1200 Bandit VS Gs1100/1150

[posplayr]

My GS1100 with 95 GSXR front, Ohlin's Twin shocks and modern radials is light years ahead of stock and more than enough to make me happy but it still doesn't equal my 01 FZ1 from a total handling stand point.

In reality its very hard in the north east to exceed the capabilities of any bike on the street with out loosing your license or hurting yourself first. So if I catch a Busa or a modern 1000 on some stretch of twisties the question really becomes who's more willing to take the chances on what's around the next corner, sand, rocks, cops, car pulling out of driveway.

I switch with my buddy on his Ducati 748 and while his bike handles superbly the motor on the FZ1 will leave him ten bike lengths behind so are we only going to rate them on corner speed, corner stability, or who gets from point a to point b first, top speed, number of tickets?

I had a small BMW bike with the boxy aluminum luggage cases chasing me down the other day. The guy was a talented rider and while I could have taken him I just said "You go girl" in my mind, and let him go ahead. Just wasn't worth a ticket (on that day and that road).

Hell when I get on Rt 95, Hyundai Accents fly by me doing 90. I know they aren't faster than a bike. Conversely on Rt 90 or Rt 95 I almost never see a Corvette that isn't creeping along in the slow lane at exactly the speed limit. What's up with that.

Was on vacation in Yosemite last week and man I wished I had one of my bikes for Rt 41 going south into Oakhurst,CA. Gotta give CA a lot of credit for setting speed limits at proper levels, it was all I could do to keep my rental car at 50mph on those tight banked turns and the actual limit was 55. Also credit CA with the slower traffic pull offs and the signage suggesting people use them. Had about 70% of drivers pull over and let me through. In Mass they won't even get over on a multi-lane road.

Some great riding in that area. Bill and I We have zipped through the park a couple of time but some of the other back grounds running east west from NV to CA are awesome as well.

[posplayr]

The rider makes most of the difference on any bike comparisons. That's why the bike rags comparisons between liter sportbikes always amuses me.

Putting a modern front and rear (with a mono conversion) on the GS will certainly update those areas, however, then you have the frame flex, particularly around the stearing head to deal with. Of course you can brace that area, as well as other places that need it and the documentation is out there.

In the end you'll have a pretty decent bike. My guess is that it will never be a Busa or GSXR1000 and given the same rider on all three bikes the GS will finish last. That's not the bottom line for me. I like modifiying these old bikes and the final product is something that is both unique (beautiful if you will with the exposed air cooled motors) and satisfying.

Having just completed a 1st gen GSXR conversion, I can say there certainly is a big advantage over a stock GS. On the other hand I am not trying to beat a stock GS or even keep up with a newer GSXR. As Iseloman was saying much of your speed on the street is about how much risk you are willing to take and not so much skill. However there is the flip side of that; a more modern bike at the same speed is going to be safer because it is so much farther from it's limits.

My GS/GSXR keeps me well from the limits at "reasonable infractions of the law" . For that the trouble was well worth it.

[pplassm]

In reality its very hard in the north east to exceed the capabilities of any bike on the street with out loosing your license or hurting yourself first. So if I catch a Busa or a modern 1000 on some stretch of twisties the question really becomes who's more willing to take the chances on what's around the next corner, sand, rocks, cops, car pulling out of driveway.

Hell when I get on Rt 95, Hyundai Accents fly by me doing 90. I know they aren't faster than a bike. Conversely on Rt 90 or Rt 95 I almost never see a Corvette that isn't creeping along in the slow lane at exactly the speed limit. What's up with that.

I went to HS in MA, and I make the same observation everytime I go back. The Hyundais and other econoboxes go like hell because they are ubiquitous, and nobody notices them. The 'Vettes, or a (non-cruiser)bike, for that matter, are big "arrest me" signs.

It's a tough transition, because, down here in VA, the median speed is 15 MPH over the posted limit on the Interstates, and 10 over on the backroads. And that's in my county, which is known for enforcement.

Route 9/116 from Ware to Shelburne Falls was hell. Everybody was going exactly the speed limit!

Now, back to your original discussion.

[isleoman]

pplassm,

Nice to hear from a former mass hole. IMHO you can take Rt.9 and shove it, but Rt.116 is as close to Nirvana as it gets here in Ma. They just resurfaced it from Amherst to Rt.112.

My typical Sat. or Sun. ride takes me up Rt. 122 to Rt. 202 over the top of the Quabin to Leveritt Road onto Rt 116 to Rt 2 (Mohawk trail section) up to Greylock or the Hoosic tunnel and back.

I just did a track day on the FZ1 several weeks ago and like I told my buddy I'd rather do Rt 116 than NH speedway any day, far better corners. PS, they just resurfaced the access road on Mt. Greylock as well. Very tight and technical, Leveritt road is sweet as well.

You can occasionally get stuck behind traffic but I can usually get clear of them by just using the approved passing zones and superior acceleration, I try not to p*ss people off. Your lucky VA has backed off on some of its draconian speeding laws. They were the worst in the country for a while there.

Now back to the subject at hand.

[mighty13d]

I heard of a guy who recently beat a Bandit 1200 on a GS 1150 at New England Dragway...

for the record.. you only beat me in RT. Ok, now I can go off and stop sniffling now. lmao. We are totally getting a rematch next year!

Also, I LOVE how my Bandit feels. It took me a little while to get used to it, but I can spend several hours and when I get off it, I feel just as good as when I got on. The brakes work sooo much better and easier than my old ones. It just feels more secure on the road. I also am able to not have to spread my knees as much. I don't have an 1150 to compare it to, but it's my favorite thing that I have ridden.

[UncleMike]

for the record.. you only beat me in RT. Ok, now I can go off and stop sniffling now. lmao. We are totally getting a rematch next year!

Also, I LOVE how my Bandit feels. It took me a little while to get used to it, but I can spend several hours and when I get off it, I feel just as good as when I got on. The brakes work sooo much better and easier than my old ones. It just feels more secure on the road. I also am able to not have to spread my knees as much. I don't have an 1150 to compare it to, but it's my favorite thing that I have ridden.

Yup, just in RT. And barely, at that.

The Bandit is an awesome bike. What's not to like? It's got the power of the 1150 with a better position, better suspension, better brakes, better tires and a lot less weight.

I mean obviously my 1150 is a lot classier than your Bandit.

(And apparently faster...)

[mighty13d]

Yup, just in RT. And barely, at that.

The Bandit is an awesome bike. What's not to like? It's got the power of the 1150 with a better position, better suspension, better brakes, better tires and a lot less weight.

I mean obviously my 1150 is a lot classier than your Bandit.

(And apparently faster...)

LOL

Well about the styling... I prefer the looks of my bandit over an 1150. I think it looks mean. plus I got it for what 1150s are going for. can't complain.

[UncleMike]

LOL

Well about the styling... I prefer the looks of my bandit over an 1150. I think it looks mean. plus I got it for what 1150s are going for. can't complain.

No accounting for bad taste, I guess...*

And you got that Bandit for a hell of a lot less than what I've seen 1150's going for lately.

[saffa]

And you got that Bandit for a hell of a lot less than what I've seen 1150's going for lately.

quality usually costs more money

[UncleMike]

quality usually costs more money

Truer words were never spoken.

That said, he did get a hell of a deal.

[graybags]

Hello GSResources,

I need to chuck my two bobs worth at this - I have an 82 GS1100E and was working toward getting it back on the road but due to circumstances (car bruck and GS still in bits and Daddy still busy), I bought a brand new Bandit GSF1250A (naked and fuel injected with ABS - see attached photo).

BUT PLEASE, before you all lose faith, the GS will still never be for sale...

I am what some would call "old school" as in I started riding when GS's were still brand new and also haven't forgotten they (or maybe more the Katana's) were the Busa's of the day. I reckon the GS's/Katana's would be the same bike as the Bandits if they were re-released today... (and who really needs a Busa anyway......)

BUT the Bandit is just totally a different proposition to either. It is a world apart from the old school with a similar riding position, and obviously without the Busa bullsh*t.

I have just clocked 1500 Kms in two weeks. The report? It is a bit clinical in the way it does things but it goes, stops, handles and just generally behaves like nothing GS I have ever ridden or could imagine riding without at least a similar investment in what we all love - regards the spend on my GS vs the brand new bike that I bought. It could be done, but is it still a GS with GSXR suspension, wheels, brakes etc etc., never mind the throw at engine/frame work?

I am looking forward to growing old with my GS, and it will always fondly remind me of a largely mispent youth. I love it more or less the way it is, and will always resist the temptation to make the big changes required to get it close to what is out there these days (or even what has since passed).

The 1250 and the GS are very difficult to compare in some ways, but somehow very difficult not to compare in others...

I think the biggest difference I see is one is one is an appreciating investment and the other isn't - AND one isn't for sale...

[Roger P.]

My '04 Bandit is head and shoulders above my GS1100 in every way, except cool. The GS engine also has a more butch appearance and a wonderfully thumpy idle. When I heard my Bandit running at the auction I bought it at, I was convinced it was a 600 put in a 1200 frame the way it rustled away almost silently. A few handfuls of throttle convinced me otherwise. There isn't a lot between the bikes performance-wise in stock trim, although the 1200 has a better midrange and lacks the 1100's vibes (and dare I say, charm). You'd have to ask someone like Ray about which motor is the better hi-performance platform. I am guessing that the GS crank is the tougher bottom end, but the Bandit has greater scope for modding due to its "newer" design and better cooling. Bandit handling is light years ahead of a stock GS, but GSXR running gear will get in in the ballpark, I hear.

[mighty13d]

I am guessing that the GS crank is the tougher bottom end, but the Bandit has greater scope for modding due to its "newer" design and better cooling. Bandit handling is light years ahead of a stock GS, but GSXR running gear will get in in the ballpark, I hear.

the frame on an 1100 is still the weak point. Even throwing gsxr goodies on it, it will still flex a lot. With how much money and time and effort put into putting together an older bike, it's really easier and cheaper now to pick up a new bike. I also get 45 mpg riding at 90mph...

[rapidray]

the frame on an 1100 is still the weak point. Even throwing gsxr goodies on it, it will still flex a lot. With how much money and time and effort put into putting together an older bike, it's really easier and cheaper now to pick up a new bike. I also get 45 mpg riding at 90mph...

I cry BS!!! You won't get 45 mpg on ANYTHING, that is in STOCK condition, at 90 mph! You had to at least have re-geared the bike to do that! And even then, it would be a TURD at lower speeds without spinning the crap out of the motor. Also, short of a roadracer, or someone that is REALLY good, & can run a GS to it's limits, a normal rider will NOT flex the GS 1100 frame with GSXR suspension parts on it. I have been racing GSs for a LONG time & can tell you for a FACT, most riders will not be able to make a GS frame flex! Ray.

[gs1150streetracer]

I cry BS!!! You won't get 45 mpg on ANYTHING, that is in STOCK condition, at 90 mph! You had to at least have re-geared the bike to do that! And even then, it would be a TURD at lower speeds without spinning the crap out of the motor. Also, short of a roadracer, or someone that is REALLY good, & can run a GS to it's limits, a normal rider will NOT flex the GS 1100 frame with GSXR suspension parts on it. I have been racing GSs for a LONG time & can tell you for a FACT, most riders will not be able to make a GS frame flex! Ray.

U tell em Ray...Old school forever no MATTER WHAT!!!!..I hate plain bearing Suzuki engine,,,Roller GS forever Holmes ...