The 1200 Bandit is the original muscle bike. Launched in 1996 the big brother to the hugely successful 600 Bandit added the one thing that Junior was missing - masses of grunt.
Since then the 1200 Bandit has developed a strong following. This is a bike that can do almost anything - touring, long distance commuting, cruising, scratching, stunting or you can ride it like a very sensible person wearing a Sam Brown belt. You name it and someone is doing it right now and loving every minute.
The upright riding position means that you don't suffer from sportsbike neck and your wrists won't ache after a ride through town. The big Bandit was updated for 2001 and the twin-headlight half-faired 1200S introduced to make high speed cruising less of a drag.
The latest versions of the GSF1200 feature large 43mm diameter front forks with adjustable preload. There is a lightweight, box-section aluminium swingarm to resist twisting.
The monoshock rear suspension has seven preload adjustments, four-way rebound damping and a movable gas/oil separator so there's plenty to twiddle about with.
The engine is based on the air/oil cooled GSX-R1100 mill, but detuned and geared down for eyeball spinning acceleration. Power output from the DOHC 16-valve unit is 99bhp at 8500rpm.
So you'll be needing decent brakes - especially if you are into stoppies. How about a pair of Tokico six-piston calipers to squeeze the life out of the 310mm rotors?
The gas tank holds a decent 20-litres, and the radial tyres have been selected for high mileage but there's nothing to stop you from slapping some sticky rubber on the three-spoke alloy rims. There's even a centre stand that is designed with a high leverage ratio for easy operation.
For 2004 the 1200 Bandit gets a new stainless 4-into-1 exhaust system with an aluminium can that is claimed to increase low and midrange power.
