Northern California
Building the Ultimate Sport Machine
Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1340R
STAY TUNED: Never thought I would buy the same bike three times. But I did.
A Quick Background:
This is my third Hayabusa and what follows is the story of modifying this bike to suit my needs for sport-touring & to lead Pashnit Motorcycle Tours with. I love this kind of tinkering, and enjoy my alone-time in the garage. Won't be doing any engine mods, sorry engine guys, The bike engine is perfect for my needs the way it is. They'll be bolt-on aftermarket mods that are inexpensive and easy to source to make my travels easier. I don't commute on the bike, it's all twisty roads and mountain riding on this bike.
I found this bike in Washington, and my buddy Matt flew up to WA and rode it 1400 miles back to California for me. After getting back to CA on the Hayabusa, Matt bought his own Hayabusa 6 days later. So I bought it sight-unseen. It was a long road to get to this point to have this Hayabusa in my garage and start setting it up for Year 16 of leading Pashnit Motorcycle Tours.
First, Read this: History of the Suzuki Hayabusa.
For $5900, I got an '08 with 7000 miles on it, it looks to be crashed at some point having some scrapes in the brake reservoir, it does have china plastic which is a bit annoying. Plus it's missing the 'Hayabusa' sticker under the Kanji. I did find this plastic kit on eBay. The China plastic fit is terrible and quality poor with the nose and side panels. It's also missing the intake screens. I'll source those. But it's mine and I'll take it to get that price and low miles. I can always get new plastic over time.
The previous owner has it all set up as chrome/black and I hate that color scheme (sorry chrome/black fans), so plan is to blue out the bike. Plus sell off the chrome/black parts: rims, exhaust - to help fund this build project.
For posterity, this is what I held onto for ten years in the aforementioned story above.
This is what we are going to build:
MODIFICATION LIST
Air Compressor - Cycle Pump
Axle Caps - Front / Rear
Brake Light - Clear LED Brake Light
Brake Light - Healtech Brake Light Module
Brakes - EBC EBFA379HH Extreme Pro Pads
Brakes - Galfer Stainless Brake Lines
Brakes - Galfer Wave Brake Rotors
Camera - GoPro 7 Black
Camera - GoPro Wireless Remote
Camera - RAM Balls (7) camera mount
Camera - RAM Flexible Arms
Chain - RK GB530GXW Chain
Electrics - Ricks Motorsport Regulator/Rectifier
Electrics - Ricks Motorsport Hot Shot Stator
Exhaust - Yoshimura R-77 CF Cans
Fairing - Blue Mid-Panels
Fender - GSXR Fender swap
Foot pegs - Oberon Pegs
Frame Hole Caps
Frame Covers - Carbon Fiber
Fuel Strainer swap
Fuze Block
Gadget Mount - Adaptiv Technologies
Gas Cap - Vortex Keyless Gas Cap
Gauge Faces - Street Racer Parts
Grips - Harris Busa Grips
Headlight Modulator - Signal Dynamics
Hump Custom Cut
Levers - Emgo Folding Brake Lever
Levers - Emgo Folding Shift Lever
Levers - Pazzo Levers
License Bracket - Targa
Lights - Clearwater Darla Lights
Lights - Fog Lights 3watt LED
Lights - LED Strips - Intake
Lights - LED Strips inner panels
Mirrors - Painted
Mirrors - PMR Mirror Extenders
Phone - RAM Phone Mount
Power - Powerlet Coax Outlet
Power - Powerlet SAE Outlets
Rack - Givi Rear Rack
Rack - Renntec Rack (removed)
Rims- Silver from '09 Busa
Screens - Cox Racing Oil Cooler Screen
Screens - Cox Racing Radiator Screen
Seat - Corbin Seat
Sidestand Mod
Sliders - T-Rex No-Cut Sliders
Spark plugs - NGK CR9E
Sprocket - YS Gold Sprocket Nuts
Sprockets - SuperSprox 42T (-1) rear sprocket
Stator Cover - Woodcraft
Tire Plugger - Stop-n-Go Gun
Switches - PMR Bar Switches
Tank Bag - Bagster City
Tank Cover - Bagster
Tank Cover - MagKnight Tank Cover
Throttlemeister
Tires - Avon Spirit Sport-Touring Tires
Top Case - Givi Blade Top Case
Turn Signals-Front Clear
Turn Signals-Rear Clear
USB - 3BR Powersports Panel mount USB Port
USB - 3BR Powersports Tapp 2.1 Amp
Volt Meter - Healtech Multimeter 5
Windscreen - Zero Gravity ST Windscreen
Seems crazy not to carry one. An on-board air compressor stored in the tail section of the motorcycle is what every tour guide needs. Or weekend warrior or for even your average everyday rider. The Cycle Pump is military grade, and we've been using the same one for over 15 years. This pump has a lifetime warranty and it's compact, even comes with an optional second bag (at bottom of the pic) that holds the air pressure gauge the screws into the air line.
The Cycle Pump plugs into the bike's Powerlet Products 12 volt accessory SAE plug. Kit includes alligator clips as pictured. Pump up any tire even in the middle of nowhere.
This is a handy item to have and we have used it on the Pashnit Tours before after one of the participants picked up a nail in a parking lot. While his tire was shot, we were able to pump up the tire enough to get him back to our lodging for the night, then a new tire shoe'd on the next morning. Without it, he would have been stuck on the side of the road. You don't think you need one of these till you get a flat. Then you won't leave home without it.
Source: Best Rest Products
AIR COMPRESSOR
Cycle Pump Adventure Model
AXLE CAPS
Dress Up Kit - Front/Rear
Dress Up Kits are a great way to clean up and smooth out the appearance of your Hayabusa.
Oh how we love these. Chrome Axle Caps with the Kanji on them. Simple install, just insert the threaded rod through the front & rear axles and done! Check out all the options available: Smooth, Chrome, Ball Cut, and spike.
My original set I sourced from Ransom Machine Works, but production ceased as the suppliers keep changing. I tried to get a another set for the rear, but had to settle for a Hex Cut Kanji set. One bit of advice is add LocTite to the threaded rod that holds the caps on. eBay or Ball Z Motorsports are a good source for these.
Buyer beware: Dress Up Kits are addicting, you can't stop until you've applied an entire kit to the whole bike.
Get a set of matching Frame Plugs and you'll clean up the look of the bike.
Source: eBay
BRAKE LIGHT
Clear/Integrated
The red has to go. It just has to.
After searching the nether regions of the internet of what the bike would look like with a Clear LED Taillight, we collected up a small cadre of photos. Yep, that'll work. While this is an integrated taillight, meaning turn signals are built into the unit, it's a bit a moot point if you stick with the stock turn signals which function just fine - and they're clear.
There are two taillights commercially available at the moment for the Gen-II Busa, we chose this one for looks. The other model is all LED's so you'll need to choose a style that fits your own.
The install is extremely simple. Remove the tail section of your Busa. The taillight is held in by just a few screws. Remove those, swap out the bracket to your new unit and done. Then get out the solder gun and some shrink wrap to work up the wiring. If you look closely, there are LED bars on either side of the taillight - those are your turn signals. With a posi-tap connector, you can tap into the hot wire from the stock turn signal and wire those up to function properly. More light!
Overall, our new taillight looks great, continues our silver motif with bike and we get to toss another stock part! We recently sold off the stock taillight to another fellow Busa member & recouped some of our costs.
Source: eBay
BRAKE LIGHT MODULE
Healtech Brake Light Pro
The red has to go. It just has to.
After searching the nether regions of the internet of what the bike would look like with a Clear LED Taillight, we collected up a small cadre of photos. Yep, that'll work. While this is an integrated taillight, meaning turn signals are built into the unit, it's a bit a moot point if you stick with the stock turn signals which function just fine - and they're clear.
There are two taillights commercially available at the moment for the Gen-II Busa, we chose this one for looks. The other model is all LED's so you'll need to choose a style that fits your own.
The install is extremely simple. Remove the tail section of your Busa. The taillight is held in by just a few screws. Remove those, swap out the bracket to your new unit and done. Then get out the solder gun and some shrink wrap to work up the wiring. If you look closely, there are LED bars on either side of the taillight - those are your turn signals. With a posi-tap connector, you can tap into the hot wire from the stock turn signal and wire those up to function properly. More light!
Overall, our new taillight looks great, continues our silver motif with bike and we get to toss another stock part! We recently sold off the stock taillight to another fellow Busa member & recouped some of our costs.
Source: Healtech Electronics
BRAKE PADS
EBC Extreme Pro Front Pads
Fellow Hayabusa owners have talked about Extreme Pro Brake Pads and their amazing braking power, but I would not have believed it until I experienced it myself. Like most riders, I've use normal HH pads for many years.
These pads are cost-prohibitive, costing twice as much as a normal set of HH Pads. Normal pads run you about $40 a rotor, these are $80. Is it worth it? Use a set and you decide.
The Extreme Pro pads from EBC have a serious bite on the rotors, are a ceramic embedded and different from EBC HH. The Extreme Pro Pad is a premium long life street pad with improved fade resistance and heat cycling and improved noise characteristics. EPFA is a great pad for heavy sport bikes like the Hayabusa, faster superbikes as well as intermittent track use. Take these pads and combine them with stainless steel lines, and a good set of rotors, I'm sure you'll love these pads as much as I do.
On the rear, I'll run a Galfer HH pad for plenty of bite.
Source: Resellers
BRAKE LINES
Galfer Stainless Steel Braided Lines
The stock brakes on the Hayabusa are terrible! Ride the bike hard in the twisties and after the fluid started to heat up, we could pull the brake lever all the way to the bar in hard braking. Not good. Hit some straights, fluid & rubber lines cool down & braking power returns. Not good, in fact, that's horrible. And yes, my Gen-II was brand new with 1000 miles on the clock. Brakes lines would have to be the first things to go! We got in touch with GalferUSA who supplied us a set of custom-made brake lines: silver lines with gold fittings and banjo bolts. Galfer can make lines in a multiple of colors. The install is quite simple, unbolt old lines, bolt on new lines, bleed them, and done.
Note the stock OEM configuration is tossed in favor of a 2-line system. A double banjo bolt up top, one line goes left, one goes right. No more horseshoe line up and over the fender.
Once we completed the Galfer Brake Line install: we were suddenly riding a entirely new motorcycle! This is one mod that should come standard from the factory, and I'd have to say this is the very first mod any performance-orientated Busa owner should do! Finally, able to do one fingered stops! Our first 1000 mile ride with our new brake lines, right forearm was actually sore at days end! Seems I overused my index finger a little too much. Another effect of adding this was the rear brake became useless. Really no need for it anymore with spirited sport riding. You can also get various colors too.
Source: GalferUSA
Many a motorcyclist are huge fans of steel braided brake lines. Reason being the inability of the line to expand under heavy braking compared to stock lines. Your braking ability is directly related to the fluid temperature and preventing the lines from expanding. It might expand because of tiny air bubbles in the fluid which begin to boil under extreme heat produced with spirited sport riding. It's most noticeable with the twin front lines. While the change is slight, and it still takes at least two-fingers to bite down hard, there's a firmness there which is possibly due to any lack of expansion in the lines. Brakes lines and high-performance brake pads are one of those things worth springing for on a 550 lb bike with 173 horsepower.
BRAKE ROTORS
Galfer Wave - Front/Rear
After I fried the rear rotor from heat build-up and practically burned off the brake pads- I needed to make an upgrade. There I was blasting down my favorite mountain road- and my rear brake quit working. Blast. At first I had no idea what just happened- this never had happened. But the extreme heat of my trail braking heated up the fluid so much, it was boiling inside the lines. Not good.
A few minutes later, it cooled down and back on the combat trail. So replaced the brake pads figuring that was the problem. It happened again- this time it burned off the brake pads entirely- which were only 3 weeks old- and completely fried the rotor too.
Time for a wave rotor and HH Sintered Racing Pads. The debate seems to rage on this product and I actually don't know the answer. Do they work, probably, do I notice the difference? Not really. Have I burned up any more brakes pads or rotors. Not a one. Can I lock up the rear at any time. You bet.
Source: Galfer USA
CAMERA - on-board
GoPro 7 Black
With this new bike, wanted to get back into shooting on-board photography with a GoPro. Most of the shots I'm taking are photos rather than video. The GoPro cameras take photos with a setting that'll take a photo every few seconds.
Find your favorite stretch of road and let the camera run, you're sure to get a few good shots. I decided on a used GoPro 7 and these cameras are continually being made obsolete by the newest models being issued by GoPro. I prefer buying lightly used. I paid $245 for this which included three batteries. I already have all the mounts. The newest cameras connect to your phone and I also have a wireless remote.
The main issue with shooting on-board photography is you want the ability to turn the camera on or off with ease while riding. I sold a lot of these when the GoPro first came out and was on the original dealers when the camera was released a decade ago.
Source: eBay
CAMERA REMOTE
Wireless GoPro control
The main problem with shooting on-board photography is you want the ability to turn the camera on or off with ease while riding. I sold a lot of these when the GoPro first came out and was on the original dealers when the camera was released a decade ago.
Source: eBay
CAMERA MOUNTING
RAM arms & RAM mounts
With this new bike, wanted to get back into shooting on-board photography with a GoPro. Most of the shots I'm taking are photos rather than video. The GoPro cameras take photos with a setting that'll take a photo every few seconds.
Find your favorite stretch of road and let the camera run, you're sure to get a few good shots. I decided on a used GoPro 7 and these cameras are continually being made obsolete by the newest models being issued by GoPro. I prefer buying lightly used. I paid $245 for this which included three batteries. I already have all the mounts. The newest cameras connect to your phone and I also have a wireless remote.
The main issue with shooting on-board photography is you want the ability to turn the camera on or off with ease while riding. I sold a lot of these when the GoPro first came out and was on the original dealers when the camera was released a decade ago.
Source: ExpressMounts.com
CHAIN
RK GB530GXW
With this new bike, wanted to get back into shooting on-board photography with a GoPro. Most of the shots I'm taking are photos rather than video. The GoPro cameras take photos with a setting that'll take a photo every few seconds.
Find your favorite stretch of road and let the camera run, you're sure to get a few good shots. I decided on a used GoPro 7 and these cameras are continually being made obsolete by the newest models being issued by GoPro. I prefer buying lightly used. I paid $245 for this which included three batteries. I already have all the mounts. The newest cameras connect to your phone and I also have a wireless remote.
The main issue with shooting on-board photography is you want the ability to turn the camera on or off with ease while riding. I sold a lot of these when the GoPro first came out and was on the original dealers when the camera was released a decade ago.
Source: SuperSproxUSA
At the twelve-mile mark is the Crystal Basin Information Station, a forest service building providing all the info you’ll need to camp, jeep, fish, or boat here. Hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm and Fridays from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. Note for the northbound rider, the station is found at the exit of a smooth corner and is hidden from view until you’re right on top of the forest service entrance. The entrance may come up suddenly. Slow moving Jeepers pulling large trailers with even larger rock crawlers may be pulling into the parking lot.
The turnoff for Union Valley Campgrounds is just up the road. To make this your camping destination, reserve space on ReserveAmerica.com or the forest service website. The furthest point is Camino Cove Campground on the west side of the lake near the dam
The majority of Ice House Rd is a delicious two lane, smooth and maintained, banked corners, often with expansive views across the canyon and Sierra. Note there are animals about. One visit to the Fire Lookout, the patrons informed us a rider on Ice House Rd had recently hit a bear. Totaled his bike, but the rider survived due to his armored leathers.
Need a Christmas tree? And a place to cut one down? One year, we got a permit at the Fresh Pond Ranger Station for a Christmas Tree. Then we drove up with the kids on Ice House Rd, took a side road and began wandering through the forest looking for a Christmas tree.
You can cut trees in the national forest with a permit and a couple bucks paid to the local ranger station. It was a fun experience and the kids loved it. Another year, the kid’s school came up with trailers and cut 20 or 30 trees and the school sold them as a fund raiser.
At the 21-mile mark from Hwy 50, you’ll ride up on Robbs Peak Rd to Robbs Hut atop Robbs Peak at 6686 ft. It’s a short unpaved fire road for 6 miles to a locked gate. You then have to hike about 3/4 mile the rest of the way if you opted to ride up to the gate. Robbs Peak Rd is found in a long downhill straight, and easy to blow by if you’re not watching for it. The hut can be rented, reserve online at recreation.gov. There is a second access road from the top of Hartless Mountain on Wentworth Springs Rd, but it’s a locked gate here so plan to hike up the crest of the ridge to Robbs Hut
When you reach Wentworth Springs Rd, it quickly becomes apparent, this makes for the perfect loop. The paving that was done in the early 2000s to connect Wentworth Springs with Ice House Rd created the perfect motorcycle loop. These roads are super fun, endlessly twisty, remote, few sideroads and few people almost year-round.
One mile north of the Wentworth Springs junction is the turn off for Loon Lake. Wentworth Springs Rd extends north from here but this evolves into a dirt fire road to Airport Flat Campground and continues along the contours of Gerle Creek merging with the Rubicon Trail on the north side of Loon Lake.
Stay to the right at the fork in the road and continue on Ice House Rd for one of the more dramatic views overlooking the South Fork of the Rubicon River in the canyon below. No tall trees to obstruct your view, the view south across the Crystal Basin is breathtaking. Space. There’s lots of space. If you need space, you need ride this short hill climb to Loon Lake.
As Ice House Rd passes over the South Fork of the Rubicon River after a quick S-turn, there is Robbs Peak Reservoir barely noticeably beyond a locked gate but the rushing mountain river is beside the road for a short distance. Fed by snow melt, this stream may be dry in summer. The elevation climbs six miles up to Loon Lake from the Wentworth Springs junction. Loon Lake is at the highest level in this multi-level cascade of water.
In 1884, Loon Lake Reservoir was constructed to supply water to Georgetown Ridge for mining. Water in Loon Lake was diverted into canals still visible today. That water flowed all the way to Georgetown and drained back into Pilot Creek. The filling and subsequent release of water from Loon Lake for power generation can vary the lake level as much as 36 feet up or down.
Loon Lake Campground also has an equestrian section exclusively for horses. The Loon Lake Rubicon Trail Head parking lot on the north side of the lake is often full of big trucks and car haulers. Trailers contain large rock crawlers ready to climb over the sierra up the smooth granite rocks that make up the trail.
Nearing Loon Lake, I pulled to the side of the road after miles of basking in this glorious godsend of a ride. Shutting the bike off, I peeled off gloves, helmet and earplugs in the cool mountain air. The sun was quickly overcoming the morning dusk.
Overlooking the Rubicon River Canyon, the sound of the silence was the most peaceful and soothing sounds. The mountain was still. Roads like this were placed on this earth so that you and I can escape for a few moments, stand atop a mountain and survey all the world before us. Not a sound. No neighbors, no lawnmowers, no other traffic, no TV, no kids. Nothing.
Only the sound of the wind flowing across this vast basin within the mountains. And that's it. No other sound. This is why I come up here. This is why you should come up here.
One of the PG&E guys drives by in his blue pickup truck as I stand there. He's grinning from ear to ear and waves. Somehow, he knows what I'm thinking. We can both see for miles! Imagine this view every morning on your way to work!
On this Sunday morning in March flanked by my new motorcycle to which I was much better acquainted with, the sun began to ooze over the horizon. My breath formed wisps of vapor in the 6000 ft mountain air. The first rays poured a brilliance over this cool morning. Upon reaching Loon Lake, there was still snow on the ground and Loon Lake was covered in ice. In summer, the mountain water here is crystal clear and the deepest blue. At night, the skies come alive with stars.
There is a large 3-story chalet here near the lake you can rent. Located at an elevation of 6,348 feet, Loon Lake Chalet is nestled in the granite bowls and lodgepole red fir forest surrounding Loon Lake. The chalet has excellent views of the Sierras and Loon Lake. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) built Loon Lake Chalet in 1989 originally intended as a warming station in winter. A third floor was added a few years later and a sleeping loft created. The chalet is the center of the Loon Lake Winter Recreation Area.
The Loon Lake Chalet is open to the public weekends and holidays in the winter from 9 am to 5 pm. Rental on winter weekends is from 5 pm to 8:30 am. Both the warming room and the loft serve as sleeping areas and will accommodate up to 20 people. A dozen sleeping pads are available in the loft.
A Ranger is in residence on duty, staying in the patrol room on the bottom floor. The chalet has electric heat, lights, and stove. There is a propane fireplace for comfort. The kitchen has a range, hot and cold water, sink, microwave, refrigerator, small dryer, and coffee pot. Furniture includes a seating area made up of a queen-size futon couch and Adirondack couches facing the fireplace, tables, and benches. Outside there is a large deck with BBQ, tables, and benches overlooking the lake. Reserve it at recreation.gov.
Loon Lake spans 76,200 acres and has 53 campsites, 15 RV sites, and 9 equestrian sites. They're open June 15 to Oct 1- reservations of course make sense. There are even 10 sites on the northeast side of Loon Lake that are boat-in campsites called Pleasant Camp. One of the nearby mountain bike trails even includes a 10-foot diameter tunnel through solid rock.
Beyond that- there are another 10 sites at Spider Lake- a hike-in-hike-out campground- although jeepers find it easily reachable to camp on the east side of the lake near Little Sluicebox on the Rubicon Trail. Bring your own water or a good filter. No fees for the hike-in, but first-come-first-serve.
The powerhouse is a short distance away from the Chalet and was completed in 1971. To create what you see today, Loon Lake and Pleasant Lake were joined to form the 1400-acre reservoir. The power generating center is actually 1200 feet below the lake drilled though the ancient rock. The earthen dam at Loon Lake Reservoir sits an elevation of 6410 ft.
Paving on Ice House Rd ends when it reaches Northshore Campground the Red Fir Campground and Loon Lake Dam, then it descends to the Loon Lake Rubicon Trailhead at the base of the earthen dam. The famous 22-mile Rubicon Trail starts here along Gerle Creek, and pops out near Tahoma along Lake Tahoe.
The annual Jeepers Jamboree started in 1952 with 55 vehicles, and will be attended by over 200 rock crawling vehicles. The eastern maintained portion of the trail is called the McKinney Rubicon Springs Road.
Hydro-electric power is produced by this staircase using the same water over and over. This area of man-made reservoirs actually totals not just the dam you see here- but 10 more dams, 11 turbines, 8 powerhouses, and several other dikes and dams along the upper American River. Total installed capacity is over 687 MW, producing 1.8 billion KWh annually, enough for 20 percent of the Sacramento’s electricity needs.
Ice House Rd is one of the few mountain roads plowed clear of snow throughout the winter, weather permitting of course. One April I headed up here and rode across several stretches of ice before giving up and turning around. But a few days of warm sun on the road will dry off the last grip of snow on the road. This adds to the uniqueness of Ice House Road since if you like to ride during winter, this is a great place to visit as the seasons change.
Ice House Rd is a treasure. A truly enjoyable ride, ride it briskly, ride it slowly, makes no difference. It’s endlessly twisty, often with banked turns and steadily climbs northward away from the Hwy 50 corridor until it reaches Loon Lake 34 miles later. While the road passes by several large lakes, none are visible from the road although signage is ample and consistent. The only people you ever saw were the campers, anglers, and jeepers. When Wentworth Springs Rd was completed it created a second access road to reach the Crystal Basin and the Loon Lake staging areas to the Rubicon Trail, but even so, it’s never that busy. Although word to wise, don’t ride it at 5 o clock on a Sunday. Caravans of Jeeps headed home create caravans of 4wd lifted rock crawlers, their large tires humming happy song as they drive by.
After enjoying the morning sun, and noticing I was the only soul up here at this early hour, surrounded in ample layers of snow plus the ice covering the lake, it was time to head back down from the 6500 ft elevation of Loon Lake. My wife would be up soon and wonder where her husband was. But a quick glance at the clock assured me my early departure was a smart move. There was still enough time in my morning to take in the newly paved Wentworth Springs Rd up and over Hartless Mountain.
But that’s another page.
