I had a chance to check out the new Bandit in Daytona today. They had all three versions that will be available in the U.S.: blue ABS and red and black non-ABS (all "S" models). Color-wise, I liked the red the best. It is not an Italian red but more of a candy-apple red. Nice. From the pictures, I thought I would like blue best, but in person I didn't like it so much. There are just too many different shades of grey and silver on the bike: frame, engine, forks, swingarm, exhaust. The black bike looked OK, but it would look better if the engine were black. The chain guard looks cheesy, and I would want to replace it with CF or at least paint it black. The radiator seemed huge; it isn't terribly tall, but it is quite wide. The muffler canister is huge too, but at least it is nicely polished.
There seems to be plenty of clearance all around the engine to permit easy maintenance. Even with the air injection plumbing, space didn’t seem to be too cramped between the valve cover and frame. The throttle position sensor and secondary throttle valve actuator are on the left side and easy to get to. The spin-on oil filter seems easy enough to access, although oil will likely run onto the headers when changing it. Most of the running hardware seems to be carryover, which is nice in a sense because everything that fits the old Bandit will fit the new one. I didn’t have a chance to check out the adjustable seat.
At any rate, the bike seemed to have the same riding position as the old B12 (no surprise), and it didn't seem any heavier just leaning it side to side. Unfortunately, they did not have any Bandits in the demo ride fleet, so I have no riding impressions to give. I did ride a Buell Ulysses, and it felt like a two-wheeled tractor. I'm just not into the 45-degree V-twin thing I guess.
I also checked out the Yamaha Fizzy. It is definitely a nice bike and notably lighter than the Bandit. However, I've pretty much ruled it out because of the lack of low-end torque and the problematic fuel injection. Actually, the presence of secondary throttle valves on the Bandit worries me a little because that’s one more way that Suzuki may potentially choke the bike into meeting emissions regulations that might have to be dealt with before the bike will run right. The Euro III/2008 CARB regulations are really starting to put a crimp on the low/mid rideability of bikes I’m afraid. What’s needed is a Power Commander that takes control of the secondaries as well.
Topic: B12.5 in Daytona (Read 2039 times)