'95 Bandit 250 long trips

[joshy28]

Can these bikes handle long distance???? I want to travel to welly on it... Its at 8000rpm'ish at 100km red lines at 12-14..

Also, will an upgrade in sprocket improve/feel better when travelling at that 100km 0r new exhaust. feedback on these bikes will be much appreciated.

[Ragingrob]

Yep easily handle long-distance, definitely not made solely for short inner-city trips!

[vindy500]

Can these bikes handle long distance???? I want to travel to welly on it... Its at 8000rpm'ish at 100km red lines at 12-14..

Also, will an upgrade in sprocket improve/feel better when travelling at that 100km 0r new exhaust. feedback on these bikes will be much appreciated.

redlines at 12-14? mine redlines at 17...

[gatch]

yeah man should be a piece of cake, dont freak out at the high sounding rpm at cruising speed, better to have a bit of rpm than to have the revs too low and making the engine labor.

I did 800k in a day on my spada (105kph in top gear at about 9000rpm, redline is 13,500), no worries. Only prob was I'm too big for the bike and had to fill up with gas 4 times..

[joshy28]

redlines at 12-14? mine redlines at 17...

yeah sorry mine does as well. Also it actually revs at 9000rpm at 100km. If this is normal than i will stop worrying about it.

cheers

[marioc]

No problem at all

[Dare]

I find it's fine for trips of 6+ hours, but when ive got off and had a bite to eat then head off again leg cramps etc set in. Probably more me than the bike though.. Engine is happy to cruise at 110+ for hours without much noise/vibes but of course its a naked so wind can be a bit noisy & cold in winter.

[joshy28]

choice..cheers for the info..i will go maybe next weekend

[joshy28]

surely its better than a GN..I took the GN to Rotorua and back..lol that was a mission and a half

[007XX]

surely its better than a GN..I took the GN to Rotorua and back..lol that was a mission and a half

:laugh: You're a brave, brave individual...

You won't have any issues with the Bandit doing that sort of distances. I've been doing a few trips like that with my VTR 250, and they handle everything you can throw at them remarkably well.

Make sure to write up a little something on how your trip went and include pics :Punk:

[Murray]

Can these bikes handle long distance???? I want to travel to welly on it... Its at 8000rpm'ish at 100km red lines at 12-14..

Also, will an upgrade in sprocket improve/feel better when travelling at that 100km 0r new exhaust. feedback on these bikes will be much appreciated.

No problems at all. An upgrade in sprocket will make it rev less but acceleration won't be as good. An option for longer trips

[boman]

I changed my front sproket, dropped the revs to 8000 @ 100kph. Better gas mileage too. I rode mine to Taupo with no worries at all. Thats approx half way to Wellington.

[vindy500]

I changed my front sproket, dropped the revs to 8000 @ 100kph. Better gas mileage too. I rode mine to Taupo with no worries at all. Thats approx half way to Wellington.

What did you put on?

[boman]

What did you put on?

I went 1 tooth Bigger on the front. From 13 tooth to 14 tooth sproket. As long as the rear sproket is standard, it made a difference. You do lose a bit of power, but the benefits outweighed the negatives as far as I was concerned.

[DMCD]

My last bike was a 98 250 Bandit and I took it down to Rotorua and Whakatane from Auckland on a regular basis, its not an easy trip without fairings and it feels like you are pushing the bike a bit but it will get you there without issue.

I would recommend taking regular breaks however, even on my CBR with full fairings and a bit more power the wind can get tiering.

[joshy28]

My last bike was a 98 250 Bandit and I took it down to Rotorua and Whakatane from Auckland on a regular basis, its not an easy trip without fairings and it feels like you are pushing the bike a bit but it will get you there without issue.

I would recommend taking regular breaks however, even on my CBR with full fairings and a bit more power the wind can get tiering.

cheers...are there fairings for a bandit?? i really cant wait to test her for the long trips. i am enjoying the bandit thus far, cant wait for a bandit upgrade

[DMCD]

cheers...are there fairings for a bandit?? i really cant wait to test her for the long trips. i am enjoying the bandit thus far, cant wait for a bandit upgrade

You can get a front fairing for them goes around the headlight and has a windscreen.

Also the 1200 Bandit's are a good bike i hear and look nice too.

[joshy28]

how many kms would i expect?? i have noticed differences in kms/tank. When i 1st bought it, i noticced 210-230km/tank, but now after 2 weeks, it changes to 170 ish, i dont get it...Am i using more trottle, no but it is more windy, or is it my 110kg wieght????.......can anyone share their Bandit experences

[DMCD]

To be honest I don’t even take note of how much fuel im consuming on my 250, its so little compared to my cage I barely even notice.

I have a feeling that the Bandit was a bit more efficient than the CBR tho but we are talking like $1 or $2 a week in total difference if any.

[joshy28]

im finding that its a minimal difference between my Bandit and a cage.. about 20 bux to fill per week... i was spending that on my Cage

[Harvd]

hmm 170ks must be a bit dissapointing, i get ~ 220 to a tank before hitting reserve. Im interested to see how your trip goes, thats a biggie for a 250 in one day.

[DMCD]

im finding that its a minimal difference between my Bandit and a cage.. about 20 bux to fill per week... i was spending that on my Cage

Ouch thats no good then.

I spend about $7 a week going to Takapuna from Parnell and back everyday, and riding around a bit on the weekends.

I was spending about $7 a day in my Audi 2.5l and a bit less in my Alfa 2.0l doing the same thing.

[Subike]

Any modern bike should last for touring.
geeze guys, there are plenty of old school 125's, 200's, 250 even some 50's that have traveled the length of NZ many a time.
Imagine going from Auckland to ChCh on a BSA Bantam!
Or from Invercargill to Nelson on a 90cc Suzuki twin.
Your modern bikes are the pillars of relyability compared with yester yaers bikes.
ANd cheaper on fuel by far.
Just get out on the road and do it mate!

[joshy28]

i will, but i suspect there is a problem with my bike, however i will do the trip in a week or 2, will let you now how i get on.. ill make sure i check my plugs etc...

[joshy28]

hmm 170ks must be a bit dissapointing, i get ~ 220 to a tank before hitting reserve. Im interested to see how your trip goes, thats a biggie for a 250 in one day.

Is that on a CBR?? there must be something wrong with me bike...

[Harvd]

Is that on a CBR?? there must be something wrong with me bike...


Nope, a '96 bandit 250. And im not easy on the wee thing. I could probably get 270 if i was nice to it...or maybe not

[joshy28]

thats no good :(

[DarkLord]

Auckland to Wellington? That's a big ride, dude. How long have you been riding for, and are you going with other riders?

Are you an AA member and do you have a good set of necessary tools and gear you can bring with you (screwdrivers, allan keys, chain lube, puncture repair kit)?

Make sure you get lots of sleep before you go and stop regularly for food and water. I attempted this ride just over a year ago rather unprepared and lacking in sleep and ended up writing my bike off in a crash..... Be careful. There's a lot that can go wrong on a ride like this, I hope you are prepared.

[3L4NS1R]

+1 for carrying the tools. Make sure you have someone experienced with bikes have a look over it to make sure it's good to go. Saying that, in New Zealand you're never really that far from help.

Should be no problem with your bike making the distance. Just keep it easy, don't be in too much of a rush to get there. Enjoy the ride.

Did a lap of NZ with my mate, he was on a gn250, me on a klx250. Nothing wrong with doing long distances on a 250, they are perfectly capable bikes. Comfortable? now thats another question entirely. We stopped every 100-120 kms, partially because my fuel tank only gets that far, but also because we had to stretch and fresh up.

[DarkLord]

Didn't mean to sound totally negative or anything dude. Big ass 250 trips are fun as. I did 820 k's in one day on my Hyo last year - from Palmerston North to Stratford, then Taumarunui via the Forgotten World Highway, then up to Hamilton and finally back to the North Shore.

I needed an oil change and new front brakepads after that, but it was worth it!

[joshy28]

All good..Had about a years experience on dirt bikes (farm hacks) before i got my Learners. Drove the GN to and from work everyday for 4 months and Hams twice before mi went to Rotorua. I am a very safe rider and i did check the bike before i went. I contacted everyone to let them know how long i would be and, every major town i would stop and ring the misus. I also had tools etc... When i ride to Welly it will be with another semi experienced rider...have thought about leaving it for a couple of week just until the weather clears

[DMCD]

All good..Had about a years experience on dirt bikes (farm hacks) before i got my Learners. Drove the GN to and from work everyday for 4 months and Hams twice before mi went to Rotorua. I am a very safe rider and i did check the bike before i went. I contacted everyone to let them know how long i would be and, every major town i would stop and ring the misus. I also had tools etc... When i ride to Welly it will be with another semi experienced rider...have thought about leaving it for a couple of week just until the weather clears

Ouch yes I went through the desert road the other week when it started snowing and seen this poor little bastard on his scooter freezing his nuts off, it was so cold and windy I wonder if he made it out.

[joshy28]

Snow!! Didnt think of that...mmmmm... maybe another destination then, just until after winter...

[joshy28]

how about a pillion alll the way to Rotorua?? would the bike handle that??

[DMCD]

Not sure never ridden with a pillion before.