Suzuki GSF250 Bandit

[gamgee]

1991 35ish thousand k's, pro's cons/ what to look out for/ check for? sorry i know i'm going round in biiiig circles, gsx250... fxr150 then theres all the hondas i was looking at lol oh and what price do you think, from the pic it looks pretty tidy

[Antallica]

Huh? Sorry, but could you seperate the questions and all so we could possibly understand it better?

[gamgee]

hehe, sorry, was in a hurry:
translation:
saw a:
1991 (gsf250) 35ish thousand k's (on the clock)
What are the:
pro's cons (of this bike?)
if i go to look at it:
what to look out for/ check for?

(the bike in question) from the pics looks pretty tidy

[Antallica]

Well I've had my Bandit for a while, and I still haven't found a flaw. I'm no mechanic so I can't really help you with that side of things, but just give her a onceover with your eyes. If you see something that looks dodgy get it checked by a shop.

[franco]

Heya - I've owned a GSF250 Bandit for the last 5 years (my miss rides it now) and it has given me absolutely ZERO problemo's. It's reliable, and bulletproof and fun. Another mate has been riding it for the last month or so (we moved to AKL and haven't brought it up from Welly yet), and comparing it to his tired CBR250, he reckons the lil bandit has got more pep. I didn't expect that !

[FEINT]

I was considering buying the GSF250 Bandit , Honda Hornet 250 or CBR250RR.

The Bandit I was looking at was at Red Baron and it was 1996, done 18,000km they were asking $4500.00. There was another one there, 1999 done 33,000km and they wanted $4900 I think. But that is the dealer price range, you should be able to get it cheaper privately.

I test rode all 3 and I prefered the Hornet or the CBR. I found that the GSF250 didn't build up its power smoothly (some might disagree but I found that it was gutless below 6,000 and after that it just took off), but I found the hornet alot smoother and power came on lower in the rev range. But undoubtly it is still a good naked bike. :)

Good luck with your search.

[Coyote]

From what I know, 35ish thousand k's isn't bad. I saw an old 91 GSX250 with 90,000, bit of a rust bucket but it was surprising to see how many k's it had gone, person was selling it for 2000

[gamgee]

thanks, sounds like they are a good bike, the person is asking around $3000 for it, does that sound about right?

[Coyote]

thanks, sounds like they are a good bike, the person is asking around $3000 for it, does that sound about right?
It does sound pretty good, allthough I haven't seen a pic of it yet

[Arthur]

I did have a Bandit 250 (till I was taken out by someone with his eyes closed), and I can't find anything to fault the bike. I had geared it up slightly, but that was about the only modification I thought it needed. The power comes on about 3500-4000 revs, and it does come on kind of quick, but the only real downfall is the flat spot around 8000-10500 revs between peak power and peak torque. It even managed to go two-up quite nicely

[jimmyj]

Hey ive been looking at bandits myself and am also confused about it and the Honda Hornet. Both are sexy naked bikes but which one is better? I see hornets generally go for a bit more huh??

[PirateJafa]

Both are pretty much equal.

Both have proponents who will swear one is better than the other, but at the end of the day, they are both damn near the same. :)

[sclark41]

Hi guys i just bought a Suzuki GSF250 Bandit, does anyone have a User Manuel to sell me or direct me to a site where i can download one.

[boman]

Hi guys i just bought a Suzuki GSF250 Bandit, does anyone have a User Manuel to sell me or direct me to a site where i can download one.

Google is your friend. Also the search function for this wonderful site wil also pay dividends.http://www1.synapse.ne.jp/s-hara/bandit/ban-spece.html

But if all fails try this one. It's for a GJ74 but is pretty useful for all model 250 Bandits. Or Google gsf250 bandit manuals. That works also.


;) :bash:

[sclark41]

Thanks Mate.

[lemining]

1991 35ish thousand k's, pro's cons/ what to look out for/ check for? sorry i know i'm going round in biiiig circles, gsx250... fxr150 then theres all the hondas i was looking at lol oh and what price do you think, from the pic it looks pretty tidy

Hey,

I saw this post and i thought i would put my 2c. I had my bandit for a while (my first 250) i sold it now. Overall it was a great bike, great look and riding position. I remember i had to do following with my bike (cam chain tensioner adjustment, valve clearance - colemans suzuki and takapuna suzuki refused to do it because it is variable so i had to dig for manual and do it with flatmate, also after a while the bike had problem with starting when cold or left in garage for a while).

Now, i didnt know then but i know now what are the things i would be looking out for.

Check general stuff which could tell you something how the bike was maintained (eg. is chain oiled, is it dragging on the floor, are there any loose screws, is there a rust, are forks covered in oil, tyres, tyre pressure etc.)
Make sure when you arrive to view the bike that it is cold. Try starting it cold (dont rev it until it warms up). If check your lights, is anything bend or scrached. Ask them about it.
Bike should be starting first click if cold or warm. Sometime you gotta use choke when cold otherwise bike will die and its hard to start it.
Sit on the bike, it can not be bouncy! I had to replace my shock (its $300) second hand!
Check for holes in exhaust
If possible check hoes (petrol, vacum etc) if they are looking old they probably are and you will have to replace them.
Check if handlebars are straight (ie sit and look if they are symmetric)
Start the bike and wait until it warms up can you hear and rattling when on idle? If you can, inquire about it. It might go away when you are riding the bike.


Thats all i can think off right now. :2thumbsup

NOTE: One more thing, the most useful page i found for my bandit when i had any questions etc was bandit alley forums. Google it.