Bandit at 1500 miles

[Suzuki Al]

Hit the 2000 mile mark today. Still perfect and still used no oil and fuel consumption is never below 50mpg. Maximum "real" speed so far 112mph.

Here are my observations about my new B12 after 1500(now 2000) miles:

I'm not disappointed - the bike is just as good as I remember it.
Build Quality - So, so. I prepped it carefully and it will stand up fine.
Handling - Cornering is OK, but a bit bouncy. Very stable at speed, no headshake.
Engine - Beautifully smooth and grunty.
Geabox - Usual Suzuki brilliance.
Brakes - Strong, but nothing special.
Fuel Consumption - Highest 49.4mpg. Lowest 54.4 mpg. 50 mpg gives a tank range of 220 miles.
Oil Consumption - Nil.
Top Speed (so far) - Real 101mph on the GPS - Speedo reading of 110mph. At this speed the engine is turning at 6,250 rpm. The B12 (if it could pull top gear to the red line) is geared for 180 mph, so high speed cruising is down to neck muscles.

[XTreme]

Doing the Norfolk Broads on it this Summer Alan? :ljl:

[Suzuki Al]

Doing the Norfolk Broads on it this Summer Alan? :ljl:

I never do Broads Pete, I'm a married man. If I was, it certainly wouldn't be No*F**k Broads, they're no fun.

[XTreme]

Any light front wheel incidents yet Alan? :XTmotard:

[Suzuki Al]

No, I'll never use the full power of the engine, so my front wheel will be staying on the road + I don't have the skill to do wheelies.

I haven't actualy been past 8000 rpm yet and only did this gently in 2nd, and even doing this the bike is a missile. There just isn't the space on these roads to fully exploit the bike's performance with any margin of safety and I don't want to become another bunch of flowers by the roadside. The more I ride these roads, the more cautious I get.

I like doing the effortless "roll on" overtakes in top from 2000 rpm (35mph) up to 6000 rpm (100mph).
Such a change from the XT's "drop a couple of cogs and nail it" teenager style of riding - fun, but so undignified in a man of my advancing years :ljl:

[Pete Rock]

I like doing the effortless "roll on" overtakes in top from 2000 rpm (35mph) up to 6000 rpm (100mph).

stop it

la la la la la la la la

i´m not hearing this

[Stuart Fordyce]

stop it

la la la la la la la la

i´m not hearing this

Don't tell us you've got banned again Pedro?

[Pete Rock]

Don't tell us you've got banned again Pedro?

Not at all Stuart, but the temptation cannot win

it cannot:unsure:

[Suzuki Al]

More on speedo accuracy:

At a reading of 125 mph, the B12 is doing a true 112mph according to my GPS.
30 mph - true 29mph, so the inaccuracy is exponential. 170 on the speedo will therefore be a true 150ish.

This is where crazy Pub Talk comes from: Read 150, add a 5 to 10 mph hero bonus and 160 is the result.

These lads who are doing 160 and getting caught are doing the true speed, therefore their speedos must be reading in the 170 to 180 + range.

This was not done on a public road and no insects were killed during the making of this test.:)

[XTreme]

You had 125 on the clock Alan? :o:

You think you're Vin Diesel you do! :lg:

[Suzuki Al]

You had 125 on the clock Alan? :o:

You think you're Vin Diesel you do! :lg:

It was down hill with a following wind ;)

[Suzuki Al]

Hit the 2000 mile mark today. Still perfect and still used no oil and fuel consumption is never below 50mpg. Maximum "real" speed so far 112mph.

Here are my observations about my new B12 after 1500(now 2000) miles:

I'm not disappointed - the bike is just as good as I remember it.
Build Quality - So, so. I prepped it carefully and it will stand up fine.
Handling - Cornering is OK, but a bit bouncy. Very stable at speed, no headshake.
Engine - Beautifully smooth and grunty.
Geabox - Usual Suzuki brilliance.
Brakes - Strong, but nothing special.
Fuel Consumption - Highest 49.4mpg. Lowest 54.4 mpg. 50 mpg gives a tank range of 220 miles.
Oil Consumption - Nil.
Top Speed (so far) - Real 101mph on the GPS - Speedo reading of 110mph. At this speed the engine is turning at 6,250 rpm. The B12 (if it could pull top gear to the red line) is geared for 180 mph, so high speed cruising is down to neck muscles.
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[XTreme]

And I'm up to 1690 miles in 7 weeks. So in just over 200 miles I'll have done more miles on the Strom than the TA.

[Suzuki Al]

2250 miles and running perfectly. No oil used. Averaging 52.79mpg. Top speed reached (according to GPS) 124mph with a speedo reading up around 140, which took place at the Bonneville Salt Flats - plenty more still to come by the feel of it. Haven't been above 8500rpm yet!

Lovely new Motul (the King of oils) and new filter put in today.

I can't wait for the day when I can get a decent, reliable bike. This old lardy barge is just crap ;)

[XTreme]

2040 miles for me! :XTmotard:

[Renegade]

30,700 for me :p:

[Shaunie]

You had 125 on the clock Alan? :o:

You think you're Vin Diesel you do! :lg:

You misunderstand. It was showing 1:25 on the CLOCK!

[Suzuki Al]

You misunderstand. It was showing 1:25 on the CLOCK!

Hey Shaunie!
You have a bad case of Bandititis.

Symptoms:
1 -An unhealthy obsession with Bandits.
2 - An inability to write or type unless triggered by the mention of a Bandit.

Causes:
1 - No longer having a Bandit and having to ride a low powered GS wannabie. This causes inverted aversion syndrome.

Cure:
1 - Do not expose yourself to Bandits in any way. Ignore Bandit threads. Ignore road tests and, most importantly, bury your head in the sand :ljl:

[Shaunie]

Yeah, bandititis. I think you might be right. Can I get time off work for that?

I blame the government. I mean, they put health warnings on cigarettes don't they?

So why do Suzuki Bandits get off scott free?

I propose that all Suzuki Bandits carry a government health warning. Big bold black letters on a stark white background.

CAUTION. THE ENGINE IN THIS MOTORCYCLE VASTLY EXCEEDS THE CAPABILITY OF THE FRAME AND SUSPENSION. RIDE AT OWN RISK.


Need more info re bandititis. Is it contagious? I've tried taking drugs but it seems to make it worse. I'm worried, I think it might be terminal (like the bike). :)

[Suzuki Al]

I propose that all Suzuki Bandits carry a government health warning. Big bold black letters on a stark white background.

CAUTION. THE ENGINE IN THIS MOTORCYCLE VASTLY EXCEEDS THE CAPABILITY OF THE FRAME AND SUSPENSION. RIDE AT OWN RISK.




You see Shaunie, this is the whole point of Bandits. You tweak them to suit, if you want better handling.

Yesterday riding with Pete from Newbridge to Llandovery, the first few miles are quite twisty with lots of over banding and bumpy corners. We were going at a pretty sedate pace, keeping to below 70mph, and the Bandit was a nice relaxed ride. If Pete had decided (he was leading) to push on a bit, I would have left him to it. There is no way that the Bandit could (assuming riders of equal skill) keep up with a Strom (or an XT for that matter) on this road. Once the road smoothed out and the sweepers arrived, it would be a different story - the Wee Strom would still be cornering better, but the B12 would be closer in this area and would, of course, eat the Strom for breakfast on the straights. The trick is to know the limits of the bike you are riding and keep well within them.

So, yes, the B12 is out handled by Stroms, GSes, Sportsbikes. But, it handles a lot better than the V Max, XJR, GSX1400 etc and it handles as well (nearly) as the new CB13. These are its competition and it blows them away.

PS the original Macadam 90s are a big factor. Macadam 100s or Pilot Roads improve the handling hugely.

[Suzuki Al]

2500 miles now, running like clockwork. Still haven't had to adjust the chain since the 600 mile service. I'm using Silkolene lube, which though it runs a bit, only needs applying every 400 - 500 miles. If my previous B12 is anything to go by, it'll need a new rear tyre at 6000 miles and a new front at 8000 miles. The chain, but not the sprockets, will need replacing at 12000 miles with a better one than the crap OE one.

Next update at 3000 miles. Bet you can't wait: B12s are so boringly dependable :ljl:

[Lonerider]

From my experience with a K2 1200 your figures are spot on..(now at 20,000 miles)

Try the Bridgestone 020's when you change the tyres.

[Buckster]

2500 miles now, running like clockwork.

Making a lot of ticking noises?

[XTreme]

2500 miles now, running like clockwork. :ljl:

It would do my head in to have to keep turning that fucking big key everytime you wanted to ride it! :yen:

[Shaunie]

Next update at 3000 miles. Bet you can't wait: B12s are so boringly dependable :ljl:

You're right, I can't wait until 3000 miles. Just post the damn update now. Nothing will have changed, nothing will have broken. It'll still be the best bike you've ever owned. B12's are not boringly dependable, but their owners sure are. ;)

[Suzuki Al]

You're right, I can't wait until 3000 miles.

:ljl: :ljl: :ljl: