I took my first medium trip as a shakedown cruise on my new (to me) 2008 Bandit with ABS. It was virtually brand new with less than 3,000 miles on it. It really looks like it just rolled off the showroom. There is a ZG DB windscreen and Givi luggage (not Suzuki version). It has the BIG rear Givi bags (45 liters).
I pretty much rode the 500 miles straight other than stopping for gas. I can say the stock seat isn't terrible IF I compare it to the seat on my SV. Compared to the Corbin on my Vee it is a ***!!! I'll just say I tolerated the seat and if I was only going to do 500 miles on an easy day I could probably tolerate it then as well if I spread it out over 10 hours of riding and not the 6 straight hours I did today.
I need some help figuring out if it has an 18T or 17T front sprocket. My revs at 78 mph are about 4,500. This works out to about 17.3 mph per 1,000 rpm in 6th gear. I forgot to ask the previous owner if he swapped out the sprocket so can anyone else give me an idea of what they are seeing with their bike and what gearing combo (17 or 18)? I also have brand new tires on it so they are a bit taller. The speed listed is NOT from the speedo but from 2 different GPSs. They both said the same things. The stock speedo seems to be off almost 10% so I am thinking it might be the 17T up front but sometimes it seems to be off only about 6%.
I was pushing pretty hard most of the time. Cruising about 80-85 mph per the GPS and the occasional blast into triple digits. In spite of all that (and the big bags hanging off the bike and a pretty heavy load of gear, I still was getting about 42.5 mpg (US). With the same size bags on my Vee I am seeing about 37 mpg but its been regeared (lower), pipes and a PCV as well. Normally that figure also includes all 125 lbs of her as well as stuffed V52 tail box as well. It seems like I'd lose one of the little "bars" on the fuel gauge about every 36 miles or so they seem to be slightly less than a gallon. Closer to 3 liters for each one.
Motor is amazing. If this bike was on a diet, it would pull really hard. I definitely miss the top-end rush of the SV. It feel like you are riding and electric motor with such a flat torque curve. I am pretty sure my SV is quicker than it though in acceleration and the Vee is not far off from it if it is a little slower but the Bandit just does it all so easily. Both the Vee and SV have pretty good V-twin motors. The Vee has such a wide torque curve and pretty light weight that it moves along pretty nice even though peak torque is less than the Bandit. The SV has more HP, maybe less torque than the Bandit but almost 100lbs lighter and a nice top-end rush to redline.
I definitely will go to Stage 2 ASAP as I REALLY miss that top-end pull. If I can have the top-end pull without losing much off the bottom I am definitely in!
The headlights at night are definitely far worse than either the Vee or SV. I'll have to do something about that immediately as well. Probably HIDs or mount auxiliary LEDs. I used the ADVmonster LED lights on my Vee in addition to the excellent stock headlights and you can light up the road like a 747 is coming in for a landing without using a ton of watts. Very important on these **** Suzukis where they are very stingy with alternator output.
On some easy backroads and the super slab the suspension isn't even half bad. The brakes are feeling better too. I don't think the previous owner even really bedded in the pads. I did a few progressively harder stops to get a feel for the ABS and by the 5th run there was noticeably better bite and better feel. When I really had to use them an hour later on the road, they were MUCH better than when I first road the bike and good feel with no mush lever. Maybe no reason to swap out lines just yet and I'll see how the hold up in the mountains when I go riding this weekend.
This is truly one of the best all around bikes I've ridden in a long time and it definitely feels much better than it price would suggest. I have a lot of experience for a basis of comparison. I was an MSF instructor for several years and I've owned so many bikes it would be boring to list them all including some pretty exotic ones such as RG500, RZ500, DR Big, 851, 888 and so on. If I had to chose just one bike to keep it would be hard to chose. I have 7 in the garages at the moment. I think motorcycles are like golf clubs, by the best bike for the purpose at hand if you can. So if it came done to only keeping one, it would be either the Vee (heavily farkled) or the Bandit ABS.
I'd love the Bandit motor and ABS in the Vee chassis. Or the SV motor and add ABS to the Vee chassis. Not that the Vee chassis is the best handling bike since sliced bread but because I like the cockpit room for my wife and I. I also have the suspension dialed in and I can still go on some fun fire roads and light off-roading. We can put in 1,000 mile days 2-up and my wife never complains. She is one heck of a lady and the Vee is comfortable on a trip.
Hopefully the Bandit will be OK in that area. Fortunately it will be in an area where we'll ride where the distance aren't so great like riding in the South Western US. I figure the most we'll ride on a day in the SE it 500 miles. We'd often do that before lunch when riding from Albuquerque.
I can see why most people on this forum like their Bandits so much. I had looked at one before buying my Vee but I really wanted the offroad capability of the Vee. I really wanted ABS but a Wee (650 V-strom) just felt underpowered to me and downright anemic at high altitude and even worse when riding double.
I'll be ordering a different seat and most of the stage 2 parts next week. I can't wait to begin the transformation. Once I can ride with my wife I'll see what I have to do with the suspension. It looks like having the ABS makes rear shock swaps more challenging from the perspective of potential down bikes. Maybe Sasquatch could re-work my factory shock like he did the one on my Vee. He positively transformed that bike. It rides like I have an Ohlins in the back for a fraction of the cost.
I pretty much rode the 500 miles straight other than stopping for gas. I can say the stock seat isn't terrible IF I compare it to the seat on my SV. Compared to the Corbin on my Vee it is a ***!!! I'll just say I tolerated the seat and if I was only going to do 500 miles on an easy day I could probably tolerate it then as well if I spread it out over 10 hours of riding and not the 6 straight hours I did today.
I need some help figuring out if it has an 18T or 17T front sprocket. My revs at 78 mph are about 4,500. This works out to about 17.3 mph per 1,000 rpm in 6th gear. I forgot to ask the previous owner if he swapped out the sprocket so can anyone else give me an idea of what they are seeing with their bike and what gearing combo (17 or 18)? I also have brand new tires on it so they are a bit taller. The speed listed is NOT from the speedo but from 2 different GPSs. They both said the same things. The stock speedo seems to be off almost 10% so I am thinking it might be the 17T up front but sometimes it seems to be off only about 6%.
I was pushing pretty hard most of the time. Cruising about 80-85 mph per the GPS and the occasional blast into triple digits. In spite of all that (and the big bags hanging off the bike and a pretty heavy load of gear, I still was getting about 42.5 mpg (US). With the same size bags on my Vee I am seeing about 37 mpg but its been regeared (lower), pipes and a PCV as well. Normally that figure also includes all 125 lbs of her as well as stuffed V52 tail box as well. It seems like I'd lose one of the little "bars" on the fuel gauge about every 36 miles or so they seem to be slightly less than a gallon. Closer to 3 liters for each one.
Motor is amazing. If this bike was on a diet, it would pull really hard. I definitely miss the top-end rush of the SV. It feel like you are riding and electric motor with such a flat torque curve. I am pretty sure my SV is quicker than it though in acceleration and the Vee is not far off from it if it is a little slower but the Bandit just does it all so easily. Both the Vee and SV have pretty good V-twin motors. The Vee has such a wide torque curve and pretty light weight that it moves along pretty nice even though peak torque is less than the Bandit. The SV has more HP, maybe less torque than the Bandit but almost 100lbs lighter and a nice top-end rush to redline.
I definitely will go to Stage 2 ASAP as I REALLY miss that top-end pull. If I can have the top-end pull without losing much off the bottom I am definitely in!
The headlights at night are definitely far worse than either the Vee or SV. I'll have to do something about that immediately as well. Probably HIDs or mount auxiliary LEDs. I used the ADVmonster LED lights on my Vee in addition to the excellent stock headlights and you can light up the road like a 747 is coming in for a landing without using a ton of watts. Very important on these **** Suzukis where they are very stingy with alternator output.
On some easy backroads and the super slab the suspension isn't even half bad. The brakes are feeling better too. I don't think the previous owner even really bedded in the pads. I did a few progressively harder stops to get a feel for the ABS and by the 5th run there was noticeably better bite and better feel. When I really had to use them an hour later on the road, they were MUCH better than when I first road the bike and good feel with no mush lever. Maybe no reason to swap out lines just yet and I'll see how the hold up in the mountains when I go riding this weekend.
This is truly one of the best all around bikes I've ridden in a long time and it definitely feels much better than it price would suggest. I have a lot of experience for a basis of comparison. I was an MSF instructor for several years and I've owned so many bikes it would be boring to list them all including some pretty exotic ones such as RG500, RZ500, DR Big, 851, 888 and so on. If I had to chose just one bike to keep it would be hard to chose. I have 7 in the garages at the moment. I think motorcycles are like golf clubs, by the best bike for the purpose at hand if you can. So if it came done to only keeping one, it would be either the Vee (heavily farkled) or the Bandit ABS.
I'd love the Bandit motor and ABS in the Vee chassis. Or the SV motor and add ABS to the Vee chassis. Not that the Vee chassis is the best handling bike since sliced bread but because I like the cockpit room for my wife and I. I also have the suspension dialed in and I can still go on some fun fire roads and light off-roading. We can put in 1,000 mile days 2-up and my wife never complains. She is one heck of a lady and the Vee is comfortable on a trip.
Hopefully the Bandit will be OK in that area. Fortunately it will be in an area where we'll ride where the distance aren't so great like riding in the South Western US. I figure the most we'll ride on a day in the SE it 500 miles. We'd often do that before lunch when riding from Albuquerque.
I can see why most people on this forum like their Bandits so much. I had looked at one before buying my Vee but I really wanted the offroad capability of the Vee. I really wanted ABS but a Wee (650 V-strom) just felt underpowered to me and downright anemic at high altitude and even worse when riding double.
I'll be ordering a different seat and most of the stage 2 parts next week. I can't wait to begin the transformation. Once I can ride with my wife I'll see what I have to do with the suspension. It looks like having the ABS makes rear shock swaps more challenging from the perspective of potential down bikes. Maybe Sasquatch could re-work my factory shock like he did the one on my Vee. He positively transformed that bike. It rides like I have an Ohlins in the back for a fraction of the cost.