Suzuki Bandit

[jestre]

check the clutch switch? I've bumped mine off before with those same symptoms.

[SteelB12]

Here is what was happening. Using the carb heater to power the LED lights and the heated grips was a no-no. This DID blow the 15AMP ignition fuse. I just couldn't tell. I got my glasses on and finally noticed a tiny break in the fuse. Have never seen a blown fuse with such a tiny gap (of course these fuses are themselves tiny)
I re-wired so that these items are running off of the low beam circuit. No problems now. The lights come on and the ignition works.
The horn is a different matter. Its a WOLO copy of the Stebel Nautilus. Seems some pieces have come off that are necessary to make it run, no clue how it broke.Don't know what these little bits are called, brushes maybe? They are attached to the lid at the bottom of the compressor where the wires connect it to the bike. Anyhow, luckily I had a spare FIAMM hanging on the wall and hooked that up and now I have a horn again. I would not recommend this WOLO brand. I have a real Stebel on my KLR which has put up with a lot in over a year of being mounted and it has never failed. This WOLO has only been on my Bandit for a couple of months, and it hasn't gotten jarred like the Stebel has.

[YJake]

Glad to hear it was something stupid simple, after all it is a stupid simple bike

-Jake

[GI_JO_NATHAN]

I learned a long time ago, it will save you some heart ache if you check fuses with a multi-meter instead of your eyes.

[FUTURE]

I never have liked chain drives. Of the 14 bikes I have owned 4 had shaft drives. I like shaft drives. No messy chains to adjust. No regular oiling to do. Almost maintenance free is a shaft drive.

I have only in the last few weeks put a new chain and sprockets on the Bandit. The original ones lasted around 47k kms. I think this is because the original owner had fitted a ScotOiler to the bike. It was not on the bike when I bought it. There is evidence that it was one of those vacuum operated ones.

I could not afford a ScotOiler so bought a Tutoro Chain Oiler. I bought the Auto one. Seems to work off the motion of the bike which makes a plunger go up and down allowing the oil to flow. So when the bike is not moving the oil don't flow. See Auto Oiler... for more info.

Fitting it to the Bandit was not easy. This is no reflection on the Tutoro. Its the fact that the frame on the Bandit does not allow you anywhere to fit this oiler. So I mounted it off the left rear footpeg hanger. It is out of the way here and is easy to adjust the oil flow or refill.








As to how good this will be will be shown the more I ride with it. A ride up to the bottle shop this arvo is no where near enough distance to allow the oiler to do its work. I also have to refine the fitting of the oil tube as you can see in the above photo.

[Cortez]

All you need now is a system that will automatically clean the chain too!

[keenerkeen]

I never needed a chain oiler , all my motorcycles for the past forty years have been chain drive..the improvements in chain and sprockets has been remarkable . i find that oilers for the most part look like crap and lube everthing else aswell as the chain ... If you use a good dry lube and adjust your chain properly, your drive train will last a long time and even out perform a shaft drive ...just ask many BMW owners the cost of replacing a chain and sprockets even three times is way less than dealing with a shaft drive that has gone bad . it happens more than may think. Shaft drives are also heavy and in some cases affect the handling of the bike
Chain driven bikes also have the major advantage of being able to change ratios.
Your Bandit has a well designed drive train and would be less of a motorcycle with an extra 15 lbs of metal spinning around from the engine to the rear wheel

[Bandit 1200]

Anybody know where i can get a handlebar riser kit, about a 2 inch rise for a 2002 Bandit 1200s

[rollinrob]

You can make your own for cheap, I used shaft collars, some people use washers, you'll need some longer bolts and might need to remove the cable holder/keeper part by the tripple clamp and/or re-route the cables.

Or try Twisted Throtle and buy some

[OConnor]

Originally Posted by FUTURE

I realize they may extend the life of the chain but I would rather replace the chain and sprockets twice as often than have something that looks like that hanging off the side of my bike. It would look at home on a GS, too bad they don't need it.

[FUTURE]

Bought some 3M cable routers and fixed up the chain oiler line. It now puts oil a whole lot closer to the front of the sprocket.

[Rider]

Best.
Chain.
Lube.
EVER.



Dries as a wax. No fling. No mess. It's a wonder of modern science.

[390beretta]

Glad I found this thread! I'm seriously thinking of buying an '03 Bandit with less than 9000 miles on it. White and driven by an older guy (like me) I'm assuming this is a carb'ed bike. It also has no panniers, nor tank bag. I currently ride a K75 and actually love it! Not even sure why I'm thinking of changing, come to think of it. I'd like any advice all of you might be willing to share: What to look for, where to find reasonably priced bags, (what else to look for when checking it out LOL!) Inherent problems? Ease of maintenance? Handling characteristics? Anything you'd be willing to offer. Thanks

[gpounce]

They're pretty easy to work on, parts are readily available. The usual mods are new springs & valves for the front forks, new jets & timing advance, valve clearance. Kits are available for the forks, carbs and timing carbs and there are well regarded people who can do them for you. Adjusting valve clearance at some point is important, probably could defer that till 12-15k.

Twisted Throttle sells new pannier mount systems, but older Givi systems are available used- I found a full givi system w/ panniers and top case & wing rack on craigslist.

I think the Bandit is a great bike, lots of grunt; very comfy on long trips, I generally see 50 mpg. The engine offers a lot of low end torque- not vtwin levels but its still pretty easy handling at low rpm, buy you have to treat it like an I4 though, keep the rpms up a bit for slow stuff.

[SteelB12]

Oil cooler mishap. 2003 Bandit 1200S

I am on an extended pub crawl from Northern VA to Newport, OR. Somewhere after Portland, my oil cooler started leaking. I made it to Evanston,WY and called it a night because the oil was starting to get on the rear wheel. I tried all sorts of things to plug the leak, all to no avail. There was no radiator repair shop in Evanston so a friend found a guy, but he is in Vernal, UT. I wasn't about to ride a leaky bike that far through so many twisties, so I went about looking for ways to bypass the oil cooler. What I ended up doing is using two 16mm oil drain plugs (fine thread) and some washers and removed the bolts that hold the cooler hose to the engine. I removed the cooler to give better airflow to the engine. I rode this way for about 150 miles with no issues.No leaks. Using my hand to feel the engine, it did not feel hotter than usual. Please take into account the elevation where I was (over 8000ft at one point) and time of year. Not sure how long you could ride like this in the summer, but in an emergency, this trick should get you out of trouble.

Here is what it looks like:



Hopefully early tomorrow the shop will have the oil cooler repair and I can continue towards home.