love my bandit

:Dit is almost three years,to the day,when i bought my 2009 bandit 1250sa.brand new. i have done a few mods,which have transformed it, into one of the sweetest running bike i have had,round about now,i am looking for another machine,but everytime i get on my bandit,i think ,why?it does everything i want.also i have only 19000kms.i am sure it will be good for a lot,lot more.cheers.chris.roberts

I bought my Bandit new in 2002. I have ridden lots of other bikes since, but NONE of them have made me want to sell the Bandit. I've ridden a few I'd have as well as, but none instead of.

yes,i have had faster,supposedly better quality bikes,but just the ease of operation,the sound of that big turbine engine.my bandit,is still like new.still tight,with a few mods like pcv,dyno tune,r77 yoshi,secondectomy,it runs like a dream,cheers chris.roberts

I just got out for a quick boot today. Haven't been able to ride since November....stupid snow! It was awesome, I just installed delkevic down pipes and 8" mini stainless. Oh and a 17t gear. I LOVE MY BANDIT!!

well done pete,what the hell is snow??

christopher.roberts wrote:well done pete,what the hell is snow??

It's this wierd stuff that falls from the sky and most common sense riders then decide to park their bike for four months...lol.

christopher.roberts wrote::Dit is almost three years,to the day,when i bought my 2009 bandit 1250sa.brand new. i have done a few mods,which have transformed it, into one of the sweetest running bike i have had,round about now,i am looking for another machine,but everytime i get on my bandit,i think ,why?it does everything i want.also i have only 19000kms.i am sure it will be good for a lot,lot more.cheers.chris.roberts

Only one problem here, you need to ride more.

Sounds like you need to swap it a much loved Silver 2008 Bandit... just run in at 47k... I'll borrow yours and give it back in 10 months when it will more than likely have about 35k on the clock!

Just thought I'd share a few thoughts.

Bike history: Honda 750 (back in the day) couple of thumpers - the XT550 was notable - long ownership 90K. I'd have another. SRX600 - still have it. Mixed feelings. Like the bike, not that easy to live with. Still, it's a keeper.

Been looking for a road bike with some tour capability. Test rode an FA last spring (secondhand, pristine 17K one careful owner) liked the ride (long ride, couple of hours) but was not real impressed as a buy. Dealer told me he could sell me a new one for under 2K more. Concerned about the future of my licence, I passed. Wrote it off as an idea.

Happened to see a 2007 1250s with panniers, new Michelin PR2s (4 km only on them), Heated grips, risers on the bars, tank protection, Megacycle exhaust, slightly larger screen, Gear indicator, Givi Panniers, Ventura rack and bag, 10k on the clock and best of all, 1 year Rego with a current roadworthy in the right state. 2 previous owners, both older fellows, the last of which only really used it to go the GP. Little use. $8750 I didn't even think about it, or negotiate. No test ride even. I knew what it was. Done. Waited a couple of days for the money to move, rode it up to the Rego office and paid the stamp duty.

Impressions:
While it is heavier than the K2 Honda by nearly 20 kg, it has better balance. Easier to roll around, and appears to carry the weight lower.
It will out-brake the K2, has MUCH more poke (in the vicinity of 1/3 more horsepower), is smoother, very easy to live with.
As a rider new to an unfamiliar bike, I appreciate the gear indicator, probably won't really need it in the long run, but it is useful to remind me when I've got another gear to go. The Oxford grips are a luxury. It's starting to cool off and a couple of trips of some 125 kays early in the morning or late at night have convinced me these are a must have. I've only used the lowest setting. Certainly adds to the comfort.
The previous owner must never have ridden at night. He's about my weight and the lights were adjusted far too short. Easily adjusted. All paperwork supplied.
It's a bit of an ask to swing a leg over it for an old fart like me, but doable, due to the elevated rear seat. Panniers (when fitted) add to this. Still, I'm OK with the fit. I'm surprised how I actually can roll it around while astride, at least on smooth surfaces. - my test of whether a bike is simply too big.
The screen sets up a bit of a shriek in my helmet if I sit too low. I'd prefer a lower screen, I'm about due for a new helmet, so I won't do anything about it, in case it's the helmet.

Improvements/things to do:
I put on a Rad-Guard radiator screen on straight-away. It's hard to believe neither previous owner had one on it. All the little dings I found on it were of my own doing-I have a block of rough gravel to get out and home on. They were going to build up quickly.
The Pro-Oiler arrived yesterday. I can see little problem with fitting it. Should actually be an easier fit than the Scottoiler I've got on the other bike. Pro-Oiler has better metering of the oil, and you don't have to use "special" oil, you can use whatever reservoir you can fit (one is supplied) and I've got just the thing in the way of a bigger reservoir, if it fits the space. More to come on that.
I'll need to fit a panel to round up the three little blocks I'll have, maybe leave room for a GPS. Research required into little mounting panels. etc.
Engine bars - Yep, I'll want.
Fender Extender - Already mentioned - I do ride gravel.
Speedo healer? is it wrong? I'm not that fussed about what precise speed I'm doing, but find the digital speedo a little annoying. I am tending to watch the tacho more. It might be handy to know that what is displayed is right when travelling through Victoria.
I won't upgrade the lights. Well, maybe. There is too much wildlife around here to encourage going fast at night.

I've only done 3 tanks of fuel in 3 weeks, mostly country riding, some quick. It actually is more economical than the 600 cc single it shares space with, and of course covers distance a lot better. Time and space. You all know.
I am loving the effortless way that one can negotiate open road traffic, where there is a slow vehicle holding up a big string. Point to point, it will be very good without going faster than is prudent.
Reminds me that faster is not a sign of a better rider. Any idiot can go fast. Better riders are riders longer, not necessarily faster, but some are.

Pretty easy to live with, really. Best thing I've done for myself in a long time.

I'm not the sort of person who has any real brand loyalty, or ever had my heart set on any particular bike, when shopping, apart from when I got the SRX. This one will do me.

Doubtless, I'll be full of questions later on.

JS

jstava wrote:Just thought I'd share a few thoughts........................................

Well that post was about 3000% longer than the average grunt effort here

Yes the Bandit is a good do it all bike that does what its designed to do.

However I'm convinced for a couple of $ more it could have rolled out of Japan a lot better.
But all the same I'm keeping mine and thinking of selling my "much better" FZ1

Hey JS

Welcome. The Speedohealers are great. The Bandit speedo is consistently 7% out at 100 k and with one fitted, against a calibrated GPS it is accurate to within 1 km/hr. A very easy fit too.

I have posted a quick writeup on my blog: http://kewwibike.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/fitting-speedohealer.html

Lots of pics and info on a variety of mods and this NSW site is the best in the world in my opinion!

kewwig wrote:

The Bandit speedo is consistently 7% out at 100 k

Mine is/was about 10.5% out, but I think I might need to recheck now you have posted 7%

Tsim wrote:

kewwig wrote:

The Bandit speedo is consistently 7% out at 100 k

Mine is/was about 10.5% out, but I think I might need to recheck now you have posted 7%

Mine is a constant 7%

The Bandit 1250 until around 2010 with the two round instruments seems consistently 7% out. I can't speak for the speedo on the GSX or later Bandits with the GSX instruments. I have access to calibrated gear so confirmed it accurately.