2002 Suzuki Bandit 1200s

Pros: Versatile, capable sport-tourer with half-naked flare and alot of grunt
Cons: Far from lightweight, not anywhere near as aggressive as its nemesis, the FZ1

Suzuki's Bandit series has always been a favorite choice of sport-tourers who want something more than the moderate performance of a Japanese cruiser BUT do not want the !!BONZAI!! craziness of a full blown sport-model race bike... The naked sportbike...

Pros: Handsome bike with a smooth, 1200 CC engine that's under the radar of insurance companies.
Cons: Need to address the carbs to get rid of idle/low speed vibration.

In May 2005, I sold my 2001 Suzuki SV650 naked bike and bought a 2005 Bandit 1200S. I liked the SV for local riding and commutes, but its light weight on larger highways above 65 mph was not always fun. I was looking for something that was more solid ...

Pros: Price, Power, Comfort
Cons: Limited storage space under the seat

This is not my first bike. I've ridden a lot of dirt bikes and several street bikes. My last bike was a Yamaha Virago 1100. The Virago is a cruiser and does that job very well. But, I got tired of the sedentary style of the cruisers and wanted...

Pros: Best value in a ludicrous speed capable bike. Sweet turning & comforable.
Cons: Not for everyone. Modern day liter bikes with professional riders, will smoke the Bandit.

For me, this one was/is all about complete infatuation at first ride. It's a genuine bargain basement Hot Rod. This big Suzuki happens to be a great value, sweet in the turns, while effortlessly doing 0-60 in under 3 seconds. Did I mention that it's ...

Pros: Price, reliability, value.
Cons: Suspension, fueling, bottom end grunt, weight.

This bike gets me back and forth from Astoria to Mid-Town for work every day. I ride year round, except when there's snow or rain (in the winter). 70% city, 30% hiway usage - its an urban commuter. Here's what I've got to say about it: the performance ...

Pros: A true do-everything road bike. Thrills, reliability, good looks, great seat posture.
Cons: Dated design. Needs more color selections.

The fact that little has been changed in this incarnation of the 1200S Bandit since 1997 (in fact the engine has virtually not changed in over 20 years) does not diminish the level of excitement and pleasure this motorcycle can still provide. If you log ...

Pros: Torque, near-perfect riding position, low expected service cost.
Cons: Who designed that Fairing??? More Gears! Chain and clutch problems.

I agree with much of what has been said here, so will limit my comments to only a few things. The Bandit 12 is great as a standard bike, good as a sport/tourer. Time-tested (well, okay, old technology) motor tuned for mid-range tourque means the ...

Pros: Price, comfort, dependability, brakes
Cons: choke and idle need a lot of attention

I bought this bike used (1 year old) with 4200 miles. It had the ugliest windshield on it which was one of those full streamlined fairing type windshields. The bike has oodles of power and is smooth at all speed ranges and rpm ranges. It is "cold-colla ...

Pros: Powerful, fast, stylish, comfortable, inexpensive, plenty of aftermarket goodies, low maintainence
Cons: Heavy, cheap suspension, handlebar vibration, cheap tires

I own a 2002 Bandit 1200s. I have been riding on and off since the mid 70's when i got my first Yamaha 80. I bought my Bandit used 2 years ago with 3000 miles on it. I previously had an underpowered and very uncomfortable Hardley Sportser 1200 which I ...

Pros: Power at any rpm, comfort, value.
Cons: None so far

I bought a brand new 1200S two weeks ago, and have driven 1200 miles already. I researched various models of bikes for over a year before deciding on the bandit. I chose the bandit because i wanted something with plenty of power and torque that was ...

Pros: Price, Power, Proven engine history
Cons: No blinker cancel, no 6th gear, helmet holder almost useless.

I purchased this 2002 bike new in 2003 as a left over. The dealer gave me a good price on a bike that was already pretty well priced. I had looked at the Yamaha FZ1, Kawasaki ZRX1200, and the Honda 919. The Suzuki was the lowest price, and from what ...

Pros: Usable, real world power - comfortable - FUN!
Cons: Stock jetting is a bit off under 3K, Stock head light bulbs.

  I picked up my Bandit ( 2002 1200S) about 16 months ago. It had 5100 miles on it at the time.  It now has over 16K on the ticker and I feel I have enough experience with it to provide some valid feedback. &nbs p; I ...

Pros: Inexpensive with excellent useable power for the experienced rider
Cons: Old school engineering, will need replacement parts early

The 2005 iteration of Suzuki's 1200/S was the last year in the US for this model. Like all it's predecessors, it was blessed with what has to be one of the best motors ever put into a day to day street bike. The air/oil cooled engine was lifted from the ...

Pros: Price, Engine, History, Performance
Cons: Suspension, Weight

I have been riding motorcycles for over 20 years and have owned everything from Honda to Ducati to Bimota, even used to do some road racing when I was younger. I still have my 1981 Suzuki GS850G with 50000 miles on it, but I wanted something new that had...

Pros: Loads of bottom & mid range power
Cons: Minor vibration at highway speeds

After much debate, I decided to get back onto a Motorcycle after a 20 year absence. The last bike I had was a Suzuki GS 1100E.

I am not really at all excited about the cruiser fad, and my 43 year old frame finds a true sport bike a bit...

Pros: POWER, Comfort, standard features, Smoothness, Wind Protection, PRICE, Maintenance-free, Aftermarket parts availability, reliability, versatility
Cons: an aluminum frame to take off some weight. Other than that, it's perfect for me.

This bike is the perfect bike for me. It delivers hellacious roll-on power in its fat, beefy midrange. Handling and braking are awesome for such a heavy bike. I love the rear brake because it won't lock up and send you sliding. The front brakes are ...

Pros: Best phlipin ride for the money.
Cons: Tires. Sorry if you were expecting worse.

I'm not sure how positive a review can be if the owner hasn't put at least 10k miles on the bike, or been through at least one set of tires. The latter of course can be accomplished rather easily on most bikes with sufficient throttle exercise. I ...

Pros: Positively silly amounts of power! Sport bike performance at intro bike price
Cons: Soft suspension, Bad riding position for highway, you end up catching a lot of air

I picked one of these babies for $2000 US in San Diego. The guy who had it before me had put a Two Bros. exhaust and a few other custom parts on making it look and sound great. So far it's given me no problems outside of maintenance. I'm still amazed at how powerful this thing is. I've been on a GSX-R 750 as well as an R6 and R1 for comparison and the Bandit feels more powerful than all of them when cranking back on the throttle in a low gear. In contrast to the R1, which gives you the feeling that you are making the jump to light speed, the bandit gives you an immediate blast of force but does not build from there. I have modified my Bandit further with handlebars off of an R6. This process lowered the front forks about 1.5 inches (~4 cm)and places the rider in a more sport-bikish position. The original handlebars and riding position caused too much air resistance at high speed and I like the R6 handlebars much more. All things considered I love the thing.