Bandit Alley
GENERAL MOTORCYCLE FORUMS => GENERAL MOTORCYCLE => Topic started by: banditII on October 04, 2005, 11:53:40 AM
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Suzuki has the new website up and running with the 06 bikes. No mention of a Bandit here in the U.S. for 06, unless they just haven't got around to loading it on yet. Anybody know?
Warren
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There had been rumors the Bandit would be missing from the US's '06 lineup and this could be the confirmation. They didn't seem to miss loading the new M109R (1800cc) Power Cruiser.
(http://www.suzukicycles.com/images/gallery/M109RK6/photos/BB0V4699.jpg)
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Suzuki has the new website up and running with the 06 bikes. No mention of a Bandit here in the U.S. for 06, unless they just haven't got around to loading it on yet. Anybody know?
Warren
Funny thing is that if you click "Standards" on their site, the background image is a silver B12.
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I suspect that suzuki is not bailing out of the battle in this bandit / FZ1/ZRX fight. It could be that Suzuki will not play during 06 to let the current 05 Bandit sell out, then weigh in with a 2007 supprise, or even a late 06 supprise? I can't see any B-King taking the place or even stealing many sells from an FZ1. Some people can do without wind protection, but not me with the kind of riding I do. Put 20,000 freeway miles on a naked bike running 85mph and see if you don't agree it's Bandit time. I look for a Gixxer engined revised Bandit equivelant with the same Bandit-like wind protection. But I'd say if someone wants a new Bandit, better buy before they're gone.
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There had been rumors the Bandit would be missing from the US's '06 lineup and this could be the confirmation. They didn't seem to miss loading the new M109R (1800cc) Power Cruiser.
(http://www.suzukicycles.com/images/gallery/M109RK6/photos/BB0V4699.jpg)
Ewwww, that's ugly to me! The only cruisers I ever liked were the late '70's to mid-80's Suzuki "L" models.
Like this '83 GS1000GL...
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/DesolationAngels/1983SuzukiGS1000GL.jpg)
That's MY idea of a cruiser! :banana: :banana: :banana:
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I don't see Suz bringing a new model out, to drop it in a couple of years.
We may not see the new Bandits in the US, but they'll be around for a while in the rest of the world.
I think they'll follow the pattern of bringing the updated Bandit to the US a year after the world gets it. Heck, they just have to crank out a few thousand more per year.
Maybe the '05s are kind of backed up here, but Bandits have always been slow sellers here, overall.
Frankly, we're the biggest bike market, but have the lowest level of motorcycle sophistication!
Who knows? Maybe the fuel prices will empty out the bike showrooms here, and they'll crank out some more Bandits?
Toyota and Honda are running out of cars since people are parking the SUV's...............
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I suspect that suzuki is not bailing out of the battle in this bandit / FZ1/ZRX fight. It could be that Suzuki will not play during 06 to let the current 05 Bandit sell out, then weigh in with a 2007 supprise, or even a late 06 supprise? I can't see any B-King taking the place or even stealing many sells from an FZ1. Some people can do without wind protection, but not me with the kind of riding I do. Put 20,000 freeway miles on a naked bike running 85mph and see if you don't agree it's Bandit time. I look for a Gixxer engined revised Bandit equivelant with the same Bandit-like wind protection. But I'd say if someone wants a new Bandit, better buy before they're gone.
The ZRX appears to have disappeared, too. I don't see the GSR/B-King taking much from the faired FZ1 sales either, but in markets where they have the naked FZ, I do... and the rumor has it the big GSR will be out next year with a Hayabusa based motor. I could see the Stratosphere maybe taking sales from the faired FZ, if it turns out to be more than just a computer mockup or showbike.
What I'd like to see is a Suzuki more along the lines of the FJR, perhaps with a Busa based motor and shaft drive.
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What I'd like to see is a Suzuki more along the lines of the FJR, perhaps with a Busa based motor and shaft drive.
Yeah, that's true. I'm amazed Suzuki has not already used the busa motor to make a killer sport touring bike. Some say the busa is a sport touring bike, but they need to re-do it so that it has more wind protection and higher bars to compete with the FJR's of the world. Suzuki really has nothing now to compete with the FJR or honda ST.
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Plenty of folks do sport-tour on the Busa, but I want something with more upright ergos. Shaft drive would be a plus, though not a total deal breaker.
Considering everything out there right now, the FJR is the one at the top of my want list for a replacement for the B12. Not that I'm rushing out to buy anything right now though.
(I've often contemplated how hard it would be to use GSX1100G parts to make a B12 into a shaftie...)
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Plenty of folks do sport-tour on the Busa, but I want something with more upright ergos. Shaft drive would be a plus, though not a total deal breaker.
Considering everything out there right now, the FJR is the one at the top of my want list for a replacement for the B12. Not that I'm rushing out to buy anything right now though.
(I've often contemplated how hard it would be to use GSX1100G parts to make a B12 into a shaftie...)
Please do that and report back. That would tempt me, big time! :beers:
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The engine end parts would be a simple bolt-on, but it would take some serious swingarm mods - or grafting a GSX swingarm... but it's longer than the B12 piece. I'm sure it could be shortened but that would require a driveshaft mod. IIRC, the GSX1100G doesn't use a 17" rear wheel either and I'm not sure how compatible the B12 wheel would be to the ring & pinion unit (which as I understand is a piece common to many shaft drive Suzi's).
So far, I've never had a chance to examine the parts off the G to see what all it would take, but if Suzi ever came out with a B12 shafty, THAT might just be enough to make me get a new one. :grin:
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I went to a dealer yesterday and talked to one of the guys who is a Bandit head. He's got three at the moment. He told me the '05 on the floor was the last new Bandit they would see. He said no more B12 in '06.
We'll see.
If that's true, there will be some smokin deals on left over '05's!!
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I could see the Bandit not making a return in '06. A lot of the dealers around here didn't floor any 05's, you had to order one. In the US, the "sport touring" segment is a slow seller. Buyers here either want a sport bike or a cruiser. The coming trend seems to be sport bikes with a stretched wheelbase and slightly relaxed ergos. An insider said the molds and tooling for saddlebags is more than any return on investment. I think a bike like the Busa is what we'll get and the mfgs will leave the rest to the aftermarket.
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For being a slow selling segment, it seems odd that Yamaha seems to be doing a bang-up job selling FJR's and the Ducati ST variants are the fastest movers at my local Duc shop - and that's practically all BMW sells - just different models between SPORT-tour to sport-TOUR - at least until they threy the new K-bike roadster into the equation.
OTOH, the Honda ST13's don't seem to be rushing out the door. (But the cops are starting to buy them up here.)
Though I use my B12 as a ST mount, it seems to be marketed more as a UJM... and it's mostly a market for middle-aged guys who don't want a HD, GW or a race rep and are too cheap to buy a true ST mount... a small niche. Given all the upgrades Yamaha has given the FZ1 compared to the small changes in the 3G Bandit, it seems Suzuki is giving up on it - at least until the GSR1300 gets here - then the next question is will US Suzuki bring that one here, or just stick with cruisers and crotch rockets.
Kind of surprised to see the Katana continue to march on though...
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ZRX is gone.
FZ-1 is brand new.
I'll bet the Bandit will be back. Since there's a new design, they'd be carzy not to import it sometime.
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I,ll send you all B12 06 that you want from Spain. Tranquilosssss....
:banana:
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We can get them all day long next-door in Canada... the question is can we get one by our Customs & EPA folks.
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I talked the sales guys local shop today. They went to Suzuki dealer show in Dallas a couple of weeks ago. They report no Bandit for 06.
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I was trying to figure out if the new EPA regs that come into play next year would make it difficult to sell a carbed Bandit in 2006, but from what I can tell, the new standards are essentially the same as what's in place for current Cal models, so, if they bothered to set up the new b12 for Cal, it could be sold in the rest of the US.
Am I right to guess that if the 05 Bandit met the Cal standards, and the cal standards are the same as the 2006 EPA standards, it shouldn't be difficult to get the 06 to pass?
Maybe next year?
There's gotta be something else, the SV is fine, but the Katanas are 'staler' than the Bandits.
http://www.abatecmro.org/epa_regulations.htm
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The CA version of the B12 got a catalytic exhaust in '04, so the EPA isn't the reason for the B12 to disappear. I think it's just a sales thing. Since the magazines rant and rave on how much greater the FZ1 is than the B12 or ZRX, it's been getting the sales, so Kawi and Suzi have decided to drop these bikes from their '06 lineup. Afterall, you can still find '03 & '04 leftover B12's...
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Yeah, my gut feeling is there aren't QUITE as many lefotovers, as there were 3 years or so, ago, when you go get a real deal, as low as $5200 for a leftover B12. Maybe they didn't import as many?
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Just did a national search on CycleTrader.
Cheapest NEW '03 Bandit 1200s is $5995, and same place in Ohio has the '05 for $400 more.
There was one '03 600 in yellow, in TX, NEW, $5400.
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That doesn't mean they'll get it though... just ask the shop that has that new left-over 1G ABS B12 they are asking $7000 for that someone posted about a few weeks ago.
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Since the magazines rant and rave on how much greater the FZ1 is than the B12 or ZRX, it's been getting the sales, so Kawi and Suzi have decided to drop these bikes from their '06 lineup. Afterall, you can still find '03 & '04 leftover B12's...
I really like the new FZ1. Local dealer says they have once scheduled for delivery next May. List is $9100.
I dont buy anything for list...but it looks like I'll wait ...IF
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They can sit on them forever, if they want.
The places that spit out the cheapest prices on Cycletrader, are usually the ones that always spit out the cheapest prices. I doubt they'd pick up a bunch of leftovers if they can't move them at that price.
One place has '03, '04', and '05's, and claim more of each year is on the way.
I use cycletrader of an indication of how cheap a bike can be.
Yeah, if I see an '03 SV1000 naked like I want for $5000 in your town, it isn't worth it, if I can find the same bike for 5-600 or so more. :motorsmile:
It does give you a little bit of bargaining power if the local dealer wants to sell.
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picture of the 2006 bandit
http://www.mcnews.com.au/NewBikeCatalogue/2006/suzuki/road/bandit/gallery_detail/pages/naked_dark_rhs_700p.htm
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picture of the 2006 bandit
http://www.mcnews.com.au/NewBikeCatalogue/2006/suzuki/road/bandit/gallery_detail/pages/naked_dark_rhs_700p.htm
Reckon they got the idea for it from Dale Walker? :roll:
I do like it, though.
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picture of the 2006 bandit
http://www.mcnews.com.au/NewBikeCatalogue/2006/suzuki/road/bandit/gallery_detail/pages/naked_dark_rhs_700p.htm
Reckon they got the idea for it from Dale Walker? :roll:
I do like it, though.
There is a bit of a resemblance...
(http://www.holeshot.com/b12project/images/2kB12_side.jpg)
(http://www.mcnews.com.au/NewBikeCatalogue/2006/suzuki/road/bandit/gallery_detail/images/naked_dark_rhs_700p.jpg)
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I was just looking at all those MCN.AU pics of the new B12 and noticed on the swingarm pic (http://www.mcnews.com.au/NewBikeCatalogue/2006/suzuki/road/bandit/gallery_detail/pages/swingarm.htm) the new bike has bosses for bike stand spools now. :bigok:
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The new FZ-1 IMO will appeal to a different rider than the current one. I actually didn't want 150 hp because I knew it would sacrifice torque. The Bandit will smoke and FZ1 in roll on, which is where we live most of the time. In addition the Bandit has screw adjustment valves which means I can do it myself easily. Not to mention no radiator, water pump, hoses, bleah. The problem is only us olde pharts see the beauty in a more common sense design <sigh>
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the naked Fazer thou (FZ1) is a B-King ripoff in the looks department
(http://img310.imageshack.us/img310/7373/2006fz1ncolormidnightblacktcm2.jpg)
and i have my eyes on that GSR600 as my next bike, I'm utterly sick of the SV, i want to come back to the I-4 fold.
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Now that you mention it, it does have a resemblance - in the front half - less the silver scoop & blinker part... not enough to call it a rip-off, IMHO.
Looks more like the naked FZ6 which has already been around.
Just for reference sake, here's the B-King:
(http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/B-KING/B-KING2_450.jpg)