2009 BMW K1300S vs. Suzuki Hayabusa - Warp Speed Ahead

Start rolling and the differences become apparent. All of our testers believed that since the Hayabusa had the displacement advantage that surely it would win out in any comparison that involved the application of power. Imagine our surprise when that wasn't the case. All were in agreement that the 'Busa felt slightly lackluster in the torque department (relatively speaking, of course) especially in the midrange. As a result, drive coming off corners suffered-the BMW seemingly driving better exiting turns. Its shorter gearing and lighter weight surely helps here. When the revs start to climb things start to even out, as seen in the sixth gear roll-on times. We did notice an odd anomaly with the K13's throttle application, as, when leaving from a stop, you need to twist the throttle more than usual in order not to stall. Some even noticed a slight lull in power when subtly applying throttle from cruising speeds. None of our testers complained about any kind of shaft-jacking, as used to be the case on shaft-driven BMW's of old. That said, the lag time from the Gear Shift Assist was a little long for our taste. To the Hayabusa's credit, power delivery and gear changes are still as silky smooth as they've always been.

They may be meant for straight line speed, but there comes a time when the roads stop going straight. To this end both bikes work surprisingly well. Steering is slow and heavy for the Suzuki, but with a 58.3-inch wheelbase that's to be expected. Fully adjustable Showa components both front and rear help dial in the ride and once leaned over it's actually a stable machine capable of knee-dragging angles. Of course slowing for a turn is a hair-raising experience in itself, as "wooden" is far too nice a term to describe the 'Zook's braking power. The pads lack any sort of bite and glaze quickly under any sort of aggressive riding. Surely proper brake pads and steel lines would make a vast improvement.

Meanwhile, the K13S again surprised us. It's Duolever front suspension still lacks any sort of feedback for what the front is doing, but overall it feels more balanced in the tight stuff than the Suzuki. This despite having a 4.1-inch longer wheelbase. Once you adapt to riding the Duolever setup (in either Normal or Sport ESA mode) then exploiting the bike is a rewarding experience. In his notes Kento summed it up best, "The bike definitely has the handling traits you'd want in a bike of its genre; nice and stable, but quick-steering enough to allow mid-corner changes without having to call up the bridge and request a new heading.

Say It Ain't So, Batman!
If you're reading this in utter disbelief at the fact that the Hayabusa is getting trounced in almost every category, don't worry-we were equally as shocked. But at the end of the day the numbers speak for themselves. When it comes to the total package of speed, comfort and handling one bike stood out above the other. And if you're wondering why no attention was paid to top speed numbers the reason is simple: both bikes are limited to 186 mph anyway. And really, who needs to go that fast? In fairness, the knocks on the Hayabusa are pretty trivial in the grand scheme of things (well, except for the brake issue) and the extra two grand savings compared to the BMW is enough to make up for practically all its deficits.