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Picked up the new bandit...My Review

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whitesands

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My wife and I picked up a new 08' grey bandit yesterday and it had 0 miles when I took it home....


So, here's my review in different categories....

Comfort

Well, my last bike was an RC51 so the Bandit is WAY more comfortable...The RC51 had a very aggressive riding position even for sportbike standards...The riding position on the bandit is just right so there is just no contest here.
I've heard complaints about the seat on the bandit but it felt just right to me....If you sit back a little on it the edge of the passenger seat gives a little support to your back so that's nice...

Handling

I took it easy in the corners because I want to spend some time getting familiar with the vehicle..I'm not an aggressive rider anyway but I believe it's important to be extremely cautious on a new motorcycle while learning the characteristics of the vehicle...But from what I can tell the bike handles Very well...It's very stable...Corners are accurate, neutral, and planted...Changing lanes requires very little effort..Matter of fact, the bandit does this with more ease than the RC51 did..On the RC it kind of felt like you had to muscle the bike when just leaning to change lanes...On the bandit it's effortless...It seems odd that the bandit does this better but it's true....Despite being a little heavier the Bandit feels very light and ALOT lighter than my old RC.


Engine

Wow! First, there is very little engine noise. Very quiet engine and the exhaust note is very quiet as well...I like it...It sounds like you're riding something with a turbine engine.
The bandit has low end torque that completely stomps the RC51...There's no comparison...On the RC, if you roll on the throttle in 3rd or 4th gear it feels like very little happens..The Bandit is entirely different and I didn't even let the revs get over 4500 rpm...It cruises effortlessly at 75 mph at 3,800 rpm....

Vibration...It's very smooth, no detectable vibration in the handlebars...A slight vibe in the pegs in the 3,000 rpm area but still very smooth.

Transmission

Nice! I've always heard that Suzuki's have nice shifting transmissions and the Bandit is no exception....Every click is smooth, positive, and effortless...Nice transmission...Clutch action is excellent.

Brakes

They are pretty nice...They do the job but the front brake is not quite the same level as on RC..The RC has excellent front brakes, very progressive and alot of feel at the lever...But the rear brake on the Bandit 1250 is better than the RC's...

Maintenance
The Bandit 1250 is very easy to work on. Oil changes are much easier than the RC51...The seat comes off and goes back on very simply...A very well thought out design....

That's it! So far I really like it...
 
Good report, Whitesands. :clap: I do like these new Bandits, they are very tempting..... :trust:

Now step away from the keyboard and get to riding ;-) :rider:
 
Welcome whitesands. I picked up my bike (an /07) last Dec and I have similar observations. I only have about 700 miles on it (non-stop work lately) but have no complaints so far. I did add a higher screen and a Two-Bros slip on. I like my bikes quiet and the 2-bros adds just a low growl and is about 10lbs lighter. The can on the /07 was/is HUGE. I put about 150 miles on it yesterday (north to Farmersville, past lake Lavon and east to Greenville). I just did a chain adj and will take it in soon for it's 600 mi check. A lot of us are changing the oil at 100-200 miles to get the initial crud out. I changed mine again at 600 and will go to synthetic at 1200. I still want to get a luggage rack and I'll be set for a while.

BTW - the grey/silver looks great!!!

Anyway - enjoy the bike. Its probably be best all-around bike I have ever owned.

Ol Dave
 
Sorry - one more thing. What did you pay for the bike (If you don't mind me asking)...? Where did you buy the bike?

Thanks, Ol Dave
 
Welcome to the crew!!:clap: You're gonna love your Bandit!!
Wally(owner of the 07 RED fastest of all BANDIT):rider:
 
Welcome. The Bandit is a fantastic bike and probably one of the best bargains in the business. To ride it is to love it! :rider:
 
Yeah, where did you get? I saw woods fun ctr.aus. had a grey/silver last week, Its a good thing you didnt or were not able to get a red one, They need a shute to slow down :rofl: Silver is very cool looking! have fun.
 
Thanks for the replies...My wife really liked it too and so she bought it for me...She's been wanting to do this for me for a while and I've wanted a new bike after I sold the RC but I really didn't want her to spend money on me like that so I was reluctant and she insisted..I couldn't ask for a better woman.

Here's another pic...
 

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whitesands said:
Thanks for the replies...My wife really liked it too and so she bought it for me.....
Click to expand...

Congrats on the new bike.

Do you think you could have your wife spend some time talking to mine??? I already have an '07 but I would love to have the '08 silver model. Convincing her that I should change bikes again though may require some assistance.
 
Brass said:
Congrats on the new bike.

Do you think you could have your wife spend some time talking to mine??? I already have an '07 but I would love to have the '08 silver model. Convincing her that I should change bikes again though may require some assistance.
Click to expand...
Better yet, does she have a sister ;-) I could use a T-umph Sprint ST
 
Yeah I've been impressed with it...I know alot of folks may find it hard to believe but the bandit handles alot better than my RC did at normal street paces...I mean there is a big difference. I remember on the RC you had to really try to get the bike to lean when changing lanes and it felt like a struggle with the bike...On the Suzuki you really don't even have to think about it as it just flows effortlessly..Very nice...And the fuel injection is much smoother too....
 
Went riding again today and got on the highway...The bike is so smooth, quiet, and relaxing to ride.
 
Went for another ride today...What a nice day here in Texas!
Got over 300 miles on the bandit now and I can tell the bandit is starting to pick up some hp and rev cleaner...I'm very impressed with the motor as it's very stout with plenty of torqe for a relaxed cruise...The exhaust note is quiet and engine noise is barely noticeable...When I was riding today I could hear the tires more than the engine it seemed like!


Here's a couple more pics...
 

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a hair dryer works well to loosen the red/white WARNING stickers, so you can peel them off.

some choose to leave them on, i took mine off. much better.

last year the 3 color choice of red/black/blue didnt leave much to choose from. the Silver color 2008 is nice. good choice.
 
whitesands said:
How would you compare the two ?
Click to expand...

Well.....it's not really a fair comparison becasue we're comparing a $8,000 bike to a almost $12,000 bike and the Bandit is an Economy "Bang for the Buck" Sport Standard and the Sprint is a "Sporty Tourer"

But here go's.....

POWER/ENGINE
Sprint is faster with 125 stock hp and about 79 ft lbs of torque and seems to pulls harder mid-range......I think the Bandit 1250 might take it off the line for awhile though. The Sprint engine is smoother and more refined than the 1250...even less vibes.

TRANSMISSION.....
Bandits 6 speed is smoother than the Triumphs.

HANDELING....
I don't feel much difference in this dept, the Bandit 1250 handles really well the suspension is stiffer than the Sprint.....the Sprint is sprung on the soft side, almost too soft.

COMFORT/ERGOS...
This is really subjective as everyone's built different but for me (I'm 6'0" and a 30"inseam) I find the Bandit1250 has a more comfortable riding position. The Sprint is a "Sporty Tourer" wih the emphasis on "Sport" and the riding position while not as radical as a true sport bike to me isn't as comfy as the Bandit1250 for long hauls.
Wind protection go's to the Sprint but again it's not really fair to compare becasue the Sprint has a full fairing.

The seat removal/attachmnet on the 2005 and up Sprint is the WORST design I ever came across!! Very difficult to reattach the seat becasue the reciever nuts for the 2 screws that hold the seat down at the back of the seat are thin flimsy metal and move around as you're trying to reattach the screws and you CAN'T see them....even the Triumph dealers leave the seats unscrewed in the showroom. Luckily you don't have to remove the seat much as there's no storage at all under there.

INSTRUMENTATION....
Sprint has a fully digital instrument pod with a computer that tells you everything from current gas mileage to miles traveled to top speed ect.....the tach and speedo are analog (3 pods total) if your over 40 though you'll appreciate the Bandits LARGE digital speedo as the Sprints speedo numbers are on the small side.

The Sprint is a great Sport Tourer if you want a Sport Tourer that's still VERY fun in the twisties....it's lighter than a FJR or ST1300 or a BMW ect......so it can keep up with most sportbikes in the twisties.

The Sprint had biodegradable rubber on certain parts...battery hold down strap, footpeg rubber, and rubber wire loom straps all deteriorated on my Sprint in a year and a half and 13,000 miles.
I had a HOT "no start" problem that turned out to be a bad clutch part, new "Sprag" Clutch put in under warranty (Sprint has a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty)
There was also a recall on a weak suspension bolt that was fixed in like 15 mins.
I also had a bad gas tank. The Sprint had a plastic tank (back to metal for 2008) and the plastic was bubbeling under the paint, changed out under warranty.
All in all I'd still buy another one as it's a VERY fun bike. My friend has one and other than the rubber, has ZERO problems.
BUT another one of my friends bought a 2007 SPEED TRIPLE and is taking Triumph to litigation for a Lemon Buyback.....his engine cracked a rod at 4,000 miles and it has a random no start problem that the dealer can't fix.
I think Triumph has come a long way but I don't think the quality is quite as good as the Japanese bikes.......yet.

Ok I'm done! :mrgreen:
 
Thanks for the review...I've heard of reliability issues with some triumphs...My wife and I were at a multi line European motorcycle dealer and they had sold a new triumph tiger..The individual that bought it went to start it to take it home and it wouldn't start...And I've heard of alot of issues with the starter...
 
Took my wife for a ride for the first time the other day...The bandit handled it very well..The only thing is it seems like the rear seat tends to slide the passenger into you...Perhaps suzuki's gel seat may have a better shape for securing the passenger....
 
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