97 Suzuki RF900r anyone? good/bad?

[madmal64]

RF's go for it!
Highly under rated. Riffer has pointed out all that need to be.
If you want to do some serious milage the RF will eat the miles with no bother. Rode mine all over the country and did the odd track day or two on it. Suprised a few peeps with the ability to hang with the more sport style bike.

[MacD]

Another satisfied RF owner here. They also carry pillions well, though they benefit from an aftermarket or Suzuki touring seat.

I did find that the front tyre tended to triangulate but haven't had any trouble with that since changing to an Avon Viper on the front (and an Avon Azarro ST on the back). That tyre combination has worked well for trackdays, North Island tours, weekend blats etc.

I'm pretty sure the Gen 1 Bandit 1200 also runs the 4-pot Nissan calipers?

It's sometimes hard to tell which country model RF's are, but there are two main types; the early (94-95) ones which were Aussie models and have km/h speedos and no pink wire, and the later (96 on?) USA/Canadian spec ones with mph speedos.

[Pussy]

The very last of them (RF900RW) were mostly E02 spec(pommy). Most were black, and some maroon. They were full power, and can be easily identified by having a light switch on the right hand switchblock. I bought one new and had it for 18 or so months.... great bike. They respond well to fork revalving and re-springing. I also had an Ohlins shock on mine, makes them ride and handle very nicely

[cowpoos]

Sort of....but trail bikes have decent rear shocks!

I love TL's (both the 'S' & the 'R')....but the cabbage that decided to put that fucking rotary damper in the back of them should be shot with a ball of his own shit.

ya know what I mean...lol

the man will smile everytime he goes for a ride if he's on a Tl1000s!!

[xxxx]

HEY Guys,

Cheers for your quick replys...quite suprised!...great to know you fullas are out there!...

Have got my keen eye on a few different RF900's ranging from 5K to 8K years 97+...so im keeping a watch on them...would love to know of any other good ones that you guys have seen or know about...

Id like to stick to Suzuki as ive had a pretty good run with their MX bikes in the past and they seem like real good road bikes...you gotta choose 1 make in the end i suppose!...

For what i want the RF's seem like an ideal choice...

Just to take out on a fine Sunday and go for a ride up the State H/way 16 or anywhere really (just about)...to be able to put some replacement mods in time to come but without going overboard...just to have a good allround bike really, nothing flash, nothing too over the top just a good looking and performing bike...I must say that their shape does attact my asthestic mind rather than the bikes of today...they seem nice and "bulky" but not real bulky...what I imagined as a kid of what a road bike should look like...

Cheers guys and ifs theres anything else I need to know, please let me know...

ps, my son wants to get a bike, but he doesnt have his license YET but he wants to buy one now when i get mine since he has the cash...you dont need a license to buy one do you>?

[riffer]

Unlike a gun, you don't need a licence to buy a bike.

However, you can't test ride it or ride it home.

Good luck in the RF hunt. Sounds like its what you're looking for.

[F5 Dave]

From the desk of a little old lady:

my only comment (I have an RF too) is returning from not riding for a good while & only off road at that, your experience is likely to make you a skilled rider, but don’t be surprised if it takes a while to recapture that. Also don’t be surprised that it is a whole new world riding on often new roads & contending with cars etc + a new level of speed.

While the RF may be regarded as the ‘soft’ option compared with a GSXR1000 it is still a fast bike, combined with big/heavy & capable of hurting the over confident. All I’m saying is just don’t push things esp while riding with other people, the consequences are far worse than the dirt.

[Boring rave over] have fun, great bikes for touring & 8/10ths sport riding.

[riffer]

Good point Dave.

That's something that a lot of people forget - while the RF comes in badly against a brand new gixxer thou it can still pick up speed very fast - we're talking 3 seconds to 100km/hr and sub-12 quarter miles here in the right hands.