My best bike ever

Hi All, thanks for the add and for all the shared info and experiences. After a lot of years chasing mates on Bandits, I now know why they are so damn hard to keep up with, that smooth, willing grunt out of a corner is bliss! Addictive too   

My 2010 Bandit 1250S is the twelfth bike I have owned and I love it  the only hassle is the pillion seat is not so great, nowhere near as good as my GS1000E and that was 37 years ago!  What happened at Suzuki, what were they thinking?  Did they drink the kool-aid and decide form is more important than function?

My first bike was an 'evil'  Yamaha DT360, what a beast, when it ran, it was a glorious rush of two stroke power, that's if you survived the demonic   kickstart which was just as likely to cripple you as start the bike 

One brother had a Honda 750 Bore, err sorry 750 Four and it was ok but lacked the adrenalin rush of the DT and felt like the frame was hinged somewhere under the seat    Another bro bought a Kwaka 1000, now that had an exciting engine   but crap suspension and seat, then Suzuki released the first GS750 and I was in love, bought the first model wire wheels and single disc up front.  Travelled many miles on that, it blew the honda into the weeds even when that was upgraded with an 810 kit and the GS would stay with the Kwaka thou up to 'go directly to jail' speeds. 

Traded up to a GS1000E.  Fantastic machine, best ever for carrying a pillion, that seat was plush, better than the rider's.  It handled far better than the 750 and carried a helluva load travelling the whole east coast of OZ without a problem to speak of.

Also had a Guzzi V50 at this time, technically it was the wife's lol    and then 'we' bought her a Kawasaki GPZ550, what a pocket rocket!  And that Uni-trak system, (the forerunner of the Bandit's?) was a revelation 

Then, in a rush of blood, bought the first model Harley Sturgis, first ride was pretty disappointing, after the GS1000, and it took a lot of modifications to get it anywhere near the same performance. But when I did, oh what fun   haha then it broke, and broke again and again and again.  Got Harleys out of my system well and truly! 

Next up was a BMW1000CS, fantastic touring bike, amazing felt like flying on that long travel suspension however, like the Harley, it broke 

Had a couple of trailies at this time also, KLR250 and KLX175.

Next an XJ850 Yamaha Triple, not bad for a shaftie and it had a fantastic wailing triple cylinder note to play with.  Comfie, not a bad handler, except on dirt, it was terrible on the dirt.  In the end, this was the bike that turned me off Yamahas, it developed an oil leak at the base gasket.  I am qualified as a fitter and turner and have rebuilt car, 4wd and motorcycle engines and the obvious built in obsolescence was so apparent, it broke my trust in the company's products.

Then a hiatus, due to family commitments, in which time I did have the benefit of extensive use of my brother's GSX1100, great bike!

Needing transport for work, one day I spotted a rather humble looking Z550 Kawasaki Uni-trak, to my surprise this bike was almost as fast as the GPZ550 and it handled a little better to boot, bargain!  On a twisty road, it was a weapon, until the fateful day crap roadworks combined with wet conditions destroyed it and did me no little harm as well.  If anyone other than the councils did the roadworks around here, they would be sued into bankruptcy!

One of those bikes I was chasing on the straights and trouncing in the corners was a ballistic Bandit, a B2 with a truly accomplished lunatic of a rider   We swapped at times and while I loved the power, I could not get my head around the front ends performance, or lack of it compared to the Z. Then a brother bought a 2010 Bandit 1250s, wow, more power, smoother and it handled as well as the Z550, even better at higher speeds, I was hooked 

If you have read this far, congrats, thanks, hope we meet in person someday soon. 

Welcome opa.

That's a very impressive intro!!

Welcome to the forum opa................are you also a member of a writers forum   ...........................great write up  though.
                        

                     Ps ..............where are you from ?

Gday OPA. Surprised you never bought/rode a gsx1400

paul wrote:Welcome to the forum opa................are you also a member of a writers forum   ...........................great write up  though.
                        

                     Ps ..............where are you from ?

Hey Paul, thanks! yes I am a writer, though not a member of writers forum, I research and write for the International Meditation Teachers and Therapists Association http://www.imtta.org/ current address is Eumundi, in Queensland. 

reddog wrote:Gday OPA. Surprised you never bought/rode a gsx1400

Thanks reddog, thought on the GSX1400 however, it does not have a fairing and I do a lot of riding on the highway, at the speed limits of course 

Chook wrote:Welcome opa.

That's a very impressive intro!!

Thanks Chook 

Welcome to the forum opa

madmax wrote:Welcome to the forum opa

Thanks madmax 

A warm welcome opa. Quite a list of bikes there, and interesting observations on them. 

Ewok1958 wrote:A warm welcome opa. Quite a list of bikes there, and interesting observations on them. 

Thanks Ewok!

Welcome aboard and thanks for the in-depth intro. You almost qualify

2wheelsagain wrote:Welcome aboard and thanks for the in-depth intro. You almost qualify

 Crikey , the entrance exam is getting harder....................

paul wrote:

2wheelsagain wrote:Welcome aboard and thanks for the in-depth intro. You almost qualify

 Crikey , the entrance exam is getting harder....................

Lucky we're already in paul 

Chook wrote:

paul wrote:

2wheelsagain wrote:Welcome aboard and thanks for the in-depth intro. You almost qualify

 Crikey , the entrance exam is getting harder....................

Lucky we're already in paul 

My thoughts exactly   ..............then again , we also have our good looks to get us through 

Welcome dude.

I also rate the 1250S Bandit as the best bike I have owned.  Its my 15th road bike having had all sorts of things including an 89 model ZX10, an RZ500, VFR750 RC36 and most recently before the Bandit a BMW R1150RT.  Yep that's a fair mixed grill in that lot.

the Bandit is the best engine I have ever experienced on two wheels and by a long way.  I ride mine almost everyday to work and back.  Just replace the horrible factory seat with a Sergeant or similar and you will love it even more.

GDUB

paul wrote:

Chook wrote:

paul wrote:

2wheelsagain wrote:Welcome aboard and thanks for the in-depth intro. You almost qualify

 Crikey , the entrance exam is getting harder....................

Lucky we're already in paul 

My thoughts exactly   ..............then again , we also have our good looks to get us through 

Thats up for review

2wheelsagain wrote:

paul wrote:

Chook wrote:

paul wrote:

2wheelsagain wrote:Welcome aboard and thanks for the in-depth intro. You almost qualify

 Crikey , the entrance exam is getting harder....................

Lucky we're already in paul 

My thoughts exactly   ..............then again , we also have our good looks to get us through 

Thats up for review

2wheelsagain wrote:Welcome aboard and thanks for the in-depth intro. You almost qualify

haha thanks, lovin the Bandit, the VFR must be good to lure you away! 

GDUB wrote:Welcome dude.

I also rate the 1250S Bandit as the best bike I have owned.  Its my 15th road bike having had all sorts of things including an 89 model ZX10, an RZ500, VFR750 RC36 and most recently before the Bandit a BMW R1150RT.  Yep that's a fair mixed grill in that lot.

the Bandit is the best engine I have ever experienced on two wheels and by a long way.  I ride mine almost everyday to work and back.  Just replace the horrible factory seat with a Sergeant or similar and you will love it even more.

GDUB

Thanks GDUB, I've tried a Corbin   my pillion preferred the standard, will check out the Sergeant seat, like the design of the Shad Comfort Seat from the UK it seems to at least pay some attention to the shape of the male anatomy.  I've done a lot of miles on a pushbike too and there are a lot of seat designs for a pushie shaped to take the riders weight on the Sitz bones rather than the perineum and the coccyx.

Yeah, have to agree, it's the engine that makes the bike, seamless torque anywhere from 3500 rpm, so easy! The engine was the reason I bought this bike, everything around it can be changed and improved, but I love the engine just as it is!  Had the front end serviced this week, new springs, oil, seals, bearings, loving the Bandit even more now!

Yeah the shape of the Sergeant isn't perfect either but is mile better than the horrible plank Suzuki put there.  the Sergeant is a little wide in the hips for me which forces me to sit a little more forward than seems natural but I've got used to it now.  the factory seat was 15 minutes to numbness for me