Faults:

No problems to date.

General Comments:

Nice combination of torque, horsepower, handling and good looks. Also, very reasonably priced.

I'm 64 years old and my motorcycle days mostly ended in 1969 when I sold my '64 Bonneville, '68 Enfield Interceptor and '51 Indian Chief to move out west. Since then only had a Yamaha XS 500 for a very short time and didn't ride it much; it had a little scoot but only if thrashed.

Stopped riding while raising kids because of cost and responsibility, but now decided to enter my second childhood.

While test riding quite a few new 'Street Fighter' bikes last summer I ran across this 2001 Bandit 1200s used. It was considerably faster and lots more comfortable than anything I'd ridden, although the longer frame made it slower in tight turns. I continued testing new bikes, but nothing else did it for me like the Bandit, so I bought it and put on a new set of Avon Storm ST's.

You can ride it docile and it feels docile. Tach it up, and there's a monster inside. Both horsepower and torque keep coming on strong until about 7500rpm, at which point the adrenaline rush really kicks in all the way to 11,000.

As for turns, it's very comfortable out on the highway. There's a lot more performance in both the turns and straights than I'll ever be able to use. Cruising at 70mph in high gear there's so much power on tap that downshifting to pass is really moot unless you want to impress someone. Drop it into second and it goes unicycle, and I'm riding at 8000 plus altitude, so losing 25% or more power.

If you need Gucci or Armani or the like, this isn't your bike. If you want lots of performance and great reliability, I highly recommend looking at this bike. I'm riding with a bunch of bikes costing 3-7 times as much, and this bike outruns all of them.

Faults:

First, the suspension was too soft; example, I had the 1200S with the.75 gauge springs, way too soft for a rider over 210lbs. The front end would dive coming into turns and would pogo-stick. The rear shocks were just okay. I installed Race Tech springs (.95) and gold valves, then installed a Fox Shock twin clicker. All in all, it cost me around $1200.

Secondly, the bike burned one quart of oil per three hundred miles, due to poor quality control in relation to the pistons having too large oil ring holes that caused blow by; the bike was under warranty, Suzuki repaired it.

Acceleration, great for someone who is into cruising, but not canyon carving. I was not pleased with the power, so I installed a stage 2 carburetor kit, and hole shot muffler and K&N Air filter pods. My bike from 101hp to 115hp. To get more kick, I changed the front sprocket, so now the bike can pull wheelies in most every gear.

General Comments:

After spending close to $2000.00 to improve the performance and handling of this bike, I was happy with its performance, but for all the money I spent, I could have bought a GSXR1000 or 600, or a CBR954 or 600, and all the performance and handling would have been included. The only thing I did have was the best of both worlds: a good handling/performance motorcycle with the comfort of a cruiser.

Faults:

Gas gauge reads a little low sometimes..

General Comments:

She is amazingly quick and full of torque. I would never have guessed at the performance in this bike.

While she corners well, she is a tad heavy when compared to 600 sportbikes or even some other similar sized bikes, but it's worth it.

Well fast enough for me, she is also comfortable and pretty.

This is not a beginners bike.

Faults:

The speedo wire was pinched by the fairing, causing the speedo to read low.

That is the only problem I have had in 3 years, 5 months of ownership.

General Comments:

I have modified suspension front and rear to suit my weight, 120KG. Race tech springs and gold valving. Handles exceptionally well.

Sufficent urge to keep the boys on the sports bikes honest. Yoshi muffler & K & N air cleaner have sharpened acceleration. 115 HP at the rear wheel.

Engine has been totally oil tight, not a weep anywhere. Uses less than half litre of Motul 5100 semi-sythetic oil every 6,000 kilometres.

Brakes were superb when purchased, but fitting Goodridge Braided lines has made them even better.