Church Of MO – 2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250 ABS
The Suzuki Bandit has been a staple in the company’s lineup for some time. From the 600, to the 650, then the 1200 and lastly the 1250, Bandits were unique in that they were surprisingly capable of handling daily commuting duties, yet were remarkably uninspiring overall. Still, if that’s the worst we can say about the Suzuki Bandit 1250 ABS all these years later, then Suzuki succeeded in producing a solid jack-of-all-trades street motorcycle. Here, we visit with MO’s European Correspondent, Tor Sagen, to get his thoughts on the then-new Bandit 1250 ABS for this week’s Church feature. Also, be sure to check the photo gallery for more Bandit 1250 ABS pictures.
2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250 ABS
The name Bandit will forever be associated with Suzuki. For a moment we thought that Suzuki would sacrifice the popular name for the GSR, but that was before Suzuki re-launched the whole Bandit range with upgrades and new engines.
In the competition of being the most practical motorcycle in the world the Bandit 1250 ABS would score very high. In its hooligan past this was not so much the case, but with a fairing, center-stand, upright seating position, ABS brakes, dirt-cheap price tag and a rock solid, ever lasting, power house of an engine.
Nothing about the 2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250 sells it to me as much as that fantastic torque response from very low rpms. So that’s where I’ll start, with the big 1255cc liquid-cooled in-line four. The old 1200 was a simple air-cooled engine, also known for its torque. But the all new 1255cc liquid cooled Bandit engine overshadows the old one by miles. Nothing is the same and Suzuki couldn’t have done a better job with the engine itself.
This is where this gem of an engine really works well, on full throttle from as low as 3,000rpm. So rather than first and second gear stuff in town, the new Bandit 1250 is perfectly suited for cruising in high gears on the motorway where the torque is instantly ready to do a massive push past the heavies and other traffic without gearing down. The muscular aspects of the 1250 are quite deceptive too as there is no big blurb sound from the engine as with a big twin, just a massive, smooth, car-like push forward. The gearing has been made low for strong acceleration too so it’s all happy times using the engine.
With a ridiculously low compression ratio of 10.5:1 the engine is very much unstressed and can probably be upgraded for another 10 years before it is replaced. I expect this Suzuki engine to be talked about as one of the most reliable motorcycle engines built in the future. As this is the beginning of a new development cycle for the Bandit I expect the Suzuki engineers to smoothen out the low rpm throttle response soon too.
The suspension has been refined a lot on the new Bandit 1250 and it is fun to try it a little bit extra on the twistier sections of road we ride. At 505 pounds (ABS version) it is still a bit heavy to chuck from side to side but not unwilling.
The seat height is 2-way adjustable between 30.9 inches and 31.7 inches to suit any rider. The five-gallon fuel tank could have been bigger. I can’t see that it would have made a huge impact neither for the weight nor aesthetics to add a 6.5-gallon fuel tank that would have added to the practical nature of the rest of the motorcycle.
Conclusion
When I first saw the new 1250 ABS it didn’t give me anything, rather dull I thought. However, after living with one for a while I fell in love with the engine. The Bandit 1250 ABS will never really compete with anyone in the looks department, but for the practical aspect it’s a winner. I like the value you get for money and the 1250 ABS is a whole lot of motorcycle. I wish the fuel injection had behaved better, particularly when carrying a pillion. Other than that I think I’d get a naked red one to make it stand out a bit.
| Highs: | Sighs: | |
| Rock solid in-line four with an emphasis on torquePractical as few other new motorcyclesThe Bandit 1250 is so affordableEasy to resell | Fuel injection at low rpms when nurturing the throttleLow spec tech and a bit bland |
Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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These are wonderfully practical bikes. That is probably their biggest downfall, motorcycles are fun toys for most and not practical. A buddy bought one to tour around on for several months. It got great gas mileage, was reliable and sold for what he paid for it at the end of his trip, so it was as close to free as possible :)