Touring Conversion Q's

[Schneeky]

Hey guys, I did a few searches with different keywords and poked around here a bit, but I'm having trouble finding current information and various things to do to make the Bandit a lil more "back & doo-dads" friendly for an old man. Right now I'm assuming that means bars, windscreen and possibly pegs and/or seat.

..I have a 2002 1200S and absolutely love riding it so far. Any help or pointing to the desired information would be appreciated.. Thanks.!!      d:^)  Schneeks..

[pmackie]

Hey Schneeky

Welcome to the site. 

I used the Zero Gravity Double Bubble, and liked it. Tooks some wind pressure off my chest, but left my helmet in clean air. I'm 5-11" with a 32" inseam. A good choice for me. Some guys have used the Zero Gravity Touring Screen with success, but others have complained about too much buffeting.

Taller bars and/or bar risers are pretty common. Just be aware you will likely need longer brake and clutch lines. Usually a good time to upgrade to steel braided lines.

and IIRC, Buell footpegs can be used to lower the pegs. Suzuki made a Gel seat which some guys likes. Others liked the Corbin. I used a sheepskin, and that worked well for me.

I've moved on to a Triumph Sprint 1050, but my B6 isn't far away. I sold it to my brother.

[Red01]

When I forst got my B12, I thought I was going to want taller bars or risers.  I put it off for a little while waiting to do the braided clutch & brake lines (GREAT investment, BTW) and by the time I had the lines in hand, I had grown used to the stock bars and just upgraded the grips.  As for the jewels, I found a tank bra helps give the knees a little extra gripping power, the rest is just a matter of getting used to use those muscles to maintain tank clearance with the more delicate body parts.

I'm also gonna give a  to the Zero Gravity Double Bubble.  I tried their Sport Touring version and didn't like the wind noise & buffeting. (I'm close to PMackie's height at 6' with a 32" inseam).  My favorite screen though was the Suzuki Accessory bit.  Sadly, it has been discontinued, but I'm pretty sure it was made by Givi (it looks an awful lot like the Givi I saw).  AFAIK, the Givi is still available.

Also had the Corbin seat (generic, not tailor-fit) and liked that.  Sargent will modify yours, as will a host of others, perhaps there's someone near you that does that sort of work.  The nice thing about the Corbin was having the optional backrest, which passengers generally appreciate, if you are want to carry a pillion very often.  With my new bike (Kawi Concours 14), I went with a sheepskin and agree that's a good way to go - and a lot cheaper than a new or reworked seat.

Didn't have any issues with the pegs, in faact, I went the other way and jacked them up & back ~1.5" with jack-up plates.

[Jimmy Tom]

+2 or 3 on the Zero Gravity Double Bubble, plus it's got a Laminar Lip on it, 6'5" w 38" inseam.  Foot peg to seat room is my biggest issue, does anyone know where Buell pegs, or alternatives can be located.  I learned of the Buell conversion right after HD closed them down.

2003 1200S

[Schneeky]

Thanks for the welcome and replies, fellas. Will definitely check into those options. I have the least worry over the peg to seat distance @ 6' w/29" of inseam. Wasn't sure if other mods may effect that. Been pokin around on Holeshot and the TwistedThrottle site.
So far I'm looking at the Double Bubble(?), MRA Touring Screen(18.1"), MRA Vario Touring(15.7"). Is the Laminar Lip an upgrade on the DB.? The DB's I've seen have been single sheets.  

There's also the "barbacks" listed there that seem to mebbe be something to try. Sez they offset the bars 1.4" on a 45* with no cable mods. Tempting, but I don't know if that's enough to justify the $115 tag.
Barbacks

Red01- Checked out a Concours14 during this search. Felt like it would be very nice. Loved those high bars. But didn't care for the older models that were in my price range. So I reckon I'll be waiting on one of those. In the meantime, I'll see what I can do with this Bandito. I'm still gonna give it a lil more time before I get too jiggy with it. Going from the Intruder to this was a huge shift that may require some getting used to.  d:^)  Schneeks..

[Jimmy Tom]

The Laminar Lip is an attachment, kind of a mini shield, which attaches toward the top of the wind screen.  Here's a link, http://laminarlip.com/bandit.php

The Laminar really smooths out airflow.  On another one of my bikes, the air smoothed out for me and the GF didn't have any bobble head after attaching a Laminar Lip.

[Mbulgarelli]

I have used laminar lips on 2 bikes now and believe it to be superior to a windshield alone. Latest install on my gsx1250 fa with a givi shield mounted to a madstad bracket/adapter combo. Very smooth, very quiet.  It was the way to go for me.

[Schneeky]

If I don't get used to the stock setup, what I see in the pic for the Laminar lip below is the setup that that I'm thinking I'd like to end up with. The higher windscreen and bars. I reckon what I'm gettin at is I wanna turn a 1200S into something more "Concours-ish". Seems like that wouldn't be too uncommon and some distributor would have a package of some sorts for getting that done, maybe.? (I know that's prolly stretching it a bit)
If I went with the Laminar lip would that be in addition to an aftermarket screen, or the stock screen.?
Anybody got a link for that Corbin seat that's referred to here.? Is there a particular model.?
Would that help to get my butt lower in relation to the handlebars.?  
FWIW, I rode with a full face helmet I got with the bike to see how that was yesterday. While the helmet was too small and squished my noodle a bit, it did cut down on noise and wind a lot.!! I've never really cared for the sensory deprivation of FF helmets and the associated claustrophobia I remember with them. But this newer style wasn't too bad. Prolly even better if it actually fit.!! Checkin into one of those as well.   d:^)  Schneeks..

[Vidrazor]

For risers, I remember seeing a set a while back that were really cool in that you could rotate the position of it, so not only would it raise the handlebars, but would tilt and move them back to give you a nicer upright position, pretty much anywhere you wanted. Unfortunately I can't remember their name. I do remember the company was primarily known for making risers for off-road bikes however. Sorry I can't offer more info, but if someone here knows and chimes in with a name, I say really check 'em out, they're totally cool!

[Red01]

Here's a Corbin link for you:  http://www.corbin.com/suzuki/bandit_menu.shtml
The Gunfighter is designed for those who don't carry a passenger often (or don't care about their comfort), the Gunfighter & Lady is the 2-up saddle.

Since the Laminar lip just attaches to the windscreen, you should be able to add one onto any screen that fits your B12.

The thing that sold me on FF helmets is their superior protection.  This point was driven home very well when I had a crash and went sliding down the road on my hands (in gloves), elbows (in a jeans jacket), face (in a FF skid lid) and hips (jeans).  I didn't slide that far - maybe 20' when my head hit a sign that said NO PARKING AT ANY TIME, but the jeans material is only good for ~6 inches, maybe a foot.  I managed to go through 3 layers of fiberglass on that new Bell Tour Star's chin bar.  I cringe to think how much of the skin, bone and teeth equals 3 layers of fiberglass.

If that's not enough, a study done on where people impact their helmets came up with these numbers:



Now, considering 3/4 and 1/2 coverage helmets don't even have a chin bar to count into this, it really drives home the importance of a FF lid.

That being said, I do have a 3/4 helmet, but I only wear it when I'm playing around on my trials bike or the minibike on my property.

[jeffw]

The pivoting risers Rox Risers, here's a link.   http://www.roxspeedfx.com/cgi-bin/cart/showitems.cgi?multicatlabel_id=79

[JRK5892]

here is what i did... granted this is a b6 but... the bike gets riden daily, rain or shine, snow or heat... this bike is on the road...

upgrades for touring: bolt on over shield, heated grips, hand guards, shaved seat, HID, fog lights, LED kit, hard bags, tank bag, flat tracker sport touring bars, turn signal relocation front/rear, GPS mount, wide angle mirrors... before a long trip i will swap the 14t front sprocket with either a 15t or 16t as well

bike is a blast... it is used as my daily rider to and from the shop, as you can imagine i can put a ton in the bags... also has been from chicago to FL 2x's, chi to STL i can not even count how many times, then alot of back road rips into michigan and Wisconsin... i have a bunch of bikes and this one tends to get rode the most... if I can help at all please let me know!

wired in HID, fog lights, led kit








added remote resvor shock


cut and reshaped the stock seat




welded in ext into the hand guard supports so they would clear












in the winter i add lower wind guards as well to get wind off my legs