Sport Touring Bikes $5000-$5000 before taxes. CBF1000... 1250 Bandit? | Page 4 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Sport Touring Bikes $5000-$5000 before taxes. CBF1000... 1250 Bandit?

For your seat - try the Beadrider first. It's least expensive and for many including me very effective even on thrid party seats.


Guy on the Vstrom forum could not do 200 miles on his stock seat. I suggested the Beadrider and he grabbed one....turns out the company is based near him.
He got an immediate improvement and a few days later started out on his Key West to Alaska and back jaunt.

He'd picked up the Beadrider on the way to Keywest and liked it.

Waited out a couple weather days and then promptly did 1,000 mile days back to back as his first two Alaska days. Swears by it....thousands of others do as well.

I have a Terry Adcox which I can do reasonably long days on.....I can do longer days with the Beadrider and did back to back 1,000 km days with it on the Burgman.

And thanks to macdoc for suggesting the beadrider seat cover! I was able to complete two back to back unofficial Iron Butt rides the first two days of my northbound journey- Deland to just east of Indianapolis the first day, and then on to Fargo, ND the next day. Over 2,000 miles in two days. Without the beadrider,,,no way!

http://www.stromtrooper.com/general...oses-loop-key-west-prudhoe-bay-back-ride.html

I'm in Australia but if you are heading out on a long ride let me know and Andrew can lend you - it's 30 seconds to put on and off. Will need a couple days notice to find it.

It's the best place to start.
 
Good choice on the Bandit. Had a 2007 1250SA, one of the first in Canada and loved it. Over years I changed the exhaust, redone the seat with a gel insert, touring windshield, heated grips, top box, racetech overhauled fronted, and enjoyed it for 7 years. The engine is superb for touring, it feels way stronger than more powerful machines. And it runed perfectly without doing anything other than oil changes. Enjoy !
 
I love my CBR1100XX .. Been looking for something newer the last couple years, and haven't found anything to replace it. Its fast , roomy and comfortable , and lighter than a lot of the current crop of sport touring bikes. I have the 41L givi s , corbin seat , updated suspension ,lowered pegs ect. 85,000 km so far . They are still classes as a sport bike by a lot of insurers though ..
 
So...

It is time for a new chain and sprockets. The chain is at the end of its adjustment and I figure that the sprockets may as well be replaced at the same time.

Just use OEM Suzuki parts? Or... Is there an aftermarket chain or sprocket manufacturer who I should consider?
 
So...

It is time for a new chain and sprockets. The chain is at the end of its adjustment and I figure that the sprockets may as well be replaced at the same time.

Just use OEM Suzuki parts? Or... Is there an aftermarket chain or sprocket manufacturer who I should consider?
I've replaced my OEM chain and sprockets with EK, DID, and oem sets. They were all equally good. I suggest replacing the chain and sprockets as a set. Even if the sprockets still look decent, they will be worn down and the new chain won't ride them perfectly, leading to premature chain wear. If you're just road riding and not concerned about saving a few grams of weight, i suggest getting steel sprockets as they'll last far longer than aluminum ones.
 
I've replaced my OEM chain and sprockets with EK, DID, and oem sets. They were all equally good. I suggest replacing the chain and sprockets as a set. Even if the sprockets still look decent, they will be worn down and the new chain won't ride them perfectly, leading to premature chain wear. If you're just road riding and not concerned about saving a few grams of weight, i suggest getting steel sprockets as they'll last far longer than aluminum ones.

Thanks! Tyler at Two Wheel is doing some numbers for me. He recommended Suzuki OEM front sprocket but had some aftermarket suggestions for the chain and rear sprocket. Chains seem to run from $100 to $400. I just plan to keep commuting with the bike and doing a few tours per season. Longevity is more important than saving a small bit of weight so steel sprockets may be a better idea than aluminum (especially with the crazy torque this bike makes).
 
Thanks! Tyler at Two Wheel is doing some numbers for me. He recommended Suzuki OEM front sprocket but had some aftermarket suggestions for the chain and rear sprocket. Chains seem to run from $100 to $400. I just plan to keep commuting with the bike and doing a few tours per season. Longevity is more important than saving a small bit of weight so steel sprockets may be a better idea than aluminum (especially with the crazy torque this bike makes).
There are a lot of good options out there. If you stick with a name brand (EK, DID, JT, RK) you should be fine. The OEM replacement I bought for my Suzuki came as a complete kit (sprockets and chain - DID btw), not separate pieces. Follow up replacements I went aftermarket because I wanted to change the stock gearing.
 
Going to try a beadrider knockoff to see how it goes:



As for the chain and sprockets I am going to go with the Suzuki kit with the chain and both sprockets. I like having lower highway rpms and there is silly torque in the bike so I can't imagine what it would be like if I changed the gearing...

Unfortunately I need some rear brake work as well. Somehow the rear brake stayed on and after my tour now I have some blueing on the rear rotor. So, rotor, caliper rebuild kit with piston, and pads. The rotor is the hard part because they aren't cheap. Thank goodness Tyler works with the GTA with pricing. Needless to say my savings will go back into the bike anyways with more farkles. ;)
 
Going to try a beadrider knockoff to see how it goes:



As for the chain and sprockets I am going to go with the Suzuki kit with the chain and both sprockets. I like having lower highway rpms and there is silly torque in the bike so I can't imagine what it would be like if I changed the gearing...

Unfortunately I need some rear brake work as well. Somehow the rear brake stayed on and after my tour now I have some blueing on the rear rotor. So, rotor, caliper rebuild kit with piston, and pads. The rotor is the hard part because they aren't cheap. Thank goodness Tyler works with the GTA with pricing. Needless to say my savings will go back into the bike anyways with more farkles. ;)
Where did you find the beadrider knockoff? How much, if you don't mind me asking?

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@Zoodles95 I'm not one to give much riding advice as I still consider myself a noob, but your comment earlier about the "push to pass" worries me a bit. You mentioned that you use it to notify left turners that you are there. Iirc however, flashing beams at trucks usually means that you are allowing them right of way. Had an accident like that in front of my work a couple years ago. Maybe @Iceman or @PrivatePilot can confirm?

Sent from my custom Purple Joe Bass mobile on Tapatalk
 
If push to pass is wired thru the nitrous system it might be ok.
 
If push to pass is wired thru the nitrous system it might be ok.
Lol! I've always considered a high beam flash as "you go" signal at intersections.

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Lol! I've always considered a high beam flash as "you go" signal at intersections.

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That's what I said.

Sent from my custom Purple Joe Bass mobile on Tapatalk
 
@Zoodles95 I'm not one to give much riding advice as I still consider myself a noob, but your comment earlier about the "push to pass" worries me a bit. You mentioned that you use it to notify left turners that you are there. Iirc however, flashing beams at trucks usually means that you are allowing them right of way. Had an accident like that in front of my work a couple years ago. Maybe @Iceman or @PrivatePilot can confirm?

Sent from my custom Purple Joe Bass mobile on Tapatalk
Hi,

I do not do that at every intersection. If someone is turning and do not seem to see me I will flick it really fast. Sort of a strobe effect. That and or my horn.

With truckers we do the high beam to let another trucker know that that can come back into the right lane if they are in the left lane on a highway and want to go back into the right lane.

Joe Bass you are in Cambridge. We should ride sometime.
 
Good to hear you know what ypu are talking about. I just wanted to put it out there.
Not Cambridge Zoodles, Woodbridge. But no matter, next season we'll make it happen.

Sent from my custom Purple Joe Bass mobile on Tapatalk
 
Where did you find the beadrider knockoff? How much, if you don't mind me asking?

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It is made by "Zonetech". I fished it out of the "Bay". $13.99 with free international shipping. I made an offer of $13.00 and received a counter-offer of $13.75 which I accepted. I have it on my bike right now and if the weather cooperates I will go out for a couple of hours. After two hours I will have my answer if it works or not.

Here is a link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zone-Tech-B...363767?hash=item5d6751aa37:g:M5kAAOSwzLlXhTin

The only problem so far is that they just knotted up the ropes inside the hooks and they came out of the hooks under pressure. I fixed it and no issues now. It also took a couple of tries to find the ideal spots to put the hooks into. It does not look that bad on the bike and I would only use it for longer rides anyways. For commuting I would probably just leave it off.

The Suzuki gel seat or a Sargent (or other quality seat) would be a better option. This may well work though. Ideally I would like 3 hours of comfort which would give me some range.
 
Good to hear you know what ypu are talking about. I just wanted to put it out there.
Not Cambridge Zoodles, Woodbridge. But no matter, next season we'll make it happen.

Sent from my custom Purple Joe Bass mobile on Tapatalk

I am going to show my wife this quote! 22 years together and she still thinks I am full of it. ;)

I did OTR/Long haul for a few years. Mainly van and flatbed. Refrigerated was my last trucking job and that was local food delivery to restaurants. Tough work. I got rationalized after the big recession and I did not want to go back into sales, management, or the corporate world. Having a University and College education does not guarantee an automatic job or big paycheck in today's world. My College Diploma really meant nothing anymore because I had taken those skills and went into industry which was related to it and went onto the sales side. I could no longer be a practitioner since my skills were outdated and out of practice.

I did not want to be unemployed in my upcoming 50s so I got my AZ through Tri-County which is a well respected school in the Tri City area (Waterloo/Kitchener/Cambridge) for becoming a Transport Driver (i.e. Truck Driver). Then did the apprenticeship program which helped payback some of the costs of going to get my AZ. Went to Challenger and did the training program there. Went to a smaller fleet, flatbed etc. Tough gig... Very underappreciated industry.

Now I drive a transit bus and could not be happier. I make almost what I used to in my old career with no meetings, deadlines etc. When I am done work I am done. I have become a trainer and I enjoy mentoring and helping others. I have been approached about becoming a Supervisor which is about $15000 more per annum but I have no desire to do that (at least for now).

Not sure why I assumed you were in Cambridge. Woodbridge probably makes more sense! :)
 
It is made by "Zonetech". I fished it out of the "Bay". $13.99 with free international shipping. I made an offer of $13.00 and received a counter-offer of $13.75 which I accepted. I have it on my bike right now and if the weather cooperates I will go out for a couple of hours. After two hours I will have my answer if it works or not.

Here is a link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zone-Tech-B...363767?hash=item5d6751aa37:g:M5kAAOSwzLlXhTin

The only problem so far is that they just knotted up the ropes inside the hooks and they came out of the hooks under pressure. I fixed it and no issues now. It also took a couple of tries to find the ideal spots to put the hooks into. It does not look that bad on the bike and I would only use it for longer rides anyways. For commuting I would probably just leave it off.

The Suzuki gel seat or a Sargent (or other quality seat) would be a better option. This may well work though. Ideally I would like 3 hours of comfort which would give me some range.
Thank you. Placed an order just now. I'll see how I like it on the 24th. I splurged and just paid the 13.99.

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I am still getting some rides in. I had the chain, sprockets, and rear brakes done at Two Wheel. Poor rear brake got buggered up on my mini tour into Quebec. Not sure if it just managed to lock itself up or what:



Much better now with the new rotor, pads, and the caliper rebuilt:


The Beadrider knockoff is still working. Bike is more comfortable with it. I would still love to find a factory gel seat of an aftermarket seat for my Bandit.


I have also picked up a pair of the V6 communicators which have been recommended elsewhere on this forum. It seems to work well and you can't beat the price!




The stock headset which comes with the V6 is okay at best. I wonder what an upgraded option would be? Anyone have suggestions for a decent headset for helmet use?
 

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