip before breaking the timing light 11 seconds later. Rolling round for a second try, I got my time down to 10.7 seconds at 139 mph before we changed gear for a day of road riding.

Waiting for the group to ready, I just couldn’t believe what had just happened. One of the faster journalists had clicked off a 10.1 second run, and Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates made it into the high nines. This was on a bike no one had ridden before and just reinforced how much confidence Suzuki has in the new Hayabusa. My runs were done with complete ease, with no wheel spinning, no wheelies, and no sweat. I just eased out the clutch, got on the gas, tucked in, and pinned it. As only my third time on a drag strip, it draws and easy conclusion about the Busa’s phenomenal power and ride-ability.

Sticking extremely close to its roots, the new styling has certainly sharpened up the bike’s appearance. The fairing is actually wider and the windscreen is 15mm taller. This, according to Koji Yoshiura the bikes styling designer, was a result of extensive surveys conducted here in America. Obvious changes are the shape and radius of the fairing vents and the streamlining effects on the tail section. The integrated turn signals look a lot more modern, and up front the new high beam projector headlight is lighter and more compact. Looking at the bike from the rear, the taillight and turn signal assembly almost look like the front end of a motorcycle. This taillight is now powered by LEDs and has a clear inner lens, with red outer lenses to compliment this very unique look.

Under the bodywork, the twin-spar aluminum-alloy frame is essentially unchanged with just a few “updates” as Suzuki is labeling them. Some extraneous brackets have been removed to make the main frame lighter, and rectangular tubing is now used for the sub frame. This change relocates the seat rails to allow the passenger accommodation to sit 12mm lower. The wheelbase has also been reduced with changes to the swing arm removing around 5mm, which is really a marginal change on a bike that has 58.3-inch wheelbase.

Other chassis changes are to be found up front with new inverted 43mm KYB cartridge forks. Using DLC (Diamond-Like Coating) to reduce stiction, they are fully adjustable for preload, compression damping and rebound damping. There is no reported change to wheel travel, but there is a steering damper in place on the bottom triple clamp as standard equipment. In the rear, the aluminum-alloy swingarm has 10 percent more torsional rigidity due to an extra internal rib in the extruded arms. The rear shock is also from KYB and works through a progressive linkage. Also fully adjustable in all the usual ways, there is also no change to rear wheel travel either.

Out on the track at Road America, my first session was on stock suspension settings and the bike performed well. It did start to get mildly exciting, as I got up to speed. So for the second session I had the technician dial in the track settings. This transformed the bike on the racetrack, as the front end didn’t dive so severely under braking and the bike felt more composed tipping into the turns. Also feeling a lot more stable hard over in the turns, I was very surprised how hard I could hustle such a big bike around. Having recently ridden the ZX-14 on the track, my gut feeling is the Suzook gets the job done better. Of course, you can’t ride it like a committed sport bike, so smoothness is the key. But once adjusted to this process, I am sure the Busa could shock more than a few people at your local track day.

Wheels are changed this year to a three-spoke cast aluminum-alloy design, and while they are no lighter, they haven’t gained any weight either. Bridgestone BT 015s are the rubber of choice, and according to the tire rep on hand for our track test they are a similar compound to the GSXR1000’s with stronger belts used to offset the Busa’s greater weight. They are a street-compound and did a great job on the track during our second day of riding. Just don’t expect them to control close to 180 rear wheel horsepower unless you have the bike straight up and down.

The new ’08 Busa also gets new brakes this year, radial mounted Tokico four-piston calipers that appear to be lifted straight from the GSXR1000 grab full-floating 310mm discs. These have been reduced in size from 320mm for lighter weight and are 0.5 mm thicker at 5.5mm. Working on the back wheel, a single-piston, pin-slide, Tokico caliper bites down on a larger 260mm, 5.5mm thick disc. The front master cylinder appears to be the same as before and does a good job of getting fluid to the pads. Hauling the bike down from repeated trips to the sketchy side of 175mph on day two, they are very strong and easy to modulate with a straightforward linear feel. I did notice the lever coming back further toward the bar as the session wore on, and in preparation for my last ride set it on the furthest position out to compensate. But in hindsight, I can’t think of how you will ever ask the brakes to work any harder, so am not complaining.

Putting the new brakes to task, the power plant has undergone some revision to give it a quoted increase of 21 horsepower. Never an underachiever in this department, it means more of the same, and gives a corresponding increase in the peak torque figure to 114 foot pounds from 102. This substantial increase has mostly been achieved by the use of a 2mm longer stroke, which brings the Suzook’s displacement out to 1340cc for an increase of 41cc. There has been no change to the bore, and the engineers told us the crank remains the same, so is interchangeable with the older model.

Other changes are more minor. SCEM (Suzuki Composite Electrochemical Material) is used on the cylinder walls for better heat transfer and to allow the rings to seal better. Each cylinder bore has a new U shaped cutout, which allows trapped air to escape the underside of the pistons when they are descending. New pistons are used, and these are stronger and lighter. They have reduced diameter wrist pins, and over the four pistons have lost a total of 20 grams of weight. Compression ratio has been raised and is now 12.5:1. The previous Busa used an 11.0:1 ratio. These new pistons obviously need to ride on new rods, and these are shot peened for strength while riding on a revised crank pin position.

Up in the cylinder head, new titanium valves replace the old steel ones, although they remain the same size. Saving 14.1 grams per valve on the intake side and 11.7 grams on the exhaust, this weight loss allowed Suzuki to also use a lighter, single valve spring, as opposed to the double springs previously used. Valve lift has also been increased, and the cam chain is now hydraulically adjusted to help keep the valves where they are supposed to be at all times. It also reduces mechanical noise.

Delving into the technical information reveals some major changes to the fueling system. Suzuki claim’s their new digital fuel injection is the most powerful yet. Controlled by a 32-bit, 104kb ROM microprocessor, fuel is now fired through a pair of tapered, 44mm double-barrel Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve (SDTV) throttle bodies. This system now uses twin butterfly valves in each throttle body with the engine management system controlling its own secondary valve. As on a normal system, it is the rider’s input at the throttle that controls the primary valve, and the combined system makes for a faultless fueling system anywhere in the rpm at any throttle opening.

Fine-tuning this even further, each throttle body has twin spray injectors with twelve holes in place of the previous models four. This is a common trend these days as modern machines become more advanced, and the benefits are improved fuel atomization and combustion efficiency. Between the drag strip, the racetrack, and a day on the street, we had plenty of time to evaluate the new system, and I am happy to report the Busa passed with flying colors. Giving superb throttle response from very low in the rev range, all the way till the rev limiter kicked in, the system was faultless. One area that can cause problems with fuel injection systems is at lower rpm on small throttle openings, but this was not the case with the big Suzuki.

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On the exit side, there is a new 4-into 2-into-1-into-2 exhaust system for ’08. Made from stainless steel, it has a catalytic converter where the four head pipes meet under the engine, and an oxygen sensor on the collector box that is read by the engine management system to adjust the fuel system accordingly. This catalyzer helps keep hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and nitrogen emissions to a minimum. Ending at the rear of the bike, a pair of large triangular mufflers ensure the bike is extremely quiet. Standing on pit wall as Aaron Yates went by at full throttle in fifth gear there was almost more wind noise that exhaust it is that quiet. For those who want a little extra audio, there are a number of very attractive Yoshimura 4-into-1 systems available that I’m sure will lose a bunch of weight. They will probably add some horsepower too for those sick enough to need more.

Another feature on the Busa that appears directly lifted from the GSXR1000 is the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS). This is the system that allows the rider to choose from three different power curves. Always defaulting to the A setting, which gives full power, you can select B or C on the fly with the right handlebar switch. Located below the engine kill switch, it is labeled mode and you simply click up and down to select. Personally, as with the GSXR1000, I am not too sure of its benefit except maybe for riding in the rain. Here, I can see the advantage of being able to limit the power to the back wheel, but for normal dry road or track use, the A mode suits me fine. Heading out for my last track session, I started in C mode and this gives a major cut in power. Unable to keep up with the riders ahead of me, I switched to B, which actually feels closer to full power, but even this makes the bike feel strangled. If you are buying the new Hayabusa, my feelings are you are excited by large amounts of horsepower so will want to experience it to the full.

Coming to the end our test at Road America and parking the new 2008 Haybusa for the last time, I realized my fourth experience onboard the big bird was almost as wild as the previous three. The sensation of approaching Road America’s turn five going down hill at over 180mph is one I will never forget. Coming out of turn six with the rear tire spinning as Aaron Yates went by, as if he were out for a Sunday ride, will also stay burned in the memory banks for a long time. The Suzuki Hayabusa was a highly controversial, much debated motorcycle when it was released in 1999; the new 2008 model is going to ensure this situation remains the same. Catch one if you can.