Fork Brace

Yesterday marked my first time this year for brisk riding in the twisties. After a run on county roads and RT. 43 out of Buchanan, I got to play on the Blue Ridge Parkway. For you Texans who have never had the pleasure, this is a 469-mile road along the ridges in VA and NC. No trucks are allowed and it is closed in Winter; as a result, the road surface stays smooth and intact.

After adding Holeshot fork springs and 5wt, I finished off with a Holeshot fork brace. This is truly the cherry on top of the sundae. Whereas the springs alone made the bike feel much more planted, it was happier staying on a straight path and required an effort to turn in. Adding the brace has worked wonders: now the the Bandit knifes through turns with minimal input, without losing any of its stability. The only downside is that getting to proper sag puts the shock at next to stiffest, which can be harsh on some surfaces [not the BRP, though].

Fork brace highly recommended.

t110, Lexington VA

Awesome! I agee the fork brace is the second best mod after springs and 5wt. oil.
Where the brace really helps is keeping the Bandito tracking after hitting a bump mid corner. I had no intention of getting a shock but after I did the front end the rear was so far behind it was needed.....at least that's what I kept telling myself.

I'm 220 without gear should I go with springs and 5wt ?

Two ways to decide. You should probably use both.
First is Racetech's tech site, which has a page for determining spring rate: http://racetech.com/ProductSearch/2/Suzuki/GSF1250 Bandit ABS/2007-09
There's a link called "calculate spring rates" highlighted in yellow near the top; click that and fill in your data. They ask for "semi-wet" bike weight and your weight without gear and then calculate. At 520 and 220, it came out to 1.078, or a 1.1 spring rate.
Next I would recommend calling Dale Walker at Holeshot. He'll likely give you a different number for the rate. Then you can buy the springs from him and let him guide you through the installation process. That's what I did - very pleased with the results.
As others have said, once you get your forks all set, the only problem is that you'll want to do the shock, too.
My $0.02
t110

I plan on the rear shock and the front just not sure I need the gold valves but we'll see.
I remember helping a friend with a BMW K100 it rode like a tank so we jacked it up and I took the fork caps off and the fork brace that someone installed was binding the forks. I loosened the cross brace and the forks freed up then I tightened the brace and the forks were moving smoothly. So that was a lesson with those type fork braces to make sure once they're installed that they don't bind the fork tubes.

Install the brace AFTER everything is assembled and aligned in the front. Put the bike on the center stand and install the brace per the instructions then all is well!

When you install a Fork Brace you lose the Rock Chip Protectors. I used Neoprene fork covers from NOJ to add back some protection.

I've had fork braces on a couple of bikes, never could tell a difference when I rode it hard.