Suzuki Bandit GSF1250SK7

Thoroughly modern Bandit

WHAT IS IT?
A make-over of Suzuki's stock-in-trade semi-naked, with a new injected and liquid-cooled powerplant.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
A little more civilised than its predecessors, but with plenty of hooligan left under the paint. Possibly the best of the series.

Last year Suzuki Australia supremo Perry Morison made a good point when he said that with more than one ten-year-old model in his line-up still selling well, it seems that not all of the market is obsessed with the latest, greatest and fastest. And that it would appear, still holds true as Suzuki gives the trusty Bandit another lease on its long life. Mind you price makes a lot of difference and at $11,990 plus on-roads the latest version of the Bandit, the 1250S K7, is still very cheap big-bore motorcycling. And that's a powerful argument for sticking with a tried and tested formula.

It's no secret that the original Bandit's 1157cc DOHC sixteen-valve air/oil-cooled engine started out in the GSX-R range back in the mid eighties, building an unparalleled reputation for power and reliability. Early Bandits became the bike of choice for lunatic stunters and hard riders for many years. Then the Bandit softened a bit. The fairing changed from short and stumpy to large and ugly in an attempt to make it more sedate. The trouble was that Bubba the Bandit hasn't been listening. It knew it had the heart and soul of a GSX-R and despite being made to wear the plastic equivalent of a cardigan it couldn't help misbehaving.

Time marches on and Bubba now has an all-new, clean-living heart. Not because there was anything wrong with the old one, but by Euro 3 emissions standards the old unit has been deemed too dirty. Which leads to the question, does Bubba still have the soul of a teenage tear-arse trouble-maker, or has he been transformed into a flower fondling, muesli muncher?

SO WHAT'S CHANGED?
Paradoxically the answer is: a lot but not that much. I'll explain: this is an all-new engine - every bit, even though some of the numbers are the same. With a capacity of 1255cc achieved from the same bore size as before, but with a 64mm stroke. That coupled with Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve (SDTV) injection means there's an increase in torque if not power. Torque now tips the scales at 11.0kg-m as opposed to 9.8kg-m while power stays at 98hp. While an extra 1.2 kg-m may not seem much, it arrives at a lowly 3750rpm compared to 6500rpm. This means that the ramp up is significantly stronger. What's more by using a balancer shaft it's smoother too.

The chassis now has thicker tube walls, while steering geometry at 25.3° rake and 104mm trail remains unchanged. Weight at 229kg, is 14kg up and in fact is four kg heavier than the GSX1400. Suspension retains preload-adjustable 43mm forks and a preload-adjustable rear shock. Wheels, brakes and bodywork all look the same as before while the wheelbase grows an extra 5mm. Seat height remains adjustable from 790mm to 810mm while the fuel tank loses a litre. Overall, with the exception of the fuel capacity, none of the above is a bad thing. After all, the last Bandit was arguably the best of the line.

BALANCE OF POWER
Eyes closed, all Bandits feel like home, except now the soundtrack's changed. Despite being noticeably heavier than before, the Bandit makes light work of gap snatching. The riding position balances the rider so neutrally that busting the breaks in traffic is very easy. Mirrors are wide and cleverly sited not only for getting a good view behind but also for slipping casually over the mirrors of most standard cars when lane filtering. Being narrow the Bandit slides through the smallest of gaps to the front of queues and having 11kg-m of torque means that there are no challengers when it comes to the green-light moment of truth. All of which makes for a relaxed ride. There's little stress, just the comfortable seat and the chance to actually enjoy what otherwise could be a waste of life, should you be unfortunate enough to have to drive or share a bus. If there's a downside to landslide torque arriving at 3750rpm, it's that with 100kmh at 3400rpm, the smallest variation in throttle position results in a speed increase that leads to camera paranoia, or "Victoria Syndrome" as I prefer to call it.

Suzuki's gearboxes have always been the very best in the market and the 1250s box, although notchy at first in the lower gears, seems to be loosening up. Allied to the honeyed flood of available torque, it means that you're never ever caught in the wrong gear. Just crack the taps and the Bandit hauls. It has to be said, so I'll say it - while I'll always be a fan of good old fashioned carbs, the bigger the engine, the better fuel-injection seems to work.

CUTTING IT
While the Bandit 1250 does the commuter thing with ease, the real test is whether or not the clean living kid can still cut it on the open road. After all, even though time has moved on, there are still times and places when a motorcycle should be life affirming. As TE Lawrence once said, "When my mood gets too hot and I find myself wandering beyond control I pull out my motor-bike and hurl it top-speed through these unfit roads for hour after hour. My nerves are jaded and gone near dead, so that nothing less than hours of voluntary danger will prick them into life."

At touring speeds, the tank's 19 litres (25 would've been better!) allow 300km to slip past fairly easily. The adjustable seat provides freedom for the rider and is excellent for pillions who will also appreciate that a grab rail is standard. The seat actually positions the passenger a little closer to the rider, which may not suit those with a robust physique but it does wonders for centring the weight and making the most of the fairing's aerodynamics.

If you were to take the Bandit to a ride day there's no doubt that it would labour in vain behind the likes of Yamaha's FZ1, when its squelchy soft suspension and sheer weight would surrender to the effects of the dominant physics. Nevertheless, on the road to Kinglake with the late-winter sun warming the road it doesn't take long to realise that multi-adjustable everything and another fifty horsepower doesn't add up to a massive amount of anything in the real world. The Bandit is vice-free and dependable. If outright power is your benchmark, you're fooling yourself because it's the sheer brawny hurling torque of the 1250 mill that lifts you from one bend to the next. And while the Bandit doesn't match, say, the 13.6kg-m of the FJR1300 Yamaha, you're accessing it at precisely half the revs, and you know that makes sense. The previous engine stunned with its head-hit lack of subtlety, but the new one now body slams with bigger fists and the weight of a prize-fighter, albeit in an office-worker's suit.

As for the rest, as standard the suspension is way too soft but, with the preload wound tighter, it's comparable to the previous model. Not better, but comparable. And even despite the increase in wheelbase, (maybe it's the lighter wheels, maybe it's the position of the engine) there's a composure and willingness to tip in to a bend that encourages the rider to explore the outer edges of the tyres and the limits of the cornering clearance. Once you're there leaning hard and probing for the bitumen with the footrests, there's really no hint of the understeer early models suffered from and it actually takes a fairly big hit to upset the neutral stance. Changes of direction are steady without feeling nervous and what's more, having softer suspension means that on rain-soaked roads, you can actually feel with a tactile confidence what's going on at the contact patches far better. This has advantages in other areas such as braking. Oddly enough the familiar combination of 310mm discs and four-piston calipers matched to a single 240mm disc and single-piston unit at the back, lack the finger tip conviction of earlier models. Sure they work, but the effort seems greater.

IN CONCLUSION
Some people hold the view that the original is always the best. The original was brilliant eleven years ago when people wanted a GSX-R streetfighter without having to crash a GSX-R to get one. Suzuki has managed to make a bike that has kept pace with the people that rode the first one, while keeping the bureaucrats happy. And just as those guys are probably better riders now after eleven years of change, the Bandit has been subtly changing with them.

So is Bubba still a bad boy, can he still cut it? Here we go with the paradox again, yes and no - After all the DNA dictates that the bike that taught a million riders to mono would never sell at all if its character was so castrated that it became a motorcycle eunuch. Elsewhere in the world the Bandit has been dubbed the Blandit, and make no mistake the yawn inducing colour choices will hurt sales. Gaining extra weight hasn't helped either. None the less, the fact that it is so capable should not be regarded as a loss of character. The Bandit may be muesli muncher but don't be fooled. In fact it may be the best Bandit yet, but it still carries a heavy hit and a thuggish streak of malice. You could still get hurt.

JUST ADD WATER - the Bandit's new engine at a glance