http://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/model.asp?id=95&l=
I keep telling myself that I don't need a bigger bike but seem to have trouble stopping looking around, so perhaps just a teeny bit bigger.....
I see we are in line for a revamped 650 Bandit in spring of '05, it looks interesting and has the bonus of being available in blue so the wife will never notice, unless I keep the GS as well..... :mrgreen:
It looks cool but reviews of bandits always seem to say the same thing; The engine and chassis are dated.
I have to say i always get jealous when reading the brit biker mags and see all the different models/ manufacturers you can choose from over there. We just get jellybeans with warp engines year after year...
:cheers:
Yeah the bandit is a bit "dated" but so is the GS in many ways. the Tech review looks OK and the extra displacement implies that something, at least, is new. The frame/chassis looks a bit different. I shall have a look and a ride once my local guy gets his demonstrater in stock, probably early next summer. I recon the bandit is well overdue for a good revamp or the end of the line.
I take your point about the range of bikes available, the only thing we lack is a choice in the 250 area where the market is very limited. We don't get the Buell blast either but reading some of the forum's comments I won't worry too much about that.
Well with an extra 50cc's and adjustable suspension fromt and rear it has to be better than the old bandit 600. It's also pretty sharp looking.
In some ways it reminds me of a naked yzf600 in shape.
When it comes to bikes and bike mags, i'm envious of the Brits..
Just do it Cal. I've always thought the Bandits looked nice. Plus it should be quite a step up power wise. Not that the GS is a slouch. I pulled onto the highway after work in our 40mph zone, went 1st, 2nd, 3rd and at 60mph :) shifted to 5th, and slowed back down. :mrgreen: What fun! :cheers:
Quote from: Cal PriceI keep telling myself that I don't need a bigger bike but seem to have trouble stopping looking around, so perhaps just a teeny bit bigger.....
I'm with you, man... I thought I was immune to bigger bikes on sizing alone, but I stopped into Aurora Suzuki to talk about my Savage (it's officially a total, now), and they had a beautiful blue 2004 SV650 with a lowered suspension and cut seat that fit me like a glove. Arrgh! If you go ahead and get the Bandit, understand that you will then be in the position of an Enabler. ;)
Bikes & Bike mags, Gofer you're not wrong, the late summer edition of "What Bike" lists a choice of just over 600 bikes, scooters and mopeds currently available. Weed out all the clones and you probably still have 500. As for the Bandit 650 I shall see what springtime brings along.
I personally think that they should just drop the Bandit. Between the SV and the GS the bandit has no real place in the Suzuki line up ....
Oh... drop the banidt...Not... I'll vote for "drop the katana" that ugly POS has no place in any motorcycle line up... and offer fairing lowers as an option on the 1/4 fairinged bandit like they do for the SV - S.
Cool.
Srinath.
Quote from: seshadri_srinathOh... drop the banidt...Not... I'll vote for "drop the katana" that ugly POS has no place in any motorcycle line up... and offer fairing lowers as an option on the 1/4 fairinged bandit like they do for the SV - S.
Cool.
Srinath.
Excellent idea! :thumb:
cal, believe me you will not be upset, if you buy a bandit...class bike..even more so now its a 650.....if a bandit is dated..god help the gs lol...and i like my gs..but if i had the money now i,d defo have a bandit.my mate has a 2001 bandit 6.....top bike.fast comfy good on fuel..cheap ins...... :thumb:
Cal, I don't even know if this was an option, but have you looked at the 599/Hornet? I've always been a big fan of that bike, and (I'm not positive) should be in line pricewise with the bandit 650, no?
Quote from: CasiCUACal, I don't even know if this was an option, but have you looked at the 599/Hornet? I've always been a big fan of that bike, and (I'm not positive) should be in line pricewise with the bandit 650, no?
The 599 :? That's like saying you like milk toast :lol: Bland, bland, bland...
Quote from: johnThe 599 :? That's like saying you like milk toast :lol: Bland, bland, bland...
Bland over the Bandit?
I think they are equally bland, with the 599 having the slight edge with that undertail exhaust. :dunno:
Although as most of us here might agree, these aren't the bikes we get to be flashy (IMO).
And milk toast? what would that make the GS, a Saltine? :lol:
:? uh-oh...flame away
I rode a 600 Bandit, and as a newer rider it was almost too smooth (read refined?). Stock, the engine sounded like an electric motor. I had a heck of a time trying to match the engine speed to the tranny when shifting, and could hear the friction zone engaging in quiet protest easily over the smooth, quiet engine. That said, if someone offered me one I'd snatch it up in nothing. I figure they are for mature riders that can keep a hand off the throttle, can eventually learn to shift it smoothly, and want something comfortable for touring. It's also very capable, and I think would leave a GS in the dust on the straights.
I agree on bringing li'l Bandit back and scrutinizing the Katana's future potential. I knew a guy who had all three. I bought my GS from him, which he said he trusted more on the highway than the Katana, though he really wanted to sell me the Bandit, though friends said "too much bike for you now" and besides it was over my budget. It was clear this seller's order of preference was (1) Bandit, (2) GS500E, (3) Katana. The Katana was a kept only as a toy for his teenage sons.
I don't have a side-by-side but I think the 599's dimensions a little stubby in comparison to the Bandit, from sitting on both. We can't get 599's for next year in the States and anyhow if you liked it in principle you might rather buy a longer (I think) Yamaha for the price. Bandit seems like a better tourer to me. I'd like to think it is an option for me when I've put a few thousand more miles on my GS.
BTW if the 599 were a lot cheaper I might be tempted. I really wanted Honda to keep the 750 Nighthawk they dropped from the US market when they brought over the 599, but alas they did not. Sigh.
--Mike D.