Anyone had a Bandit 12 and a Street Triple?

[B5234FT]

I've had a STR for four years now and Im looking at changing it and trying something else. I've always quite fancied trying a 1200 Bandit but never ridden one.

I know it's heavier and less precise than the Triumph, but does it still have that hooligan character egging you on all the time?

[Islander]

Oh yes.

[doggone]

The naked one, not the barge-like version with fairing.

[chickenstrip]

[B5234FT]

Definitely the naked one (or a faired one converted depending on price).

Is the handling on the bandit really that bad? The Triple is waaay beyond what I need on the road.

[Hawkeye1250FA]

[chickenstrip]

[recman]

[redeem ouzzer]

The Bandit is just a low calorie alternative to a GSXR 1100 with less power, crap suspension and a steel frame. I don’t get the appeal when butchered GSXR’s are still common (if you like that flat bar unfaired shit).
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Be a REAL MAN!

[G]

[stevo as b4]

Bandit in its day was seen as a working class fairly effective cheap stunt bike. There was nothing more affordable off the peg, so that doesn't make it a great stunt bike of its time as less so today.

A converted Fireblade would have been many times better for stunting, as was the already mentioned cradle framed GSXR's if you spent the time and money converting them.

Im surprised chicken strip didn't say buy a naked Fazer 1000, as that's probably a better more entertaining wheelie machine than a std bandit 12.

Bandit's arnt so cheap now, and more of a cult bike with classic tax being applied to them. Not so sure I'd swap an STR for one unless my meds had stopped working?

Be interested to hear Paddy's view, as he's always been a big advocate of the inborn silliness built into the STR.

[Jewlio Rides Again LLB]

Remember my old chap having a Mk1 1200, he nearly dropped a pillion off the back after an 'energetic' traffic light launch.
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Mpd72: I can categorically say i’m Brighter than that, no matter how I come across on here.
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[chickenstrip]

[G]

Oh - I missed that it was the street triple not the speed triple.

Massive difference then.

Basically, you're swapping your motorcycle for a boat anchor with an engine!

I'm pretty convinced the bike always parked outside screwfix with a 'bandit' cover was actually a decent bike... they just knew no one would bother with it with that cover on it .

[Old Git Racing]

Owned one, ridden the other, both over hyped and ultimately disappointing. Can't imagine a STR being too much for anyone. Bandit 12 was okish in the day, heavy, crap brakes, fork seals made of plasticine but a half decent engine. STR, underpowered, uncomfortable, suspect build quality, crap suspension even on the R.
Save your money and look at something else, both are crap IMO. Modern or retro I could think of loads of bike I would buy rather than them 2. But thats just me, each to their own.

OGR
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2022 Tiger Sport 660 2019 Street Twin 2003 K3 gixxer 1000 1998 Srad 600 track hack

[Ericck]

I had a striple a few years back and I currently have a B12.

Not very similar bikes IMHO. The striple was light and revvy with power at the top end. The bandit is heavier, poorly sprung as standard and all the power is low down.

You can probably be a hooligan on any bike but it seemed easy on the striple.

Although its naked I mainly use the bandit for touring but I am an old boring bastard.
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Current Bikes: 2006 Suzuki Bandit 1200, 2008 Suzuki SV650N.
Previous Bikes: Yamaha FS1E, Mobylette Moped Thingy, Suzuki GS125, Kawasaki Zephyr 550, Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Kawasaki ER500, Suzuki Bandit 600, Honda CBR600F, Triumph Street Triple 675, Suzuki V Strom 650.

[B5234FT]

Ok, so I have a round headlught street triple R. It's great fun, quick enough to be entertaining on the roads around me and I've never found the limits of handling unless I've made some obvious mistake.

I'm looking to sell it and because I temporarily want to use the money for other things, and I prefer owning things I dont worry about, I was looking with a budget of £1500-2k to buy another naked, ideally similar performance to the triple, which is good fun.

Open to suggestions, but Fazer 1000s seem to be more expensive and not at all common. 900 Hornet crossed my mind too.

It's less about where the power is, as much as the overall character of the bike TBH. The triple is grin inducing in a way that an SV650 just isnt.

[chickenstrip]

[lilredmachine]

Bandits are what you make of them. I laugh at the idea of the Bandit brakes being litter, the street triple still has 2 pot sliding shit as standard, unless you spring for the fantastically expensive 'R' model. Even in '96 the Bandit had 4 pot Gix brakes. Bandits are poorly sprung out of the box, but so is every bike, the MT-09 being a particularly lucid example. Bandits are cheap, have an unburstable motor that responds incredibly well to mild tuning, are a simple machine to work on and can be made to do whatever you want to do.

Having had both a Striple and a Bandit, I know what I would rather have in the long run. Just don't get a Mk2.
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Bikes: too many, too much for one man to maintain anyway.

[Kentol750]

Ridden all three. Striple is a little cramped for long journeys, otherwise great fun. Bandit large and unwieldy. Needs mods to be like the triumph. Owned 2 hornet 900s, would recommend if you can find an unmolested one in budget. But, if I wanted hooligan fun, then I'd also consider a hornet 600 in fine fettle, and add a few horses and shave off some kilos.
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Some bikes.

[Moxey]

I've owned an 09 Street R and a 03 1200 also ridden 2 mk 1 1200's.

The STR was in a whole different league ride wise, handled, braked and I would say accelerated quicker than a stock Bandit, overall it's a far superior machine to ride for say a weekend blast out.

The mk 1 bandits are still fun in their own way, just 'numb' compared to the Triumph but I would say better for touring and commuting (still not the best).

Mk 2 1200s had a bit of an identity crisis I think, I liked mine still.
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Current: 02 FZS 1000 Some Bike Pics...
'I was too busy paying attention to pay attention'

[TheBikerStig]

[Polarbear]

[chickenstrip]