James Deuce
19th August 2007, 20:08
I had a plan for today.
A plan carefully crafted to allow at least three passages of the Rimutaka hill road before dinner. This plan also involved using my nose as a gas analyser for an FZR400, however given that I had constructed the aforementioned plan without involving the owner of the FZR400 the resulting phone call from Rimutex at 10:45am was met with the incredulity it deserved.
Having failed to bend reality to my will I set off with BB#1 and Bull to Martinborough. Just for future reference, BB#1 stops for phone calls. He carries his cell phone in a pocket located directly over his left nipple, thereby enhancing his ability to detect a vibrating phone. At least I think that's what generated the girlish shriek followed by a lunge for the hard shoulder at Te Marua.
On arrival at "Toppy" (what on EARTH were they thinking with that name?), formerly known as the Fush, one discerned the presence of "other motorcyclists". Amongst them were Mr & Mrs Hitcher, so I took the opportunity to make good on a previous promise with Mrs H to swap motorcycles for an afternoon.
After a delicious Ham, Cheese, and Tomato Panini (more correctly panino, but this is the land of the expresso is it not?) and a long machiatto of course. The Panini was delicious, farmhouse ham (nice and thick), melted cheddar (not that horrible orange processed crap that seems to be de rigeur) and a couple of pieces of thick, fried tomato, inserted into a lightly toasted split piece of flat Italian bread. The bread was light and fluffy, not flat and seemingly deep fried. Are you listening Cafe NZ? Stop nuking our panini!
Where was I? Ah yes, Mrs H's GSF650S Bandit. I've ridden it once before. You jump on and ride off and instantly forget about the motorcycle you are astride. That isn't to say it is forgettable. Quite the contrary, it just seems to disappear the moment you are moving. It feels tiny, with the view ahead dominated by the instrument cluster and the extended fairing blade designed to cosset Mrs H. The instruments are that perfect mix of analogue tachometer and legible digital speedometer, with clock and fuel gauge displayed by default.
The odd thing is, the Bandit 650 isn't tiny. It's longer and heavier than my Z750S (http://www.motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/2005_Bikes/suzuki_gs650s.html vs. http://www.seastarsuperbikes.co.uk/z750s2006.htm), 2110mm for the Bandit vs 2080mm for the Z750S and 204kg(dry) for the Suzuki vs 199kg(dry) for the Kawasaki. They both share an identical wheelbase of 1425mm however. Mrs H insisted that my bike was both shorter and lighter after our ride to Ngawi on each other's bike and I have to admit that that I felt somewhat dubious until I performed my research. I feel somewhat vindicated that the wheelbase figures were precisely the same, which is after all a much more important measurement in how a bike feels to ride.
Speaking of which, the Bandit is literally a doddle to ride. The change in capacity from 599cc to 656cc has turned the venerable oil/air cooled unit I am so familiar with from the Flying Banana (my old GSX600F) into a usefully responsive, modern feeling engine. The tingly vibes in the mid-range are still there, but they aren't anything as intrusive as they once were, and the engine certainly revs a heck of a lot quicker than it did in 600cc guise. The Bandit needs an extra gear change compared to the Z750 to overtake or generate brisk acceleration, though having said that the HP that the Bandit gives away to the Z750 (86ps for the GSF, 110ps for the Z) doesn't make itself known until the top third of the rev range. The bottom end is definitely a LOT weaker (stalled trying to pull away from outside Toppy's), but for most "real world" applications the Bandit and Z are definitely comparable in function if not outright performance.
Suspension is necessarily basic in this price bracket. As you all probably know I've dealt to the Z750's suspension deficiencies quite comprehensively thanks to Shaun Harris, Mr Ohlins, and Traxxion Dynamics. Mrs H found the Z750 quite firmly suspended, but then she does weigh about as much as my left shin bone. The Bandit felt quite similar to how the Z750 felt when I bought it. Harsh but soft. Once again Mrs H and I disagreed (agreeably of course!) about the handling characteristics of the two bikes. She felt that the Z was quicker to turn, where I felt the Bandit was quicker but less stable when cranked over. Mr H made the salient point that it may well be down to tyre profiles and brand. The Z has 180 rear and the Bandit has a 160 so there may be something in that.
Both bikes are built to a budget from the factory. This class of bike positively screams, MAKE ME YOURS. Mrs H has gone for a taller screen and hand warmers. I've "done" the suspension and put a loudener and crash bungs on.
Overall I thought the Bandit 650 is a massive improvement over both the Bandit 600 it replaces and the GSX600F which seems to have been dropped from Suzuki's line up. More and smoother power and torque, and an even better gearbox than both, which seems impossible given Suzuki's traditionally buttery and precise 'boxes. With suspension upgrades it would be getting very close to giving the Zed a run for its money - until the upper third of the rev range, but that's only really a decider on a race track.
One could do worse and plenty have.
A plan carefully crafted to allow at least three passages of the Rimutaka hill road before dinner. This plan also involved using my nose as a gas analyser for an FZR400, however given that I had constructed the aforementioned plan without involving the owner of the FZR400 the resulting phone call from Rimutex at 10:45am was met with the incredulity it deserved.
Having failed to bend reality to my will I set off with BB#1 and Bull to Martinborough. Just for future reference, BB#1 stops for phone calls. He carries his cell phone in a pocket located directly over his left nipple, thereby enhancing his ability to detect a vibrating phone. At least I think that's what generated the girlish shriek followed by a lunge for the hard shoulder at Te Marua.
On arrival at "Toppy" (what on EARTH were they thinking with that name?), formerly known as the Fush, one discerned the presence of "other motorcyclists". Amongst them were Mr & Mrs Hitcher, so I took the opportunity to make good on a previous promise with Mrs H to swap motorcycles for an afternoon.
After a delicious Ham, Cheese, and Tomato Panini (more correctly panino, but this is the land of the expresso is it not?) and a long machiatto of course. The Panini was delicious, farmhouse ham (nice and thick), melted cheddar (not that horrible orange processed crap that seems to be de rigeur) and a couple of pieces of thick, fried tomato, inserted into a lightly toasted split piece of flat Italian bread. The bread was light and fluffy, not flat and seemingly deep fried. Are you listening Cafe NZ? Stop nuking our panini!
Where was I? Ah yes, Mrs H's GSF650S Bandit. I've ridden it once before. You jump on and ride off and instantly forget about the motorcycle you are astride. That isn't to say it is forgettable. Quite the contrary, it just seems to disappear the moment you are moving. It feels tiny, with the view ahead dominated by the instrument cluster and the extended fairing blade designed to cosset Mrs H. The instruments are that perfect mix of analogue tachometer and legible digital speedometer, with clock and fuel gauge displayed by default.
The odd thing is, the Bandit 650 isn't tiny. It's longer and heavier than my Z750S (http://www.motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/2005_Bikes/suzuki_gs650s.html vs. http://www.seastarsuperbikes.co.uk/z750s2006.htm), 2110mm for the Bandit vs 2080mm for the Z750S and 204kg(dry) for the Suzuki vs 199kg(dry) for the Kawasaki. They both share an identical wheelbase of 1425mm however. Mrs H insisted that my bike was both shorter and lighter after our ride to Ngawi on each other's bike and I have to admit that that I felt somewhat dubious until I performed my research. I feel somewhat vindicated that the wheelbase figures were precisely the same, which is after all a much more important measurement in how a bike feels to ride.
Speaking of which, the Bandit is literally a doddle to ride. The change in capacity from 599cc to 656cc has turned the venerable oil/air cooled unit I am so familiar with from the Flying Banana (my old GSX600F) into a usefully responsive, modern feeling engine. The tingly vibes in the mid-range are still there, but they aren't anything as intrusive as they once were, and the engine certainly revs a heck of a lot quicker than it did in 600cc guise. The Bandit needs an extra gear change compared to the Z750 to overtake or generate brisk acceleration, though having said that the HP that the Bandit gives away to the Z750 (86ps for the GSF, 110ps for the Z) doesn't make itself known until the top third of the rev range. The bottom end is definitely a LOT weaker (stalled trying to pull away from outside Toppy's), but for most "real world" applications the Bandit and Z are definitely comparable in function if not outright performance.
Suspension is necessarily basic in this price bracket. As you all probably know I've dealt to the Z750's suspension deficiencies quite comprehensively thanks to Shaun Harris, Mr Ohlins, and Traxxion Dynamics. Mrs H found the Z750 quite firmly suspended, but then she does weigh about as much as my left shin bone. The Bandit felt quite similar to how the Z750 felt when I bought it. Harsh but soft. Once again Mrs H and I disagreed (agreeably of course!) about the handling characteristics of the two bikes. She felt that the Z was quicker to turn, where I felt the Bandit was quicker but less stable when cranked over. Mr H made the salient point that it may well be down to tyre profiles and brand. The Z has 180 rear and the Bandit has a 160 so there may be something in that.
Both bikes are built to a budget from the factory. This class of bike positively screams, MAKE ME YOURS. Mrs H has gone for a taller screen and hand warmers. I've "done" the suspension and put a loudener and crash bungs on.
Overall I thought the Bandit 650 is a massive improvement over both the Bandit 600 it replaces and the GSX600F which seems to have been dropped from Suzuki's line up. More and smoother power and torque, and an even better gearbox than both, which seems impossible given Suzuki's traditionally buttery and precise 'boxes. With suspension upgrades it would be getting very close to giving the Zed a run for its money - until the upper third of the rev range, but that's only really a decider on a race track.
One could do worse and plenty have.