2000 bandit 1200

[Royal Star Robin]

i am looking at trading an old porsche for a Bandit 1200. anything i should watch out for? good points or bad issues?

thanks

Robin

[Shooter Bob]

The stock suspension SUCKS! It's beyond bad and actually sucks. The bike is also geared way too low for my taste. I would add a tooth the the front sprocket and get rid of 3 in the rear. The engine will easily pull the taller gearing and you will get rid of some of that buzziness Suzukis are famous for. Other than that, it's a sturdy, capable bike that will run forever with minimal maintenance. Enjoy the ride. Oh yeah, I would put slightly lower bars on it too.

[michaellee32084]

heard something about an issue with oil usage on some bikes

[BackRoadRaser]

I have a 98 1200 Bandit. There has been no trouble with it for the 5 years I've had it. There was an oil use issue with the first modle year of the gen 2 bikes I think 2000&2001 bikes. And the suspention is a bit too soft. But I still have not done anything to it for improvement. And I ride every day till the snow flies. Just know that it will be a solid reliable ride for a long time.
John

[RoadBike Trish]

You may have seen my 2001 Bandit in the mag a few times. Bob hates all suspension, so don't worry about the stock suspension. A lot of guys who ride it hard want stiffer suspensions but it's fine for ordinary use. There's a decent aftermarket available out there for the bike, so whatever you want to do with it, you won't have problems finding parts.

Bob would lower the bars. I raised mine. Ha ha. I also added a taller windshield and a Corbin seat. It's a great sport tourer at a naked-bike price. And the engine is almighty powerful. The Bandit can blow away just about any other naked standard.

[woogeffip]

real gorgeous bandit..a far cry from the old days one..throw on a set of hepco panniers...and its all set

[shoe]

yup, what they said,, i like'em, loads of power. rarely in the shop for more than tires and maintenance.

[michaellee32084]

the new 1250 s is imo the best value out there.If I had 8g I would sure as hell get me a new abs 1250 s

[DavidL19]

I am not an expert on the Bandit by any means, but from my experience I have noticed that it is a great touring bike, lots of power, but it is really heavy, so make sure you can handle a heavy bike and you are good to go. I am currently building a list of routes and mapping them from around the world, so if you have a fun route that is personal to you or just beautiful in general please post the route on my online map at allstate insurance route map or allstate insurance moto map. I am an affiliate of allstate and thus I am using their map for this project. Thanks

David Lipsky