Review of the 2008 Suzuki Bandit 1250

As I get ready to unveil my new ride for the 2011 season of The Planet Tour I feel it is time to give my review and opinion of my 2008 Suzuki Bandit 1250 whom I dubbed Suzy B (R.I.P.)

I only had her for 3 seasons but managed to put just over 62,000 happy kilometres on the odometer. The riding season in Canada is short, 4 months and change...if you're lucky. Not all those days will be full of sunshine, trust me.
So how did Suzy B rate as a long distance machine? Very, very well with a few 'buts'.

Reliability 
I was never left stranded once. The only repair I had to do, outside of regular maintenance, was an oil pump seal that started to leak at 60,000km. Just over $200.00 to repair at a shop and something that a handy person could do on their own. I was 3 days from home so opted for paying a mechanic. She was still ridable and made the 2 hours to town without any more problem than a bit of oil mess.
Front and rear brake pads were replaced once. About normal for the highway kilometres ridden.
She ate 5 rear and 3 front tires in her lifespan. The stock tires it came with don't even deserve a mention as they were crap but thankfully wore out at 6000km so I could put something more worthy. I replaced the stockers with Michelin Pilot Road 2's and they had great traction and long life for a sport touring tire. The Bandit seemed to like them. This may seem like an odd statement to a non-rider but it is amazing how a tire can just feel right for a bike.

Economy
For a large displacement engine, weighing in with 1255 cubic centimetres to feed, she had respectable fuel consumption. I averaged 5.6 litres/100 km and could easily do 300km between  fill-ups with 320km being the norm from the 19 litre tank. Usually it had a couple of litres still in there even after having the low fuel icon blinking at me for 70 km. I would have liked a bit more range and had been trying to figure out how to increase the tank capacity but 300 km+ is still fairly decent. I usually ran mid-grade as I determined no noticeable improvement with the high octane. Suzuki did a great job of tuning the engine for real world riding as it would run on low octane fuel without complaining, for those times when you found yourself in a situation where no premium fuel was available. No need to carry octane boost with this bike.

The Engine
I've read many magazine articles that say its all about the engine on the Bandit. You fall in love with the engine. Once I started riding my Bandit I knew what they meant. Cold or hot she always fired up with barely any cranking time and would quickly settle into a steady idle. Smooth and powerful with bucket loads of torque anytime you need it. It had a lot of burly muscle but did not have to scream it like so many sport bikes do. You just knew it would give you all the grunt you needed when called on. And I do mean anytime. In the city as low as 2500rpm it will just shoot forward building revs quickly. On the highway you rarely have to kick it down a gear for passing. Cruising speed would have you at around 4000rpm and that is where the fun starts. Just roll on the throttle and big 4 cylinder just pours on the acceleration. Need more oomph? Click it down a gear and then hang on.
Sadly Suzuki put a Kenworth size muffler on it and I had it replaced after the first season. It was too quiet a voice for such a spirited motor. There are many after market pipes out there and I recommend swapping the stock pipe out. The Bandit deserves a voice plus you shed a few pounds off the bike's overall weight and most likely will gain more power. I opted for a Supertrapp but after hearing my buddies Bandit I think that Holeshot makes a nicer pipe.
I followed the maintenance schedule and although the valves were checked they never needed adjusting in 62,000 kms.

Luggage
The Canadian version of the 1250 Bandit had Givi side bags wearing Suzuki labels. They were roomy, easy to take off of the bike and water tight. I tested their ability to keep things dry for hours on end thanks to many rain storms that volunteered us for the test.
At 34 litres each you can pack a lot of gear in them and for weekend getaways they should be all you need. My plan was to put a top case on but never got around to that part of the project.
There is a small bit of underseat storage where I crammed a few extra tools to go with the factory set.

Fairing protection
The Bandit was more of a last minute, lets use what we have, improvised sport tourer that Suzuki seemed to slap together to get them in the sport tourer market. This was not a machine that had been designed from the ground up to be a sport tourer. Basically they added bags to an already existing street model and hoped it would work. It did....But, as such the fairing was just adequate for weather protection when compared to the offerings from the other Japanese motorcycle manufacturers. That being said the Bandit is several thousands of dollars cheaper, so a little sacrifice here seems acceptable.
As a tall rider I had to upgrade to a taller windscreen and had one from PowerBronze. It provided a bit more chest protection but it did create a lot of helmet turbulence for my 6'3" frame. Shorter riders should be okay. I was looking into an air foil add on such as a Laminar Lip to correct that. From some of the online forum listings I read, other Bandit owners had reported good results . If you are tall you may want to consider one.
The side fairings could have been made to provide more leg protection for wet/cool weather riding. They fit so close to the bike that little extra leg protection is to be found. If you ride in areas that are more prone to heat then this fairing and windscreen set up will be more than enough. I often found myself laying on the tank bag trying to huddle behind the small pocket of protection on the many cold days I experienced. A better touring jacket would have helped on this issue as well.

Seat and riding position

Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment but I did all my riding on the stock seat, which, when combined with the under padded stock seat nature gave me, there is room for improvement. Long days in the saddle reminded me and my butt that it was a just a factory seat. I suggest adding a gel or memory foam seat either after market or custom made. It was on my list of things to do. The great thing about the Bandit seat is it is 2 separate cushions making a custom saddle for the rider lest costly.  I would not worry about the passenger pillion as the bike is better suited for solo touring unless your passenger has short legs. The passenger pegs are a bit high for all day sitting, as reported by the privileged few I let ride on her, and those were just afternoon day rides.
Rider position is upright, hips and shoulders over the pegs (where they should be) and just a slight lean forward to the bars. At highway speeds just enough wind slips past the windscreen to hold your torso up. There is no strain on the wrists or back. The handlebars are old-school tubular ones so replacement ones are plentiful should you desire. For a little more arm room I merely loosened the bar clamps and rotated mine as far forward as possible to extend my reach. I then readjusted all the controls so they were at the right angle.
The seat has 2 positions and I chose the higher setting putting the seat height at just over 32 inches from the ground.

I did find the leg position to be a bit cramped for my long limbs but I also suffer from bad knees that ache if they have to be folded for long periods. Swapping the pegs to a set from Buell did the trick. It lowered my feet an inch and my knees no longer cramped up.
Suzuki had given me thick, rubber padded pegs which was overkill. The thinner Buell pegs sit at the same level with no loss of cornering clearance while forgoing the extra padding Suzuki felt necessary. Being unpadded was not problem as the engine vibration on the Bandit is almost nil. You do have to do a bit of drilling and grinding to make the pegs fit  and you will need bigger support pins but if you have long legs it is worth an afternoon in the garage to make this modifcation.

Controls and suspension

The suspension is fairly simple, offering preload adjustment only. The rear shock is not a fun one to adjust so I had set preload at the 4th highest level, for touring with full gear, and left it.

Controls are pretty much standard layout. The analog tachometer  is easy to read and the digital speedometer has large digits legible even at a quick glance. For some reason this gauge is not able to change between kph and mph. I blame the number crunchers for this omission. It would have been nice to switch to miles on my USA trips and given the low cost of today's electronics I was surprised this simple feature was not available.
The gas gauge could have had a bit more accuracy as it plays too far on the side of caution, informing you of needing fuel long before you actually do. It does this with a blinking icon that is not easily missed but is not intrusive either..
A gear indicator would have been nice as I often found myself forgetting which gear I was in, the engine so full of torque that it was not necessary to keep inventory of where the shift pedal was.
There are 2 trip meters which is handy. I used one solely for monitoring fuel range.
The mirrors were mostly vibration free until you hit extreme high speed. For tall riders they did a good job of showing you your elbows. I put on some extenders that solved the problem.


Final drive
Final drive on the Bandit is chain. Today's O-ring chains have long lives and are relatively cheap to replace when you have used up their lifespan. Some purists prefer chain. As a touring rider it was my least favourite thing on the bike. No matter what chain lube I tried there was always a bit of mess on the bike. It had to be lubed everyday when on trips, plus I had to carry that damn can of lube which took up the space of an extra T-shirt, or a couple pairs of socks or underwear. I loathed that damn can every time I took it out. There were also the periodical adjustments of the chain that just added to my dislike of chains for touring bikes.
There is a company called Scootworks working on a belt drive conversion for the Bandit and I was seriously looking into it. At last contact it was not ready for market. Contact them to find out. Suzuki would be wise to look into a belt version of the Bandit. Quiet and next to no maintenance is the type of thing that makes a touring rider smile. It would also be lighter and less costly to build than a shaft drive. Being less costly is what Suzuki and this bike seem to be about.

Modifications
Powerbronze windscreen
Oxford Heated hand grips. (For touring in Canada heated grips are a must!)
Supertrapp Exhaust
Buell Pegs
Oxford LED signal lights
12V power outlet for running accessories
Mirror extenders
BadBoy Airhorn 139Db

Overall I was very impressed with this bike. The engine pulls hard while maintaining some character as well. The engine has been used by Suzuki for years and they have tweaked and improved it for a bullet proof mill. This is a very quick, powerful bike but does so in a manner that you can live with daily. In the city or on the highway it is just a fun bike that does almost everything.
It was fairly comfortable, with great handling and braking. Factory ABS was a surprise given the low overall price tag.
Sure there are fancier rides out there with more creature comforts but you pay for that in the price tag. The Bandit provides a lot of bang for relatively few bucks and with a few upgrades you will be able get some of those creature comforts you desire with less strain on your bank account. If you are looking for a fun bike to take you over long distance then you may want to take a look at the Bandit 1250. There are some great deals on used ones out there.

In 2010 Suzuki changed the bike and gave it a new, albeit boring, name; GSX1250FA It is no longer the Bandit but it is the same motor, transmission and frame and some of the issues in the cockpit have been addressed. Now it has a gear indicator, optional taller touring screen with adjustable wing, wider fairing and now the luggage is more complete with a top case. It is still priced much lower than most sport touring rides out there but will do the same roads with them.
If you want a do all bike with some grunt that won't hurt your wallet, take a look at a Bandit. Many good used ones out there.
Happy riding and don't forget to wear your gear....all the time.

First test of the gear

I finally got in my first ride of the season. The bad news was it was not on my new bike as I am still going through a bit of red tape to finish importing it....but soon, very soon!
Lucky for me a riding pal, with several motorcycles, lent me his Honda VFR 750 for the day. I was very impressed with the bike although my 6'3" frame and bad knees found it a bit cramped. If you are a bit shorter and more flexible than I, take a look at a VFR as a sport touring mount. A very smooth and impressive engine with lots of power. That's it in front of me in the pic at the side of a still frozen lake. Welcome to early season riding in Alberta.

It was a Sunday quick trip out to Canmore for lunch and return. Nothing too long as the weather is still crisp in this area, the high only hitting 11celsius in Canmore with Calgary ringing in a few degrees more.
To my riding friends in the south USA that may seem like horrible weather to ride in but for a Canuck that's been holed up for 6 months of winter the blue sky beckoned for a ride. Carl had the spare bike and another riding friend Kelly came along.

It was also a great opportunity to do my first test of some of my riding gear that was provided by Gamma Sales.
Lets start with my new Zoan "Runner" helmet. Shown here in red but as you can see mine is in silver. I hear the silver ones make you smarter...at least that is the rumour I am starting.

This is the 3rd brand of modular helmet I have owned in that last 4 years. For the want of flip up convenience, which allows me to put on a helmet without removing glasses or, as important, to open it should I have to sneeze,  or the option of flipping it open for fresh air on hot days while in traffic, some sacrifices must be made.
While modulars give you full face protection they are a bit noisier than a regular full face helmet and some can even a bit drafty. The Zoan beat both of my previous helmets for wind noise as it proved to be much, much quieter. The under chin flap kept cool air from swirling in like my last 2 mod helmets and the removable nose cover kept my visor clear from fogging in the chill alpine air by directing my breath away. A problem I had with the my other helmets was fogging on cool days which is a scary thing to happen at highway speed, losing sight of the road just because you exhaled. On warmer days the nose cover can be easily removed.
There are vents to help with air flow on hot days but they were kept closed so I cannot comment yet on their effectiveness except for when I accidentally left one open I could feel a cold breeze coming in. Once closed the Zoan did not have the annoying swirl of air leaking in.

The internal sun visor control and the latch opening mechanism were easy to operate even with heavy gloves.
Which brings me to the next item, my  Scarab Winter Glove by Cortech.

Insulated and containing a waterproof membrane they proved to be quite warm with no need for me to switch on the heated hand grips for the 1 hour (each way) ride out to Canmore. Keep in mind we were at a spirited highway pace in close to single digit temperatures so the wind chill was intense. A non insulated glove would've had my hands clawed up in frozen protest but not with these guys on.
The only thing that bothered my comfort was the stiffness of these armoured gloves. They are very well constructed but will require a few wearings to break them in. Keep that in mind when purchasing a cold weather glove. Test them out and break them in prior to that long trip you've been planning. You don't want to have your first cool day cut short because your gear is too stiff and new. I can tell they will be a great glove down the road but for now they are a bit rigid so I plan to use them often to work them in. It reminds me of how I had to break in some good hockey gloves growing up. Those that required no break in usually lasted only a season.  I will also say they performed nicely at sealing out the wind at the cuff nicely. They were never drafty and the velcro flaps were easy to use even with a gloved hand.

Next up is the boots.

 Solution Waterproof touring boots. While there was no real weather to test them in they were comfortable for this short jaunt. I never had cold feet but it was just a short trip.  
The main thing I was concerned about was foot comfort. I suffer from a slight ingrown nail on my one foot and my last boots used to give me a pressure point stab that would ache by day's end. It seems the problem is not to be with these boots. I'll write more when I can test them in rain, an all day ride and on a good hike off the bike. If you tour you don't want track boots as your feet will protest when walking around scenic outlooks, touristy stops etc. I suspect these boots will do fine for off  bike duty as well. 
Like the gloves they seemed a bit stiff and new but should break in nicely.




The main item I really wanted to test was my Tourmaster Epic series jacket.

For those that have followed my travels from last year you remember I went thru more than my share of cool, wet weather. Today's sunny but chilly demeanor was a good time to test the warmth of this jacket. 
With the quilted liner zipped in place I opted for minimal clothing underneath to make to give it a challenge. I wore a wick-dry,long sleeve microfiber shirt and a cotton T-shirt over top and nothing more. I was trying to simulate those days when we start out nice but the weather turns. Often riders willl "tough it out" rather than stop for another layer as they push on to their destination. Since it was not my bike I did not have the luxury of plugging in my heated liner jacket. The Epic jacket had to keep me warm on its own. 
I did bring a thin, pullover fleece as a back up just in case but it remained in my tail pack all day. The warmth of this jacket was superb. A few times the wind blast would press it tight against my chest and the cold would creep in briefly from the contact. One more layer such as a vest would have solved that.
I am confident I could go a full tank's distance dressed that way however, on a longer multi tank trip in such temperatures, I would probably spoil myself with the electrics just to reduce fatigue because you burn energy warming up and cooling down all day....and I have become a bit of a cold wuss. Why suffer when there is gear to eliminate it from your ride? With an electric vest or jacket underneath there is little need to bulk up in many layers which translates into many more miles each day in comfort while reducing your luggage needs. The outer shell is waterproof requiring only to close all vents. No need to carry a rain suit! (note- my Tourmaster pants are on back order so I was unable to give them a tryout)
The built in kidney belt, yes you read that right, built in kidney belt serves 2 purposes. Anytime an item can solve more than one problem I am a fan as I love multi functionality. Besides keeping your kidneys from being jarred the belt is a great way of stopping any cold air that had the nasty idea of creeping up your coat from the bottom. Once adjusted, which is easy with the velcro tabs, it cinches the jacket snug. My old jacket was notorious for letting the chill air climb up my back. Not so with this one from Tourmaster.
Since I will be using it for long tours I also wanted to test out the built in waist pack built into the back of the jacket.
Like a mini back pack you can stuff items you may need while off the bike. I filled it with a first aid kit, a small tripod, a point and shoot digital camera (in its own case) and a micro fibre balaclava. While it may  or may not have made my lower back look a bit lumpy when viewing me from behind, the items all road comfortably. I think this feature will be great for short hikes at scenic stops. The zipper closure can be worked easily with gloves too so you can seal your items safely away.
The jacket's outer pockets are waterproof and can hold a fair amount of items. My wallet tucked inside a waterproof chest pocket and my cell phone on an inside pocket did not even begin to strain the jackets capability to hold stuff. There are so many pockets it can be easy to lose something until you get used to where it all isl. I love the storage as it means my tank bag will not have to carry everything.
I look forward to warmer weather so I can try the jacket sans liner and test out the scoop vents that zip open for air flow. Until ma nature finds the heat in this area I'll be content with the warmth.

If you are interested in any of this gear contact  Gamma Sales to find a rep near you. In Calgary you can head down to Universal Cycle for purchasing.