2007 Bandit 1250S

Well I have been lacking in the sport touring bike for some time. I tried a few and I guess because the are a little older I was not happy with them. Now to put this in prospective, I live fast metric bikes but not to lean over too much. Had a 03 ZRX1200R and a 05 ZX1400 set up for touring. I was looking at a FRJ1300 but most people say it is a great ride but a pig.

If I get the 07 though I will thin the older herd out to non I think.
Current stable:
XJ700X
FJ1200
Madura 1200
KLR650

Any thoughts on those that have owned or ridden the 1250s?

 

I had a 2009 1250 in the gorgeous blue with 3 Suzuki hard bags, fairing lowers and ABS brakes. I put about 12,000 kms on it summer of 2010. To be perfectly honest I loved that bike. The seating position was really good. I loved the narrow waste. I had an ST1100 as my touring bike for 15 years previous to the 1250. It was too wide in the seat and my hips would seize up after an hour riding it. Many find comfort with the ST but that Suzuki was way superior in the comfort area, hell it was better in every way.
Why did I sell it if it was so great? I routinely ended up with a false neutral shift from 5th to 6th accompanied by a rock crushing sound when it would jump back into 5th or finally engage 6th. I learned to make a double action shift when going into 6th but feared it would eventually need deep internal work. I recently test rode a GSX750F I think it's designated (the naked750) and experienced the same thing so maybe it's just me and Suzuki gearboxes. Other than the gearbox that 1250 was fantastic. The bags can stand some criticism. They are actually generic GIVI's and stick out way further than proper OEM designs.
I see you have a KLR which is now my choice for touring because everyone I tour with is on one. Huge fun when touring is not limited to pavement.

 

Thanks for the info and sure enough, on my way to test ride the bike and just had this feeling. I turned around and let the guy know that maybe next spring . I just had a feeling about getting that bike this late in the riding season. Good to know about the gear shifting issue, have not seen that on the forums. I did see that many people were having lean issues and had to put a bypass on the o2 sensor, but that was it for issues.

I need to be a little nimble even though I like bigger bikes. I was told by many that the Bandit 1250 was the way to go. I can still see my one one someday but just not this season.

As for the KLR, that is my daily ride and one of the main reasons is the ability to off road with it. I put my GPS on unpaved roads all the time and always have the HWY turned off. That really makes things fun sometimes and it has never let me down. I have almost 10K miles on her now and really enjoy her. Lots of mods and many more if I ever want to get to them. I only have one wish, that Kaw would stick V twin in that bike and then see how the line sells. I like the thumper, riding position, braking but would love to be able to pull the front end off the ground from time to time. I know too much to ask for.

 

At some point I hope to try a klr myself. I've only had 3 touring bikes so I don't have a lot of experience with them. Once I owned a hd ultra classic. Huge bike. Poor performance and I had many a safety related issues with it as well. My dad says hd stands for hardly drive. My current is a Kawasaki Connie 1000. So far I like it well and it hasn't had any issues to speak if other than normal wear for a 60k mile bike. The last was my wee strom. 650dlr. Loved it. Well appointed bike. Never left me stranded or even gave me a hiccup in the 30k over 2 seasons I used it. I think it was meant to be competitive with the klr which I find silly. They are not comparable bikes imo. Klr =off and on and dlr is a street bike with very limited off-road ability even with a set of nice knobby "road" tires.

Hmmmm. Maybe I should look at a bandit??

 

I can't say enough about the "happy trails"products I outfitted my dlr with. From crash guards to panniers I simply enjoyed every aspect. Durability to price point to looks

 

Joe, I agree with you on the DLR and the KLR, they are totally different bikes with their great points to each. I was looking for a good used DLR 1000 but they are really hard to find. As for the Bandit I think it is a good all around bike. Light enough to flick with enough torque to put a big smile on your face. I had a carb version 03 B-12 that was okay but just not what I thought it should be. My 03-ZRX-12 was a great ride and with a header, air cleaner mod, higher wind screen, timing advance and carb kit, was a beast!

If I had the money this is what I would get....lol
http://www.ktm.com/us/naked-bike/1290-super-duke-r-1/

 

I like your taste Timbox

 

Okay so buying bikes is a sickness....I will admit it....do I need help...no I need more $$ and more room for bikes!

Yes today I could not pass up a deal and drive 3+ hrs one way to buy a nice Black 2007 Bandit 1250S, 12K miles and factory bags for a really good price. I will transfer title and put insurance on it in the morning....pics to follow!

 

Well I have to disagree. I don't believe it is a sickness at all. A money pit of a addiction, but I feel perfectly fine. I haven't even had my wife upset with me over the last 4 I've bought. The only issue she has ever had is with the taller bikes I get coz she can't ride them herself. Hahaha. I like the 2 for me and 1 for us routine. Works well.

 

There is a vintage bike shop in town. Always a couple of 70s or 80s rides all fixed up and ready to roll, just gleaming in the sun. I have stopped riding down that road...

 

You guys do know that was a joke... I got the Bandit to replace my older big road bike. Been planing and saving away so I would not brake the bank.
If I see a XJ750 Seca that needs fixing up and is a good price in the area, it will end up in my shed. Got the paper work done today on the Bandit, now to do a few safety checks (tires ect) then on the road for a good long ride.

 

Took the bike out for it's shake down ride today, 100 miles or so on a very windy day here in Wisconsin. Found out that this bike is a beast and if you ever get a chance to ride one do it! It has a six speed trans but with the amount of power this bike produces you will forget what gear you are in. I could go on and on about the Pros....but...

Con:
1. In stock configuration there is a dead spot or a miss fire so to speak from 1.5 - 3K RPM's.
Fix action ---adding a slip-on can or a new header with a Power Commander V or equivalent. I have read that the factory sets the bikes supper lean to pass EPA.
2. Low speed wobble when decelerating. Starts at about 40 mph and can be stopped easy. Fix action-- Loosen the forks up on the tripple clamps, make sure forks are same height and tighten. Check staring head for play...last get new tire.
3. Need to get a better touring wind screen to angle the air to top of helmet or over it.

 

Have some strange things going on with the new (to me) Bandit 1250S. It started to run really ruff on the low end from 1.5 to 3K RPM. This is really strange and getting used to trouble shooting a EFI system will be interesting. I can say that engineers got it right with the gas tank removal, good thing too as everything you have to do with the bike the tank has to be off. Very easy to remove the throttle bodies (TB) come off very easy, took the secondary flies out today, do not need that hesitation on the low end.

 

Now just waiting for the box of goodies to come in from Dave over at Hole Shot Performance. I have the bike all ready to put all the nice little bits on to make it run better . Finished the air box cover mod today and really hope that the UPS person comes in the morning.

 

What can brown do for you!!

 

from my adventures with my sv1000s, you need to get into service mode on the computer. i jump a wire into a empty plug under the seat. then set a TPS sensor.
then sync the throttle bodys with a two bottle gadget. from what i understand the second butterfly is to stop that low rpm hesitation. adjusting mine is a nightmare of feeler gauges and turnbuckles. my factory book has 96 pages on fuel injection, you need one
i rode a 1200 bandit once, almost blew the hair off my head

 

I had a SV1000 for a while when I was in Warner Robins GA. I just got done putting a FI system on it and all kids of nice mods. I woke up the next morning and someone had stole the bike. I call the Police and they had over 20 motorcycles stole in one night. Long story short four months later I got the bike back in okay shape, drug guys from Macon had stole all those bikes. They had laid it down once but I had pucks on it so it was okay. A set of new ignition, fuel and seat locks and it all set. That was a fun bike for the Dragon and many other things.

As for the Bandit 1200 to the bandit 1250, WOW is all I can say. I do hate the secondary flies and that hesitation at the low end was driving me nuts, that is why I went with the aftermarket FI system. Will add a update when I get all new parts on.

 

Well they say stepping outside your comfort zone is good, well I am there. This FI bike is having some issues with #4 cylinder. I will be checking to see if I bent any pins when I installed the after market EFI system. I will also need to pull the fuel rail and then see if I can clean all the fuel injectors. Looked on U Tube for that one, need to make a little tool for cleaning them. If all else fails I will have to run her to the Suz dealer and have them slap it on their diag machine. I hate to have to do that but I guess without the tool to diag it, I will have to.

Nice to get a newer bike and and have the comfort and power but then doing your own trouble shooting makes me take pause. Still very happy with the bike but it is not dialed in to what I think it can be.

Any input from would be great.

 

Not sure how troublesome it is to do, as I am not super familiar with working on bikes period, but could you swap anything around to see if the issues moves to a different cylinder to isolate the problem you are having? Again, unfamiliar, is there a Schrader valve on the fuel rail? If so, fluid cleaning would be where I'd start, then again I have access to fuel injection cleaning equipment. I could be way off here, it's getting late and I've had way more than my fair share already tonight just thinking out loud

 

Chitwood,

Yes I can change things around and once I get done looking at the pins (to see if anything is bent) I will be changing out the coil pack. I too agree that it might be part of the fuel rail or injector. I was running jest fine and then it just started to stumble and I tracked it down to #4. After riding the other day I took a Laser temp gauge and hit the down pipes, #4 was much cooler then the other three so there is something wrong there. I have a extra FI connector too, but don't want to start to cut into that part of the system until I have to.

Watched many vids to see how to build my own FI cleaner using a 12v batter, I will do that as well. Riding season is more or less done here in Wisconsin so this is fine. I wanted to mod the bike and have it ready for next season. I guess it is tinker time.

Once I have the time I will get back to it, in the the middle of finishing up those Cranberries to get them into the plant.