1998 Suzuki Bandit 600S

After my CBR took an unexpected dump, I had only a couple of options: get the Honda fixed while renting a car (blech!) for $250 a week; sell the Honda as is and get a loan from a financial institution with absurd interest rates to buy a new bike; or, sell the Honda as is and buy a cheap ride to keep me on the road while I work on getting my credit score up and get a new bike in several months. So I went with the last option, and found this little Bandit for a couple grand, with around 14,440 miles on the clock. The owner said it had been "garage kept," but I found a good bit of spotty corrosion here and there, and the paint had faded from all the sunlight. Must have been some sort of special garage, with no roof or door.

The good thing was, she was practically bone stock. And the motor ran strong. The guy had the clunky rear turn signals so many people inexplicably favor, a hacked rear fender, a carbon-fiber imitation tank pad that had seen better days, mismatched tires, and a 12V power outlet on the small dashboard. Otherwise, the bike was stock. The first two shots are from the first day I had the bike.

I liked the front fairing but it looked very outdated, like the bike was designed in 1985 or something. Worse still, the windscreen was next to useless. Since she was half-naked to begin with, I decided to go a little bit streetfighter with this bike and started modding. Some of the things I've done in the first two weeks: Demon fairing; Bandit 1200 shock (stock unit started leaking and was junk to begin with); tag-mount rear turn signals; added swingarm spools; put in Pirelli Diablo tires; Moto Boss mirrors; and new tank pad. Coming soon: new clutch; fork seals; Racetech springs; new seat (maybe); aftermarket slip-on; Givi toprack; and Holeshot Superbike handlebar (black and 1" lower than stock).

So where will this new ride take me?

UPDATED: 5/20/2007 New Wave headlight	UPDATED: 5/20/2007 Added barend mirrors
A closer look. I still need to clean up the wiring some, but will need to replace the gauges for that.	Motrax LED Tip turn signals. These are neat because the tip lights up as well, providing a side marker of sorts. Note the Home Depot specials - the mounting brackets are clamps used in electrical work. At .96 cents a pop, they can't be beat.
Older photos: First version: Demon fairing with flyscreen	Second version: Flyscreen removed
First version	Second version, with spiked barends

More mods on the Bandit