Suzuki Bandit

[Tony Nitrous]

When Bandits were fairly new, went to the local drag strip. They were running some sort of “True Street” class, they didn’t like my nitrous addition, or Frank The Painters quick shifter, so paired us together…

I used it to commute to work for a while, got through a LOT of nitrous…. LOL

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

I took a friend of mine to get this yesterday.
Monday morning the seller posted it on FB Marketplace, I saw it, and send pics of it to my friend(he doesn't have FB).
He had been wanting a big cc sport touring bike, with decent power and more upright seating.
Not picky, no big budget, but whatever popped up that was too good of a deal to pass up, so we both have been looking at several bikes for a couple months(FZ1's, Z1's, few others)
Long story short, we had an easy 8 hour round trip.
The seller was retired, and had several cars and 7 bikes parked outside, all for sale, all in excellent condition, he said he was just downsizing to one bike.
This is a 2002 Suzuki Bandit 1200, it has 20k miles on it, the rear mudflap was trimmed sometime in antiquity, lol, a ss line from the front brake mc to where it splits to 2 rubber hoses at the wheel(strange but ok), and it has the Micron slip-on muffler, and a Zero-Gravity windshield(optically correct, light tint, and no scratches) otherwise it's stock(also has engine crash bars, not sure if they're aftermarket or factory).
The factory blue paint sparkles in the sun, and the whole bike is in excellent condition, aside from a few small scuffs here and there(who cares).
This thing has been well taken care of.
It just passed the required annual Va state inspection here, and has an almost new set of Stinko's on it.
And they have a center stand!
I've yet to ride it, but will soon.
He said it power wheelies 1st and 2nd easily, and it should, as these one hundred hp engines make 80 lb feet of torque...at 3500 rpm!!
He wanted something comfortable, with strong midrange, and adjustable suspension for decent cornering.
These check all the boxes, and go for $4k-$4500 here, and not in this good of condition either.
When I asked the seller how much he wanted for it, he said he wouldn't take any less than $2k for it...I ask him what time we could come get it, lol
There are alot of better bikes out there now for sure...but some of these classics you run across rarely, especially good ones, so 2 grand for this beautiful piece of bygone Suzuki, just could not be turned down.
I'm glad he bought it too, because I sold my Drz400 last week...and I'de have brought it to my house instead, lol.
He just text me and said that he went to the dmv and put it on his insurance, rode it 50 miles and it runs and rides excellent.
Money well spent.

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Wanna drag? My new old Honda has about the same horsepower but only 63 pounds of torque. The gen1s ran the quarter in the low 11s and the heavier ProLinks, in the high 11s. Of course mine’s 20 years older and heavier so you (could) give me the hit.

 

[sixpack577]

Wanna drag? My new old Honda has about the same horsepower but only 63 pounds of torque. The gen1s ran the quarter in the low 11s and the heavier ProLinks, in the high 11s. Of course mine’s 20 years older and heavier so you (could) give me the hit.

Ha! Right on!
If you were close he'd run you today, lol, for the fun of it.
I bet it would be a close race

 

[sixpack577]

When Bandits were fairly new, went to the local drag strip. They were running some sort of “True Street” class, they didn’t like my nitrous addition, or Frank The Painters quick shifter, so paired us together…

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I used it to commute to work for a while, got through a LOT of nitrous…. LOL

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Cool
I havn't ridden it yet.
What did you think about it?
It seems to be a great backroad sport cruiser, with enough midrange to keep it fun...all while not being crippled by clip-on handlebars, lol

 

[sixpack577]

I put the busa back to stock and was reminded of how out of shape I am when I tried the handlebars back in stock position and my sciatic nerve was screaming at me on the stock seat. Lol

No doubt
The stock Gen1 and Gen2 position hurts me, no matter how good of shape I'm in.

 

[PeregrineKeith]

Nice Bandit and New Edge in the yard, you know I’m in agreement!!

 

[Tony Nitrous]

Cool
I havn't ridden it yet.
What did you think about it?
It seems to be a great backroad sport cruiser, with enough midrange to keep it fun...all while not being crippled by clip-on handlebars, lol

I like them, I always joke about them being “Big Boys Meccano”.
I was going to do the DOT head swap on my current one but haven’t got around to it. It’s still on my long to do list.
I find them a bit of a slim bike, and stock suspension is definitely on the budget side, but I’m still a huge fan. Tough bikes, easy to work on, heaps of parts available for upgrades, my current one was bought when I already had a Busa, B-King and other bigger faster more modern bikes. They are just a great honest bike not pretending to be anything they aren’t. My favourite bike for wheelies too!

I’ve always had the earlier Mk-1’s, I just prefer the shape and look. If a nice Gen-2 turned up at the right price I’d certainly buy it. Still the same oilcooled lump I love. I’ve never been tempted by the Watercooled 1250.

 

[202mphbusa]

ooohhh
Do tell...how much wakey wakey?

Buddy's went with a pipe from around 109hp to 127
cams NUTER the bandit motor
I think he gained 5-6 more when he put on 40 flatslides
freaking wheelie beast

 

[wellcraft]

I looked at a bandit when I was searching for my first bike, don't remember why I didn't buy it, but ended up with a BMW R1150R. Great first bike, not to fast and not to heavy as a starter bike so a good bike to learn on.

 

[sixpack577]

I looked at a bandit when I was searching for my first bike, don't remember why I didn't buy it, but ended up with a BMW R1150R. Great first bike, not to fast and not to heavy as a starter bike so a good bike to learn on.

I've yet to ride it, but I can see the Bandit 1200 be a good starter bike...and it apparently also works well for aging hoons, who just want to creep the countryside without feeling crippled
lmao

 

[Bumblebee]

I've yet to ride it, but I can see the Bandit 1200 be a good starter bike...and it apparently also works well for aging hoons, who just want to creep the countryside without feeling crippled
lmao

I'm not so sure it would be good for a beginner....it has a lot of weight to it and the power comes on pretty strongly.....it will wheelie very easily which could be dangerous for a beginner....a 600 Bandit would be ok for a beginner but not the 1200....in my opinion....

Of course there are people who start riding on a liter bike or Hayabusa so what do I know....LOL!

It would really depend on the person.

 

[sixpack577]

I'm not so sure it would be good for a beginner....it has a lot of weight to it and the power comes on pretty strongly.....it will wheelie very easily which could be dangerous for a beginner....a 600 Bandit would be ok for a beginner but not the 1200....in my opinion....

Of course there are people who start riding on a liter bike or Hayabusa so what do I know....LOL!

It would really depend on the person.

lol
Yeah, I could see that.
He's been riding since he was a kid, and is a good rider.
We've ridden each others bikes for years together too.
He considered several bikes, and spending alot more, but had been on Craigslist, me on FB, and us both looking locally to see what the best deal to be had was, just bang for the buck.
When the 1200 Bandit popped up, the seller said $2k (which is under half price for them where we are), and it turned out to be as good in person...one of us was going to take it home, lol
I'm glad he was looking, and that he sold his last one, as the last thing I need is more bikes around here, lmao
But, in all seriousness, I get what you've said about taking care of multiple bikes.
I sold my Drz last week, which leaves me with just my '03 1k project, and the '18 gsxr too.
I plan on getting a used Goldwing 1800 this summer as well...so I Really don't need more bikes...
And, my friend with the '18 needs talked off the ledge monthly, if not...I'de have a basement full of old Ninjas and Gsxrs...
which reminds me...I need to get another bike
lmao

 

[Bumblebee]

lol
Yeah, I could see that.
He's been riding since he was a kid, and is a good rider.
We've ridden each others bikes for years together too.
He considered several bikes, and spending alot more, but had been on Craigslist, me on FB, and us both looking locally to see what the best deal to be had was, just bang for the buck.
When the 1200 Bandit popped up, the seller said $2k (which is under half price for them where we are), and it turned out to be as good in person...one of us was going to take it home, lol
I'm glad he was looking, and that he sold his last one, as the last thing I need is more bikes around here, lmao
But, in all seriousness, I get what you've said about taking care of multiple bikes.
I sold my Drz last week, which leaves me with just my '03 1k project, and the '18 gsxr too.
I plan on getting a used Goldwing 1800 this summer as well...so I Really don't need more bikes...
And, my friend with the '18 needs talked off the ledge monthly, if not...I'de have a basement full of old Ninjas and Gsxrs...
which reminds me...I need to get another bike
lmao

Honestly I wasn't riding half of the bikes I had, they were just garage queens but I still maintained them and put them in and out of perma-storage so I could ride one of them...

It was a real breath of fresh air when I went to one bike.......I loved my bikes but it sure was good to not have them sitting around and all of them went to good homes which is always something we hope for....

My '85 GSXRs ended up somewhere in the US in a large collection so I've been told.

Not far from my home there was a green and white '89 ZX750R Ninja for sale for peanuts....it took a lot of will-power to drive by it and not buy it.....

The guy said he couldn't give it away and it only had 18,000kms on it....but I held strong and left it there....

 

[sixpack577]

Honestly I wasn't riding half of the bikes I had, they were just garage queens but I still maintained them and put them in and out of perma-storage so I could ride one of them...

It was a real breath of fresh air when I went to one bike.......I loved my bikes but it sure was good to not have them sitting around and all of them went to good homes which is always something we hope for....

My '85 GSXRs ended up somewhere in the US in a large collection so I've been told.

Not far from my home there was a green and white '89 ZX750R Ninja for sale for peanuts....it took a lot of will-power to drive by it and not buy it.....

The guy said he couldn't give it away and it only had 18,000kms on it....but I held strong and left it there....

...but I bet it took Alot of willpower
lol

 

[Bumblebee]

...but I bet it took Alot of willpower
lol

It did as that was my favorite Ninja of them all as it was very close to the GSXR...that's why I bought an '89 FZR 1000 in the day as it was very reminiscent of my GSXR

 

[sixpack577]

It did as that was my favorite Ninja of them all as it was very close to the GSXR...that's why I bought an '89 FZR 1000 in the day as it was very reminiscent of my GSXR

My friend with the '18 Gsxr and I have a really hard time not buying the nice zx7's, zx9's, and zx11's, as well as most any TL1k and Gsxr1k...the few times a year good ones show up.
It would get out of hand quickly, lol.
I'm still enjoying my '03 Gsxr1k too, but will let that be the last of my projects of that size for a while...until I find another I can't resist, lol
But seriously, for now, just the two 1k's, and to get a nice used Goldwing 1800 will be more than enough...at least that's the plan...

 

[BigBSBusa]

My friend with the '18 Gsxr and I have a really hard time not buying the nice zx7's, zx9's, and zx11's, as well as most any TL1k and Gsxr1k...the few times a year good ones show up.
It would get out of hand quickly, lol.
I'm still enjoying my '03 Gsxr1k too, but will let that be the last of my projects of that size for a while...until I find another I can't resist, lol
But seriously, for now, just the two 1k's, and to get a nice used Goldwing 1800 will be more than enough...at least that's the plan...

Exactly my issue!

 

[jellyrug]

My friend with the '18 Gsxr and I have a really hard time not buying the nice zx7's, zx9's, and zx11's, as well as most any TL1k and Gsxr1k...the few times a year good ones show up.
It would get out of hand quickly, lol.
I'm still enjoying my '03 Gsxr1k too, but will let that be the last of my projects of that size for a while...until I find another I can't resist, lol
But seriously, for now, just the two 1k's, and to get a nice used Goldwing 1800 will be more than enough...at least that's the plan...

Since you started with a Bandit, here is some inpiration for you:

Undying Love - DeepCreek Cycleworks Bandit 1200 - Return of the Cafe Racers

The bond between some motorcyclists and their machines is unbreakable. They may have owned a bike from new, kept it in pristine condition and call it

www.returnofthecaferacers.com

 

[Tony Nitrous]

Buddy's went with a pipe from around 109hp to 127
cams NUTER the bandit motor
I think he gained 5-6 more when he put on 40 flatslides
freaking wheelie beast

… or better still use the complete DOT head from the 750 J/K 88/89 (I think) GSXR750. It’s has the larger size valves, some spicy cams and raises the compression a little. It’s a popular mod for fast Bandits and a step up from just swapping cams.

There’s a GSX-F that uses the same head but it runs milder cams but that’s fixable.

DOT heads are pretty easy to identify….

 

[Tony Nitrous]

I put the busa back to stock and was reminded of how out of shape I am when I tried the handlebars back in stock position and my sciatic nerve was screaming at me on the stock seat. Lol

I know I’m living in denial !

I love my Busa’s and GSXR11, if I could only have one bike it’d be a Gen-3 Busa,
but every time I ride my Bandit or B-King I swear my whole body breaths a sigh of relief …. LOL.