Few questions from a potential newbie

Hi ya all

I am thinking of buying a new 2010 1250s, i have been riding a dl650 for the last 3 years, I would like to get something with a bit more torque, but comfy as well. I have done 55000 k's on the Vstrom of which probably 40.000 commuting to and from work thru Perth peak hour traffic and the rest country rides.

So I went for a test ride last week and I was NOT as impressed as I was hoping I would be,.. loved the engine,... felt real nice and smooth and powerful and could see myself commuting with it. But only a 15 minute ride in 60 70k's zones i could feel the heat of the engine on my legs! and the mirrors were useless! I had to twist left and or right to look past my arm. I also have a ? re the wind protection from the screen? didn't get to try it on the freeway but it looks and feels like its not going to divert much wind over the helmet.

So i have been searching the internerd for some answers, but cant find any post here on the engine heat issue,.. Perth gets hot in summer and when splitting lanes in summer i dont want to fry my legs. Are there ready made options available to extend the mirrors? and the screen? Was hoping i could find a good thread on screen option available for the 1250s?

Cheers

Hey Mip. Mirror Extenders link. I have these spacers and love them. new screens are a popular mod depending on your height. we get around 2-3weeks of 40's out here but not a lot of traffic, so i never noticed alot of heat.

Hey Reardo, your bike could do with a wash I think mate

Never noticed the hat on mylegs and I have ridden in Melb on a 42 deg day (the only time the fan has ever come on)
Not sure what the air flow on the fully faired bikes are like but if you're a typical WA rider you need more than shorts and thongs anyway lol

If I was in traffic every day I would be installing mirror extenders. As it is I dont need them but the mirrors rarely get a flogging in any review and I can assure you they are better than most. At 6ft I like the stock screen too at all speeds but I do have a hardwork jacket and an easy jacket. One seems to generate a lot more turbulance than the other.

At the end of the day if the bike doesnt suite it doesnt suit and you're free to look for another that does

Heat. I commute in perth most days (not at the moment tho) and apart from the sun I have never really noticed the heat from the engine. I wear long pants even in the heat of summer tho. when the fan is running it gets a little warmer from the hot air blast but nothing to write home about IMO

screens there are heaps and I mean heaps of options out there. here is a link to a maxzuk thread that bundles a whole bunch into one place. it is US centic so there are probably more. google and a bit of time is defiantly your friend on this one. you'll need to be mindfull that you won't get the same amount of wind protection on the bandit as what you had on the strom.

mirror extndas There are heaps of sellers out there but pretty much all are of the same design. take about 10 mins to fit. look around and you'll find a good price.

Hi, I have never noticed the heat and it gets a bit warm here. Do you wear long pants or was this in shorts, I guess in shorts you may be able to notice it.

Mirror extenders are a dime a dozen, there are different types as well. Motorrad garage has some nice ones that aren't that big block of ally.

For the screen,, buy 10 different sizes all ranging in price use one a week, get buffeted stupid by nearly all of them and then put the original one back on.

Although if I test road a bike and was less than impressed, it would be off of my list already.

Oh and Reardo.........CLEAN YOUR SHED.

And your bike

Saikhan wrote:Oh and Reardo.........CLEAN YOUR SHED.

Looks like he's even hanging onto an old telly. Does this man never throw anything out? lol

2wheelsagain wrote:

Saikhan wrote:Oh and Reardo.........CLEAN YOUR SHED.

Looks like he's even hanging onto an old telly. Does this man never throw anything out? lol

I've seen old tellys made into great looking eskys.


And - NUDITY on the bandit forum!! - looks to be a chicky babe up on the wall.

Hi

I have not had any issues with heat , even when lane cutting through brisbane. Mirrors i find are good . With the wind i test rode a vstrom before the bandit and found the wind on the vstrom worse at 100km/h +. The Bandit you still get wind but remember you arent riding a goldwing

Holdenman

Note to self: "Never ever post a pic of the inside of the shed" :-)

Saikhan wrote:For the screen,, buy 10 different sizes all ranging in price use one a week, get buffeted stupid by nearly all of them and then put the original one back on.

I went thru this also and have returned to the original. I'm even toying with the idea of getting a cheep 2nd hand screen to cut down shorter and see how that goes

Thanks guys for your replies,..

I never ever ride in shorts, .. I was wearing jeans on the test ride, now i am thinking if it was just my imagination that i was feeling the engine heat on my legs, hmmm I was browsing around a fair bit more yesterday avo and indeed found a lot of post/ links on the bandit screens,.. bit like the vstrom there are lots of different opinions on the screens and what works for who... good to see that there is lots of choice out there and the experiences are getting shared around on the forums. as for the mirrors well yes there seem to be simple solutions.

I think i may go for another test ride soon and make it a longer one, Ok perhaps my expectations were high after reading and researching the bike online, certainly loved the feel of the engine, just wasn't that impressed with the ergonomics, but hey i obviously compared it with the vstrom, which is a pretty comfy ride.. value for money i still believe it is.

The money for a new bike is just sitting in the bank at the moment not doing anything, so i am itching to trade the vstrom, will have to tell guys at the stromtroopers forum that i may be going to defect!

Cheers

They do get kind of hot but not more so than any other modern bike. When the fan comes on in traffic you get blasted by some hot air but not really a big deal...

As for the screen, I don't have one at all and I've never thought the wind was a problem.

Yeah they do get a bit hot if you are doing 60km stop start traffic. As others stated no more than any other bike out there. Screens are a bit of a laugh, I've stuck with the stock screen and got a decent helmet that doesn't wiggle around at speed (although it does require ear plugs). The Bandit has reasonable legs and personally I wouldn't be commuting onit but thats up to you.

I do 23K either way to work but most of that is 100kph and I've never had an issue, seat is a bit hard for any extended riding. That can be fixed with an airhawk.

dhula wrote:Note to self: "Never ever post a pic of the inside of the shed" :-)

Bloody hell. a bloke go's away 4 the weekend and come back to fined he's bandit mates have gone thou he's shed

reddog wrote:Yeah they do get a bit hot if you are doing 60km stop start traffic. As others stated no more than any other bike out there. Screens are a bit of a laugh, I've stuck with the stock screen and got a decent helmet that doesn't wiggle around at speed (although it does require ear plugs). The Bandit has reasonable legs and personally I wouldn't be commuting onit but thats up to you.

I do 23K either way to work but most of that is 100kph and I've never had an issue, seat is a bit hard for any extended riding. That can be fixed with an airhawk.

Never noticed heat to be an issue with the "Twelve-fiddy" , fairing screen I have left stock;probably more to do with getting off my Katana, which has a little less wind protection , you are better served looking for a quieter helmet; I am probably getting old, but the wind on a motorcycle is to be expected. I have had the seat on mine re-done, it gets cruel after a couple of hours.
I wont comment on commuting as I live in a country town, you probably get more traffic in your street than I do in my entire commute.

Dink

Haven't noticed any heating issues myself but am now starting to thaw out after a decidedly cold Canberra winter - some heat on the legs for the morning ride to work would have been welcome!
I fitted a Givi screen and, like others, removed it and returned to the original. I reckon the Givi would have been good for anyone around 5ft 10 in but I'm 6ft 3in and it damn nearly buffetted my helmet off!
Yep, and the seat gets hard after about 2 hrs riding - but I did a 6 hour ride back from Gippsland (Victoria) a few weekends back with the Airhawk and no problems.

Signed on a dotted line yesterday morning, being licensed tomorrow and picking it up in the avo.

Now,... time to go shopping,.. on the list: Mirror extenders, Exhaust pipe (something a lot smaller), Screen, Top box, hand guards perhaps, hmmm would like to change the rear end ,.. not sure what's available yet? Anyone using led rear lights and or indicators?

Any other suggestions are very welcome

Oh, yes i did take it out for a longer ride over the freeway and some city traffic,.. and enjoyed it,.. they were eager to sign me up and i was very pleased with the change over price, so I said what the hell why not,.. time for a change.

Girlfriend, who rides a (beautiful) softail was hoping for a harley change, but I am long way away from that.

Cheers,

PS any other WA bandit riders on this forum?

mip wrote:PS any other WA bandit riders on this forum?

Yes there are a few of us.Location is over -----------> somewhere

Mip wrote:PS any other WA bandit riders on this forum?

Yeah mate I'm down in Albany. I assume that your in Perth?

I have updated my profile,,..I'm 30k south of Perth.

Have spend a few hours last night looking at Bandit 'farkles' shopping list i growing, but will start with essentials first,.. mirror extenders, screen, top box and pipe.

Mip wrote:I have updated my profile,,..I'm 30k south of Perth.

Have spend a few hours last night looking at Bandit 'farkles' shopping list i growing, but will start with essentials first,.. mirror extenders, screen, top box and pipe.

See my recent post on Product Review - it shows my Bandit with a Yoshi R77 carbon can and Bandit Mania belly pan. What you can't see is the radiator guard, gear position indicator (the 1250s doesn't have one standard) and the speedo healer. Apart from that it's standard but I might do something with the forks downstream.

*Mirrors exrenders - I haven't done them yet but really should. I was mucking around with something a little out there but have decided it doesn't do what I want.
*radguard - should be done in the first week IMO
*Muffler - smaller, lighter, sounds nice, looks nice. You may want to do a PAIR plug/block off kit to eliminate the popping on trailing throttle, but wait until you fit the muffler first. Some people like the crackle and pop sounds.
*Hugger - looks nice and reduces sand and dirt and crud on the shock/back of engine area
*bars - the bar angle is a bit much for some. it was for me.
*seat - wait until you are used to the standard seat and have ridden the bike for a while to decide as you may get used to it. Some have. I didn't so changed it. Many options out there but IMO explore repadding and recovering first as it's cheeper and could be all you need.
*luggage - only if you want it and needs it, but IMO hard top box and soft saddle bags plus a tank bag if need be.

Next for me come the fork changes and maybe rear shock change.

The only other mod I guess is the most important one.
*Placemarseonseat

dhula wrote:*Mirrors exrenders - I haven't done them yet but really should. I was mucking around with something a little out there but have decided it doesn't do what I want.
*radguard - should be done in the first week IMO
*Muffler - smaller, lighter, sounds nice, looks nice. You may want to do a PAIR plug/block off kit to eliminate the popping on trailing throttle, but wait until you fit the muffler first. Some people like the crackle and pop sounds.
*Hugger - looks nice and reduces sand and dirt and crud on the shock/back of engine area
*bars - the bar angle is a bit much for some. it was for me.
*seat - wait until you are used to the standard seat and have ridden the bike for a while to decide as you may get used to it. Some have. I didn't so changed it. Many options out there but IMO explore repadding and recovering first as it's cheeper and could be all you need.
*luggage - only if you want it and needs it, but IMO hard top box and soft saddle bags plus a tank bag if need be.

Next for me come the fork changes and maybe rear shock change.

The only other mod I guess is the most important one.
*Placemarseonseat

Picked up the bike this avo after work,.. All good, nice commute home, and getting to know the bike, splitting lanes in 2nd gear nice is and smooth.

Indeed, a rad guard is high on the list, and will order one soon, I like the black look and would like to make it more black, so need to find a black rad guard.

I have already ordered the mirror extenders this avo from an ebay seller called mlabel.parts

BIG change in wind protection coming from the vstrom and i feel the wind is hitting me right at neck level, its a bit hit and mis with what screen to get from what ive been reading,... (been reading a lot online and not doing much work lately) thinking about the double bubble with windlip from eagle screens, but not sure yet. I like the look of the zero gravity double bubble, but not sure if its high enough.

For the pipe i probably get a beowolf short black warrior, like the look and seems good value,.. I do like the Yoshi r77, but its a fair bit more money, since i have 2k budget to fit all the farkles in, I have to watch the money a little, unless someone can convince me to go yoshi and tell me where the best deal is! PS should I wait till the engine is broken in a little before changing the pipe?

Yes I like the look of the hugger and chain guard (in black off course) and I will get one. Where is the best deal?

Luggage, well i have to travel with a laptop to and fro work every day and really don't like wearing a backpack. Been looking at the givi top box, but have not figured out yet where i can get the best deal? anyone have any suggestions on where to get it from?

Bars ,.. hmmmm yes, not yet sure about the ones that are on at the moment. Indeed something a bit more straight, and lower perhaps? not sure? I haven't seen many threads and or info about bars. Where does everyone get their info from? besides this forum?

Seat ,.. I think it feels OK,.. but haven't done a few hours ride yet, don't really like the look of it so have to look around a little, I imagine its not a cheap mod tho.

whats the deal with speedo? is it really that inaccurate?

Gear indicator,... not fussed about that, suppose it could be nice, but seems a waste of money to me,.. you should be able to feel what gear you are in.

Would like to get rid of the rear guard or change it a little, but haven't found much info or threads about that. I have seen somewhere the number plate bracket, but not sure how its fitted or what it looks like, also have to sort of keep it semi legal.

Bars. I have GSX650F bars on mine and they do the job for me although I would like a bit less pull back to relive the ever so slight bit of pressure I get on the outside of my palms. What I have is better then the stock bars for for me tho. Also gave me a bit more lean over but not too much.

Seat. There are a few options out there ranging from cheep to expensive. I have a GSX650F seat on my bike which I have recovered with better vinyl and I find it much better for me. There are the sheepy covers, airhawks and further onto the sergent and corbin seats which are well regarded but close to $1000 which for me is not good value for money. Might be a bit cheeper with the good exchange rate now tho.

Screen. IMO do not do anything with this until you settle on bars and seat as both of these will change how the wind hits you

Zorst. I like the beowulf but that;s me, do lots of research on this to find what you want but in the end they all do pretty much the same thing.

Top box. I got mine in the deal with the bike but have brought a top box and bkt for my wifes bike which I got for less than $500 all up.

Speedo. It's about 10% slow across the board with standard gearing. There are a few solutions out there.

rear fender. You could jsut cut of the portion below the number plate but be carefull as the WA po po don't like FE's and like to enforce the 45 degree rule