But the lack of electronic aids is not too critical when the throttle response is as sweet as this. And, of course, the Hayabusa works as well as it ever did when its throttle cable is stretched tight and that 16-valve motor is revving to or even past its 11,000-RPM red-line. Get a good launch away from the lights and by the time you flick into fourth, roughly 10 seconds later, you’ll have covered a quarter of a mile and will be travelling at over 220 km/h, with two gears and another 80 km/h or so to come.
Wind protection? Like much about the Hayabusa, it’s good, but not outstanding. The screen, which was made taller with the revision five years ago, took some breeze off my chest, but not head, and can’t be adjusted. And the Hayabusa did a reasonable job of keeping hands and legs out of the breeze. The generous amount of leg-room added to the feeling of comfort, as did the thin but quite broad seat.
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