1998 Suzuki GSF1200S Bandit 1200 (B-12) Commuter Project

[Jedz123]

Howdy guys!
Well I re-acquired my old B-12 and I want to give a special thanks to Lurch for taking good care of the bike. Cosmetically in the same shape I handed it off to him 2.5 years ago. Runs alright but needs nothing to be legal for this year. However I have a few things I will be tweaking to it.

This will be my primary commuter. It will see my 8 mile round trip commute and the occasional grocery get. I will also likely make it my primary for 2 up riding. My girlfriend and I will be taking 2 up rides on all 3 liters I have and whatever one she's the most comfy on is the one we will take on our weekend trips.

Here she is!:


She's not perfect but with 63K on the clock I wouldn't expect so.:


The Mods it has is a stage 2 Holeshot jet kit with ignition advancer. -1 front sprocket and a D&D slip on. I painted the rims gold and installed stainless steel valve stems.

Bike runs pretty good right now. Lurch said he synced the carbs and just adjusted the valves. Bike is running a bit flat in 1st and bellow 3K rpms. I suspect the dirty air filter elements are the culprtit. I've learned since I swapped in the K&N filters they need to be cleaned every 5K-7K miles or so. If not the bike gets very fidgety in the lower rev band.

So First step it to CLEAN THOSE PODS! They were very dirty. Black in color is not good... You want the pods to remain the purple K&N color or the bike tends to have a hard time running at full potential. Yup like other GS's this one has a personality and is touchy.

I took the pods off and filled my sink with a mixture of laundry detergent and dawn... Let the pods soak for an hour... And use a tooth brush to clean. Note how dirty they are...

After the hour soak and an hour of scrubbing (2 hours total in cleaning) the filter are set to dry and they should look like this!!

Yes K&N filters are actually white. It's the K&N oil that gives them the purple look... Ensure the filters are 100% dry before applying the oil on the edges of the filter if they are wet the will not wick correctly.

Filters are cleaned and oiled!!! Now they are ready to go back on the 1157 and hopefully this will eliminate it's crankiness down low.


More to come! I'll let you know how it goes when I take it out with the clean elements.

[Jedz123]

So after cleaning the pods up the bike still ran a bit touchy in the lower RPM with the occasional cough through the filters. She also was still ridiculously cold blooded. I gave the mixture screws and additional 1/4 screw out and the issue stopped. I also gave it a good run with fresh gas after letting it idle and get warm. Right off the bat he was running like her usual maniac self. I put it through the paces on a quick pass and it ran perfect...
Video of that run:

I do know when the weather gets warmer I may need to twist back that 1/4 turn I gave the mixture screws but with an ambient temperature of 37' yesterday I got the carbs perfect...

My next step is adjust the foam on the seat. Lurch had the seat customized to fit him and my legs are bit too short to be comfortable. I also strain to touch the ground when holding the bike up at a stop. So I will be reforming the foam some to accommodate my reach.

Chain is on the shopping list, should be ok for a month or two but I would like to replace at some point.

I also am looking for a Givi rack but won't pull the trigger until my girlfriend and I figure which bike is going to suite best for two up touring. I have a feeling through the B-12 will be our bike.

[Rob S.]

Re your video: I'd rather hear the sound of the bike than music.

The only problem I've had with the Bandit is it's name. Too gay. I just can't figure out why I don't feel the same way about the Sportster.

[Jedz123]

Yeah I had a bad rattle. I'll just upload from here on out with out the tunes.

Yeah Suzuki doesn't do that great on the name department. Bandit is better then some. B-King? When I bring it up into conversation most think of a Harley. How about this? Gladius.. Yeah that sounds horrid. Umm Tempter... Yeah that's another gay one. Maurada... Ugh I'm just going to stop..

Fail Rob!... I got all the dumb named bikes... Except Fazer, I think that's cool but it's a Yamaha.

[Rob S.]

To be honest, Ninja and Katana don't thrill me, but the machinery is good. Remember this ad?

"...even the ninja knows all things must hide from the Hurricane."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q0pnxAg8f-I

And even if it was big and fast, I can't hear myself ever saying, "I ride a Rebel."

Now, CB750, Z1 or GPz1100? Those are good names.

[lurch12_2000]

Yup I should have cleaned those pods sooner. They were pretty dark. Sounds like you're on the mark to get the old beast back to tip top running shape. That's why I wanted to see it back in your hands and glad it worked out that way.

[GS1150Pilot]

Dirty K & Ns don't really hinder flow much if at all.

[Jedz123]

To be honest, Ninja and Katana don't thrill me, but the machinery is good. Remember this ad?

"...even the ninja knows all things must hide from the Hurricane."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q0pnxAg8f-I

And even if it was big and fast, I can't hear myself ever saying, "I ride a Rebel."

Now, CB750, Z1 or GPz1100? Those are good names.

No I don't remember that add... But I was 3 when the "hurricane" debuted. So might have something to do with it... LOL But thanks for the share!

Yeah I own a Rebel... God that is a dumb one. I think Honda takes the cake with this one: Magna... I think that's a part from a chicken reproductive system. Even if it's not, all I can think of is anatomy class...

Yup I should have cleaned those pods sooner. They were pretty dark. Sounds like you're on the mark to get the old beast back to tip top running shape. That's why I wanted to see it back in your hands and glad it worked out that way.

Lurch I really appreciate the shape you kept the old girl in. Most bikes can go 20K miles before the air cleaner needs attention, this one is just particular about the amount of particulates on the filter. I just got in the habit of cleaning them every other oil change for optimal performance. However she's running like a top and handles like a dream. She go's great with the 009's on there!!! Just need some warmer weather to get out and go for a nice long over due ride!

THANK YOU AGAIN!

Dirty K & Ns don't really hinder flow much if at all.

I know some bikes can go tens of thousands of miles with dirty or semi dirty K&N's and be fine. This one is not the case. I talked to Dale from Holeshot Performance personally about the issue and he told me each bike is unique, he said it didn't surprise him. I also live in VT and travel dirt roads allot so the pods take a beating. He told me to just keep them clean to keep the bike happy, each bike runs uniquely in it's unique environment. Dale is an awesome guy to do business with, he has dumped some serious R&D into his kits and back his products with superb support. I can say with +20K miles ( more like +30K with Lurch's miles) at stage 2 I'm all smiles with no issues! He helped/taught me one on one over the phone how to properly jet his kit and in turn how to diagnose and adjust any carburetor. Cleaning the filters and oiling with K&N oil has just become part of it's service schedule. Most don't need a cleaning but there always is a few unique circumstances... Dale never steered me the wrong way. It's also the low rev range that's affected mostly by dirty filters. WOT is still ok.

[blowerbike]

GSXR 1052 cams was worth 2 tenths on my 97 bandit set @ 100 and 101 lobe centers
i was doing my own R&D on these in January of 1997.
V&H advancer
st.3 dynajet kit for the later oil cooled GSXR's
full two brothers pipe
my own head light kits...uhuh a train light with custom made billet brackets...the big light held every bit of extra harness from the fairing.
10.71@129+...almost 130mph ridin by a low skilled fat guy :0

[Jedz123]

GSXR 1052 cams was worth 2 tenths on my 97 bandit set @ 100 and 101 lobe centers
i was doing my own R&D on these in January of 1997.
V&H advancer
st.3 dynajet kit for the later oil cooled GSXR's
full two brothers pipe
my own head light kits...uhuh a train light with custom made billet brackets...the big light held every bit of extra harness from the fairing.
10.71@129+...almost 130mph ridin by a low skilled fat guy :0

LOL good to know BB!
Next winter my next project will be a full refresh and over bore on the ole 1157. I'll be looking to you for some advice then for sure! This Bike runs pretty stellar right now. I can honestly say If I lined my FZ1 and B-12 up I;m not sure which one would win. The FZ1's high end is great but the B-12 make so much more low end... Guess I need to bring both to the track to find out!

10.71... That's awesome. So much untapped potential in these Gen 1 GSX-R mills... Like I said I'll be calling you for advice next winter

[gearhead13]

GSXR 1052 cams was worth 2 tenths on my 97 bandit set @ 100 and 101 lobe centers
i was doing my own R&D on these in January of 1997.
V&H advancer
st.3 dynajet kit for the later oil cooled GSXR's
full two brothers pipe
my own head light kits...uhuh a train light with custom made billet brackets...the big light held every bit of extra harness from the fairing.
10.71@129+...almost 130mph ridin by a low skilled fat guy :0

BB, Just wondering why such tight lobe centers?
Jedz, what carb kit does it have on it?

[Jedz123]

BB, Just wondering why such tight lobe centers?
Jedz, what carb kit does it have on it?

Stated up above my friend...

The Mods it has is a stage 2 Holeshot jet kit with ignition advancer. -1 front sprocket and a D&D slip on. I painted the rims gold and installed stainless steel valve stems.

30K miles on Dale's kit and no issues or complaints.

Link to the site:

http://www.holeshot.com/bandit/bndt_b12_stage2.shtml

[Jedz123]

Here's his Dyno Sheet for the kit... Doesn't include the ignition advacner but you get the idea on how much increase you can see... It was night and day.

[gearhead13]

Very nice increase with just bolt ons, Suzuki really restricted these from the factory.

[Jedz123]

Very nice increase with just bolt ons, Suzuki really restricted these from the factory.

It's just what Suzuki does...

In Example my B-K has 161WHP stock. Same exact motor as a generation 2 Hayabusa which rolls off the floor with 171WHP. Stuff a restricted air box and exhaust on it and remap it (or re jet) and sell it as a de-tuned version...

I've seen dyno sheets with these motors with air box modification, free flowing exhausts and a re map make near 200WHP... It would be more expensive then a stage 2 jet kit but not as much as you think....

A big reason why I like Suzuki. They can be modified and go much quicker vs stock.

I can't imagine adding another 40WHP to my B-King. That thing is a bullet with warp drive.

Dale also has a new 1216cc kit available for the B-12. I'm contemplating sending out my head next winter to him and ordering/installing this kit. It would be over $1K but it would yield a B-12 with 150WHP and 96Ft/lbs... But the jury is still out on which route I want to go... Let's get through the 2015 season first.

Lot's of potential in those ole' GSX-R mills!