Author Topic: what would you do? (Read 11686 times)

smegfish1 · « **on:** 04 September 2012, 10:13:00 pm »

Hi all,
I find myself in a bit of a quandry.
Had my gen1 for 5 years now done a few mods.....mike did my ivans, I've put on heated grips, luggage,intercom.
She's got 21k on her now, last service 13k. so service due soonish. Definitly needs new back tyre.
Question is, should I spend on more mods like fuel gauge mod, new comfier seat, new rear shock, reworked front springs as well as tyres and of course the service on what is now a 7 year old bike, or........

p/ex for ? with a couple of grand added.

Been looking at bandit 1250 GT (don't all kick me at once!!) as I could get a good low mileage one with ABS

What are your thoughts?

richfzs · « **Reply #1 on:** 04 September 2012, 10:15:07 pm »

You should sell it to me forthwith, for a maximum of £1500 (to be reduced at my whim to cover any blemishes I find with my magnifying glass).

BMCfaz · « **Reply #2 on:** 04 September 2012, 10:31:39 pm »

You've got to ask yourself what benefits a Bandit would give you over the Fazer. Personally, I can't think of any areas where it's a better bike. I could understand if you wanted a sportsbike or a full-dress tourer, but the Bandit's an inferior version of the same all-rounder style!

21k isn't high milage, and it's not as if you won't have to service the Bandit, so, unless you can convince yourself it's a better bike, you know the answer.....

Oh, and don't forget you've already forked out on various modifications, you need to factor in the cost of the mods you'll do on the Bandit!

MadDogMcQ · « **Reply #3 on:** 04 September 2012, 11:01:51 pm »

What Faz said!

ghostbiker · « **Reply #4 on:** 05 September 2012, 08:03:07 pm »

the bandit is ment to be the counterpart to the fazer so all you are really doing is gaining a few years newer bike that is much less of a bike all round.
for me it would be a total waste of time effort and money. as said above i can see the appeal of swapping for another style of bike (grass is allways greener and all that) but swapping to a worse bike just because its newer? dont make sense to me.

AyJay · « **Reply #5 on:** 05 September 2012, 08:35:39 pm »

Go and ride the Bandit, I say. See just how much you'd be paying for not a lot more.

Then try a Z1000SX, VFR, Multistrada, FJR1300 and Fireblade and then ask yourself 'what are these giving me that the Fazer doesn't?' I found it a very hard question to answer. The Fazer is at least the equal of all of these if you want an all rounder and utterly drills holes in any financial argument - doing 1200 quid's worth of upgrades will get you a vastly improved bike and I bet you'd be spending that much just to change.

I'm sniffing a bit of 'new bike-itis' if you don't mind me saying, smegfish. 21k is nothing for a Fazer, mine's done 92, so keep it and spend a little money.

Although. .. if you can keep a secret....

If you want to try something that really does make you want to buy a new bike (whisper) get a shot on a ZZR1400. With higher bars it's as comfy as a Fazer and it is positively post-nuclear in performance. They're very classy, subtle and smooth bikes to ride and barely cost any more to run than a Fazer. .. .

FuZzBoM · « **Reply #6 on:** 05 September 2012, 09:12:53 pm »

Father in law had a 10 plate bandit until he recently px'd it for a cbf1000 (he wishes he didn't but that another story) but anyway the reason he chopped it in was he didn't like the gearbox, he thought it was too clunky and the bike in general felt heavy.
I had a go of it before it went and i do have to agree with him. i think weight wise they are about the same as a gen 1 but they do for some reason feel heavier. maybe the weight is higher or something, OK once you are going but in town not so nice. the other thing i noticed instantly it has much more torque low down but runs out off puff where the fazer engine keeps revving. I think the engine depends on your riding style. personally i am happy to rev mine a little harder..

In all, nice bike but personally i would stick with my gen 1 over it.

boxer1 · « **Reply #7 on:** 05 September 2012, 10:03:55 pm »

Keep the fazer

i have just bought my third after severely regretting selling my lava red 05 model

have another now and will only change it for another fazer in the future , if i ever find a mint low miler lava red again , very happy with my new purchase though..... stay with the fazer

cable tie · « **Reply #8 on:** 05 September 2012, 10:59:26 pm »

I would not have the bandit the build quality is sh1t or should I say it's a poor mans fazer !! If you want to change try a gen 2 more upto date and still a fazer.

Grandma · « **Reply #9 on:** 06 September 2012, 10:32:18 am »

Keep the Fazer, those engines are bullet proof, will go around the clock and give you excellent fuel economy, used to enjoy 55mpg on Gen 1 now only achieving 40mpg on Gen 2, even my 03 R1 does 55mpg and has covered 54,000 miles in 6 years, will never sell it, still as strong as when I swapped it for identical R1 which had travelled 44,000 in 4 years.

budgiemurray · « **Reply #10 on:** 06 September 2012, 11:47:21 am »

Go test drive a bandit then decide.. Im pretty sure you will stick with the fazer though.. I think the build quality and styling isfar better on the fazer..
I moved from a bandit 600 to a fazer 600 years back and never regretted it.. Saying that i just traded a bike in that i thought i would never replace (vfr800) for a fazer 1000 and i dont regret that in the slightest..

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

smegfish1 · « **Reply #11 on:** 06 September 2012, 10:29:05 pm »

thanks for all the responses guys, probably a bit biased

on a fazer forum, but it is as you all say a damn good bike. I think, as you say, probabably a bit of "shiny bike syndrome"

So it looks like the old girl can stay

Thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow!!!

ghostbiker · « **Reply #12 on:** 06 September 2012, 11:49:09 pm »

Nothing wrong with testing bikes out. I used the Bmf show earlyer in the year to test a few new models out.
Still decided to stay with the gen 1 as it dose what I need perfectly and I would need 10 k for a new bike that could match it

tiggr2 · « **Reply #13 on:** 07 September 2012, 11:39:47 am »

Owned a bandit, owner a GSX1400, now own a fazer - DONT BUY THE BANDIT - if you have newbike itus by a GSX if you are a sensible lad keep the fazer and tart it up, new seat, re spray, wavet disv and hel lines, whatever, it ows you nothing.. my penneth worth..

slappy · « **Reply #14 on:** 07 September 2012, 08:53:07 pm »

I was going to sell my gen1 fazer last year after having it for over 3 years,the longest I have ever kept a bike.
I had test rides on gen2 fazer, z1000,cb1000 and even a multistrada but none felt as good as my fazer.
Instead I spent a few hundred pounds on braided lines,r&g crash protectors,heated grips and new chain and sprockets and then gave it a good service.
Apart from my recent meta alarm failure my fazer has been totally reliable,gives good mpg,comfy and can still get a hustle on.
I now plan to keep it for a lot longer and have just put on a brand new road legal akrapovic end can that i got for £140,a real bargain.
I still look at new bikes but its just window shopping as i cannot see anything out there that would be that much better than my fazer as it fills all my requirements.

PaulSmith · « **Reply #15 on:** 12 September 2012, 12:31:20 pm »

Put some decent rubber on the fazer and go do some hard riding. Then go and test ride all the others. The only area I would expect the newer bikes to compete is the quality of the ride. Spend a few quid on DevilYams R6 shock upgrade and they wont be able to touch you even their. Even if you decide to change, the money wont be wasted since they will add to your resale value.

JayB · « **Reply #16 on:** 12 September 2012, 01:27:55 pm »

Splash out on some goodies / respray / lighter wheels / upgraded suspension or even buy a track bike for some fun!

Phil TK · « **Reply #17 on:** 12 September 2012, 02:17:40 pm »

It sounds like you have money burning a hole in your pocket. Why not spend the money learning how to dive? I've found that a very large number of divers are bikers for some reason, perhaps the buzz is similar. Anyway, yep, keep the Fazer and spend the money on ~~stealing brass from shipwrecks~~ discovering the undersea world, you won't regret it.

SkidT · « **Reply #18 on:** 13 September 2012, 02:33:18 pm »

I'd have to agree with the above sentiments. Had three Bandit 12's over the years and loved them all. Great bikes but inferior build quality and heavier. You'll need to spend money to get them handling as well as a standard Fazer too.
The engines are different, more grunty / torquey low down, whereas the Fazer needs more revving. The Fazer rewards though with a bigger top end, if that's important to you?
I've had two Fazer gen 1's before as well, so I can cross compare.
Your Fazer has probably not going to lose much in value now if you keep it maintained, whereas a newer Bandit will still significantly depreciate. Looking back in a few years, that depreciation will probably pay for any mods / tyres etc that you're currently worried about spending out on now.
I am now firmly back on the "find another Fazer" path, having realised (again!!) the error of my ways in getting rid of my last "sorted" Fazer.
For the money, there's still not a lot out there that can match the Fazer IMHO. Good luck with whatever you decide.

pitternator · « **Reply #19 on:** 15 September 2012, 07:23:20 am »

Its a familiar issue...just what can be a step on from the gen1 ...? I have been down this route many times, but always come back to same conclusion...there are bikes you could change to, but all will be much more cost with hardly any gain except looking a bit newer. I thought I had an equal with the 1050 sprint in 05, but its a left field move cos its not as powerful , but comfier and has more character . The Tiger 1050 also looked promising but then realised after a test its actually a GS copy!
I then went further left field, bought into super nakeds, while still having the fazer . That did work for me, and I reluctantly sold my 09 speed triple in june cos I was after something different again.
I tested a vfr12 and found it to be no great step on from the fazer but at great purchase cost. Sophisticated yes, awesome in many ways, but just so much cash to do pretty much what I was already doing on the fazer !The MS looks promising but stupid money ( 15 k !!)
Still got the fazer , and have shifted it from tourer to fast bike role, as to me 155 mph is more than enuff for our shitey roads and camera infestations ( which are now being switched back on again BTW). The move I made was to get an adventure bike, for touring and back lane/ rough road work.I also do intend to do some green laning . I picked the GS, as my initial favourite the Triumph explorer turned out to be a big heavy beast and to me felt clumsy and unfinished.Loved the engine but little else... The GS has proved to be just what I was after , not that surprising as its been so developed over the last 10 yrs or so... ! It is supremely comfy , agile, great mpg etc etc, a superb tourer for those who dont want all that bodywork. I do fancy the idea of say an RT or the new trophy , but dont feel I am that " old" just yet. The GS really has surprised me that it offers such a different approach to biking. It is fun to ride a bit slower too...take in the world, explore a few minor roads, dirt tracks etc. It is a good foil to the fazer , which I use now for the adrenaline rushes in life !

Hence my advice is keep the fazer as ur fallback bike, since it does the allrounder and fast bike bit so well, and maybe explore other biking avenues ??

nickodemon · « **Reply #20 on:** 15 September 2012, 10:04:05 am »

The fazer gen 1 in my opinion is the best all rounder you can buy. I have other bikes in the garage, but none do everything as well as the fazer. Regarding the bandit 1250 i wouldn't spend the extra money on a newer bike that is not anywhere as good in build quality or riding experience as the fazer. You would be better off spending the money on suspension upgrades.

tex · « **Reply #21 on:** 16 September 2012, 09:20:11 am »

Got to agree with above posts, i think the fazer still looks good. not to modern or plastic, a bit retro aswell, fast enough for most, and a very good forum, i would not do half the mods or servicing without the help of here.

manuel32 · « **Reply #22 on:** 16 September 2012, 08:45:40 pm »

R1 forks a must (unless you already have)

thats it, finished

smegfish1 · « **Reply #23 on:** 18 September 2012, 07:26:00 pm »

Thanks all you've convinced me....so first thing to upgrade is going to be the seat.
Anyone tried these http://www.customseats.co.uk/?
His reply to my email:

To customise your seat in the basketweave or smooth finish style without Gel £155.00 BladeRunner style £185.00 for one gel insert add to price, £ 50.00, or the two ( front and back ) £85.00.

Falcon 269 · « **Reply #24 on:** 18 September 2012, 08:59:35 pm »

I have the Bladerunner with gel insert. Best-looking and most comfortable of the seats I've had on my Gen 1 over the last 10 years. Those include stock (obviously), P&P with gel and a Tony Archer custom job.

Not cheap but very well made and for me, worth it.