Back on the bike!

Hello everyone ... I have owned bikes on and off for most of my life, my last ride was a Triumph Sprint Sport 900 which was a great bike, I sold it 2 years ago and missed my ride ever since, so .... I started the hunt for a new ride.

For a while I had my heart set on a Honda Blackbird but really, at my age it was probably not for me ... I hadn't thought of the Bandit until I rode one a few weeks back and I was really impressed with the performance and fun factor, so I set about finding one and turned up an '02 black 1200S ... low k's and lovingly looked after   

I'm looking forward to loads of fun on this awesome machine ... she's in for some love with my mate at Moto Solutions (Labrador Qld) and then my first outing is to Sydney! 

I'm looking forward to participating on this forum too, I usually look after my own servicing, pretty handy on the tools, so I'll be looking for tips and tricks and hopefully can share a few of my own!

Safe riding and cheers,

Roden

Welcome to the forum Roden  

Cheers Paul ... thanks  

Welcome aboard Roden.  In some ways the 1200 appears to be the simpler machine - none of that EFI and water cooling to worry about. Have fun and be sure to stop and take pics - they're always welcome.

Hi Ewok ... yes, there is a lot to be said for simplicity plus I understand carbs and can fix 'em lol   

LOADS of grunt and looks the goods, I'm pretty happy with my purchase!

G'day Rodents, welcome along.
I used to live in Helensvale myself

Hello Steve ... I'm at Chevron Island ... moving back to Sydney when a work opportunity arises ... I pick my bike up tomorrow, first ride id GC to Sydney ... hope the sun comes out!

Good to see you're escaping the GC, we got out of there a bit over 6 years ago.
I think you'll enjoy the torque that the bandit has.
I'll give you a wave as you go thru Coffs on the way to Sydney

Hey Roden.
Welcome to the forum.
The 1200 is my pick of the Bandits. Lighter and a little less refined, it seems to be a more fun ride.
Don't go to the Big Smoke. Stop at Newcastle on your way down. A far better lifestyle than the rat race.

Hey Boscoe ... I haven't ridden the later liquid cooled bike and I'm sure they are a fine machine but I do love the rawness of the air cooled 1200 ... really looking forward to getting some miles under the belt   

I have a job application in at Newcastle so that might be a possibility ... been looking at Cooks Point, seems nice!

Welcome aboard.
The 1200 is a different machine to the 1250. Especially the early ones.
You'll love it I'm sure. Personally I like the 1250 for where and how it makes its power but a Bandit is a Bandit so welcome

Welcome to the forum Roden. Enjoy your new ride

Welcome to the Forum Roden. Like you I have missed my ride, however in my case it has been 30 years rather than your 2 years since the last ride!

After searching for a while, I managed to pick up an immaculate 2008 1250 Bandit. Rediscovering big bikes especially the Bandit is like catching up with an old girlfriend, with all the benefits and (generally) without the drama!

Enjoy the banter and information exchange which goes on here.

Graham

Hey 2wheelsagain. madmax and GSFBlue ... thanks for the welcome!

Well I picked up my beasty from my mate Ivan at Moto Solutions (hope no one minds me giving his business a plug) and now she's running right   

The carbs were dirty, bowls off, jets cleaned, carbs balanced, oil and filter changed and clutch & brake fluids bled

I went for a quick squirt tonight and totally impressed with the balls this machine has ... I haven't been game to pass 7k on the tacho yet, such is the brutal accelleration    I love it!

Only mod is a Yoshi slip on ... I know there is more power locked away there so I'll be looking forward to finding the key   

First stooopid question ... what is the best way to get this bike onto the centre stand ... in all my time on bikes I have never owned a bike with a centre stand lol

Cheers,

Roden

Center stand actuation is quiet easy, once you have the technique. 
Stand facing the bike on the left hand side, with the bike on the side stand.
Left hand on handlebar. Right hand on grab rail, under seat. 
Place the ball of your right foot on the center stand pedal.
Lift the bike to the vertical, by upward pressure from your right hand and gentle downward pressure of your right foot (just to keep the stand in touch with the ground)
Once the bike is vertical and both center stand feet are on the ground, in one smooth motion put all of your weight on your right foot. In other words, step up onto the stand pedal. A little upward pressure with right hand may help, but usually it's just to steady yourself. 
You'll find that the bike comes up and backwards and the stand locks into place. 
A firm level footing is required.

Welcome Roden, congrats on the new toy! The power from these bandits is intoxicating and keeps you wanting to wind that throttle    Especially with a yoshi pipe such a sweet sound 

Thanks Boscoe ... I figured it out once I found the grab rail ... well balanced ... easy  

Hey Ghostbandit ... intoxicating is a good way to describe it ... bloody hell she nearly peeled me off the seat the first time time I gave her the berries lol

I'm looking forward to my ride to Sydney  

Welcome Roden
Just watch your license its real easy to blow a heap of points as the blood runs out of your ears under heavy acceleration
Have fun, keep it upright!

Hey spanna thanks mate, I'll take it steady ... just started showering on and off here so my first big ride might be a wet one  

Roden wrote:Hey spanna thanks mate, I'll take it steady ... just started showering on and off here so my first big ride might be a wet one  

I owned an FZ1 that got wet on every ride I planned.   
Was ok if commuting but guaranteed to make it rain if a "ride" was planned.

Welcome to the forum buddy.

Roden wrote:Hey Ghostbandit ... intoxicating is a good way to describe it ... bloody hell she nearly peeled me off the seat the first time time I gave her the berries lol

I'm looking forward to my ride to Sydney  

Just try and keep your licence  

welcome mate.

good to see another oil cooler on the site.

how many K`s has it got on it?

Hello mtbeerwah ... cheers mate, happy to have found this forum   

40k on the clock so I suspect just run in lol

Runs VERY well after carb clean and balance, brutish acceleration, fantastic on the highway, she will easily cruise at speeds well above legal limits, not that I am advocating such behaviour, I'm just saying ...

I rode Gold Coast to Sydney yesterday, I didn't have time to take the scenic roads so headed straight down the Pacific Highway

My thoughts after a 900klm day in the saddle? 

• Performance for touring is brilliant, a twist of the throttle sends you rocketing past trucks    and so spending minimum time on the wrong side of the road  
  

• Seating position is good for all day riding, I didn't suffer any leg or hip cramps and remember, I wasn't on twisty roads shifting around alot, so quite happy with that ... I was ready to get off after two hours though as my backside was feeling it so maybe a better seat would be of benefit.
  
• Fuel consumption seems pretty good considering the temptation to crack it open at every opportunity and ahem ... higher cruising speeds  
  

• A bit buzzy through the pegs at 110 in top, not overly annoying, just buzzy
  

• Distinct vibes at around 3.5-4.5k ... seems to make the fairing buzz somehow or is it the engine? Not sure
  
• Wind blast is pretty bad, I think that screen is not helping ... I know it's essentially a naked bike but is there a better screen to deflect wind a bit?
  
• Popping and crackling on the over run ... she has a Yoshi slip on with stock headers, I suspect jetting is stock and maybe a little lean but I'm sure I'll learn about tuning options here    
  

All in all an awesome machine, for what I paid for it and the low cost to insure, I am well pleased   

I welcome any comments on my points above ... the aim is to do some serious two up touring so all day comfort is important. I'm not going to try keeping up with my Super Sports buddies, comfort and complience is all I'm after, so simple suspension mods are probably all thats required ... any ideas along those lines are also welcome

Keep the shiny side up   

Cheers,

Roden