10 years on - Bandit 1250

At the end of this month it marks 10 years of ownership of this bike. It still makes me smile. I can remember the test rides of mates bikes before purchase, a zx14, bandit 1200 and a tl1000. I rode the triumph 1050, gen 1 Hayabusa and new fuel injected Bandit with the wife on the back of all of them. Bandit hands down bang for buck and position was perfect. Other than shit paint and ordinary stock suspension I'm still a happy camper. I've fixed the suspension, maybe paint is next I know loads on the forums have gone for new models, I could have too and the MT-09 kind of gets me interested. I still do like this machine however not sure if we'll ever part ways. 10 years old and only 41000... I need to ride more.

   They're not perfect , but things rarely are when you get to know them..........................mine still ticks most of my boxes as well .

Congrats reddog, you've stuck it out. 
You just have to do something about the 4000 odd k's a year thing. 
I'm the same as you,  ridden lots,  but never been persuaded by anything else.  Not saying the bandit is the be all to end all,  far from it,  just nothing out there that rocks my boat......apart from the MT-09 or MT-10, but the 09 would be the pick I think.
 It's a bit like the bandit in some ways.  A budget build,  with little things here and there, that people seem to customize to suit them selves, but with a definate world wide audience.  If I got one,  I'd still keep my bandits....I just can't give them up.

Well I'm not sure how long I've had mine - 3 or 4 years:  

Long enough to learn to live with it as a "one bike to do it all" ride"

Long enough so that there is no NEED to accessorise it any more. Yeah well, maybe an accessory socket - for trickle charging when I'm away mostly (I AM away for 3 or 4 months at a time. annually)  or for a small compressor, should I need to use one on the side of the road, or recharging the phone, maybe a pilot light to show me when the cooling fan is on, possibly a coolant temp gauge.  (all stuff that might happen one day, if I find myself with too much time on my hands) I'm not so much a motorcycle enthusiast, but just an every day rider.     

Long enough to be able to appreciate having been able to ride through developing severe arthritis, a hip replacement, a broken achilles with only brief interruptions and revel in my recovery, (the smoothness of the 4 and ability to mount highway pegs on the engine bars was good to provide relief when I really needed it)  and newfound ability to ride for the sheer enjoyment of it once again, though 95% (+) of my riding is not what you'd call recreational riding.  Motorised transport is largely a utilitarian thing for me.       

Long enough to come to grips with its foibles, and there are a few.  It's a little soft in the suspension (hey it's a sports TOURER, not a sports bike) - I will well and truly sort that at the next major service at 48K when it could use some attention anyway;  The stock seat is OK for around here, but if I go anywhere more than a couple of hours away, on with the Corbin for the trip (which I don't like in town or where I'm on and off the bike a lot, but its a nice seat to spend many hours on.  The stock seat is not.) Then there is the routing of the plumbing to the coolant header tank.  What were they thinking? Hey it works fine the way it is.   

Long enough to appreciate it for what it is - a very good "mile eater" which has been trouble free,  which I will have for a long time, due to the generous spread of torque.  Nice in traffic out on the road. Plenty nimble in town.   

Is it perfect?  Yes AND No 

It will carry all manner of gear when travelling.  It just doesn't make any appreciable difference, apart from the width of the panniers and the way it handles in a big crosswind.  Hey, any bike will blow around a bit with a bulky load.  

It IS a little heavy and a little tall for me.  I can live with that.  When my travelling days are over, I will downsize.  But I am not looking forward to that day, and it will be long out in the unforeseen future.   

The lighting could be better, than as it came.   It IS better now,  due to the wiring mod suggested by Banditdave which provides full current to the headlights.  It is now more like what one would expect.  Acceptable now.  It doesn't NEED to be any better.  It would only encourage me to ride fast after dark. 

The long model run means that parts and accessories will not dry up any time soon.  

I'm not tempted by anything else.  I can live with it. It's becoming like a favourite old pair of boots - comfortable and well, just nice.  Like I like my bikes to be.  Unlike many other bikes I've owned, I immediately liked it.  There wasn't much to "get used to".  I've made it mine and expect to ride it a long time.

I happened to ride mine down a gravel track that turned into softish beach sand. The bike certainly did not tick the adventure bike box. With a front tyre that is nearly due for replacement the old girl wanted to Bulldoze through the soft corners. Got to the end of the road in one piece, just took it easy around the turns

I'm now 7.5 years into ownership of my 2010 model 1250S. Just clicked over 93,000kms. Recently I was tempted to buy a new one as CMC are selling a brand new S for $12,500 registered drive away. A Wauchope dealer was also selling a brand new FA at that same price. But I resisted the temptation and intend to keep riding the 2010 model for a few more years, and see what else comes onto the market. Out of the current crop of bikes, I'd be most tempted by by a 2017 Triumph Tiger 1050S, but I've resisted that too even though there are some pretty hot deals around. 

Interesting you mentioned the tiger. I tried one on for size while in Sydney with Chook and Baz. I was was surprised I could reach the ground barely. I certainly liked it and its features just struggling with the near $30k price tag. Reckon it would have been a great partner for my ride west.

I'm not near the K's or the time frame that some of you guys have owned your Bandits, but after 5 years and 22000k's of ownership of my '12 I can't honestly say that I'd ever parts with mine. It just ticks all the boxes.....

Been a few years and about 5 bikes since I let the bandit go but you know what, I still look at the FA owned by a workmate when it's parked at work and start singing that Cher song to myself.
With the prices of the 1250 where it is now, it's so tempting.

madmax wrote:Interesting you mentioned the tiger. I tried one on for size while in Sydney with Chook and Baz. I was was surprised I could reach the ground barely.  I certainly liked it and its features just struggling with the near $30k price tag. Reckon it would have been a great partner for my ride west.

YOUR NOT SERIOUS..... $30 000???
No way would I pay that for one of those, unless I'm missing something here?
I've seen them on the road, and never really given them a second look,  or thought, just another looking V-Strom, of sorts, you know, adventure style.  Is it in contention with the BMW? I've never read anything on them, so obviously I'm missing the fine print.

reddog wrote:At the end of this month it marks 10 years of ownership of this bike. It still makes me smile. I can remember the test rides of mates bikes before purchase, a zx14, bandit 1200 and a tl1000. I rode the triumph 1050, gen 1 Hayabusa and new fuel injected Bandit with the wife on the back of all of them. Bandit hands down bang for buck and position was perfect. Other than shit paint and ordinary stock suspension I'm still a happy camper. I've fixed the suspension, maybe paint is next I know loads on the forums have gone for new models, I could have too and the MT-09 kind of gets me interested. I still do like this machine however not sure if we'll ever part ways. 10 years old and only 41000... I need to ride more.

Happy anniversary 

Time to start riding her a bit more though 

mtbeerwah wrote:

madmax wrote:Interesting you mentioned the tiger. I tried one on for size while in Sydney with Chook and Baz. I was was surprised I could reach the ground barely.  I certainly liked it and its features just struggling with the near $30k price tag. Reckon it would have been a great partner for my ride west.

YOUR NOT SERIOUS..... $30 000???
No way would I pay that for one of those, unless I'm missing something here?
I've seen them on the road, and never really given them a second look,  or thought, just another looking V-Strom, of sorts, you know, adventure style.  Is it in contention with the BMW? I've never read anything on them, so obviously I'm missing the fine print.

Yep serious
Tiger Explorer
Although I'm sure you can get a better deal than this one, once you add panniers your up over $30k

Which is right up there with a fully optioned
%26%28Make%3D[BMW]%26Model%3D[R%201200%20RS]%29%29%26State%3D[VIC]%29%26%28%28%28%28SiloType%3D[Brand%20new%20bikes%20available]|SiloType%3D[Brand%20new%20bikes%20in%20stock]%29|SiloType%3D[Dealer%20used%20bikes]%29|SiloType%3D[Demo%20%26%20near%20new%20bikes]%29|SiloType%3D[Private%20used%20bikes]%29%29&pso=0&pss=Premium]R1200RS
which was my other consideration.

Consequently I'm hanging onto the FA for awhile longer...........

Chook wrote:

reddog wrote:At the end of this month it marks 10 years of ownership of this bike. It still makes me smile. I can remember the test rides of mates bikes before purchase, a zx14, bandit 1200 and a tl1000. I rode the triumph 1050, gen 1 Hayabusa and new fuel injected Bandit with the wife on the back of all of them. Bandit hands down bang for buck and position was perfect. Other than shit paint and ordinary stock suspension I'm still a happy camper. I've fixed the suspension, maybe paint is next I know loads on the forums have gone for new models, I could have too and the MT-09 kind of gets me interested. I still do like this machine however not sure if we'll ever part ways. 10 years old and only 41000... I need to ride more.

Happy anniversary 

Time to start riding her a bit more though 

I'll sort him out when I get over there. Make sure he takes takes the bike out for a ride with me.

Yep serious
Tiger Explorer
Although I'm sure you can get a better deal than this one, once you add panniers your up over $30k

Which is right up there with a fully optioned
%26%28Make%3D[BMW]%26Model%3D[R%201200%20RS]%29%29%26State%3D[VIC]%29%26%28%28%28%28SiloType%3D[Brand%20new%20bikes%20available]|SiloType%3D[Brand%20new%20bikes%20in%20stock]%29|SiloType%3D[Dealer%20used%20bikes]%29|SiloType%3D[Demo%20%26%20near%20new%20bikes]%29|SiloType%3D[Private%20used%20bikes]%29%29&pso=0&pss=Premium]R1200RS
which was my other consideration.

Consequently I'm hanging onto the FA for awhile longer...........

Had a brief read, lots of electronics, and a bigger engine. 1215cc.  Well, and can half see where money is.

madmax wrote:Interesting you mentioned the tiger. I tried one on for size while in Sydney with Chook and Baz. I was was surprised I could reach the ground barely. I certainly liked it and its features just struggling with the near $30k price tag. Reckon it would have been a great partner for my ride west.

I was talking Tiger 1050S, not Explorer. There are specials on the Tiger 1050S at the moment - $15500 ride away, including panniers.

Ewok1958 wrote:

madmax wrote:Interesting you mentioned the tiger. I tried one on for size while in Sydney with Chook and Baz. I was was surprised I could reach the ground barely.  I certainly liked it and its features just struggling with the near $30k price tag. Reckon it would have been a great partner for my ride west.

I was talking Tiger 1050S, not Explorer. There are specials on the Tiger 1050S at the moment - $15500 ride away, including panniers.

My bad, I miss read it.
I'll have to look at the 1050 then. More my price range.

madmax wrote:

Chook wrote:

reddog wrote:At the end of this month it marks 10 years of ownership of this bike. It still makes me smile. I can remember the test rides of mates bikes before purchase, a zx14, bandit 1200 and a tl1000. I rode the triumph 1050, gen 1 Hayabusa and new fuel injected Bandit with the wife on the back of all of them. Bandit hands down bang for buck and position was perfect. Other than shit paint and ordinary stock suspension I'm still a happy camper. I've fixed the suspension, maybe paint is next I know loads on the forums have gone for new models, I could have too and the MT-09 kind of gets me interested. I still do like this machine however not sure if we'll ever part ways. 10 years old and only 41000... I need to ride more.

Happy anniversary 

Time to start riding her a bit more though 

I'll sort him out when I get over there. Make sure he takes takes the bike out for a ride with me.

Look forward to it mate. I dusted the bike of on Sunday and got out for a nice ride out to Nannup and back with my mate Jimmy Bandit on his MK2 1200. I haven't ridden for a few months and felt very rusty for the first half of the ride. The ride home on the Balingup -Nannup road woke me up though. 45kms of twisty heaven, with loads of bumps thrown in. No time to sit down and enjoy the scenery that's for sure.

reddog wrote:

madmax wrote:

Chook wrote:

reddog wrote:At the end of this month it marks 10 years of ownership of this bike. It still makes me smile. I can remember the test rides of mates bikes before purchase, a zx14, bandit 1200 and a tl1000. I rode the triumph 1050, gen 1 Hayabusa and new fuel injected Bandit with the wife on the back of all of them. Bandit hands down bang for buck and position was perfect. Other than shit paint and ordinary stock suspension I'm still a happy camper. I've fixed the suspension, maybe paint is next I know loads on the forums have gone for new models, I could have too and the MT-09 kind of gets me interested. I still do like this machine however not sure if we'll ever part ways. 10 years old and only 41000... I need to ride more.

Happy anniversary 

Time to start riding her a bit more though 

I'll sort him out when I get over there. Make sure he takes takes the bike out for a ride with me.

Look forward to it mate. I dusted the bike of on Sunday and got out for a nice ride out to Nannup and back with my mate Jimmy Bandit on his MK2 1200. I haven't ridden for a few months and felt very rusty for the first half of the ride. The ride home on the Balingup -Nannup road woke me up though. 45kms of twisty heaven, with loads of bumps thrown in. No time to sit down and enjoy the scenery that's for sure.

Mate talk about being rusty, I've barely ridden mine since the International festival of speed back in March and I've got 4000ks to do in December! Oh my arse is going to complain.
I'm looking forward to some of those awesome SW roads.

There's a few sensational roads around my place now mate.. stuff that weren't sealed last time you were over this way.

reddog wrote:There's a few sensational roads around my place now mate.. stuff that weren't sealed last time you were over this way.

I don't usually go for recreational group rides.  They usually irritate me big time for a number of reasons, but made an exception last weekend for some people who I have a loose association with, in one way or another, and there were 3 ways.  It was odd how we came to be together on the day for a ride.  

Anyway, it was the usual mixed bag not a lot of people (6 or seven others) mostly Jappa cruisers of the Yammy type, One 1200 sportster, and a KLE Kawa, with joined us along the route, which was actually pretty good, interesting in the hills Northeast of Myrtleford Vic.  Sedate sort of pace - one of the cruisers was a 400; it wasn't going to go anywhere quickly.  Everybody was nice with the cowboys up front and everyone else strung out "loose visual" stye.  

Now of course we got to talking bikes a bit.  The Harley rider was the usual insufferable sort, full of power and torque talk (but didn't actually know either figure), and how much punch it had etc.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that I had around 7 NM of torque on him and around 30 bhp, what is more, my Bandit weighs well under what his Sporty does.  It's best to just let them blather away, nod occasionally, and not ask awkward questions unless they turn out to be truly unlikeable.  

Now I've got a soft spot for Sporties.  They were on my shortlist before I got the Bandit.  It was a quite a diverse list.  I am open minded sort.  So was VFR800, Guzzi V7 (not a strong contender), even XR1200 Harley, Aprilia Shiver, so it goes.  I ended up with the Bandit simply because it was a buy that I just couldn't walk away from at the time. It was on the list. I HAD had a lengthy test ride of one (an FA) and I wrote it off because I really didn't like it, anyway the deal was not so sweet.  

Now after 3 years, or is it 4?  How do I feel about it.  It's still too easy to lose licence in a fit of exuberance, too easy to lose points and help fund the government due to a minor lapse of attention, but it has nothing to prove or justify.  It's possibly the lowest maintenance machine I've owned, (I do most of my own) with the greatest prospects for longevity in any bike I've ever owned.  I don't have to chase exotic spares, or them that are no longer available.  I am short, at 5' 7" so it's a little tall, but not, on the face of it, too tall or too heavy.  It just requires a little care when putting a foot down at times, and when parking. Otherwise it goes, and stops well, is surprisingly easy on juice, can carry any sort of load with no special arrangements, and gets across the planet effortlessly when I'm about getting somewhere, however I'm travelling.  I've come to grips with the capability to risk licence and now have fine throttle control pretty much mastered.  A slightly louder exhaust might improve the auditory cue sufficient to keep my eyes where they should be more of the time, particularly when in Victoria. 

It was a good choice.  I've got another bike which weighs 160-170 kg has less than half the displacement and is more fun in the twisties anyway.  Curious how it eats my time in fiddling with it from time to time, and is way more thirsty, harder to source parts for etc.    

A Harley?  Well, as the saying goes, I'm just not old enough yet.  Maybe, one day.  They have two things going for them in their lower centre of gravity and seat height. Most everything else is in the minus box, not the least of which is they frequently seem to find new owners when you least expect it.  I can't claim that about either of my bikes.  

Anyway, I'm more than happy with the Bandit. 

Sorry, I can't claim 10 years, but I probably will one day.  

As for the Forum?  As a newer member with a poor history of actual contribution, I found it to be initially a wonderland of condensed, focused, no bullshit information.  It still is.  It might be a shame to dilute it.  Care needs to be taken with any restructure to ensure that everyone can find what they want, that it really can suit the owners of other models in the same way.

Good write up mate. I too have acquaintances that own Harleys. I hold my tongue when they talk about their superior machinery that has cost them $30000 + all the add on parts. It all goes out my mirrors when I blast past them

I get the biggest grin when that happens, they must hate Jap crap. hahaha

It must pain them when I tell them they too can own one of these from the second hand market for not a lot of money.

reddog wrote:Good write up mate. I too have acquaintances that own Harleys. I hold my tongue when they talk about their superior machinery that has cost them $30000 + all the add on parts. It all goes out my mirrors when I blast past them

I get the biggest grin when that happens, they must hate Jap crap. hahaha

It must pain them when I tell them they too can own one of these from the second hand market for not a lot of money.

But they wouldn’t be allowed to be miserable looking sods if they were on a Bandit. They’d have to smile, nod be sociable and enjoy life. That’s too much for someone wanting to be an individual but who paid too much to be like others

You've got to laugh at the snobbery (I OWN one of THESE, therefore...) vs reverse snobbery (I really don't give a stuff, and I don't really care what you ride either, how much did you say you paid for it? LOL ), the weekends spent half a day riding and a whole day cleaning and polishing, vs Just use the damned thing.  

Yeah, I "get" the whole Harley thing, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to get stuck in the box that I sometimes make the mistake of poking others into.  But it's just too easy, and the stereotype is more likely to be accurate than any other apart from maybe them that ride Ducatis in the Hills on weekends, with all the gear on.  

It's no big thrill any more to shame someone who's been crapping on about torque all last night, with a top gear roll on comparison, realising the disadvantage that an extra 100 kg plus confers.    

I must say, I've always liked the sound of their exhaust note.  I think that is a poor reason for choice of an entire bike, however.  I just can't come at the requirement to care so much about something.  The proof is in the insurance policy.  I don't, apart from 3rd party Property.  Bend it, break it, I'll just buy another one, providing of course, I'm capable of riding.  You can do that with a Bandit.

I really don't care what anyone rides.  Just accept what it is, and certainly don't pretend it's of an elite status, when at the end of the day,  beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone has different needs and requirements.
Personally,  I highly dislike modern electronics, so that puts me in a certain catagorey straight up. I also dislike V-twins, so that's starting to narrow the field a little more. I don't  dislike water cooled bikes, but it's just another problem in terms of engineering. 
So now we're down to air/oil air cooled bikes,  and carby driven at that. ..no ECU please,  I'm happy with CDI. 
Pros and cons with Carby and EFI.  EFI in general is allot easier to live with,  but I know carbies, and if there's a problem, I can fix it.  I also like the idiosyncrasies of a carb,  and when set up,  are fantastic.
I want something thats easy to work on, plus reliable, so that's also narrowed the field considerably....Well...1200 Bandit, or anything else close to that spec.
That's basically the only reason I've got them,  due to my requirements, and needs.

One last thing..when I rode up to Airlie Beech a couple of weeks ago from Brisbane, I had an HD rider wave to me. That caught me of guard!!!  
He looked old school as well. Big long silver beard, riding a chopper. I most definitely extended the courtesy, and returned the wave. 
Miracles do happen !!!!!