2002 Suzuki Bandit 1200 Motorcycle reviews

A great do everything bike for a hell of a price. Fits me great and I'm 6'5"over 300lbs. Show less

I have about 44,000+ miles of riding experience and I must say that this bike not only hits the spot. It rubs it out! I have ridden lots of bikes, from my vintage GS750e, to full race preped rice rockets. The Bandit is by far the best all around bike I have ever had the pleasure of riding. It is surprisingly nimble for a 500+ lb machine, taking corners with ease and confidence. It has amazing roll on power, since the power band covers nearly a 6k rpm range. Anytime you hit the juice from 3.5k up to 9+ it's quick and will rip your shoulders out of their sockets if you aren't ready for it. Any take offs at 4k+ will result in some reduced wear on the front tire. A few blits of the juice will keep it up till around 3rd gear. Mmmmm Unicycle. There is nothing at all like it. There is so much torque at such a broad range that you almost always have power at the ready, unless you are at idle or in the red zone. The shifting of this bike is smooooooth, so smooth that you don't need the clutch. You can just tweak the throttle a bit and she slides right in. The B12 will corner extremely well. From tight long rounders to switchbacks it just hugs everything. With the weight of this bike you will want to enter a bit wider and slower and then use the immense roll on power to push yourself out of the turn. The forks are a bit spongy for me at 195lbs. But other than that I can't find anything bad to say about the suspension. Everything about this bike is sexy also. Oh well... actually once you "remove" the ugly tail guard, then everything is ;-) It has a mean street look and deffinately likes to show it's muscles. Everything is comfortable and well placed. Hell it has a gas guage and a clock ;-) I love pointing that out to "all" of my mates. Especially when they are tapping their tanks or counting miles. The more upright riding position is perfect on the freeways or through town. The only bad thing I can say about it is, she likes her fuel and the reserve is way too big at 1.2 gal. I have averaged 36mpg on it street and 38 with about half a tank of highway and half street. Last but not least... the price. I mentioned this last because it's not why you should buy a bike.... You should always go for fit and ride something that will work with your style of riding. Yes my buddy's R6 will out corner the B12 (barely) a Hyabusa will giggle at me in it's rear view (above 130mph) and a Goldwing will cruise by with all it's cup holding goodness and "cush" ride but all in all this bike is a total package... and if you are into Naked bikes... thats a bonus. If you want to get one CHEAP talk to Bob Gregor at www.lacyclesports.com I bought mine off of him at ~$2000 under sticker and watched them unpack it from the factory crating, Zero miles :-) Tell Him Chris Bonnell Sent ya! Keep the rubber side down. CB Show less