New here. No Hayabusa, just 'busa parts on my Bandit

MSerfozo

MSerfozo

Registered
Hi, my name is Mark and I'm a modaholic.

Hoping I can find some like-minded types in this forum who can answer some Qs for me about the Hayabusa parts I'm adding to my Frankenbandit. I'm a longtime member of Maximum-Suzuki.com and I'm hearing that you guys are a helpful, knowledgeable bunch too.

I recently bought enough parts to assemble a complete front end (forks, triples, wheel, tire, discs, axle, head bearings) so I can put a more modern, adjustable suspension in front of my old-school, wannabe street fighter.

I'm about to mount the tire, but I'm not sure which way the wheel goes, or if it matters. The Bandit wheel has asymmetrical bearings and spacers, but it looks like the 'busa wheel can go on either way - at least until the tire is mounted. Am I missing something or is it symmetrical?

Also, I'm looking for an alternative to the 'busa fender. Apologies in advance if you guys love your unusual front fenders, but it's not what I want for the minimalist look I'm after. I'd like to have something to protect the sliding part of the fork from road debris but as small as possible. Any creative ideas here?

Here's a photo of where I am now:

IMG_0463.jpg
 
I could understand a TL getting modded with Busa parts, but a bandit? This might be a tough crowd for you but I'm down to help anyway I can
 
What's wrong with a Bandit? Yeah, I know it's old school but I'm up to approx. 125hp and down to 520lbs. Soon I'll have equal suspension F&R, shorter wheelbase and higher CG than you. I'll give you dragstrip bragging rights fer sure, but I'll match you in the twisty bits. And I bet if we both change oil and set valve clearances, I'll have you by 100 miles. :poke:

Hope this comes across as good-natured, Suzuki family rivalry - sometimes the webz filters out the fun and makes things sound angry when it's not intended.

And thanks for the offer of help! Any clue about that front wheel direction? I'll probably get around to mounting the new tire on the 'busa rim shortly after Christmas and I'd really hate to have to do it twice... BTW, my parts are all 1st Gen.
 
Nothing wrong with the Bandit, great bikes. Welcome to the org. To answer some of your questions, look for a zuk 1k front fender, but check the years as I am not sure what years will fit. Also, the wheel should have an arrow on it to indicate rotation. You have a good looking bike, again welcome. :welcome:
 
I don't care what you ride as long as you ride. WELCOME :cheerleader: The bandit was the first 7 second street bike brought to you by Brock Davidson himself... That bike has had a strong following since the early oil cooled engine days.. Dale Walker has had many upgrades for these also.. Ride On My Friend...

The busa wheel has a directional arrow on one side and it should point forward when on bike. You can make some brackets out of strong flat work and mount a gsxr fender or even mount stock busa, cutting and mod to your liking and paint.


Little History

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...5a-X-qvn3W-xnGQJw&sig2=CFPwjVxVo0tXl9P71xCXBQ
 
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I owned a 2005 Bandit 1200S before buying my 2007 Busa. I think it's a great motorcycle for the market it's aimed for.
 
I had a Busa shock on the rear of my Bandit 1250S. It's a tight fit, but it is direct bolt in and a big improvement over the stock Bandit shock.

post-6-15062-101_3821.jpg
 
I didn't mean it was a bad bike, I was saying that its an odd bike to mod Busa parts too, that's all. They are right about the wheel with the arrow and all, also, I'd go with the zuk fender too.

BTW - I'll take ya in the drag and twisties... as soon as she's back together :poke:
 
Thanks for the welcome, guys! I brought the wheel into the kitchen where the light was better and I found the arrow quickly. Since my wife didn't complain about one part inside, I brought the rest in piece by piece... Now they're warm enough to touch so I mounted an aluminum 90deg valve stem and started to mock up a custom fork guard - I'll shoot a pic if I come up with something that looks promising. I got new tires from Santa so I'll mount & balance the front in the next day or two.

Hope you're having a Merry Christmas so far.
 
MSerfozo said:
Thanks for the welcome, guys! I brought the wheel into the kitchen where the light was better and I found the arrow quickly. Since my wife didn't complain about one part inside, I brought the rest in piece by piece... Now they're warm enough to touch so I mounted an aluminum 90deg valve stem and started to mock up a custom fork guard - I'll shoot a pic if I come up with something that looks promising. I got new tires from Santa so I'll mount & balance the front in the next day or two.

Hope you're having a Merry Christmas so far.
Click to expand...

Keep an eye on that valve stem, make sure its seated and torqued properly.
 
After a few minor setbacks (nothing a hacksaw, drill, grinder, and other implements of destruction couldn't fix), I finally got the forks and wheel mounted today.


IMG_8598.jpg


IMG_8599.jpg


IMG_8602.jpg


Still have to fab something for the lower fork guards and adjust my steering stops but I did go for a quick ride around the block to make sure the forks and brakes were working OK.

I either have to wash the rest of the bike to make it match the new front end or get caught in the rain a few more times to get the front as grungy as the rest.
 
I got the preload set OK but I can't find any info for the baseline damping settings. I did search but some of the pinned suspension threads have a lot of missing pictures...

Can somebody tell me the number of clicks for the compression and rebound adjustments?
 
Not sure if you Hayabusa guys are interested in my Bandit project or not but here's my first shot at fabbing some fork guards. It's a minimalist approach to covering the fork sliders without resorting to a traditional USD fender.

I started with a $5 piece of approx 1/10" thick Lexan sheet and split it in half. I heated the pieces on a cookie sheet in the oven until they softened and became pliable (about 360[sup]o[/sup]F seemed to work well) then bent them around a 1.625" wood dowel. After they cooled, I placed them over the fork mounts and marked and drilled the mounting holes. Then I used my Dremel with a cutoff wheel to trim away the excess, sanded the edges and painted them with a can of gloss black I had in the basement.

Here are a few photos of them mounted up. I think there's still a bit of fine tuning to do but, overall I'm happy with the shape and I think they'll be functional. Maybe flat black to match the caliper?

My wife says she doesn't like it. She says it looks "industrial" - I'm taking that as a compliment! ;)
She didn't think it was as "pretty" after I went naked with it either...

IMG_8613.jpg


IMG_8611.jpg


IMG_8612.jpg


IMG_8614.jpg
 
Interesting project. But why not just put a fender on it? Dont you have to have a fender to be legal?
 
MSerfozo said:
I got the preload set OK but I can't find any info for the baseline damping settings. I did search but some of the pinned suspension threads have a lot of missing pictures...

Can somebody tell me the number of clicks for the compression and rebound adjustments?
Click to expand...

There is no exact answer.
You need to set the suspension sag for your weight.
 
MLSDUKE1 said:
I didn't mean it was a bad bike, I was saying that its an odd bike to mod Busa parts too, that's all. They are right about the wheel with the arrow and all, also, I'd go with the zuk fender too.

BTW - I'll take ya in the drag and twisties... as soon as she's back together :poke:
Click to expand...

That Bandit with the improved suspension is easily capable of taking your Busa through the curves.
It will come down to skill(even with stock suspension for that matter).
 
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