Suzuki Bandit 1200S

Adding what amounts to a biggish bikini fairing to a bike is hardly what you'd call a radical move, but in the case of the Suzuki Bandit 1200, it's enough to add a degree of civility without spoiling an otherwise popular machine.

We've had the big Bandit on our roads for some years, while the S version is a more recent move. Next year we'll get to see a fuel-injected 1250 version.

Bolts and bits
At the heart of the monster is a modified air/oil cooled GSX-R1100 engine, which runs 9.5:1 compression and 36mm Mikuni CV carbs. Suzuki is coy about the power output, but the dyno charts we've seen suggest a little over 100 horses at the back wheel, which translates to around 115-plus at the crank. There is a huge amount of tuning knowledge out there for this powerplant, with some of the more dedicated nutters adding around 50% to the stock horsepower.

 A nice touch is the stainless steel exhaust system, which should last well.

Tied to that lot is a five-speed transmission, with wet multi-plate clutch (with hydraulic actuation) and chain final drive.

The frame is a steel twin loop design - very traditional - with 43mm front suspension (with preload adjustment) and a monoshock rear (with preload and rebound damping adjustment) working a two-side box-section aluminium swingarm.

Braking is handled by four-pot Tokicos on the front, working floating discs, with a single-spot unit out back on a fixed disc.

Fuel capacity is 20lt (with reserve indicated at around 16.5) and consumption is in the vicinity of 16km/lt.

 Up in the cockpit, you're faced with two round dials: one is an analogue tacho, while the other contains a digital screen that has speedo, trip meters, clock and fuel gauge. To me, the digi speedo looks out of place while an analogue would look much better - but maybe I'm being old-fashioned.

Styling is conservative, with minimal graphics and candy red paint that extends to the frame. It looks smart without drawing a lot of attention to itself.

There's not much in the way of on-bike storage, other than a couple of luggage strap hooks and two helmet hooks under the saddle.

In the saddle
There are no surprises in the spec sheet, and you could say the same from the saddle: except one - just how damned nimble this thing is. The old Gixxer powerplant is an inspired choice because it is narrow, which enhances the overall feel of something much smaller than a 1200. 

The seating position for the rider (which has an adjustable seat height) allows a great deal of flexibility. We had people varying from 163 to 190cm on the machine, without complaint. The pillion accommodation is about average for this class - not up to full touring standard, but better than a sports bike.

It's actually a delight to handle in traffic, because it's slim and manouvreable, with plenty of power. On the open road, the suspension does its job admirably - up to a point. Get it up to full sports pace and it will eventually start to get a little untidy. There's plenty of warning, but this was never designed to be a full-on track toy. Having said that, it is nevertheless wickedly quick and huge fun to ride.

Steering is about medium speed and very predictable, aided to some extent by the Dunlop Sportmax rubber, which seems to suit the bike.

 The powerplant is a gem. The handlebar mounted choke on ours was quite stiff, which was the only fault. It likes 30-60 seconds to warm up and has a bit of vibration at low revs. Bottom end punch is good, midrange excellent and top end more than acceptable. It redlines at 11,000rpm.

Braking is just right - lots of feel and perfectly good power.

All up it may not be the latest and greatest technology, but is a very versatile package that's huge fun to ride. The best news is that it's alsocheap -- $11,990 plus ORC.