B-King TEST RIDE

[solman]

The US Suzuki site advertises 518 lbs (520 in CA)

That's pretty Porky these days, no matter how punchy the motor is. Fill 'er up with High Test, water, oil and a rain suit under the seat and it's.. what.. 560? I spent too much time on lardy, old GS1150ES's, (had two), that weighed about the same, trying desperately to hustle them around corners,.. sometimes unsuccessfully.

If it's over 500 pounds to BEGIN with.. it's not for me anymore.

  Befor th Bandit,I ad a GSX1100G(630lbs)it was great losing all that wt.when I got the Bandit.And lighter again w/ the SV. If I was doing some long trips, I'd go w/ the new Bandit. It would be comfortable enough for the wife too.But for a holigan bike,or a corner carver,I'll stay light too.  Dan
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Like I've said before, don't let the numbers fool you.  Once the wheels start rolling, it feels lighter than the Bandit.  It is just like how people bash the b1250 with it's 100hp, but yet the magazines rave about it and like it better than a lot of supposed better bikes.

[smooth operator]

  Well you are the only one of us that actully road one. So I'll take your word for it.
  I have a pal that moved to Apache jct. a few yrs ago. He loves it(pins in back,feels better than cold and damp) I was told I'd like .....Burito hill rd? or maybe Torttia hill? Or even better yet,theres a track there too. Mind fart..Fire something.
                :beers:Dan

[solman]

I think what you are trying to talk about is tortilla flats   I used to like that area, but don't like it anymore.

[drewpy_dawg]

Yamaha V-Max anyone? It's got non functional scoops, since what, 1987? I've always wondered why they didn't make them functional, reckon they didn't have to. Sure would love to ride a V-max someday, but not sure if I'd want to own one (just doesn't fit what I want to do).

James

Non functional from day one.  Bad suspension from day one too.  All things cured by the aftermarket.  GREAT bike and I miss mine.  It had 68,000 miles on it.  Previous owner had multiple iron butt awards on the stock seat from that bike.  It can do what you want it to do, unless you are hell bent on scraping pegs on your bandit 

[drewpy_dawg]

[

http://www.bigccracing.com/content/item.asp?item=69

More masculine......
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Certainly deals with the ugly exhaust pipes too...

[Rocketjock]

Just read a review in Jan. 08 Motorcyclist. The 08 version is almost identical. Just as butt ugly. I can't imagine the bin of stock parts I'd have to build up to make it acceptable to me. The cans would be gone almost before it left the crate. All that turn signal housing shit too. Don't even like the big ugly bolted triangles they plastered on the side of the rad. Angular. Angular. And that gauge package! Geesh! (Opposit page here has an add for performance gauges that might just fit right in.) So after all that's dumped and modified there is one sweet engine sitting under there. And the power. Wo! I like. What surprises me is you guys talking about the price. This is NOT an expensive bike. Barely close to mid range pricing. And if you are willing to build yourself a big bin for brand new B King body parts, you might just have something.

[terrebandit]

I just read the same test and I'm impressed.  I'm totally into the new look of this bike.  Did you read the opinion columns on the last page?  The "old guy" (Paul Dean) said he'd have to put a cover over it in his garage so he wouldn't have to look at it - give me a break.  The other two younger reviewers liked it for the most part.  Like I said on my initial post (first page), this thing is growing on me and I'm approaching 50!. 

For 13,500, I could have ABS included and thats attactive to me as well.  The only thing that bums me a bit is the smallish fuel tank (4.4 gallons).  In my mind, they could have made the tank a tad bigger while shaving some size off the faux ram air ducts.  I've got to keep reminding myself that this IS NOT a touring bike. 

Dave

[drewpy_dawg]

I saw one in person and sat on it.  I'm in love.  I don't care if it has funky butt.  It fit me well, the tank, etc and my legs fit each other and the thought of having Busa power without Busa insurance rates seems sweet.  I wish they had designed it to have a better rear seat though and provisions for a sissy bar or at least provisions for a cargo net would have been nice. 
Alot of green for a bike I can't two-up with my wife on :(

[solman]

It has rear pegs, so therefore it can be used for two up.  Don't know how comfortable it would be though.

[drewpy_dawg]

there is a little pad under the plastic cover back there.  My wife won't ride my bandit...nuff said.

[allan4169]

I would like to get the exhaust pipe and can on the side like the Bussa and make that seat a lot more pillion friendly. It looks like one of those unfriendly sportbike seats. It's crazy that the Bussa sportbike has a tourbike style exhaust system and the B-King tourbike has the sportbike exhaust system. I feel very sorry for any pillion that has to try to sit on those sportbike perches.

[China Greg]

Yeah, at the risk of sounding like a broken record on this one, I think Suzuki keeps on JUST missing the Mark on most of their products, and the BKing is a good example.

While I'm sure it' s a total riot to RIDE the thing, it's just too ALIEN vs PREDATOR for me to ever think about laying my money out for. The weird, useless fly fairing, (if I had this bike I'd immedieately find an aftermarket 1/4 fairing and make it fit somehow..), the pointy-ass, and weird howitzer-mufflers, the super-wide tank/scoops...

Come ON, Suzuki! Whoever's in your DESIGN departments should be sent out for fresh Sushi.. after which you lock the factory doors behind them. The SV was soooo close..but it was just a LITTLE too SPORT. The Hyabusa is soooo close, but you simply REFUSE to lose The Grand Bird Hump, eh? Japanese Pride?).. even the B1250 is close to GREAT.. but confused in it's direction.
IMHO, Suzuki really doesn't have any clue these days.
 
Still sticking to my 1st Gen B12.
..And loving it.

[Red01]

IMHO, Suzuki really doesn't have any clue these days.

These days?  This is the same company that brought you such styling greats as:

Black tipped mufflers and tank like styling (even for 1971) of the GT750:
 

The RE-5 with it's weird pod instrument panel & tail light - and gas-guzzling poor performing wankel:


The love it or hate it original Katana:

The 700 & 1200 Madura cruisers


OTOH, they've built some good lookers over the years, too... IMHO, they seem to have about the same hit or miss styling as Yamaha.

[China Greg]

Heh Heh... point well made, Red...
although I still kind of dig that old Wanker.. if only they'd just left off the Toilet-Roll Space Gage console.

My vote for BEST looking Zookers might include something like-
1978 RM250
1977 GS750
and of course, the first-model year GSXR1000 (in blue/white, of course). Vely Sexy!

The 1981 GL425 would probably not make the list.

[Red01]

Heh Heh... point well made, Red...
although I still kind of dig that old Wanker.. if only they'd just left off the Toilet-Roll Space Gage console.

Then all you gotta do is hunt down a 1976 model:



Good luck though... Suzuki learned in '76 it wasn't the goofy gauges that scared off the customers... the '76 models sold even more poorly than the '74-'75 models. Terrible fuel economy along with unimpressive performance is why they went over like lead balloons.

Back in '77, when I bought my new GS750... the salesman was trying real hard to put me on a left-over RE-5 with Star Trek gauges, but I held my ground and got the only GS750 left that could be found in SoCal (they were flying off the floors). I had wanted a red one, but had to settle for blue.

The salesman at the previous Suzuki (& Ducati) shop was out of GS750's and tried to put me on a new '76 Ducati 860GT for the same price as a GS750, but I didn't go for that either. I wanted something I could ride from coast-to-coast without worrying about a breakdown - and where to get parts.  If I didn't have orders to the East Coast, I might have been more tempted to buy the Duc, but they didn't have a stellar reputation for reliability, especially in the electrics.