Suzuki GSF 650S Bandit Review

Overall Rating

Value for money
Bullet proof understressed engine
Good power to weight ratio
Nippy
Confidence enspiring
Great stepping stone before the ! litre milestone

Not the best build quality
Access to rear shock
Lack of wind protection at motorway speeds (not two bad, but if winds pick up i regret not having the half fairing model)

First of all before i start i would like to mention my bandit is a 650 K8 naked and restricted to 33bhp. I have owned this bike since 1/9/08 (this written 05/09) and have loved every second. The bike it self has a gloriously understressed (I know its 33bhp) and reliable engine which will happily idle around town and scream over the brecon beacons (south wales mountain rage), both with me smiling. The build quality is typical suzuki and will never match a honda but isnt as bad as some people make out. I ride rain or shine winter or summer (my only form of transport) and have never had an issue with electrics, drive, or anything at that. The best present i ever (or should i say got for christmas) was a set of oxford heated grips which make a world of differnce on winter ride outs in wales. When the original tyres wore out I replaced them with Bridgestone BT 021's. £110 for the rear and £88 for the front fitted and they are outstanting in the dry and as good as any other tyre in the wet. I can really test the bikes handing and braking capabilities sometimes especially whilst riding in a place i have nicknamed "hairpin city" in the brecon which is 12 miles of supermoto territory where your average jap gixer, cbr or R6 would run home crying to mamma cos it saw a pot hole. And i must say the bandit is great fun and keeps me smilng from ear to ear, just dont push it to its limits in tight uneven corners because it does become flustered and can knock your confidence. When two up riding the bandit has plenty of power for civilised riding but get a tad slugish towards the 75mph mark (85mph solo). I must say though the rear shochk does need to have the compresion increased if want to have fun two up which is a pain as the C-spanner handle is short with no leverage, combined with a hard to get to shock has resulted in a taking the skin of my knuckle and to this day never been able to adjust it. Although solo riding does not require any adjustment as front and rear a near as dammit perfect. I would recommed upgrading to a set of braided hoses as hawling up a 1/4 ton machine is no easy effort.
The bandit also crashes well especialy after sliding out on the only bit of ice i didnt see and sending the bike down the road at 25 mph. All that was replaced was a lever ( £20) but then again i have got a set of suzuki approved engine crash bars (very durable). Tank range is decent with 160 ish miles on 1 tank without hitting the reserve but also without any heavy acceleration. The worst was about 120 miles which was me riding over the brecon beacons on a hot dry day chasing and trying to keep up with my dad on his Honda Varadero .
Overall i love my bandit, she does everythig from scratching the footpegs in the corners, nipping round town whilst filtering or touring e.g. 300 miles in a day. My bandit does it all rain or shine and i dread the day i need to sell it to afford a car. It may be no gixxer or some highly strung MV Augusta but for £4500 or 5k in my case (cat 1 alarm, engine bars) you really can't go wrong. Budget biking at its best.