2007 Suzuki Bandit / GSF 650 ABS, something wrong?

[silverpenhouse]

Hello,

Bike: 2007 Suzuki Bandit (aka GSF 650) ABS

This is my first bike. I purchased it in 2008 (so i've had it for less than 5 months) and it has less than 2000km (1250 miles) on it.

Here are a few concerns I have about the bike.

First of all the fuel consumption is quite high. I am getting about 35-38mpg on average (I am doing a combination of city and highway driving, and I never press full throttle or go over 75mph) Is this normal for the bike? It seems high to me compared to some other bikes. What do you think?

Secondly, it feels like the bike revs to high. When in 6th gear, at 65mph I will be at 5000 RPM and at 75mph at around 7000 RPM and for 85mph almost 9000 RPM (The max RPM of the bike is about 13'000. ) Is this too high? Is there something wrong with my bike?

What is the nature of the problem?

ANY help would be really appreciated, as I am new to this and don't know much.

Thank You

[Kenneth_Moore]

I don't think you have a problem at all. The mileage is a bit low, but certainly not way out of whack. The RPM to MPH ratio is what it is; it's set by the transmission and final drive ratios, and it will be the same regardless of engine tune, weight, etc.

Your real problem may be that you've only got 1250 miles on the bike; it's barely broken in. Give it a couple thousand more, and it will run progressively smoother and with greater power. You'll get slightly better (very slightly) fuel mileage as the engine breaks in as well. Did you do your first oil change, BTW?

If you're really adamant about lowering the RPMs at highway speeds, you can change the front, rear, or both sprockets to take a few hundered RPMs off. But I wouldn't do it; the engineers at Suzuki spent a lot time finding the best ratios for your bike in a variety of conditions.

Probably all you really need is to open up that exhaust and let that engine b-r-e-a-t-h-e. And it will sound *****in too. First, go to Home Depot to get a hole saw kit and a 5' length of all-thread.

[sachiwilson]

Oh, Ken.

Silver, he's giving you a line with that bit about opening up the exhaust. That would make it run worse (and get poorer mileage to boot.)

Small inline four cylinders are designed to spin quickly. My Honda 599 runs at similarly high rpms at speed (a bit slower, but still fast.) My older CB-1 does about 7000 RPM at 60 mph! My suggestion is to ride the bike a few more thousand miles at least, without worrying about it, and then decide if you would really get any benefit out of changing the gearing.

The gas mileage does seem rather poor, but you should bring that up with your dealer when you get the next scheduled service. You have carbs, I believe? It could be just a minor adjustment to improve the mileage.

[Kenneth_Moore]

Originally Posted by sachiwilson

Oh, Ken.

Silver, he's giving you a line with that bit about opening up the exhaust. That would make it run worse (and get poorer mileage to boot.)

Four accurate and concise answers with only 1 smartass remark is a damn good ratio around here.

[MOKE1K]

Alot of shops are targeting fuel consumtion as a normal maintenance procedure these days. Ask your local dealer if they have an Exhaust Gas Analyzer that will insure your getting the best mileage possible.

Other than that, the only other problem I see is the whole abs thing?

[trenttheuncatchable]

The Suzuki GS650F is fuel-injected. It's a bit heavy; the claimed dry weight is 476 pounds.

[sarnali2]

Originally Posted by MOKE1K

Other than that, the only other problem I see is the whole abs thing?

I'm pretty happy with ABS, granted the linked power assisted set-up on my R1150RT stunk but I've heard good reviews on the Bandit version and the ABS on my bagger works great. It may be no good for racing but street riding specially in the rain it's a Godsend. When the poop hits tha Parasol you just drop the anchor, no muss no fuss.

[MOKE1K]

Yeah, guess I been doing it manually for too long maybe, just dont perfer it. But then again, Iam rarely riding in the rain.

[sarnali2]

Originally Posted by MOKE1K

Yeah, guess I been doing it manually for too long maybe, just dont perfer it. But then again, Iam rarely riding in the rain.

I agree, I've spent a lot of years practicing and perfecting my braking technique and I think I'm pretty good at it. I ride year round up here and that means a significant amount of time is either in the rain or on wet roads, from my own experiance it's extremely difficult to panic stop in the wet without skidding. Obviously it's better not to have to panic stop in the first place however things don't always play out that way, for those times being able to just hammer the brakes and steer around an obstacle are a lifesaver in my book

[MOKE1K]

Yeah if I rode in those conditions I would probly have to switch my prefrence to Abs, Yuck!