My Red & Black

[Irish in Oz]

Took it for a ride yesterday as it was quite warm 11 degrees C and dry. Bike ran very well but it seemed to lacking a little bit of get up and go. I first thought I'm used to the 1200 Bandit. Bike starts very well but I noticed it comes off the choke quickly and idles very well.
So today I pulled out the air filter.

[Hooli]

Loads of life left in that!

[Kiwifruit]

Loads have lived their life in there.

[Johno]

Best to go through everything Jeff, for peace of mind.

Reliability often means that servicing slips particularly if the owner has lost the love for the machine.

Keep us updated.

[Hooli]

Do I remember right that it was Shaun the sheep's medium mileage one?
If so it might be worth flushing the high pressure fuel filter too. The thing I notice first as they block is a lack of power at high revs/throttle.

[Irish in Oz]

Hooli, the bike is running fine, I will be looking at the teabag. It seemed down a little compared to a black Bandit and my black K7 the red probably doesn't help. I'm replacing it with a Filtrex washable filter my K7 has a K&N but I got a good price on the Filtrex.
It was my intension to do these checks anyway but the fact that the choke was on for a minimal period of time I went straight to the air filter, in Oz my K7 choke stays on longer even with 20 degree C higher ambient (or is it 30), are they remapped for different conditions!

[Hooli]

Choke is more to do with the TPS/SPS I believe. The ECU uses those two sensors to know where secondary throttle actuator is & it's that actuator turning backwards that triggers the high idle when cold. There is manual adjustment for the fast idle but it should never need to be touched if everything else is right.

I'm not aware of different maps, but if you checked a parts supplier to see if the part number of the ECU differed that'd probably tell you.

I was thinking of the high pressure filter, not the teabag. The black bit that holds the fuel pump, people seem to have good luck reverse flushing them with carb cleaner. As that gradually blocks you tend to loose a bit of power but the bike appears to run fine normally.

[DP1400]

Irish - if you`ve been used to riding your Bandit `12 it will seem `sharper` than your `14. Thats because it is!

Like it or not fellas, the Bandit `12 does feel a lot livelier than a `14 probably due to the weight difference, and, it performs equally as well with a better top end. My Bandit `12 K3 was without doubt more manic than my `14, with a much better top end speed - and that was a mint, standard example  In my humble opinion, the Bandit `12 in its earlier forms was one of the best and most fun bikes ever made.

The `14 however, is a much better long distance and pillion friendly machine !

[Hooli]

I'm surprised at that as I used to ride with a Bandit 12 & always had the edge over them. But I've never personally ridden a Blandit 12 to compare.

[Irish in Oz]

@DP1400  I totally agree.
The reason for getting the 14 is for comfort and pillion.

[DP1400]

I'm surprised at that as I used to ride with a Bandit 12 & always had the edge over them. But I've never personally ridden a Blandit 12 to compare.

Hooli - my old naked K3 `12 was bog-standard apart from having an old `ART` end can, and it flew! Handled like a dream too. My only complaints were that the seat was agony to be sitting on after 70miles, and she only carried about 120mls. of fuel. Consequently, no good at all for me as a tourer, but blimey, was it fun! I so wish i`d never sold it. I`d buy another one tomorrow but finding a good standard unmolested low miler is damn near impossible

[black14]

the red probably doesn't help

[grog]

Job site i visit every so often, lives in a caravan, bike sits in annexe, 200 metres from ocean. He has a last model? 2006 Bandit 1200. Has 1600k on speedo. Has sat most of its life. wont sell, totally original. Just corrodes away, i offered him bucks around 10 yrs ago, now beyond my restoring. What a waste. Ill try for a pic next time, rust, corrosion you wouldnt believe.

[Kiwifruit]

Never ridden a Bandit, was put off immediately when management sat on both a Bandit and a 14 parked next to each other in a bike shop. She was adamant the 14 was her pick of the two. Who would I be to argue. Very happy with her choice.
As you can tell I wear the pants in our household..........
she just says which ones
   

[Eric GSX1400K3]

I had the GSF250F bandit for 3 years, glad I went for the GSX1400.  Found the half faired bandit 1200 button ugly, the naked bandits are ok