External
review by Irocmij
I own a 2002 Suzuki Bandit S 1200 that I purchased new in December
of 2002. The bike currently has around 25,000 miles on it and
has been 100% reliable. I use the Bandit mostly for commuting
and weekend rides and it has been a joy to own. The bike is
fast enough to be exciting and the handling excellent for a
"Sport Touring" bike once you learn what tire pressures to use.
The Bandit is very sensitive to tire pressure and seems to prefer
about two psi less that what the manual suggests. Too much tire
pressure and the handling gets twitchy.
The suspension of the Suzuki Bandit is too cushy for a pure
sportbike but is perfect for the crowd that is generally attracted
to the Bandit--not necessarily older, but wiser (I found out
a long time ago that the street is not a race track and that
it is totally unsafe to ride a bike anywhere near the limits
that sportbikes are capable of. Better to have fun and just
enjoy the ride and not push the limits on the street). The suspension
is great for most roads but does exhibit quite a bit of hopping
on freeway expansion joints. You can dial in the preload on
both the fork and rear shock but it doesn't seem to affect the
freeway hopping.
That big cushy seat does help to dampen some of the rough stuff
but it will not be mistaken for a touring seat. It's good for
about two hours of riding before you need to get off and take
a rest.
Though the bike is very reliable, it has been set up from the
factory with rather lean jetting. Many Bandit owners complain
about the cold-blooded nature and this is a result of the lean
carburation that is required by the EPA. Also, there is a flat
spot in the torque curve that shows up at 4000 rpm--about 70
mph. It shows up on a dyno chart and you can feel it when you
open the throttle at this rpm. Both the cold-blooded nature
and the flat spot can easily be dialed out with the proper jetting.
When accelerating through 4000 rpm's, you never notice the flat
spot.
The Suzuki Bandit is capable of high 10-second quarter mile
times right out of the box. The horsepower is about 100 to the
rear wheel and is plenty for everyday riding. You can easily
exceed every maximum speed limit in second gear and you're never
really concerned about having enough power to pass cars on the
highway. Just twist and go! If you are a horsepower junkie,
just check out Dale
Walker's website [edit. US website] and see what he offers
the aspiring drag racer. There also a lot of non-speed related
stuff like case-savers and higher handlebar mounts for more
comfort on the road.
I own the "S" model of the Bandit and that means it has a fairing/windshield
with dual projector-beam headlights. The fairing is very effective
and keeps the wind off of your torso and even deflects the air
around your hands on those chilly mornings. The fairing weighs
about 14 pounds and reduces that wheelie tendency that the bike
is capable of when the throttle is hammered open in low gears.
The fairing does make it a bit noisier as the air becomes turbulent
as it passer over the top of the windscreen. Those dual projector-beams
look neat but are not quite as effective as the one big headlight
the comes on the standard model. I always run the bike with
the high-beam on as the low-beam is rather ineffective, both
at seeing and being seen.
So what's the maintenance like? Well.... The valve adjustments
come up every 7500 miles. This is the most labor-intensive part
of owning a Suzuki Bandit. It has the old screw and locknut
adjuster, but this means that you can adjust the valves yourself
if you are a competent shade-tree mechanic. Don't try it if
you're unsure because here is one area of the engine that you
can really screw things up. If you do your own valve adjustments,
you will find that taking off and reinstalling all the stuff
that is required just to get to the valves takes way longer
than the actual adjustment. Here's a hint, though -- you don't
have to remove the fairing to get to the valves, just tilt the
fairing forward by removing one mounting bolt. You just saved
yourself 1/2 hour of work! I know that the newer bikes have
the shim over/under bucket design and only require valve adjustment
every 15,000 miles or so (Yamaha - 26,000!), but you usually
have to take it to the dealer. Do you feel OK with removing/installing
the cams just to get to the shims to do a valve adjustment?
Oil, filter changes and chain adjustments are routine and easy
to accomplish. Checking the brake pads is also dead simple as
is the brake and clutch cylinder reservoirs. It's too bad that
the valves have to be checked so often. So there it is. The
Suzuki Bandit 1200S has been around a long time and the 2007
version has just been announced. It will offer 100 more cc's,
fuel injection, a six-speed transmission, ABS and a number of
other small changes. I imagine that it will be a more refined
motorcycle but will lose the "scrapper image" that the early
air-cooled Bandits have. It will also be more expensive! Used
Bandits are the ultimate used bike deal. Many can be had below
$4000. Hmm.....10 second quarter mile times, 40 mpg, decent
handling, comfortable.... something to thing about!
External
review by hamanncrosscreek
I purchased the '05 Suzuki GSF 1200S new in late 2005. I looked
at similar bikes including the retro Kawasaki ZRX 1200, the Yamaha FZ1 and Honda 919 SuperHawk. Price was the primary
factor for choosing the Suzuki. At $6500 it was the bargain
of the four. The faired "S" version also had the sportbike look
I wanted. The 1157 cc motor is very smooth and revs quickly.
This is known as a wheelie bike and it does it easily! It corners
fast and the stock Michelins grip well. I like the big 180/55
on the back. The gearbox is very slick allowing clutchless upshifts
and downshifts. My only complaint so far are the carbs which
are balky when cold. My brother-in-laws '04 Kawasaki Z1000 has digital F.I. which means you
thumb the starter and GO! No waiting to warm up. Riding position
is fine as is the suspension. Most of the magazine reviews bashed
this bike because of its '80s based air-cooled powerplant and
lack of frills. Sure it's no 360 lb. race bike and it wasn't
supposed to be one! It's smooth, fast, comfortable and bargain
priced.
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