Bandit Alley
MODEL SPECIFIC => SUZUKI BANDIT 250 & 400 => Topic started by: turbofb on May 14, 2007, 01:12:05 AM
-
I put my first 50 miles on the frontend conversion today,mainly to scuff up the new tires and get a feel for the new legs and riding position.
I must say,I have absolutely no regrets about this project....its AWESOME!!The riding position is still comfy,maybe more so than my big FZR.There is no buzz through the handlebars,despite the lack of rubber dampers.The bike is so small and the reach so short,that little weight transfers to my wrists.The new Dunlop Qualifiers stick like glue,although I doubt Ill ever be able to use them to the edge,they have such a pronounced crown,Id have to lay the bike on its side to get the chicken strips to go all the way.The frontend was initially very rough,until I relaized that the compression damping was cranked all the way in.A few turns here and there settled the forks down nicely.Its a night and day difference from the soft,stock forks.Ill have fun messing around with all the screws on these things.I know stock suspension cant hold a candle to aftermarket race stuff,but the stock adjustments really do make a pronouced difference in the compression and rebound action....maybe its because the bike is so light.The brakes are crazy,its like "Ludicrous Speed" in reverse!I havent mashed them to the point the rear comes up,but they feel like they could detatch my retinas if I pulled hard enough on the lever.For the maiden voyage,everything wetn great,I have nothing but awe for this upgrade and I cant wait to explore the limits of what the bike can do.
Heres the final product for now,still some stuff I need to take care of like gearing,a new chain and my GSXR400 swingarm,but for now Im gonna ride it a bit since shes been laid up for the last month or so....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/DSC02689.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/DSC02684.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/DSC02683.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/DSC02686.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/DSC02704.jpg)
-
And,Ill get some better/bigger pics tommorow......Im not sure what happend with the camera,but it looks as bad as some phones Ive used....
-
:congrats: Very nice work! It looks great. :bigok:
G
-
Nice write up, looks great! I've read that for the gsxr rear shock you have to relocate the coolant resevoir, how did you adress that, and any other issues?
Was the front end as simple as pressing in the bandit 400 stem and bolting it on?
-
Looks cool. What year USD is that? I notice the front fender is different than mine ('92), and some details too. I'd get a GSXR750/1100W shock instead of a K1/2/3 model, I've had both and the old shock handles a lot better than the new one.
-
The rear shock is out of an 06 GSXR750.Its basically a bolt in,except that the coolant res has to go.I havent got another yet,I intend to get a res that will fit under the right side rear panel,like my Yamaha's are.Not running any resevior isnt a big deal,the cooling system is still full when the engine is warm.It just means a little air is drawn into the system when the bike cools down......vehicles ran this type of system for decades with no issues.I went with the newer model because they are abundant and it was brand spankin' new.
The frontend is a hodge-podge of Ebay parts.No one sells a complete setup anymore,they get more money by parting it all out.The triples and forks are from a 95' GSXR750,the calipers are from a Huyabusa,the fender is from an 01'-03'ish GSXR and the wheel is from another guy's 90's GSXR.
You dont need to press the stem,the entire tree is a drop in affair if you stick to the pre-SRAD (91-95) bikes.Its always a good idea to use new stem bearings,mine came with new ones,in the box which was awesome.
-
Great job. I have had mine with an 05 gsx1000 frontend for almost a year and I love it. you will have lots of fun with this conversion. I found that the bike felt some what under power because the suspension worked so well. I take mine out to the canyons here is Los Angeles and its where it makes all the difference. The TWISTIES :motorsmile: Looks good.
-
Not running any resevior isnt a big deal,the cooling system is still full when the engine is warm.It just means a little air is drawn into the system when the bike cools down......
You are mistaken. The cooling system needs the reservoir as a buffer. Try riding with the overflow hose high up in an empty bottle, when the engine gets warmed up the bottle will fill with coolant. When I ran the new GSXR type of shock I made brackets which put the batteryholder, and thus the coolant reservoir, 40 mm's backwards.
-
Not running any resevior isnt a big deal,the cooling system is still full when the engine is warm.It just means a little air is drawn into the system when the bike cools down......
You are mistaken. The cooling system needs the reservoir as a buffer. Try riding with the overflow hose high up in an empty bottle, when the engine gets warmed up the bottle will fill with coolant. When I ran the new GSXR type of shock I made brackets which put the batteryholder, and thus the coolant reservoir, 40 mm's backwards.
I agree got to have it they dump water like mad
-
It did dump a little water the first time I warmed the bike up,due to expansion.Upon contraction,the cooling system takes in air instead of water,so there is a pocket of air at the top of the system now.Since air stays at the top of the system,to normally be burped in the resevior,that pocket is pushed out when the cooling system expands and reaches normal temp.It hasent lost a drop of water since the first startup a few months ago,and I have carfully checked the hot water level shortly after shutdown and its about 1/4" below the radiator cap level.Im not saying your wrong,I do plan on finding a res. that will fit in the tail,I just havent got around to it yet and Ive had no issue running an open system.A very large number of the machines I work on still run open systems,like many cars did up until the mid 70's.
Heres a few hi-res pictures I took today,my camera was on Email mode yesterday......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/DSC02709.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/DSC02710.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/DSC02712.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/DSC02711.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/DSC02713.jpg)
-
Nice, clean looking conversion. Well done! :congrats:
-
so sexy :bigok:
-
I just wish they made modern front fenders that were long enough in the back to keep the motor a little cleaner. My B12's fender is still too short, even with the Fenda Extenda on it.
-
Sweet! Looks badass!
For some reason, I'm not too fond of the front fender...I dont know why, but I dont like it. But thats just me! :taz: I'm weird like that.
-
just think of cavitation if you know anything about boats or jet skis a impeller that has air to is cavitates and creates hot spots on the blades of the impeller and soon you have something that cant effectively push the same amount of water flow as things also heat up bearings go bad and seals sealed cooling system . short and sweet hope i explained it clear enough im no jet ski expert but i did stay at a Holiday inn express last night LOL. :stickpoke:
Bike looks real nice mate.
cheers
Jay
-
i was actually thinking how much i loved the front fender on it
you should just pick up a bottle like this, its small and could be tucked away just about anywhere
(http://www.wakularacing.com/coolantoverflow.gif)
-
Hey - nice work!
I like the headlamp brackets - I bought the Lockhart Philips clamp on style for my conversion, but I like yours much better. Looks great - can't wait to finish mine!
-
Thanks,
Part of my "Version 1.0" of this job, was to do it all with as many stock parts as possible.Since I have a whole shop at my disposal,it was easy enough to cut,bend,weld and shape the little steel bits needed to make it come together.In the end,Ill probably get some of these,just because it will go well with all the bright,polished and anodized alloy thats on the front of the bike now.....
http://www.streetfightersinc.com/GSGHeadlightBrackets.jpg
I wasnt fully happy with the fender either,but it was a matter of limited choices and trying to get things done sooner and cheaper.I tried and tried to find an early-mid 90's red fender,but I dont think hey ever made one.....after all,red was never Suzuki's color.This fender bolted right up with minor work and is nearly a perfect match for color.I dont really care for the large,solid surface area ahead of the fork tubes,but it does probably help with the aerodynamics.
And,like many things it looks a lot better in person from different angles......pictures dont do this thing justice,I really,really dig how the entire project came out.The bike really catches the eyes of motorcycle people,from what Ive seen just in the last couple days.
-
I dont really care for the large,solid surface area ahead of the fork tubes,but it does probably help with the aerodynamics.
And protecting the sliders from dings by errant bits of road debris.
-
Coolant bottle situation is resolved,and in clever fashion if I do say so myself! :roll:
After looking around at other bike's bottles,I came to the realization that Ill probably never find one thin enough to fit in the tail section.So I started looking at the stock bottle and other locations around the bike.
Turns out,there is a perfect spot up front,which is occupied by the horn.The space is 10 times bigger than what the little horn needs,and its wide open.Coincidentally,its also about the same shape as the coolant bottle,+1,and just happens to be very close to the thermostat/rad.cap housing, +2.And,using a small spacer,the horn bracket lines up with one of the mounting holes in the bottle,+3......AND.....when in place,the vaguely usable coolant level window is clearly visible from between the frame tubes,+4!!!!
So,I moved the tiny little aftermarket horn to one of the mounting tabs for the cooling fan.No problems there,the wiring reaches and its tucked nicely in place.Then,I had to cut about 1" off the top of the coolant bottle for top clearance.It would have fit without the cutting,but I never would have been able to get the cap off when in place.To regain the locking lip for the lid,I used my trusty heatgun to soften and enlarge the top edge of the bottle,so it locks into the cap.
The bottle now handily fills in a space that is otherwise wide-open and in plain site, from the left side of the bike.It looks like it belongs there,sitting at the same angle as the front frame tube and only a B4 owner would be able to tell it doesnt belong there.I can add coolant with a thin funnel or piece of tubing,not that you ever have to do that much anyways.
-
Great job. I have had mine with an 05 gsx1000 frontend for almost a year and I love it. you will have lots of fun with this conversion.
'05? What did you need to make the conversion?
I've more or less given up trying to source '91-'95 bits here in New Zealand. I'm now looking for bits that I can frankenbike up.
Did you use '05 triples and the bandit stem?
Details, please!
-
that is how you do a conversion any front end that is long enough for your project and your stem pressed into it makes a front end for a bandit . Its just that the 91-95 stuff is a dirrect fit with out pressing the stems.
-
that is how you do a conversion any front end that is long enough for your project and your stem pressed into it makes a front end for a bandit . Its just that the 91-95 stuff is a dirrect fit with out pressing the stems.
I knew that worked for the SRAD stuff ('96-'99). Good to hear it works for the later model stuff as well. Presumably you replace the bearings at the same time?
Now to find an '06 gsxr750 thats been written off, but majically has no damamge to the front end.....
-
Just remember this part:
any front end that is long enough
-
Just remember this part:
any front end that is long enough
Well, I'm not planning on building a chopper.......
-
Its quite the opposite when it comes to USD forks.
They tend to be shorter,and if they are too short,youll end up with a bike thats raked like a bad 70's hotrod.
The GSX-R750 forks are just long enough,I have mine ran down to the very edge and it still sits a tad lower in the front.Other bikes like the TL or late model GSXR's might be a little longer,youll have to do some research before deciding.
The GSX-R1100 forks are another 1" or so longer since they are made to have the clip-ons above the upper tree.Of course,in order to utilize the extra length for frontend height,youll have to put the clip-ons below the upper tree....but the height can be regained with convertabars or heli-bars....its a vicious cycle!
-
Ahhhhh, the penny drops.....
I just assumed with the size of the 400 that more or less any USD forks, from 600 up, would have length to spare.
There's a 1100 being parted out near me. Time for a weekend trip.