2006 Suzuki GSF650 Bandit review from Italy

Brand new motorcycle bought 1 month ago. Nothing has gone wrong.

Purchased motorcycle new from dealer. Good service and cheap price (special offers) of 5100 EURO including taxes and inmatriculation (registration). That was the MAIN reason for selecting this bike.

Acceleration is decent, OK for commuting and OK for highway, but, A.) has serious throttle lag B.) "broad range" (manufacturer) torque means medium power in the 4000-7000 range and breathability issues beyond 8000rpm. Nothing exciting in the power area.

Brakes are weak. Previous bike was an R6 and you could lift the rear tire (without trying) by squeezing hard on the brakes. No comparison here - even after several adjustments braking comes in late, bites soft. A lot of this might also be due to the high weight of the bike (209kg) and the heavy wheels.

Handling is soft too. Hard to point it early and keep it in line in corners, rear end suspension begins to float out, stock tires have poor grip. Then again, my last bike was an R6, so maybe my expectations are all wrong.

Comfort is OK. I just completed a 1000km trip on it. Up to 4 hours a day will be OK without cramping, wrist pains. Certainly felt a LOT more comfortable cruising on a BMW 1200GS for 7 hours than on this for 4 hours.

I read several articles on vibration BEFORE I bought it. I now have to agree with them all... you can easily feel it in the tank and in the handlebars.

I am thinking of selling it already. But for 5000 Euro NEW ON THE ROAD price I still don't know if it can be beaten.