2009 Suzuki Bandit 1250S /ABS Preview

Competition

2009 Yamaha FZ1

The Suzuki Bandit gets its fair share of competitors also from Japan and they give it plenty of reasons to worry about. A sportier alternative to it is the 2009 Yamaha FZ1. With its R1 fuel-injected 998cc liquid-cooled inline-four, DOHC, 20-valves engine, this bike is all about horsepower, but the best of it is that versatile chassis that makes for commuting, touring and even track days. More sports than touring, the FZ1 weights 485 lbs wet, looks sharper and has an MSRP of $9,790.

A naked that can go 38 miles with one gallon is the Kawasaki Z1000. Not much of a competitor for the Bandit in the touring department because of the lack of a half-fairing, but features an economical fuel-injected 953cc liquid-cooled inline-four, DOHC, 4-valve engine that makes it worthy of a chance for this battle. The $8,899 MSRP also helps.

Exterior

2009 Suzuki Bandit 1250S ABS

Even though the Suzuki Bandits didn’t feature any redesign since 2007, the bikes look modern and attractive, with no styling detail to set one apart from the other.

The front end is dominated by the in line-beam headlights integrated into the half fairing on which the windscreen and mirrors are mounted. The tank is narrow in order to allow a tight knee grip and positioned low into the frame, leaving a lot of room for the rider to huddle under the windscreen.

Massive, a real torque provider, the engine clearly says “not for beginners”, but we would have loved to see it matte black covered for 2009. In what concerns the stainless steel exhaust, this would also have to get smaller on future model years, but after seeing those rocket launchers on the GSX-R 1000, I think it is better to keep my mouth shot.

As I mentioned earlier, the seat features 20mm height adjustability. That is possible due to a spacer seat mounting system, allowing each and every rider to adjust the riding position.

At least the 17-inch rims get matte black painted if the engine doesn’t and, you must agree with me on this one, they make a nice contrast with the Blue color available for both the simple and the ABS model. Apart from the Blue, the ABS-equipped Bandit also features a Black color scheme.

2008 Suzuki Bandit 1250S Test Drive

Price

The 2009 Suzuki Bandit 1250 S has the smallest MSRP in its class – $8,699 – while the 1250 S ABS will require $9,199, which is still significantly lower than Yamaha’s 2009 FZ1.

Conclusion

Now that we’ve seen what an awesome bang the Bandit provides for the buck, not only we all wish one in our garages, but already start finding plausible reasons to make that dream possible. These would be: good fuel consumption, comfort, power and acceleration and, last but not least, a way of life.

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