New member from the Gold Coast

Hi guys, I have been riding a few years and looking to upgrade to a 1250fa. I have my eye on one but thought I should find out what to look for on these bikes if they have any known faults and what worthy mods are a must on these bikes.

Cheers from Heggz

Welcome aboard.
These bikes are generally reliable. 
Are you buying new or used? Have you considered anything else? (Not that you need too. Just asking) What is the appeal of the FA?
When you find the time chuck a general location in your profile please so we know a bit more about you

Hi 2wheelsagain, I'm looking at buying a used 2010 with 17000 on the clock from a dealer asking 8900 for it and I'm hoping to knock a grand off that price. I have considered a good used zzr1100 or a brand spanking new ninja1000, even though there are numerous other bikes I've looked at the 1250 seems to tick all the boxes. I am selling a 90% complete 1980 boldor project bike I don't have the time to work on and got rid of the zx10 a year ago to fund the project. I like both faired and half faired styles of the bike but prefer the full fairing as I have always liked the gixer front end...

No worries mate. Glad to have you along.
Also a member might be interested in the "dor" The bloke I'm thinking of just can't help himself  
All yours Ewok1958

Enter stage left then!  Welcome to the forum Heggzy.  You must be a great bloke because (a) you like the old Bol Dor and (b) you considered the Ninja1000 (my choice of sports-tourer if I was to replace the Bandit, but I'd only buy a 2014 model given the long list of improvements - even if AMCN doesn't think so (see my letter to them in the current issue!)).

Put some pics and a story up in the general chat section on your Bol Dor project - I'm sure I won't be the only one to read it. 

Oh, and to answer your question.  The FA fixed a couple of faults with the standard Bandit, eg too soft a front suspension and ridiculously useless headlight on the 1250S models (ie half-faired)

Things that you might find:
- seat might be uncomfortable.  Some find the Bandit seat uncomfy, others not, so it is pretty much an individual thing. I've done 66,500kms on mine and find it ok (not brilliant).
- fuel pump may fail.  Seems lots do on the Bandit.  Haven't heard of an FA having a pump failure.  I've put in a cheap (seriously, $50) one from the US off eBay and its working fine (touch wood).  They are simple to replace but Suzuki will hit you up about $700 if you take such a problem to an authorised dealer.  Gus has done a good thread, with pics, on cleaning and replacing the Bandit pump unit.
- surging or non-smooth running is sometimes reported at low revs.  Out of balance throttle bodies will produce this effect and a TB balance should be the first thing to get done if you experience it. 
- paint quality is probably not as good as Honda/Yamaha/Kawa/BMW etc but that's why you're not paying as much.
- she's a tad heavy but there's FA you can do about that!  Ok, changing the can will save a few kgs.
- bleeding the ABS brakes seem to be an art, not a science.  Some members have actually gotten deteriorated braking after installing braided lines. You might be happy with the standard brakes for everyday riding - they're ok, not brilliant (but they are working against a heavy bike).

There are many things that come down to personal taste so I'll leave all of them out of this response.  Others might like to add.

That is about it!  The Bandit/FA is extremely reliable, easy to maintain, pulls like a loco, has good engine braking, gets decent fuel economy & chain/sprocket life, puts a smile on your face, and has a great forum.

PS: check out the meeting at Parkes in March next year - hope to see you there.

What he said

And welcome to the forum

Welcome to the forum 
The neutral sensor switch on some non FA models fail , but the replacement is with the FA one , & seems to cure it .Make sure whoever checks your valve clearances silicones the rubber block in the top of the tappet cover in place so it doesn't drop off when refitting the cover........... with predictable consequences . Over all though , you should have a good run out of it .You can take a stroll through the Mods via the search box or mechanical section ,but removing the secondary butterflies seems pretty popular .

Welcome along, some great advice already for you, and as Ewok said, check out the Parkes thread, the more the merrier!

Cheers guys, I'll check out the threads and take a look at the mods available. I need a work horse that can click up some highway kms for a few years so with some luck I'll find a good bike that's up for the job.

Cheers up!

Welcome along Heggzy.
The 1250FA are a beaut bike. I bought one to go two up touring and ended up buying another bike, because the missus loved riding the 1250 on her own so much. 
Shop around for a good price. Don't be put off by a few km on the clock, they are barely run in at 50K. 
As a guide I bought my 2010 with fully sorted suspension, full Givi setup and six months rego for $5500.
These bikes don't hold great resale value. Stealers can't give them away, so knock $2G off what they're asking and go from there.