The 2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250S -The Mega Thread

[crazyarch]

I have been riding with a chatterbox Xbi unit lately. I generally really like it as it is compact, simple to operate and it actually pairs with stuff like it's supposed to. Operating it with gloves takes some practice but it's worth the pain of learning to use it. Also, the unit is small and aerodynamic and does not whistle in the wind. I wear a Shoei RX-1000 which is a very quiet helmet wind noise wise. I tried one of the big chatterboxes and sold it because the thing made so much wind noise.

I don't talk on the phone while riding but if I get a call from a client or the wife, I can pull over and answer it or call back without taking the gear off. You can also use it as a bike to bike or passenger intercom but the range is only a short 30'. Turns out this is perfect because we can talk to each other when we pull up to a stop light without having to yell over Ipods and ear plugs.

The helmet speakers are decent and it is relaxing to not have isolation ear buds in your ear all day. I wear ear plugs and can still hear the phone and music. I got a cheap blue tooth send that plugs into the port on the IPOD. This does not work because the signal goes in and out and is very annoying. I am going to get one that plugs into the headphone out plug as this is much more secure.

Anyway, it's not perfect but the best option I have tried and it only cost $150.

[thunderbolt]

Terizius,

You're very welcome, glad to be able to help.

[dougd]

Question for you Crazyarch, now that you have the busa which bike do you like to ride more?

[Ga-Bandit]

Originally Posted by crazyarch

I don't talk on the phone while riding.....
Anyway, it's not perfect but the best option I have tried and it only cost $150.

I have the XBi2 and LOVE IT but it is not perfect.

The scalda is cheaper and has voice reconnition to call if your phone is capable of doing it. Whereas the XBi2 only can call the last number dialed. I didn't get the scalda because I know a guy that has one and has had several problems with it while on trips.

It takes some getting used to.

I do take calls while on the road (traffic/conditions permitting) and people ALWAYS tell me "You're on your bike???" and I say yes, and I'm doing 65 (of course).

I love the way I can listen to tunes while still having the navagation prompt me.

It's got a range of 500 meters - I've only tested it to about .25mile though and it was clear as daylight (we were both on the same side of the mountain).

It has given me about 8 hours of talk/music time on one trip.

Bad thing is you must recharge it before you can use it again. I installed a 12v plug so I can charge it for a short while and then use it again (you CANNOT do both at the same time or you'll fry the piece).

[crazyarch]

Originally Posted by dougd

Question for you Crazyarch, now that you have the busa which bike do you like to ride more?

Wow,

I was avoiding bringing this issue up, after all this is the Bandit forum. But I have always been totally honest with you all so the bottom line is that the Bandit really can’t compare to the Busa in almost any category. The one thing I would check in the Bandit’s favor is comfort, but in all honesty the Busa is comfortable enough to ride for 6-8 hours at a stretch, so even that is a questionable advantage to the Bandit.

Most people think the Busa is about ego and that’s apparently why a lot of people buy it. Bandit owners are without a doubt the coolest people around – stay away from Busa forums. The other thing people identify this bike with is the 186 mph top speed. I bet less than 1% of the Busa owners have even been above 140 mph. I’ve had the Busa awhile now and my top speed on two wheels is 154 mph, which I did on the Bandit. The bottom line is that the Busa is one incredibly refined tool for covering asphalt quickly with relative comfort. This bike is an engineering masterpiece. It can run with almost anything on the road (2 or 4 wheels). Its fast 0-60, fast 0-100, tops out at near 200 mph, costs less than $13K (USA); it gets 42 mpg, and can leave a stoplight in 3rd gear without stalling! I could actually ride the bike all day in 3rd gear, never shifting at all

I have always been a Suzuki fan and the Busa is the prototypical Suzuki: excellent bottom end, class leading top end, quality suspension, good handling, decent stopping, and plenty of room in the saddle. It is a rider centered bike like few others. It's like the BMW M5 of motorcycles. Now I don’t commute, I basically rip up and down country roads with my buddies all weekend. Frankly they were just keeping up with the Bandit but the last couple rides I actually lost contact with them! Funny thing is I wasn't even pushing the Busa.

So what of the Bandit? I still love the bike and I have a special bond with it since we have had so much fun together. I ride it about 2-3 hours every other week. To be honest it feels like a cheap piece of metal for about 30 minutes, but as I get re-accustomed to it I start to love the ride as much as ever. I should also say that any bike I swing a leg over seems cheap now that I am used to the Busa (including my buddy's GSXR 1000 K7, a 1098, a 999, and a CBR600RR). With the saddle bags and upright position it serves a different role, unfortunately I only ride long overnight trips once a year or so.

I consider myself very lucky though, I own two very incredible bikes and when the garage door opens I feel like I get to choose between better and best.

[crazyarch]

Originally Posted by Ga-Bandit

I have the XBi2 and LOVE IT but it is not perfect.

The scalda is cheaper and has voice reconnition to call if your phone is capable of doing it. Whereas the XBi2 only can call the last number dialed. I didn't get the scalda because I know a guy that has one and has had several problems with it while on trips.

It takes some getting used to.

I do take calls while on the road (traffic/conditions permitting) and people ALWAYS tell me "You're on your bike???" and I say yes, and I'm doing 65 (of course).

I love the way I can listen to tunes while still having the navagation prompt me.

It's got a range of 500 meters - I've only tested it to about .25mile though and it was clear as daylight (we were both on the same side of the mountain).

It has given me about 8 hours of talk/music time on one trip.

Bad thing is you must recharge it before you can use it again. I installed a 12v plug so I can charge it for a short while and then use it again (you CANNOT do both at the same time or you'll fry the piece).

+1

[treybrad]

Originally Posted by crazyarch

Wow,

I was avoiding bringing this issue up, after all this is the Bandit forum. But I have always been totally honest with you all so the bottom line is that the Bandit really can’t compare to the Busa in almost any category. The one thing I would check in the Bandit’s favor is comfort, but in all honesty the Busa is comfortable enough to ride for 6-8 hours at a stretch, so even that is a questionable advantage to the Bandit.

Most people think the Busa is about ego and that’s apparently why a lot of people buy it. Bandit owners are without a doubt the coolest people around – stay away from Busa forums. The other thing people identify this bike with is the 186 mph top speed. I bet less than 1% of the Busa owners have even been above 140 mph. I’ve had the Busa awhile now and my top speed on two wheels is 154 mph, which I did on the Bandit. The bottom line is that the Busa is one incredibly refined tool for covering asphalt quickly with relative comfort. This bike is an engineering masterpiece. It can run with almost anything on the road (2 or 4 wheels). Its fast 0-60, fast 0-100, tops out at near 200 mph, costs less than $13K (USA); it gets 42 mpg, and can leave a stoplight in 3rd gear without stalling! I could actually ride the bike all day in 3rd gear, never shifting at all

I have always been a Suzuki fan and the Busa is the prototypical Suzuki: excellent bottom end, class leading top end, quality suspension, good handling, decent stopping, and plenty of room in the saddle. It is a rider centered bike like few others. It's like the BMW M5 of motorcycles. Now I don’t commute, I basically rip up and down country roads with my buddies all weekend. Frankly they were just keeping up with the Bandit but the last couple rides I actually lost contact with them! Funny thing is I wasn't even pushing the Busa.

So what of the Bandit? I still love the bike and I have a special bond with it since we have had so much fun together. I ride it about 2-3 hours every other week. To be honest it feels like a cheap piece of metal for about 30 minutes, but as I get re-accustomed to it I start to love the ride as much as ever. I should also say that any bike I swing a leg over seems cheap now that I am used to the Busa (including my buddy's GSXR 1000 K7, a 1098, a 999, and a CBR600RR). With the saddle bags and upright position it serves a different role, unfortunately I only ride long overnight trips once a year or so.

I consider myself very lucky though, I own two very incredible bikes and when the garage door opens I feel like I get to choose between better and best.

Ugh, stop it. Luckily, there's no way any dealer would let a potential buyer ride a Hayabusa (especially a 25 year old...) or I might just have one. You're just confirming pretty much everything I assumed...

They seem like an incredible bike to use as an ST, which is what I'd use it for. If I could test ride one for 1/2 hour and could live with the riding position... there'd be serious temptation. Do they make any kind of hard bag system for them besides the Corbin bags? If I could use my V35 Givi cases, that'd be even worse...

Vibration wise, how does it compare to the 1250? I know hwy fuel mileage is supposed to be excellent (at legal speeds) due to it being so slippery, have you done much in town, commuting type work on it to see what kind of mileage you get?

Out of curiosity, did you ride/have ridden a ZX14? That's another bike that always gets slapped with a trouble maker image but seems like an excellent ST tool to me....

trey

[crazyarch]

Originally Posted by treybrad

Ugh, stop it. Luckily, there's no way any dealer would let a potential buyer ride a Hayabusa (especially a 25 year old...) or I might just have one. You're just confirming pretty much everything I assumed...

They seem like an incredible bike to use as an ST, which is what I'd use it for. If I could test ride one for 1/2 hour and could live with the riding position... there'd be serious temptation. Do they make any kind of hard bag system for them besides the Corbin bags? If I could use my V35 Givi cases, that'd be even worse...

Vibration wise, how does it compare to the 1250? I know hwy fuel mileage is supposed to be excellent (at legal speeds) due to it being so slippery, have you done much in town, commuting type work on it to see what kind of mileage you get?

Out of curiosity, did you ride/have ridden a ZX14? That's another bike that always gets slapped with a trouble maker image but seems like an excellent ST tool to me....

trey

ZX-14 is really more touring oriented than the Busa. The riding position is less sporty and the engine more comfortable 40-100 than 0-100 like the Busa. My dealer let me ride his personal one that other day. There is nothing bad I can say about it given the hour I spent with it, except it ain't a Busa

Vibration is a funny thing. The Busa has the exact same rough patch the Bandit had stock in the 4K area. I am planning to add a powercommander to the busa to smooth this out even though I am planning to keep the stock pipes. I'm getting 36-43 mph on every tank and the bike is just barely broken in.

[Ga-Bandit]

Originally Posted by crazyarch

...is just barely broken in.

Come meet us this Wednesday at the Dragon. I'll be the one on a Bandit..LOL

What color is the busa?

[Terizius]

I had the scala rider teamset. It worked well, synced well with my Garmin Zumo 550, worked great with passenger set, clear, loud. Really had no complaints with it. I fried it accidentally (my fault) before my last trip and I'd get another one except I have decided that I'd like the rider to rider capabilities of some of the other systems.

Strangely, I bought it because I loved the idea of having music while I ride, and listened to it all the time, but I've found that now that mine is broken, I dont miss it near as much as I'd thought, hence the reason I havent gotten another yet.

[Ga-Bandit]

Originally Posted by Terizius

I had the scala rider teamset. It worked well, synced well with my Garmin Zumo 550, worked great with passenger set, clear, loud. Really had no complaints with it. I fried it accidentally (my fault) before my last trip and I'd get another one except I have decided that I'd like the rider to rider capabilities of some of the other systems.

Strangely, I bought it because I loved the idea of having music while I ride, and listened to it all the time, but I've found that now that mine is broken, I dont miss it near as much as I'd thought, hence the reason I havent gotten another yet.

That's why I got the XBi2 (music and bike to bike). I have it hard wired into my X-10 Fossil helmet and when I take my "bad boy" helmet I miss it dearly.

Oh - wait until cycle gear has them on sale. I got mine for $160 and not the $225 retail.

[dougd]

Thanks Crazyarch I've been on the fence about the Busa for over a year now. The only thing that's really holoding me back is the lack of ABS, I feel safer with the ABS. I'm sure I would get use to none ABS again. The last bike I rode with standard brakes was a 1984 V 65 Magna, had the front bouncing a few times. Anyway I'm sure the engineering of today will take care of that.

[dougd]

Iwas at my dealers today looking at buying a service manual they want $180.00 for a hard cover. Any of you guys bought one, and how much did you pay.
I think I'll try and find PDF file on line for $8.00 - $10.00.

[GregH]

Originally Posted by dougd

I think I'll try and find PDF file on line for $8.00 - $10.00.

I found a genuine manual on eBay for $40.00 last summer.

[thunderbolt]

Originally Posted by dougd

Iwas at my dealers today looking at buying a service manual they want $180.00 for a hard cover. Any of you guys bought one, and how much did you pay.
I think I'll try and find PDF file on line for $8.00 - $10.00.

Oneida has them for $84.99 + shipping, here's the link to it

You can check fleabay as well, sometimes they are on there as well. (Greg beat me to it)

In my opinion, the paper manual is easier to use when you are out in the garage.

[mi1lertm]

Originally Posted by dougd

Iwas at my dealers today looking at buying a service manual they want $180.00 for a hard cover. Any of you guys bought one, and how much did you pay.
I think I'll try and find PDF file on line for $8.00 - $10.00.

$65 OTD from my dealer (soft cover). Worth every penney. I put it into a binder (3 hole punch) and it is as nice as a hard cover.

Mark

[JMBJ]

Originally Posted by treybrad

Out of curiosity, did you ride/have ridden a ZX14? That's another bike that always gets slapped with a trouble maker image but seems like an excellent ST tool to me....

trey

Hey guys, thought I would say a word about this Bandit / Busa / ZX14 thing you are talking about.

I've owned both the 14 and the Bandit and have ridden the pre-08 Busa as well.

The 14 is the most comfortable (6'3") between the Busa and the 14 and is way smoother.. The 14's brakes absolutely smoke the Busa's (and the Bandit's with ABS) for that matter. In fact, the brakes are so good on the 14 that you could add the Bandit and Busa's brakes together and I still don't think they would be better.

The Busa, especially the 08 and newer have better bottom end than the 14 but removal of the secondary throttle plates puts them even. Both handle well for big bikes with maybe the edge to the Busa in the twisties due to the more agressive riding position but for flat out straight away power and smooth high speed mile munching, the 14 is the king of the 2. Both bikes are great though!

The Bandit doesn't really even compare with either the Busa or the 14 in any way except for the more comfortable upright position. But having said all that, the Bandit is my current mount for it's more utilitarian style. If you're just running to the store or riding to work, the Bandit doesn't feel like you're jumping on the Beast like the others do.

Don't get me wrong, I've done 9 hours in a day on the 14 and you can ride it and the Busa as quietly and smoothly as you want to but after a year and a half of pulling my arms out of the sockets from acceleration (and loving it) the Bandit seemed like the perfect calm ride for the time being.

I've even gone so far as to put the hard bags on my Bandit. Help quick somebody save me, I've turned into an old Bagger!

[crazyarch]

Originally Posted by Ga-Bandit

Come meet us this Wednesday at the Dragon. I'll be the one on a Bandit..LOL

What color is the busa?

Spent the day polishing it My neighbor says it looks indecent the way i rub it.

[crazyarch]

Originally Posted by dougd

Thanks Crazyarch I've been on the fence about the Busa for over a year now. The only thing that's really holoding me back is the lack of ABS, I feel safer with the ABS. I'm sure I would get use to none ABS again. The last bike I rode with standard brakes was a 1984 V 65 Magna, had the front bouncing a few times. Anyway I'm sure the engineering of today will take care of that.

I was worried about that too. I actually slid the rear end because I locked it up. Rumor is 2010 will add ABS.

[crazyarch]

Originally Posted by JMBJ

Hey guys, thought I would say a word about this Bandit / Busa / ZX14 thing you are talking about.

I've owned both the 14 and the Bandit and have ridden the pre-08 Busa as well.

The 14 is the most comfortable (6'3") between the Busa and the 14 and is way smoother.. The 14's brakes absolutely smoke the Busa's (and the Bandit's with ABS) for that matter. In fact, the brakes are so good on the 14 that you could add the Bandit and Busa's brakes together and I still don't think they would be better.

Wait just one minute, time out


Actually the k8+ Busa tops the 14 in every major category and the brakes are fixed and work nicely. A bus is smooth and comfortable and reasonably fast with a big enough motor. Great motorcycles handle. The Kawasaki is a nice bike, but the Busa is a legend.



And now ladies and gentleman, back to the Bandit............