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Talked myself out of it again !!!!

eddyace595

Been there, and had one
Club Sponsor
I thought that I wanted a BMW R Nine T or a Pure.....My bag is big naked no frills roadbikes....
I really fancy something different from all of the Jap big 4 pot bangers that I have been riding
for the past 35 years..and the R Nine T pure seems to tick all of the boxes.
I arnt remotely interested in adventure bikes,Tft dashes,83 levels of traction control,Blueteeth,
metal panniers that make your bike as wide as a car!!! etc...The R Nine T pure doesnt even have a tacho ( sorry Slim63 ..a rev counter)...
All that I want is good handling,brakes, a big fuck off motor and somewhere to sit..Job Done..
Trouble is.......I have a 1999 Bandit 1200N ..Have done for 15 years....It still ticks all of the boxes..
Big characterfull motor,,goes like the clappers..handles ,brakes and sound mint...
Why would I drop 9K on some teutonic flat twin when my two grand old Jap bruiser still does
it all and never fails to put a big cheesy grin on my face.
Which is something that my Blackbird rarely does.....Its just fun !!!!
My wife thinks that I am a tosser and should just blow the money on a new bike instead of getting
all mushy over the old Bandit...But thats wimmen for you I suppose...
 

Cougar377

Express elevator to hell
Staff member
Moderator
Club Sponsor
My wife thinks that I am a tosser and should just blow the money on a new bike instead of getting
all mushy over the old Bandit...But thats wimmen for you I suppose...
Had to re-read the last sentence several times because I couldn't believe what I was reading....
Not the bit about her thinking you're a tosser (don't we all..? :D)...the bit about her giving you the go-ahead to buy a new bike. :eek:

You should have her stuffed and mounted on the livingroom wall. She's probably the only one of her kind.
 

slim63

Never surrender
Club Sponsor
If I had 9 grand to chuck at a bike I still wouldn't as more expensive doesn't always mean more fun, I also have a soft spot for beemer's but a newish one nah not for me they all look like they fell out of the ugly tree to my eyes

So what to do? chuck a few quid at a spare bandit motor then add a wiseco 1216 kit, a rebore, an upperton head & a set of decent cams (dialed in), maybe a set of decent carbs, chuck it in, set it up & you still have the bike you love but more so :D
 

Malone

Been there, and had one
Club Sponsor
Get yourself a 1250 bandit it’s far more of a useful bike compared to the 1200. I’ve had one off each for comparison.
 

Centaur

Site Pedant
Club Sponsor
Get yourself a 1250 bandit it’s far more of a useful bike compared to the 1200. I’ve had one off each for comparison.

Sorry Malone, I can't agree. I have not owned the 1250 Bandit but I have ridden one several times. It is a poofter compared to the old 1200. The 1250 reminded me more of the 600 Bandit which imho turned more peeps off staying on bikes when they bought one after passing their test on one and got bored. It was my mission for years to persuade new bikers to buy a CBR 600 or a VFR and get some excitement. The original 1200 Bandit was a gas. It wheelied on the slightest provocation and gave me a mouth with my teeth covered in flies from a permanent grin. Each to his own. Personally if I went back on a bike again I'd be looking for a CBR1000; The big one. :D
 

slim63

Never surrender
Club Sponsor
Get yourself a 1250 bandit it’s far more of a useful bike compared to the 1200. I’ve had one off each for comparison.

Sorry Malone, I can't agree. I have not owned the 1250 Bandit but I have ridden one several times. It is a poofter compared to the old 1200. The 1250 reminded me more of the 600 Bandit which imho turned more peeps off staying on bikes when they bought one after passing their test on one and got bored. It was my mission for years to persuade new bikers to buy a CBR 600 or a VFR and get some excitement. The original 1200 Bandit was a gas. It wheelied on the slightest provocation and gave me a mouth with my teeth covered in flies from a permanent grin. Each to his own. Personally if I went back on a bike again I'd be looking for a CBR1000; The big one. :D

And I disagree with both of you :D Having owned all the bandits 1200 (mk1 & 2) , 600, 650 (both sorts) & a 1250 here is my take on it from lots of miles on all of them

All have shite handlebars from the factory too narrow & sit at a funny angle unless you are some sort of retarded ape, hence the massive market in renthals etc

1200 (mk1) by far the most fun, comfy at legal speeds & well above if a s (faired) pretty unbreakable unless you are complete knob with servicing & basic maintenance, handle well as stock but cheap to upgrade if that's your thing, even an old knacker will still top 150mph & do high miles if you keep on top of the simple stuff

600 as above but a bit slower top end but still great fun, you can thrash the living daylights out of them without going overly fast & they beg for more, the only problems I have had with them are down to knobhead previous owners

650 (oil cooled) the last of the proper bandits, pretty much the same as the 600 but a little more refined, bin the emissions rubbish & they run like a 750, you wont be going full whack everywhere on one of these like you could on a 600

1200 (mk2) a pig to set up due to the change in carbs & the emissions rubbish but when you get it right they are just as good as the mk1 & marginally faster, not so pretty to look at granted but still comfy & nice to ride

650 (water cooled) a real pig in a poke, I had mine less than a week as it was way to gutless for me, did about 400 miles on it & that was 399 to many, even though it went ok there was no urge to it & was dead boring to ride, seat is a plank that makes a stock bb one seem like a comfy armchair :(

1250 looks the same as the 650 version but isn't, seat is still the proverbial pain in the arse but its a turbine smooth engine that picks up & goes well enough to surprise the unwary & embarrass many a sport bike owner, I absolutely loved mine to bits but the practicalities of living with one (that damn seat & complicated fi let it down) …...

.............. Given the choice its mk1 1200s every time for me stock apart from bars, a decent can & braided lines will do me just fine, its not the fastest but there isn't much in it, its definitely the most comfy & the power delivery isn't matched for pure fun until way up the rev range ( where the 1250 pips it ) the fairing keeps the wind off up to 150+ & they rarely break down if looked after, parts are cheap they are easy to work on & you can tune them to 160 bhp for very little money ….. 1250 is a close second imo

:D
 
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Malone

Been there, and had one
Club Sponsor
Well if we didn’t disagree about what’s the best to ride then the market place would be quite empty and boring. Variety is the spice of life
 

andyBeaker

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Club Sponsor
I,disagree with you all.

I have never ridden a Bandit but can categorically say the the Fazer 600 and Fazer 1000 are more fun.

Thread closed.

You're welcome.
 

Cougar377

Express elevator to hell
Staff member
Moderator
Club Sponsor
I had a Jap import 400 Bandit as a loan bike years ago and it was a cracking little bike. Far better than the UK model according to someone who had one.
 

slim63

Never surrender
Club Sponsor
I had a Jap import 400 Bandit as a loan bike years ago and it was a cracking little bike. Far better than the UK model according to someone who had one.

if it was twin disc it was probably a grey import most of the uk ones were single disc for some reason, great little bikes until after 91 when they got a variable valve system & still great then until lack of proper servicing took its toll

As an aside I believe this is the bike that prompted honda to revive the vtec system on vfr's & we all know how bad an idea that was :rolleyes:
 
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