Bandit 1200 - What next?

[mynemesis]

Loving my new Bandit 1200! I'm obviously still getting used to it, but it's already rekindled my teenage grin of hooligan fun I had on my old Yamaha RD back in the old days . Flinging it around like I was a pizza delivery rider (which incidentally, yes I was). Pushing too hard into corners and narrowly scrubbing off enough speed and cornering just hard enough to make it look planned and purposeful (which obviously it aint )

Anyway, enough grinning over my last ride. I wondered if anyone had any suggestions on whats next on the upgrade / modify list?

So far I've rejetted the carbs (Many many thanks for the help with that nzspokes), Replaced the mid-pipe and end can, replaced the rear shock with a low km Hayabusa one (raising the rear about 1.5inches), braided front brake lines and thats about it so far....

Gonna source some new front fork springs but thats as far as I've got.

So, what next?

I know I can only go so far, as it is a bandit after all. But I just wanna give it some love as I'm keeping this baby! Too good a deal and we've grown far too close too ever contemplate a break up. Any eventual step up in machinery, will be in addition to this bike, not in place of.

Cheers

[nzspokes]

Springs and a re-valve will do the most now. R-evalve on them is simple. Then maybe a fork brace.

Advancer helps as does a 14t front sprocket but that makes it a bit rowdy on the motorway.

Forks are the worst thing on them to be sorted. Ive lifted my forks 4mm in the clamps and it turns in better.

After that just ride it, alot.

[AllanB]

Skies the limit. Don't be a pussy - strip the fatness off it.

[mynemesis]

Thanks spokes. I trying to find some beefier springs but haven't really looked at valves. Any suggestions where to begin that project research?

I'd be nervous to drop the front end any further, as I've already reduced the rake by raising the back end with the new busa shock.

Lots of fun during my week in the Mandel. Kept making excuses to do the loop every other day.

[mynemesis]

Haha cheers Allan. I can't deny I am a bit of a puss. But I won't go too far with this bike as its still too mint to really start gutting it and cutting it. Still only got 6000kms for God's sake ;-)

Thinking of a K5/K6 gixxer for the real speedy shit.....

[nzspokes]

The below quote is from a guy called Rick that used to work for Racetech. Take from it what you will.

Being a total cheapskate and having had a bit too much moonshine, my mind dwells on things like steeling the basic Idea once I learn it. I personally do not like the idea of the Progressive springs. Straight wound springs are a better solution. As a turnkey, do it yourself solution the gold valve and correct spring is worth the effort and money. Some of the guys on this forum and I got into a rather involved discussion over springs. One of the guys was (is) an engineer and vehemently disagreed with what I was saying regarding springs and the progressive nature of the air column that is in the fork. He argued with a long string of formulas and actually told me I was right in the end. I learned a lot from what he came up with.

I will still do some forks for guys but I am really starting to loose interest in the process. I really would rather do the ones for people who want to go the Penske internals route. I am looking into the black, “Diamond Like” coatings and hard-anodized sliders for the next projects.

So, (I am very gratified that some folks were paying attention, I thought people thought I was nuts) here is the deal. Take a .95 race tech spring and hold it next to a stock bandit spring… The Racetech spring is shorter by a good bit. The number of turns and the O.D. of the two springs are about the same, so is the wire diameter. The difference is that the stock bandit spring has all the closer and progressively wound coils added on to the end. The spring rate formula proved this out. For me it seems natural to cut off the offending nasty progressive part of the stock spring and leave a nice .95 spring for the reinstallation. That first step just saved you $100. Now make up some longer spacers for the spring to get you back to the 35mm of loaded sag with your adjuster centered.

What Racetech taught me is that you get a lot better ride using more spring and less compression damping. A more progressive (speed sensitive) compression stack is even a better solution. First step for the guys with out the bucks or ambition to tear into the cartridge and damping elements is to change the fork oil to a good brand of 5W oil to go with your new springs. These two changes will blow away any progressive spring mod and cost you about $20. To go to “stage 2 of the Rick mod” take your foot valve out of the cartridge and remove one of the 17mm X 0.1 mm shims. Along with this, use a dremel tool (I despise those pieces of junk) with a very fine diamond bur and make a ½ hole that approximates a hole made by a #60 drill (you want 1 half dia. #60) in side one of the bleed notches on the top sealing surface of the foot valve or piston (where the 17mm shims seat) This mod will ad low speed bleed and also soften the high speed damping. Now you really are getting somewhere. Stage 3 of the “Rick mod” involves replacing the compression stack with about 5 17X 0.15 mm shims toped by a 15, 13, 11 and 9 mm 0.15mm thick shims while maintaining the standard clamp shim. Now you have close to 90% of the Gold valve. I think you could have 100% if you were willing to take your forks apart and change things up until they are perfect. For $260 you get the gold valves, springs and a tape that shows you what to do. Not that bad a deal if you ask me.
« Last Edit: December 16, 2004, 07:50:02 PM by NC Rick »

[mynemesis]

And so begins the next project I feel

[nzspokes]

I just drilled 1mm holes in the cart body. Was easier and works well.

[AllanB]

I'm disappointed as to how many are not modified in NZ - unbreakable engines, great base model to modify to your own preference and cheap to purchase. Very underrated bike here - NZ gets that wanky 'budget' spec bike mentality about them but lapped them up at the 'budget' purchase price when offered in Suzuki Summerfests each year.

It takes a little tinkering to release real power (stock pipe is a lead weight and power sapper) and suspension tweaks and a good rider can put the shits up a average rider on a serious sport bike.

On my ride I like to use the excuse of a old oil cooled Suzuki passing me on my new bike as a rider not taking care ..... yeah - that's definitely why he passed me.........

Mine sounds better. Phew saved face there.

[mynemesis]

Gotta trial and error dial in the bound / rebound settings on this busa shock and then will schedule the forks for autumn once I've exposed them with the improved rear. Currently set on the "stiff as fuck" bound setting I think

[nzspokes]

Gotta trial and error dial in the bound / rebound settings on this busa shock and then will schedule the forks for autumn once I've exposed them with the improved rear. Currently set on the "stiff as fuck" bound setting I think

Setting the fork to the slowest possible rebound is very bad. Do the new springs now and the internals later. Springs isa half hour job.

[mynemesis]

Yeah there sure are a few of them around Allan. Although a quick trademe search has me thinking this is a country of nothing but vtr and sv's riders

Yeah that massive and heavy silencer was the first thing to go when I bought it. Seriously, that thing was enormous! Wonder if anyone wants to buy it???

Rejetting carbs, airbox mod and straight through end can have given it new life. Although getting the carbs air/fuel mixture set to optimum is a struggle. On a good day it feels 20% stronger than a bad day. I'm sure it's still a bit rich, but rather that than little too lean right!?

It's an ugly blob of a bike, fat assed and looks a lot like it belongs to an old man who'd rather have a flipping Yamaha fj (no offense fj owners) but what I love about it is its a secret (well was to me) hoon-mobile. It screams above 7k. Has heaps of torque and feels completely different to how it looks. It's so much fun! Old-cheaply made-redundant technology-grin factory.

[mynemesis]

Setting the fork to the slowest possible rebound is very bad. Do the new springs now and the internals later. Springs isa half hour job.

I didn't set the bound, just fitted the shock and now need to start dialling it in. wish Id thought about this before fitting it though, would have been dam sight easier to set spring preload with it in the vice



'HALF HOUR JOB' he says.....

those carbs took me all bloody afternoon and I still got a hose connected to nothing. You forget I haven't turned a spanner in anger in donkeys years and I also have te worst luck for mismatched fixings, seized bushes and any other thing that could go wrong. But Fuck it! I'll do it anyway

[nzspokes]

Wait untill you want to adjust the comp on the shock.....

Are you going to buy springs? You can pull the carts without pulling the forks from the bike.

[mynemesis]

not sure yet about the route ill take with the springs. just started reading now so working out my options. but yeah thinking about buying new springs.