Tuning the 1250 Bandit

I would like to share my experience about tuning my Bandit (GSF1250S), previously hard to ride at low revs/speeds but now fully controllable and enjoyable.
My bike was hard to control sub 3000rpm, it would surge and hunt, this made take offs, cornering and low speed maneuvering very difficult, constant clutch work was required to control the erratic revs. It was scary to apply the throttle mid corner as the revs would rise beyond what my throttle input expected.

My bike now is a different beast, fully controllable from idle up, a pleasure to ride. Low speed maneuvers are easier and holding the 60kmh speed limit is simple. I have done 3 things to improve my bike. I reset the throttle position for the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor), I balanced the throttle bodies and I removed the secondary butterflies. I inquired at my local Suzuki dealer about tuning the bike and at $65/hour they could check the OBD (On board Diagnostic). Rather than waste money there I ordered a Morgan Carbtune (AU$109.24 delivered) and a Healtech OBD Tool (AU$262.80 delivered). You could do the job without the OBD tool if required.

If you want technical info or more detail I am happy to supply it if needed, but the throttle body sync has been covered by dhula on this forum, TPS adjustment and secondary fly removal has been covered at TWT (Two Wheeled Texans). There doesn't seem to be much local debate regarding surging, herky jerky throttle or hunting, but I am sure there are more bikes with this problem. The reason for the poor tuning from Suzuki is due to emissions laws, the bikes are made to run lean to pass the tests which creates a bike that is is difficult to ride. My bike is bog standard except for the secondary butterfly removal, but now it is a much better machine to ride due to the tuning and simple mod.

That's a great result for you. It sounds like you now have the bike most of us had right from the showroom!
My bike passed emissions testing too and is as smooth as.........
Throttle balance will be done a part of the 24k service but still feels good.

Well done mate, was the OBD tool easy to use? Healtech OBD Tool (AU$262.80 delivered) seems to be a lot of $ for just a CD and some wires.

The Healtech OBD Tool might seem expensive (the same tool from Suzuki, the SDS is $700) but I know the dealer at $65/hour would not do the proper work so I put my money into the Tool rather than the dealer.

The OBD Tool is easy to use, it provides info from every sensor, you can read and clear trouble codes, a good asset to work on your own bike but a bit of a novelty if you do not plan to.

If you are lucky enough to have a well running bike, you might consider it expensive, but mine has paid for itself already through saved dealer costs and knowing my bike is set up correctly. Just the enjoyment factor of now riding my clean revving bike was worth it. Also no more sore right wrist from trying to control the touchy throttle.

Has anyone tried the Healtech X-TRE (for the FA) or the other Timing Retard Eliminator on the Bandit?
It works a treat on the 650F. I found it made for snappy throttle response low in the rev range (1500rpm) so car parks and low speed corners are much better.

Also if anyone was wondering I found it has done nothing detrimental to fuel economy. On a ride on Sunday I averaged 4.5lt/100km over 178km. Mixture of highway, mountains and a bit of suburban traffic. Outstanding I thought.

I have the 2010 Bandit GSF1250SA and have also noticed how sensitive the throttle is at low speeds, and how easy it is to have a "jerky" on-off ride especially at slow speeds around tight corners. It requires a very considered throttle input which I find quite annoying. I imagine it would be even more of an issue in the wet.
I find I'm gripping the throttle way too tightly and have to conciously relax my hand.
It is great to hear that another rider has fixed this with the upgrades mentioned.
I will investigate further when I have a bit of time and a few dollars spare.

TRE does bugger all on the 1250. If your bike is surging etc then you need to look at your TPS and throttle body sync. Secondary butterflies also help cure the snatchy throttle.

I bought a PC3 and got my bike tuned and it is a far better bike to ride full stop. The above points are still valid even with the PC3

Hey reddog where did you get your bike tuned at ? I've installed a PCV on my bike last weekend and it's runing a bit rich I must admit though I did download the map off the web now I might need to seek a professional custom map soon.

I live down south in Western Australia. Todd Patterson did an awesome job at Bunbury Ducati. Had to create a new map as at the time there were no 1250cc Bandits in the Power Commander database as the bike was so new. I am not sure who is best in Sydney, but someone in here should have some good info.

What mods have you made? If they are close to one of ours on here then there's no reason you couldn't use a map from someone else with a power commander

reddog wrote:I live down south in Western Australia. Todd Patterson did an awesome job at Bunbury Ducati. Had to create a new map as at the time there were no 1250cc Bandits in the Power Commander database as the bike was so new. I am not sure who is best in Sydney, but someone in here should have some good info.

What mods have you made? If they are close to one of ours on here then there's no reason you couldn't use a map from someone else with a power commander

Hey reddog, so how do I send/recieve a map?

And if u don't mind me asking, Can i try your map in my bike. my PC3 got sent with a map in it from the USA.
before most of my mods and i dont no anything about it.

holeshot.com is a treasure trove of tips and products. The owner Dale Walker is a stand-up guy who is really friendly and helpful.

The cheapest mod on the Bandit is to remove the snorkel from the air-box and drill a 38mm hole at the front of the airbox cover. Simply getting enough air will free her up nicely, the engine will spool up quicker. You might have to block the PAIR valve to stop decel popping, not that it bothers me! My GSX1250FA feels like she's being choked whenenver I crack the throttle hard so I'm hoping all these mods do the trick.

The TFI Dobeck unit does not need a dyno tune to set-up. It fuels the bike according to engine load. The creator of this unit started up Dynojet and then sold the company.

With a slip-on, airbox mod, K&N filter and TFI Box, she'll do 170+ mph (270+ km/h) in 5th gear. See the link below. This run was made with a speedo healer and with the secondary butterflies still on. I have just bought this unit and will let you know how it goes once I install it. Even with the shipping costs from the USA ($380 all up including TFI unit, K&N Filter, Oxygen sensor Bypass and PAIR rubber stopper also bank fees), it is a hell of a lot cheaper than a PC-V which will need a couple of hours to set up properly. It will also have to be re-mapped every time you change something significant on the bike.

http://www.holeshot.com/videos/Ban1250SpeedRun.mpg

Reardo wrote:

reddog wrote:I live down south in Western Australia. Todd Patterson did an awesome job at Bunbury Ducati. Had to create a new map as at the time there were no 1250cc Bandits in the Power Commander database as the bike was so new. I am not sure who is best in Sydney, but someone in here should have some good info.

What mods have you made? If they are close to one of ours on here then there's no reason you couldn't use a map from someone else with a power commander

Hey reddog, so how do I send/recieve a map?

And if u don't mind me asking, Can i try your map in my bike. my PC3 got sent with a map in it from the USA.
before most of my mods and i dont no anything about it.

Reardo, I only just saw this post

Do you still need a map? PM me if so and we can sort soemthing out

Hi I am new to the forum but you dhula covered the subject of the above. Where do I find it pls?

Paul

I just bought a 2008 Bandit. It had the Dobek TFI installed, but no mods except a K&N filter and the airbox snorkel removed.

I am going to add a slip-on, remove the PAIR system, and remove the secondary butterflies.

Can anyone with a TFI system and a similar set-up give me a baseline setting for the 4 dials on the TFI?

BTW, I am at about 230m elevation.

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide!

Indy_Bandit wrote:I just bought a 2008 Bandit. It had the Dobek TFI installed, but no mods except a K&N filter and the airbox snorkel removed.

I am going to add a slip-on, remove the PAIR system, and remove the secondary butterflies.

Can anyone with a TFI system and a similar set-up give me a baseline setting for the 4 dials on the TFI?

BTW, I am at about 230m elevation.

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide!

Hi Indy, I'm sure you'll get plenty of advice from those that have been there before you, why don't you jump on the "Introduce Yourself" forum and tell us about about yourself, you may even find what you're looking for in previous threads