Bandit 600

[Misc]

I've had a search on BCF & the general response seems to be that Bandit 600's are good strong bikes but slow & heavy, but reading the specs they don't seem that bad with a quarter mile faster then most cars & a few clips on Youtube that show it has a bit of grunt & 'seems' pretty quick. I want fun (as in effortless fun) power with the feeling of a light front end when you exit a bend quickly.

I owned a bandit for a short while on hire & i liked the handling but it was 33bhp so never got to have any real fun on it.

So would i be very disappointed coming from 600 sportsbikes?

I'd love a 1200 but for the price of a 1200 (plus the money i'd spend getting it set up) i could get another R6 which i find is fine factory standard.

[temeluchus]

it would be alot slower than a sports 600, but despite what some people say, it is not at all underpowered.

Your basically trading in some horsepower for comfort, its all swings and roundabouts.

Why not a 1200? Early ones can be had quite cheaply.
____________________
Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[colin1]

Yes you would be disappointed.

I'd suggest getting a cheap sportsbike instead.

A 2001 tt600 can be got for £1000 with 10,000 miles on it.

Much cheaper than the equivalent r6, gsxr or cbr600.

You can always put high bars on it if you want.
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god

[Misc]

[Misc]

Any other views on the 600 performance please?

[Clanger]

Most people I know who have owned a Bandit, say the 600 is gutless, if you are going that route, you may as well get the 1200.

I would choose an old style Hornet over a Bandit any day.
____________________
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[temeluchus]

more than enough for the road, but alot slower than a sportsbike 600!

Do you like to ride in a spirited fashion? If you spend most of your time pottering about at the limit, the bandit has plenty on tap. If you like high three figure speeds then its not going to cut it.
____________________
Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[Misc]

[alun111]

There's plenty of hornet 600s on autotrader (not checked ebay) for under 2k, and a few under £1500.
____________________
Summer: '00 Honda CB600F Hornet
Winter: '93 Suzuki GSF 400 Bandit VP Variable Valve
Past Bikes: Lifan LF100-5 Lifan LF125-A Honda C70

[Misc]

[temeluchus]

The 1200 would probably match your power needs

Just a hint, they are 105 ish stock, but a little work on the airbox and and aftermarket exhaust gets it up to the 120 mark.

If you get the power urges again the bandit 1200 engine started life in the GSXR 1100(an ancient sportsbike beast of yore) and serious power figures can be extracted from it. Ask kickstart.
____________________
Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[Misc]

[GSF Jamie 600]

Hi

I got my bandit 6 in november and i cant knock it at all
Admitadly my last bike was a 125 but the 6 is reliable, comfy, good looking and plenty quick enough

Obviously the 12 will be superior in terms of performance but there nothing wrong with it. You can sit in top gear on m-way at 70 and be at 100 in seconds, its pulls well in every gear.

Your looking at around 80bhp out of the 600 which isn't really that bad, and as for price there unbeatable. Got my mk1 with 8k on clocks for £1200.

I've never been beaten off by any car, and i went for a ridelast night with a guy on a thundercat 600 and i was pulling over and waiting

But if uber speed is your thing stick with your gsxrs etc thats what there built to do, bandits are not, theres just a really good all rounder.

Jamie

[Misc]

[GSF Jamie 600]

Bloody ell, i dunno whats goin on there mate
Either its restricted (even tho i thought a restricted would win), hes absoloutly shit rider , or he let him win, not sure.
But coming from a performance based 125 myself i can safely say the bandit is in a completely different league lol

My 125 did around 20 in first, you can get around 50/60ish in 1st on the bandit, just to put it into perspective lol

And there not bad to insure either, im 18 with 2ncb and ive insured it for £322

[Misc]

[N cee thirty]

just say somehow i managed to drop the bandit

would i need a crane to lift it up or are they abit hard to lift up,but do-able ?
____________________
'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[GSF Jamie 600]

[N cee thirty]

[Misc]

That technique looks good but whenever i've dropped bikes it's always been on the left side.

I found the Bandit pretty heavy as it's very awkward when you need to lift it but also make sure it doesn't fall over the other side.

[trickysax]

I've had my bandit 600 for 3 years and its got plenty for the roads. I do short blips for work in Cardiff and get round very quickly, but also go out at weekends with no trouble. I have dropped it in the past from static and I (at a modest 5 ft 7 and 10 stone) can lift it on my own without too much strain. Parts are cheap too, and easily accessible. I use a set of tyres a year (approx £120 fitted for both) and it never misses a beat. Loads of fun and comfy too. Never owned a sportsbike yet, but the grunt has got me from 0-60 in a little over 4 so its no slug. Will ascend a steep hill away from the city easily at 65 (+) too! Never had issues with the thing - the datatool alarm fitted on the other hand..

Hope this helps, good luck.
____________________
C̶u̶r̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶b̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶-̶ ̶B̶a̶n̶d̶i̶t̶ ̶6̶5̶0̶s̶ ̶
Its not about the destination, its the journey that counts.

[Ditto]

Ive got a Bandit 600 as my first big bike from a 125. Cant comment on the downgrade from a sportsbike mind.

It does have plenty of power though so long as its in the right gear. Can get to 60 in about 4 seconds and will easily overtake a line of cars on a straight road. The front end will go light with heavy acceleration but you will struggle to get the front end up under acceleration alone.

The weight is only really noticeable when man handling it around, otherwise it feels really stable and well planted.

Is also really comfy. I regularly do trips of 150 miles and dont get the usual numb arse I used to get with my CG. Its fine, and actually dont get any pain at all.

For me its fine, and the power will be fine for normal riding.
____________________
CG 125 > Bandit 600 > CBR 600 FY > Street Triple R

[Aka Matt]

Had my 600 bandit for 2 years now and have put 15000 miles on it since buying it. It is a bit on the heavy side but I've not found the weight to be an issue really but it is noticable when coming off of a sportsbike. Compared to a 600 sports, the engine is completely gutless and the brakes are ok at best and the suspension is soft but makes for a comfortable ride. If you are looking for a bit of oomph then the 1200 would be the way to go tbh but the 600 is a perfectly fine commuter and can be quite pleasent to take out for a blat round some twisty country roads.
____________________
Current bike(s): 2016 Tuono 1100 Factory, 1998 Hornet 600
Previous: 1998 YZF600R Thundercat, 2001 Bandit 600, 2002 GSX-R 600 K2, 2011 Tuono R, 2013 Z1000SX

[Misc]

Thanks for all the above guys.

Think i'll go for a bandit 1200 just for the fact it's the same to insure as the 600.

[kate t]