You know that sinking feeling you get when you’re out having a great day on your bike, and then suddenly it makes a strange and unexpected noise and you lose power? As we ask that, we hope very much that you don’t know this story firsthand, and that you’ve only ever heard it from other people.
At any rate, that’s exactly what just happened to the team at TTS Performance. They had Bike World’s Chris Northover over to test out the SuperBusa on a drag strip and see just what it could do. The video opens with footage of exactly when the bike let go, from two different angles. For the best experience, we recommend headphones so you can hear the noise it makes in full.
So, what went wrong? As Richard from TTS Performance explained, Northover had been having a great time on the bike up until something went wrong (which, we’ll be honest, is usually how it goes). When they heard the noise and managed to wrestle it back to the pit area, they had a sneaking suspicion that their speed runs were done for the day—and as it turns out, they were right.
The problem, thankfully, was not internal. While TTS Performance had done a number of supporting modifications to make its supercharger system work on a Hayabusa, the exhaust system on the bike was intended for a naturally aspirated ‘Busa, making naturally aspirated ‘Busa power—not the 372 horsepower of the TTS SuperBusa.
It turns out that the exhaust springs gave up, and two of the headers popped off and started slamming into the oil cooler. Even if they’d been able to secure them back in place on the bike, the team obviously wanted to get the bike back to the shop in order to check it over and do any repairs needed to ensure both safety and performance in future runs.
In any case, TTS Performance says they’ll be back at it again, and they’ll also invite Bike World back to check it out once the bike is sufficiently ready for another go. The SuperBusa will also make an appearance at MCN’s Festival of Motorcycling in Peterborough on May 13 and 14, 2023, at the East of England Arena. We’ll include a link in our Sources if you’re in the UK and you’re interested in seeing the SuperBusa in person (or, you know, attending the event).
