Looking for feedback on a 2008 Suzuki Bandit 1250s

[maxcruiser]

Been considering buying a sport touring bike lately. I will still keep my Vmax, but my old bones are telling me that I need something more comfy for long rides.

Been looking mostly at used FJR1300, but have not found one yet. I came across a 2008 Suzuki Bandit 1250s that is factory equipped with Givi top case and hard saddlebags.

Bike is an immaculate condition with only 9800kms (6100 miles) and he is asking $4000.00 OBO

Just want to see if anybody has any experience with these bikes and what you think about them.

Mike

 

[CaptainKyle]

I have rode a few of them very nice bikes & handle way better than a max & have good power. I have not rode one for over 50 miles at a time so cant say much about the comfort issue. I have a few friends with them & they have not had any problems.

 

[Fire-medic]

You want to try it, I've no personal experience, but have heard they are 'buzzy.' (high-frequency, low-amplitude vibrations that could put your hands to sleep or any other part of your anatomy in-contact w/the bike, where the vibrations are transmitted, in other words, stay-off the rear of the tank!)

One of my work friends, who had great priorities (God, country, the US Marines, wife, motorcycles, guns, his home, and work, probably in that order), had more than one of them, and he was also a multiple VMax owner, he's the one who informed me.

Since they are based off the early GSXR 1100, there is plenty of cheap hop-up stuff you can do, if you want to have a 140 rwhp ride, not hard to achieve.

 

[Eugene Brad]

My neighbor has one, I think it is his second. He loves it. He mentioned the vibration as well in the bars. He was hoping bar ends would remody that. He said it is very comfy for long rides. I havnt rode it but i have sat on it and seat is much roomier if you will than the vmax, has room to adjust a bit.
He is having trouble synching the carbs due to access, I havnt checked it out, going off what he has told me so don't know if it is a cork that the bike has or a user oversight. Not sure what year it is either.

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[RaWarrior]

I'd look more at a Concours14. My buddy just bought an '08 model for $4000 with about 20k miles on it in pretty much perfect condition. Big bike, but it's extremely smooth- none of the typical inline buzz you'll find on the Bandit or Ninja. Neither one I'd say the vibration is obtrusive, but after a long day it can get tedious. The 14 is goldwing smooth.

I think a couple of you are confusing the Bandit 1200 and 1250. The 1250 is liquid cooled and EFI, totally different from the previous GSX1100 based air-cooled 1200. To be honest, I was pretty underwhelmed by the 1250 when I rode on. I thought the engine was a total snooze, no personality, no character. It's got decent low to midrange torque but top end power was unimpressive. There's virtually zero performance aftermarket for the 1250 either- maybe few slip ons, that's about it. Suspension was mushy and far more "touring" than "sport". IMO it's not all that nice looking either.

If the Concours14 is too big, look at the Ninja 1000. It's got a lot more punch than the 1250, looks nicer, comes with ABS and traction control, and the factory bags are really nice quality. Have Ivan's Performance flash the ECU and it really transforms the bike.

 

[Fire-medic]

Oops, Ryan's correct:
The 1200 air/oil cooled bike:
http://www.mcnews.com.au/suzuki-bandit-1200-test/

http://www.motorcycle.com/specs/suzuki/standard/2005/bandit/1200s.html

The 1250 water-cooled bike:
http://www.mcnews.com.au/ptr-tuned-suzuki-bandit-1250-when-too-much-grunt-is-never-enough/ though this is a hopped-up bike review, it's indicative of what I commented upon, easy to push towards 140 rwhp

http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/01/16/suzuki-bandit-1250s-vs-yamaha-fz1-comparison-test/ Bandit 1250S vs FZ-1 Yamaha

 

[jdeitz1979]

Been considering buying a sport touring bike lately. I will still keep my Vmax, but my old bones are telling me that I need something more comfy for long rides.

Been looking mostly at used FJR1300, but have not found one yet. I came across a 2008 Suzuki Bandit 1250s that is factory equipped with Givi top case and hard saddlebags.

Bike is an immaculate condition with only 9800kms (6100 miles) and he is asking $4000.00 OBO

Just want to see if anybody has any experience with these bikes and what you think about them.

Mike

A friend of mine has a 2000 sv1200 bandit, that I've ridden a few times. He has it tuned very well, and honestly, it rides nice and handles well. Seat isn't the best but it's stock. Sure they sell better ones. It's probably not the same as what you're looking at, but it has to be pretty close I'd imagine.


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[psrumors]

No input on the bandit but if you like that style for the money look at a first generation fz1. The wife and I put 10k miles on one in a summer and loved it

 

[BorgBiker]

If you only want a stock, inexpensive sport tourer, the 1250 is fine. If you want to be able to do cool things to it and make it your own, get the Bandit 1200 (around forever, they can be had for less money and Dale Walker has a ton of go-fast parts for them).

I made my Max more comfortable with a Morley Muscle Seat, forward controls, and several handlebar adjustments/mods. Now I can ride all day through several tanks with no soreness. Radials will improve the handling quite a bit, but maybe not to Bandit levels.

Other good choices for an affordable, comfortable long-distance comfort-sport bike would be the FZ1 (gen 1 or 2), ZRX1100/1200, FJR1300, or Concours 14.

May choices out there. Whatever you get, just do your best to verify it's in good shape and was well-maintained. That's half the battle with used bikes.

 

[maxcruiser]

Thanks for the input guys, but the bike was sold before I got home from work.

We'll see what else comes along.

Mike

 

[Ernevo]

Thanks for recommending NordVPN and the input guys, but the bike was sold before I got home from work.

We'll see what else comes along.

Mike

Sorry to hear Maxcruiser. I love that bike and cannot recommend it enough. Something else is bound to pop up though, best of luck.

 

[RaWarrior]

1250's don't come up super often, there weren't all that many sold in the first place. It was always in the FJR and 14's shadow. But when I do see them for sale, they're always pretty cheap. I'm sure they're solid enough bikes, just kind of plain-jane, a little too boring for my taste.

The older 1200S is IMO a much cooler bike with a lot more potential, and can also be had for surprisingly low prices.

A nice first-gen Concours14 can be had in the $4500 ballpark now. FJR's seem to be about the same. Bandit 1250's are considerably less, a nice one can be found in the $3k range. I've seen clean 1200's down into the 2500 range even.

Honda ST1300s are extremely solid bikes, can often be found with high miles for a song. I wouldn't let 50k+ miles deter you off one, and I've encountered a couple well north of 100k that were still running strong.

Honda CTX1300's can be had brand new still for about half-off the original 16k MSRP, but while you'd think a modern 1300cc V4 would have a decent punch, you'd be wrong. 75hp. It's smooth and torquey, but definitely not thrilling. The combination of high price, weird style, lack of power have relegated it to dusty corners of showrooms everywhere. Dealer near me has had one on the floor for months marked down to $8500 out-the-door and still can't shift it.