Looking at Buying a 1250FA. Advice Please

Hi Everyone,
In a couple of months I will be looking to upgrade to a larger capacity bike.  I presently have a Honda Deauville (which has been a great lams bike) but seeing that in previous years I raced motocross I'm now looking for something with a lot more grunt, I can have fun in the twisties and also when tar turns into dirt I want to be able to continue to enjoy the ride and not have to turn around just because of a bit of gravel. 

I've been interested in upgrading to the following bikes: BMW K1200s, K1300s, Honda VFR1200, Suzuki Hyabusa and Kawasaki Ninja 1000 and ZX14R.  But as my research into these bikes continues another bike has come up on my radar...the Suzuki 1250FA (hence my post here).  It seems that the 1250FA can do ca.85% of what the previously mentioned bikes can do but at a much lower cost, tackle some gravel and I can easily service myself.

I would appreciate any/all views and look forward to hearing of your experiences (both +ve and -ve).
Have there been any significant changes in the 1250FAs since 2011?

Many thanks and stay upright,
ASC

Hi ASC.  The bikes you mention are a bit like comparing apples to oranges. The Bandit is a "get what you pay for bike" . But hey ! You get that great torky power plant and a bike that you can tinker with for small amounts and end up with a very satisfactory ride.  If you don't want to tinker. Buy a VFR12. The K12s are getting a bit on now, and had a few teething problems. Plus the beemers are expensive when things go wrong. From all accounts the ZX14s are a great bike. Even the earlier ones. Bussas ?  It's a bike you love or hate.  In the end you will safe thousands by going for a Bandit. A few mods and you will be more than happy. The one thing you are stuck with is the old school frame. Heavy and not very rigid. Compare to the others you have mentioned.  Best of luck and keep us informed on what you decide.

Hi ASC
If you really want to do a lot of dirt then you'd be better off looking at a Vstrom or similar
The 1250FA is a great bike for touring, can handle the twisties well, although it is quite heavy so your not going to be throwing it around like a sports bike.

As the bandit is built on a budget the brakes and suspension are nothing special, but can be improved with a few mods

Apart from colours there have been no real changes made to the 1250FA that I know of.

The Bandit is a reasonable bike, but Its no off roader. Neither are any of the other bikes you've mentioned. If seriously go and ride whatever you can find, it may steer you in the direction of the Bandit as is great value for money, or you could decide a ktm 690 is more what you are looking for

Hi ASC. A few others have previously asked similar questions. Type "buying" into the search box (top right of the home screen) and you'll get about a half dozen threads on this topic. Cheers.

I've had a Bandit (not FA) and while you can ride them on gravel roads they're too top heavy to really do it comfortably. They are however very cheap to buy and own especially if used, providing all the regular maintenance has been done. You won't need to see a service record. You will see for yourself if it's been looked after and a lot of shops use the "lazy" approach anyway (just the basics she'll be right")

I can provide a comparo with the VFR12 and can say that on the road it's lightyears ahead of the Bandit and probably way ahead of the FA and even more capable on gravel by better balance than the Bandit. You can still do basic oil and filters yourself but anything else I'm off to the dealer and a Honda shop at that. There's some used bargains out there too. Especially in the manual form. 

Really, of the bikes you listed the FA is in a different class in all areas and none are good off the sealed stuff.
Test ride them all and see for yourself. If 10% is off road for you, you'll need something far more capable than all the ones listed. Off road is hard work on a 250kg plus road bike. Think more like GS800 or Strom in that case.

Hmmm, Bandit in dirt...

SuzySuzuki wrote:Hmmm, Bandit in dirt...

Yours handled it pretty well on the way home from Parkes 

Before getting my FA I rode three BMWs, an R65 and two F650s. All with street tyres. The F650 is supposed to be a dual purpose bike, not with street tyres! Weight and riding position will influence your comfort on gravel as well but if you rode dirt you dont need me to tell you that. That said the F650 was easier to ride on gravel than the FA by several orders of magnitude.

NZ is full of gravel roads but I decided they are not for me hence my move to a bigger heavier road orientated machine. The 1250FA is supposed to be an "improvement" over the Bandit, not sure I can see where mechanically unless you count slightly heaver ratings for the suspension.
That said, I love my bike, any excuse for a ride and I take it. I have been able to make it a bit more personal to me without spending the kind of wallet numbing sums some of my friends spend on their machines and the bike was much cheaper to begin with.
I am not one eyed about it though, there are many machines out there which are far superior in performance and ability and with much newer technology.
For what I want from a bike though I am not sure where else I would look. The thing runs sweetly, has a ton of torque for real life, licence preserving riding (unless you count the back roads..... ) and is comfy enough for week long trips.

I just did a quick tot of what I have on the bike.....

Scorpion muffler,
Scott Oiler
heated grips
Touring screen
Givi tanklock bag
Givi E46 top box
Givi V35 Panniers
(associated hardware for above)
RadGuard
Nitron custom built shock
Custom seat

all in what I paid for the bike and the extras I have a 2014 machine for less than $16500NZ. The alternatives I might consider begin at $17995 stock plus on road costs. Makes you think!

Chook wrote:

SuzySuzuki wrote:Hmmm, Bandit in dirt...

Yours handled it pretty well on the way home from Parkes 

And I hated every second of it!

SuzySuzuki wrote:

Chook wrote:

SuzySuzuki wrote:Hmmm, Bandit in dirt...

Yours handled it pretty well on the way home from Parkes 

And I hated every second of it!

LOL

That was pretty slippery, as much as I didn't realy enjoy it, cleaning the bloody dried clay mud from under/though the bike was worse 

Hi Everyone,
Many thanks for taking the time to post your words of wisdom. 
I will be doing a lot of test rides over the next couple of months and will keep you posted as to how things progress.
Once again, many thanks and stay safe...

Hello Everyone,

Many thanks for taking the time to post your words of wisdom. 
I will be doing a lot of test rides over the next couple of months and will keep you posted as to how things progress.
Once again, many thanks and stay safe...

Awesome! 
We will look forward to a lot of test ride reviews, from you overvthe next couple of months. 
You never know. Your test ride reviews may help someone decide on their next bike. 
Keep up the good work, ASC.

Just a foot note on the K1300.  A mate of mine has one.  It let him down in the middle of nowhere. Powered up but no start at the switch. Had it trucked to a nearby shop. They pulled some stuff apart. Could not find anything. Put it back together and it started. Next day at his first stop. Did the same thing. It is now in the Brisbane BMW dealership.  I goggled the symptoms and found a lot of little electrical gremlins with the K13.  Kinda puts me off them now.

The K series BMWs seem to be quite problematic.  There's a BMW motorcycle mechanic a few kms from where I live.  I explained the different bikes I was looking at and even he said to stay away from the K series bikes.  The other interesting thing he said was that the Suzuki Bandits and GSX1250FAs are bullet proof and added...don't waste your money on anything else.  High praise I think!!!!