The Suzuki GSX650F Thread

[Commuter Boy]

Originally Posted by Dranrab Luap

A part number would be helpful. My dealer couldn't come up with one.

Sorry, didn't keep the bag or receipt. I thought I had posted the part number here or on one of the other Bandit forums I frequent but a half hour of searching all my posts didn't bring it up.

Find a better parts guy in your 'hood who knows their product. Like I said, my local guy (Ben at JP Suzuki in Burnaby BC) just glanced at the old one and pulled the new one right away without even looking for the part number.

Edit: I grabbed my old one out of the bottom of the junk pile and measured. Somebody owes me a beer. It appears to be the same as this one: http://www.jtsprockets.com/52.0.html...el_uid=1675&p=

[Nodaclu]

Next time I'm in BC, it's on me.

[Dranrab Luap]

Originally Posted by Commuter Boy

Sorry, didn't keep the bag or receipt. I thought I had posted the part number here or on one of the other Bandit forums I frequent but a half hour of searching all my posts didn't bring it up.

Find a better parts guy in your 'hood who knows their product. Like I said, my local guy (Ben at JP Suzuki in Burnaby BC) just glanced at the old one and pulled the new one right away without even looking for the part number.

Edit: I grabbed my old one out of the bottom of the junk pile and measured. Somebody owes me a beer. It appears to be the same as this one: http://www.jtsprockets.com/52.0.html...el_uid=1675&p=

Thanks bro. It's stuff like this that prompted me to start a dedicated thread.

My bike is the shop for transmission repairs. Intermittently I would experience clunky shifting and missed shifts between 5th and 6th. The last time I rode it, I was getting halfway between 5th and 6th and experiencing bad clanking/grinding/clunking sounds. I should know by this afternoon what's up. I'll pass it on.

[Nodaclu]

Originally Posted by Dranrab Luap

My bike is the shop for transmission repairs. Intermittently I would experience clunky shifting and missed shifts between 5th and 6th. The last time I rode it, I was getting halfway between 5th and 6th and experiencing bad clanking/grinding/clunking sounds. I should know by this afternoon what's up. I'll pass it on.

I had an issue like this with my V-Strom. I would constantly get false neutrals between 2nd and 3rd. When I tried to kick it in a second time, it would grind and clunk like hell.

Fortunately, mine was nothing more then a linkage adjustment. Hopefully yours will be the same.

[Dranrab Luap]

It's back from the shop. They didn't see anything obviously defective, but replaced lots of parts just in case. It's raining so hard I'm going to start working on an ark. Maybe I'll get a chance to try it out good tomorrow. I gave the dealership the countershaft sprocket number from above. They tried it and it didn't work. The JTF 520-16 was installed.

[Commuter Boy]

Originally Posted by Dranrab Luap

I gave the dealership the countershaft sprocket number from above. They tried it and it didn't work. The JTF 520-16 was installed.

.

Ah, there you go. Same sprocket hole sizes, different chain pitch I imagine is the difference.

The JTF sprocket I got didn't have the fancy rubber rings glued onto the outside of the sprocket like the stocker did. Did yours?

[Dranrab Luap]

Originally Posted by Commuter Boy

.

Ah, there you go. Same sprocket hole sizes, different chain pitch I imagine is the difference.

The JTF sprocket I got didn't have the fancy rubber rings glued onto the outside of the sprocket like the stocker did. Did yours?

I had them put it on, so I never saw it. They said the 520 is for the 520 sized chain.

[RaY YreKa]

The F got good reviews in the UK, with journos quite suprised at it's all round ability. One of the mags did a 'relay' to see how quickly they could rack up 4000 miles on one, and the bike didn't miss a beat.

[Nodaclu]

Originally Posted by Dranrab Luap

The JTF 520-16 was installed.

When you get a chance Paul, let us know what you think of the 16T sprocket. I'm really curious about this one. Thanks!

Hope your shifting issues are now solved also.

[garyklee]

This is one of the bikes I've had my eye on recently. I hope to hear more from those who actually own it. I'm currently riding a Honda Magna primarily because the saddle height works with my short inseam. I've taken it on 2 long camping tours and the only real issue I have is the small tank. I hit the reserve tank every 114 miles. This poses an issue for my buddies on their sport touring bikes as we constantly have to select routes to accommodate my fuel limitations. I carry two one liter MSR fuel bottles in my saddle bags which will give me another 20 miles and I can go about 25 miles if I run the reserve tank dry. Obviously this is major handicap when up in the Sierras or touring across the country.

Anyone have any experience with the GSX650F as a long distance sport tourer?

[Dranrab Luap]

Originally Posted by garyklee

This is one of the bikes I've had my eye on recently. I hope to hear more from those who actually own it. I'm currently riding a Honda Magna primarily because the saddle height works with my short inseam. I've taken it on 2 long camping tours and the only real issue I have is the small tank. I hit the reserve tank every 114 miles. This poses an issue for my buddies on their sport touring bikes as we constantly have to select routes to accommodate my fuel limitations. I carry two one liter MSR fuel bottles in my saddle bags which will give me another 20 miles and I can go about 25 miles if I run the reserve tank dry. Obviously this is major handicap when up in the Sierras or touring across the country.

Anyone have any experience with the GSX650F as a long distance sport tourer?

I'm headed out on a 13 day trip tomorrow. I'll find out and post back here.

[Commuter Boy]

Originally Posted by garyklee

Anyone have any experience with the GSX650F as a long distance sport tourer?

Made some trips up to the Yukon on a Bandit 650, essentially the same bike frame and engine, with a half fairing. It's great on long trips. Comfy, the extra weight some people bitch about makes it stable in crosswinds and around big trucks. Givi luggage bolts right up, it was made for it with a strong steel subframe. Lots of room for a passenger, good fuel range if you're keeping it to legal highways speeds (over 300km/tank), suffers more at the ton or constantly hammering on the go-handle.

Pretty sporty, but I couldn't dial in the front with the stock springs, so in went a stiffer pair. Ok for a couple of track days and for aggressive street riding. Now mo betta, especially loaded with luggage, but cartridge emulators are going in next, along with a better rear shock. But I've felt it necessary to do that to nearly everything I've had, once you get used to good suspension it's hard to go back to stock.

This may not be an issue on the GSX650's, I understand they have better suspension units fitted than the Bandits.

The engine is a gem. Lots of power down low for an I-4. I back to back rode it and a Wee-Strom before buying and it eats the Strom for breakfast and keeps going. Smooth, tractable power, no real step in the powerband it just pulls harder and harder, running out of puff before redline. It's just plain easy and fun to ride. No, it doesn't have the peak power of a GSXR 600, but it's not "peaky" either on the delivery. FI is pretty good, not as smooth as well set up carbs, but some time with a PowerCommander and a dyno can fix that. Dale Walker is working on a bunch of matched go-faster goodies for it.

The Bandit has adjustable seat and handlebar positions, but with some tweaking you can set the GSXF up the same way. The seats intermix between it and the 1250 Bandit giving lots of variety in heights and shapes. You can swap out the handlebars and put in risers for whatever suits you easily and cheaply.

It's a poor man's VFR, plain and simple. The only engine issue I've heard of is the tranny problems one of the posters here had. Seems to be a well built unit. I got the Bandit because it had the ABS brakes option. Hopefully that'll be released on the bike next year.

Cycle Canada just did a review on it this month, they loved it, except for the loss of the ABS brakes and adjustable ergos from the predecessor Bandit.

[garyklee]

Originally Posted by Commuter Boy

I back to back rode it and a Wee-Strom before buying and it eats the Strom for breakfast and keeps going. Smooth, tractable power, no real step in the powerband it just pulls harder and harder, running out of puff before redline.

It's a poor man's VFR, plain and simple.

Interesting comments, the Wee-Strom and the VFR were the bikes my two sport touring buddies were on for our Sierra Trip. Here's the link to my photo album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/garyklee...MotorcycleTour

For my short inseam the V-Strom is too tall for loaded touring. The VFR could possibly be made to fit, but the GSX650F has my interest. I'm 57 and want an economical all rounder that I can take on a week long tour. Can't wait to hear more reports on what its like for a long distance camping tour.

[Dranrab Luap]

I'm back from my tour. I put 3485 miles on my bike loaded down. The terrain varied from straight, flat 75mph stretches of superslab to high speed sweepers to really tight turns in the mountains. I can't imagine being any happier. There was more than enough storage room with my 3 case set-up. I used a Nelson Rigg magnetic map bag on my tank and my Tom Tom Rider gps in tandem for navigation duties. The bike was unbelievably stable in conditions that would have had me begging for mercy on the Strom. I left on the fringes of a tropical storm. The gusty crosswinds did not move the bike around at all. There were times I got blown around on the saddle, but the bike remained perfectly planted. My wrists did not ache at all thanks to the bar risers. My butt did OK with the Airhawk pad and bicycle shorts in tandem. The center stand was great for chain lubing chores. I would caution that the bike is pretty hard to get on the stand. I had my wet foot slip off and I nearly dropped the bike once. I got from 47-50 MPG with the +1 countershaft sprocket mod. I do notice a little bit of a drop in the pull the bike has with it. Not enough to make a difference in most riding conditions. When I got above 5000 or so feet in elevation and needed to make a quick pass, the bike seemed relatively sluggish. At lower elevations, quick passes were no issue. As it stands, the GSX650F serves its role as a budget tourer better than I thought it would. I don't know what budget bike could do the job better. The smooth air and stable ride left me feeling much fresher at day's end than I would have been on the Strom. I'm not a highly skilled rider, but managed to have a blast in the tight twisties on Arkansas HWY 16. I have 1/4" chicken strips left. I think a more experienced rider could probably tax the suspension/handling on this bike in technical riding conditions. It seemed to wallow almost imperceptably when pushed hard through tight turns. Could be me, could be the bike. I don't know. Bear in mind, I was loaded heavily... or I should say the bike was

I'd like to say thanks to the good folks at Santa Fe Motor Sports for doing an unscheduled oil change in less time than it took me to eat a plate full of burritos across the street.

[garyklee]

Originally Posted by Dranrab Luap

I put 3485 miles on my bike loaded down...
There was more than enough storage room with my 3 case set-up...
The bike was unbelievably stable in conditions that would have had me begging for mercy on the Strom.
The gusty crosswinds did not move the bike around at all.
I would caution that the bike is pretty hard to get on the stand.
I got from 47-50 MPG with the +1 countershaft sprocket mod.
I do notice a little bit of a drop in the pull the bike has with it.
When I got above 5000 or so feet in elevation and needed to make a quick pass, the bike seemed relatively sluggish.
As it stands, the GSX650F serves its role as a budget tourer better than I thought it would.
The smooth air and stable ride left me feeling much fresher at day's end than I would have been on the Strom.

Thanks for documenting your tour,

These are exactly the kind of observations I wanted to hear. Since I've caught the long distance sport touring bug, I'm looking to replace my Magna with a mid-sized sport tourer - the GSX650F, the VFR, and the Strom are all considerations. The other main consideration is seat height. A 28 inch inseam rules out most larger bikes when trying to manuever a full touring load in camp grounds or other conditions where being able to flat foot is helpful.

I only have one question with the 650. The 750 V4 that was put in the Magna churns out a satisfying amount of power. Even at 8,000+ feet in the Sierras and the Rockies I had enough power to pass slower cars. If money was not a primary concern, would you have opted for more power? for example the Bandit 1250S or the VFR? In the West, much of my sport touring adventures would include the mountains.

The Bandit with its serious torque and reasonable fuel consuption is a powerful consideration for me if I can figure out how to address the saddle height with my inseam, it might be worth an extra $1,300+ investment.