So I sent this email to Dale Walker asking questions...

[KenB]

but would LOVE to hear opinion/comment/suggestions from the Bandit gurus here. I know Phil, Roy, and others (forgive me if I don't recall names) have installed some of these mods and I value your feedback. I'm certain to add the radiator guard, mirror extensions, and nerf bars for added protection. But I'm still teetering on a decision to add the touring slip-on/O2 bypass/air filter/tuning box. It's a fair chunk of change and there are only a handful of testimonies. Talk me in to it or talk me out of it. You're the salesman!

Here's the email I sent out tonight:

Hi Dale,

I've been admiring your work, products, and posts from afar over on maximum-suzuki.com and other boards since last summer. That's when I bought a 2007 Bandit 1250 ABS.

Since then I've added some accessories to it for touring -- a GPS and Suzuki (Givi) side cases and trunk. After 6 bikes over the last 10 years, I'm very pleased with this bike and hope to keep it for a long time.

I'm pleased with the look of the bike (although I'm flirting with adding a lower fairing!), but have an eye on enhanced performance and some functional mods.

Now that the kids' Spring tuition is behind me, here's what I'm considering:
1. Nerf bars
2. Radiator guard
3. Mirror extensions
4. Holeshot Touring Slip-On
5. TFI Tuning Box
6. O2 bypass module
7. K&N air filter

So, some questions:
1. Should I wait for your work-in-progress full exhaust system? Will it produce significantly more torque and/or HP than the above-mentioned list?
2.I'm not fond of really loud pipes, and neither is the wife. Am I in danger of pissing her off and frustrating myself by adding the touring slip-on?
3. The bike is under warranty. Do I risk voiding the warranty by adding Holeshot performance parts?

I've really enjoyed reading the admiration of your customers on the yamahafz1oa.com, maximum-suzuki.com, stromtroopers.com, and kawasakimotorcycle.org! The entrepeneurial spirit is alive and well!

Looking forward to your reply.

[Heyu]

I have all of those parts installed on mine exept the nerf bars and Holeshots slip-on( I liked the two bros ) I would highly recommend that you go ahead and do those mods and also add his fork brace. The quality of his parts is very good his support is execpional and it will amaze you how much better they improve the bike.
 The rad gaurd I got from COX and is a nice unit at least it will protect the rad and keep you riding instead of broke down with a rock through it, a must have IMO.
 The TFI,O2 bypass & K&N coupled with the slip-on will really wake the motor up and you'll wonder why Suzuki didn't do this to begin with, Dales setting are spot on and if you have any problems he is great to deal with and quick to respond to any queries. If you think this motor is great now wait till you do this it's an amazing difference.
 I have his fork brace on mine not cheap but it does a great job of firming up the front end and adds a lot to the handling of the bike, it is well made and good looking and if you're not looking for it you might not realize it's there it's perfect.
 As you have the side bags I would recommend his touring pipe and can(the quieter one) based soley on my experience with his other products. I won't have hard bags on mine so my options were different than yours I put a two-bros carbon on mine and Dale still treated me as a great customer even when my TFI settings needed to be adjusted he was right there. You have undoubtably noticed the extreme heat in the stock muffler adding a slip-on will eliminate this and you're passengers shoes will no longer melt onto the exhaust so you're wife should be happier mine was.
 His mirror extensions or nice but I can't give you an opinion on those, I also installed the handle bar riser kit and stainless brake lines but they all have to wait till spring before I can give an opinion "early April" I hope?
 I will be ordering a set of nerf bars from holeshot as soon as I can afford them
I put my bike on the dyno here and although I didn't get the same numbers as Dale I believe if I put it on his dyno they would match but the increase in ridability and performance are worth every cent and the fuel economy only dropped by one or two mpg when I ride properly although I am not sure it may be the same as I can't seem to stay off the pipe.
  You might want to check on fitting the lower fairing with any kind of crash protection as there doesn't seem to be any way to mount either crash posts/nerf bars with the lowers, I looked at a Canadian 08 with the lowers and all acces points are behind plastic.
 Even for touring you might consider the 17 tooth front sprocket it seems to work better.

[KenB]

Good stuff, Heyu, thank you. I hadn't thought about the pipe heat and that's been a concern. I was thinking more about the increased volume of the touring slip-on.

Yes, the radiator guard is a must-have. I'd like to do risers as well but not liking the idea of having to do new lines just to install a riser (ABS model).

I hadn't thought about the conflict of nerf bars and the lower fairing. Another great observation. That fairing is nice. But I'm undecided on it still. Now I may have to see if there are frame sliders that will work with that lower fairing. Seems like there must be a way to do this!

Thanks again. Great info!

[CWO4GUNNER]

Its all a matter of personal preference with respect to desires, perceived needs, budget and mechanical skill level. Some who can afford it within a sound budget like to have everything done by a shop with the most plug and play parts, while others who can afford it would rather make all installations themselves choosing only what is truly necessary within the trappings of the after market retail industry.  I recommend you focus primarily on  the enjoyment of the ride, followed by a hierarchy of basic needs that function to better facilitate the enjoyment of that ride, and not follow the perceived need to have the entire cornucopia for the sake of popular opinion.

[Heyu]

Gunner all the mods I have done and all the mods I will do are all to increase the enjoyment of MY ride I could care less what others do

[KenB]

Seems like I've tinkered with nearly every bike I've ever owned. I'm not concerned about what others are doing, but I do enjoy modifications and Dale and his products come so highly recommended it's hard not to be intrigued.

But you're right gunner, it's a mix of preference, budget, and capabilities. The mechanical side of this is not complex. But balancing budget and priorities will make it more challenging. And the feeling of accomplishment you get when completing performance modifications after that first comparative ride is euphoric! Decisions, decisions!

[Red01]

So, some questions:
1. Should I wait for your work-in-progress full exhaust system? Will it produce significantly more torque and/or HP than the above-mentioned list?
2.I'm not fond of really loud pipes, and neither is the wife. Am I in danger of pissing her off and frustrating myself by adding the touring slip-on?
3. The bike is under warranty. Do I risk voiding the warranty by adding Holeshot performance parts?

1. If it's anything like the difference between the B12 stock header w/slip-on vs a full system, the difference will probably be ~2-4 hp and mostly on top.  Given you are considering the Touring can, I'm guessing your efforts are not to wring out as much power as possible, but more to dress up the bike, lighten it up and/or make sound a little healthier.

2. Basing my experience on Dale's B12 products, and a similar desire to not run a really loud pipe myself, I think his Touring can would be fine.  When I bought my s/o, Dale didn't have the Touring cans, just the Street and Race versions, so I bought the Street can (IIRC, the only difference is the Touring can is ~4" longer than the Street).  I've been happy with my choice.  I have noticed the Yoshimura Zyclone series of cans is pretty comparable in noise output to my 17" Holeshot Street can, so if you like the looks of the Yosh stuff better, it's a reasonable option.

3. Aftermarket parts will NOT void your warranty in the USA!  (Laws in other countries may differ.)  See this link on the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, or search out any of the many other sites on this subject since it is near and dear to many motorsports enthusiasts.

[KenB]

Thanks, Red. Appreciate the info. I'll check out the options.

[Vlad]

Yes, the radiator guard is a must-have.

For the sake of others that may use this thread as reference, radiator guard is pure bling IMO. I have never heard of anyone who's radiator was damaged severely enough to make the bike unrideable and I sincerely doubt the so called "guard" would be able to guard it from any serious impact anyway.

[CWO4GUNNER]

FYI for those of you that haven't heard. Most after market slip-on cans that come with a mid-pipe and are designed to fit the B1250 stock, will fit a B1250 with touring hard cases. The only added thing required is rotation of the mid pipe bend so that the can will clear bot the hard case and the swing arm which requires only a slight angular difference, also a extension for the can hanger (metal hole strap, Home Depot). It has already been tried with Yoshimura tri-oval slip-on and if fit just fine without binding, plenty of clearance for both the sing arm and hard cases and even the stand stop still functions properly.
         

[KenB]

Yes, the radiator guard is a must-have.

For the sake of others that may use this thread as reference, radiator guard is pure bling IMO. I have never heard of anyone who's radiator was damaged severely enough to make the bike unrideable and I sincerely doubt the so called "guard" would be able to guard it from any serious impact anyway.

Have you seen Roy's recent pictures? That 'pure bling' got dinged pretty darn good.

[Ash Tekka]

whats everyones thoughts on Dale's Indicator kit with ATRE?

[bngboyd]

Yes, the radiator guard is a must-have.

For the sake of others that may use this thread as reference, radiator guard is pure bling IMO. I have never heard of anyone who's radiator was damaged severely enough to make the bike unrideable and I sincerely doubt the so called "guard" would be able to guard it from any serious impact anyway.

Have you seen Roy's recent pictures? That 'pure bling' got dinged pretty darn good.

+1

Roy took a rock to his radiator about the size of a golfball. Had he not had his guard on, he would have had to replace his radiator.

"Bling".....no, I don't think so. More like an insurance policy for your radiator IMO.

[Huladog]

whats everyones thoughts on Dale's Indicator kit with ATRE?

Got it, like it, wished more bikes came with it standard. On my previous bike, Yamaha FZ-1, I kept upshifting till I ran out of gears because I never knew when I was in 6th and the engine wants to wind up. On the Bandit, torque is your friend plus its smoother so I find myself running in 4th when I think I'm in 5th, or in 5th on the freeway when I think I'm in 6th. With the big indicator I just glance down and know if I have more gears to play with.

Same thing when downshifting to a stoplight, you can do it by feel and counting down, but with the indicator you can tell when you're in 2nd and a gentle nudge and you're in neutral.

Dale's mounting bracket is simple but elegantly designed so most importantly it fits and you don't notice it.

Aloha,
Huladog

[Ash Tekka]

whats everyones thoughts on Dale's Indicator kit with ATRE?

Got it, like it, wished more bikes came with it standard. On my previous bike, Yamaha FZ-1, I kept upshifting till I ran out of gears because I never knew when I was in 6th and the engine wants to wind up. On the Bandit, torque is your friend plus its smoother so I find myself running in 4th when I think I'm in 5th, or in 5th on the freeway when I think I'm in 6th. With the big indicator I just glance down and know if I have more gears to play with.

Same thing when downshifting to a stoplight, you can do it by feel and counting down, but with the indicator you can tell when you're in 2nd and a gentle nudge and you're in neutral.

Dale's mounting bracket is simple but elegently designed so most importantly it fits and you don't notice it.

Aloha,
Huladog

I have those EXACT problems,  if its a long ride I forget what gear I'm in:)
do you notice any difference with the ATRE? its supposed to free up the acceleration or some such on gears 1-4, I just don't want to accidently wheelie it.