Should I or Shouldn't I

First topic message reminder :

I hope that this post is going into the "Introduce Yourself" section, as I am not sure that I have done all the correct clicks.

Seriously thinking of buying a used Bandit 1259, One year old, 4000 kays, new rear tire, luggage rack, after market gear selection indicator,, retard (1st 3 gears) eliminator, tank protector - - - - Price $10,500 ??

My name is Des and I live in Mildura, soon to move beck to Brisbane. I've been reading some of the comments in here and I now know it is just the right bike for me, but I'm an old fella, not that experienced, and think maybe I should go for a smaller motor - like a 650 bandit. Not sure if there is a 750 Bandit or not. Previously owned a Kawisaki ER6-N 650 twin in line. From what I gather from you guys the Bandit will be a lot better and more comfortable. - - - Love to hear your advice - er - anyone. Should I or Shoudn't I -

Des

Des, I wasn,t laughing at you or your colour challenged state.

I just thought of Camerons bike. Maybe we could all pitch in and buy him some girly purple leathers for the drags. Its important to colour coordinate.

Not my words Cam .........Just thinkin out loud.



Ps if I can't log on tomorrow, I'll suspect I'll know why .

Oh!! - and er - OOPS! Me and my big mouth. Sorry Cameron

On another subject. For Insurance purposes what is the Bandit 1250 classified as - Like - sports - sports tourer, cruiser ?

desdd57 wrote:Oh!! - and er - OOPS! Me and my big mouth. Sorry Cameron

On another subject. For Insurance purposes what is the Bandit 1250 classified as - Like - sports - sports tourer, cruiser ?

Colour - The Black B1250 (1200?) have a blue fleck so you can see blue

Insurance - I'm with Swann full comp and its (due end of Oct!). I think last yeat it was about $330 but IMR wanted $1000 so different companies class the same bike differently Just get on the blower to a couple of them and get a quote then do it online and see if online is cheaper than the phone

[quote=Insurance - I'm with Swann full comp and its (due end of Oct!). I think last yeat it was about $330 but IMR wanted $1000 so different companies class the same bike differently Just get on the blower to a couple of them and get a quote then do it online and see if online is cheaper than the phone[/quote]

Thanks for that = I'm on it

Going to Bris for a few days shortly - hope to take a lot of rides

Costs me about $340 full comprehensive with WQBE.
I think it depends on the insurance co as to what the bike is classed as. When you call ask them before you start perhaps.

PURPLE? No way!! Its dark red or burgundy

whitey1 wrote:PURPLE? No way!! Its dark red or burgundy

Cameron wrote:maybe i could be a sissy for just a little while
Although blue and silver and grey and black and red bandits are all very fast, Nobody has yet come to take me on at WSID. So i am going to make a stand right here:...PURPLE bandits are the fastest

I rest my case

I had only seen "Burgundy" Bandits on the net etc. But the day I was able to travel alongside one on the four lane going out of town. It's actually different than on screen, and I gotta admit that it is a very nice colour - for me I'll be aiming for black.
This colour deficiency is interesting eg can anyone see a touch of blue in the black Bandits (recent models) ? Or am I just seeing things ? - Des

One of the things your "not" seeing is 2WAs post about the blue fleck in the black bandits.

Saikhan wrote:One of the things your "not" seeing is 2WAs post about the blue fleck in the black bandits.

I'm glad someone reads my posts

[quote="2wheelsagain"]

Saikhan wrote:One of the things your "not" seeing is 2WAs post about the blue fleck in the black bandits.

I'm glad someone reads my posts [/quosete]
Your right! I did miss 2WA's phrase about the blue fleck - I remember reading about the Swann Ins - but I must have missed that line above it

I looked up Burgundy on the web - and you'll like this Cameron

This is part of a description I found
"
"Burgundy looks like a deep, rich wine. It projects cool sophistication"

Congratulations Des.
You have cracked 5 pages on this thread and something like 62 posts. Easily the most of any thread on the forum.
The funny thing is you don’t even have a bandit yet. We're a passionate lot aren't we

Thanks 2wa. but the credit for that is not due to me - it's due to you guys - you members who have been so willing and friendly in responding to my questions - and as you said, the fact is that when it comes to Bandits, then Yes! You guys are definitely passionate. And even though I haven't got a bike yet - the passion that you guys have manifested in this forum has caught me away so much that I almost feel now that to buy any other bike but a Bandit would be sacrilege..

I dunno if I've asked this before but = What are the Bandit 650's really like??

Des

bandit 650's are not available in this country, the closest you will get is a GSX650F (OK, OK, the GSX650F is essentially a bandit 650 with a full fairing.

Personally I prefer the seat and bars on the 650F to the bandit but when fitted to the bandit (this is what I have done) they give a slightly different seating position or at least it feels that way to me. It's not that different tho

The 650F feels lighter than the difference between the bikes listed at Suzuki indicates.

The steering and handling is a bit sharper on the 650F and IMO this is due to the slightly different rake and trail combined with a thinner rear tyre as well as the shorter wheelbase on the 650F. On the 650F it is easier to lean in and follow without as much effort compared to the bandit, no that the bandit is hard work either.

The noise the 650F makes is about 2-3 dB more than the 1250 bandit at the same unloaded revs with exactly the same muffler on. The tests I have done say that with a beowulf shorty on it will still be inside the rules tho (only just when you take the baffle out)

The 650F engine is a sweeter, more smooth engine in all rev ranges compared to the bandit and that is saying something as the bandit engine is not any where near a rough viby engine either. The 650F feels like it is a revy bike and may have you feeling as if your dancing on the gear lever a lot (that's the way I felt anyway). If you change the front sproket +1 you loose this feeling, loose next to nothing in performance and get a spot on speedo

Power delivery on the 650F is far more progressive and smooth but to get it to really do it's business it needs to be above 6 or 7 tho rpm. In my words it's like this where comparing the two
*bandit, 60 kph, crack throttle wide open = hold the #$%^ on (change down gears and hold on even more)
*650F, 60 kph, crack the throttle wide open and awayyyyyyyy we go (change down gears and it gets damb close to hold the #$%^ on)

Fuel economy is about on par between the two (about 5.2 litres per 100 kms) until you give the bandit some stick and then the bandit will use a bit more (I heard of up to 10l/100kms, but worst I've done is 7.8l/100kms)

The 650F is more suited to commuting and twisty stuff than the bandit IMO but only because it easier to flick around but the 650F will do the touring stuff as well as the bandit if you are a solo rider.

For me it's a real toss up between the 2 but I have the benefit of having both in the shed.

In the end the huge lazy torque of the 1250 wins it for me.

If you want to know any more let me know.

Certainly done your homework - that was interesting' Thankyou

Q : In comparison to the two 650 models you mentioned, what is the big 1250 like i the flicking around department?

Des

IMO the GSX650F is a more flickable bike than the 1250.
for me it just goes round corners where the 1250 needs a little bit more work.
Having said that, I find the 1250 slightly easier than the 650 in slow walking pace/carpark kind of stuff

dhula wrote:IMO the GSX650F is a more flickable bike than the 1250.
for me it just goes round corners where the 1250 needs a little bit more work.
Having said that, I find the 1250 slightly easier than the 650 in slow walking pace/carpark kind of stuff

Certainly sunds like the right bike. I used to own a Kawasaki ER6n, which seemed to me to be ready and easy to dro for a corner(I guess you'd call that flickable. But iit was a horror in the car park, or slow moving stop start traffic. I seemed to be always draggin my feet and fighting it's tendency to topple at low speeds. Maybe that is just because I'm a novice. - Whatever I am certainly looking forward to trying one out. Dunno when that wil be as there are no bikes (ie Bandits) that I would be able to test in Mildura that I know of.

Appreciate your input dhula - rgds Des

Come to think of it; what are some of the tricks yo more experienced riders use to make life easier in heavy stop start traffic (aside from door handling all the cars whilst squeezing between two lanes ). I find myself riding the clutch and dragging my feet along the ground. What's the good advice ?

desdd57 wrote:Come to think of it; what are some of the tricks yo more experienced riders use to make life easier in heavy stop start traffic (aside from door handling all the cars whilst squeezing between two lanes ). I find myself riding the clutch and dragging my feet along the ground. What's the good advice ?

Clutches are either in or out. Feet are up or down. No half way. Dont get into stop start traffic. I do mean all three seriously BTW take a good look at a map of the route you take and find another way.

Dink

[quote="Clutches are either in or out. Feet are up or down. No half way. Dont get into stop start traffic. I do mean all three seriously BTW take a good look at a map of the route you take and find another way."Dink[/quote]

Good advice, And I'll mostly heed it too. But yet I still get caught passing thru a small town, or coming out of an unfamiliar shopping mall, roadworks. I suppose infact it;s good exercise pickin your legs up and down. Especially for an old coot like me - I need all the exercise I can get.

How do you make this forum tell the local time ? - Des

desdd57 wrote:Come to think of it; what are some of the tricks yo more experienced riders use to make life easier in heavy stop start traffic (aside from door handling all the cars whilst squeezing between two lanes Smile ). I find myself riding the clutch and dragging my feet along the ground. What's the good advice ?

There is mucho info out there about slow riding but here is what works for me and the mrs

*Look up to where you want to be (whether it be straight ahead, turning left or right), not where you are. This one is a bit speed dependent also
*Grip the tank with your knees and let your arms go sloppy (to a degree)
*look up (one trick I use is 'point with your nose')
*drag the back brake a bit, this aids in stability but remember you need to temper clutch and throttle control so the bike don't stall
*look up

*Look up to where you want to be (whether it be straight ahead, turning left or right), not where you are. This one is a bit speed dependent also
*Grip the tank with your knees and let your arms go sloppy (to a degree)
*look up (one trick I use is 'point with your nose')
*drag the back brake a bit, this aids in stability but remember you need to temper clutch and throttle control so the bike don't stall
*look up[/quote]

!Well I reckon that that is something that will work. When I learned to fly it was emphasized to me that you have to stay ahead of the aircraft,and the same applies to a car or Bike. Interestingly I read that a person who doesn't look ahead can be detected by the following habits: 1.) They will tailgate, even behind something that obscures all their vision (eg a truck). 2.) They will not like or not be able to handle cruise control (cruise control forces the driver to be aware of whats going on ahead - forces them to stay well ahead of their vehicle. 3.) They rarely use high bean at night - and there aere some other traits, but I can't remember them. So looking where you are going and not where you ate is good advise . Be interesting to hear some thoughts about cruise control.

NEWSFLASH: I've just been offered a brand new Bandit 1250 - never been off the showroom floor - Dark Blue - No ABS - superseded - Think it's an 09 build - Drive away No more to pay (ie includes on roads) - 0 kilometers - $10,600. ********* What do you reckon ? Should I buy it ????

Des

desdd57 wrote:

NEWSFLASH: I've just been offered a brand new Bandit 1250 - never been off the showroom floor - Dark Blue - No ABS - superseded - Think it's an 09 build - Drive away No more to pay (ie includes on roads) - 0 kilometers - $10,600. ********* What do you reckon ? Should I buy it ????

Des

Jump on it!!

desdd57 wrote:
NEWSFLASH: I've just been offered a brand new Bandit 1250 - never been off the showroom floor - Dark Blue - No ABS - superseded - Think it's an 09 build - Drive away No more to pay (ie includes on roads) - 0 kilometers - $10,600. ********* What do you reckon ? Should I buy it ????

Des

Mate they knocked $1500 off for the colour lol.
Seriously good price though. See personal message.

Allow for a radiator guard (first priority!) and a new Beowulf muffler and tires in 4 - 6,000 km and you'll be set for years if its the bike for you.