Bandit 1200 vs the TL1000R

[Justyntym]

First of all thanks for all the informative responses in the TL-R thread...seams like a great bike with quite a following.

My Son is also looking at a Bandit 1200 (2000)...I (we) would be very interested in opinions about the Bandit.

And how do the two compare to each other?

 

[Revolution]

p.s. dont forget to check out www.tlplanet.com

 

[In10SS]

The gen 1 B12 is a great bike too. The front end will need springs & gold valves. Huge gains with an open air box, rejet, & pipe. The air box is the same as the B 600 and very restrictive. The TL has a more sporting look then the bandit and backs it up with endless torque and better handling (at least stock). Hard to beat the sound of a TL with pipes! Can you tell I like them? I bought a B12 in 2000 though and kept it for 6 years. Never had a better all around bike. Can't lose either way in my opinion.

 

[GIXERHP]

The Tl's supension is very, how should i say but weird! If it going to be his first bike i would go for the Bandit! There is tons of after market performace parts availble for the Bandits, hands down. Its a very comfortible bike also!

 

[HillbillyTom]

Bandit may also give you a break on insurance over the sport bike listed Tiller for a young rider.

 

[DevilDawg1]

Owned a 2003 B-12S and a 2007 B1250S. Both were great all around bikes. Neither bike did "all of the above" in an awesome manner. But they both did "all of the above" in a great manner. For the years of production of the B-12 it had one the largest displacement engines you could get in an inline 4. I have nothing but praise for the
B-12 line of bikes.

 

[beaquel]

My previous bike was a Suzuki V-Strom 650. I considered it the SUV of motorcycles. It had tons of utility, but not much sex appeal or performance. Did me great as a commuter bike though. When I upgraded, I looked really hard at the big Bandit. It had pretty much the same practicality as my V-Strom, but a lot more punch. Can't hardly beat the value of the new 1250S with ABS brakes! As it turned out, I took the plunge on a Busa. However, I did have a little buyer's remorse for a short while about how much I ended up spending to make my Busa as comfortable and commuter friendly as I could have had in a Bandit stock. I'm still happy I chose the Busa after all is said and done, but the big Bandit is still a fine bike. There's always time for bike #2 down the road. Don't freak out about getting the most perfect bike on Earth right away. Get one that fits the budget, then evaluate after a few years to see what features you want/don't want. Then you can take it up or down a notch on the next bike.

 

[ambulldog]

i would say go 01 on up. i had one for years and loved that bike to death

 

[Revolution]

friend bought his FIRST bike, this tl1000r off ebay with 3000 original miles for $6000. delivered from Arizona to New York. bike doesn't look dated and is rare on the roads. nice v-twin rumble. if your kid is lookin' at tl1000r's also look at the rc51, forget about those other bikes if these two are an option. if he goes with the tlr or rc51 he'll be PIMPIN' instead of WHIMPIN'

 

[BLU88]

i had a bandit 12 and loved it, good allaround bike. much more comfortable than the tl. both will make a great bike. love the sound of a vtwin with pipes

 

[tourbus]

friend bought his FIRST bike, this tl1000r off ebay with 3000 original miles for $6000. delivered from Arizona to New York. bike doesn't look dated and is rare on the roads. nice v-twin rumble. if your kid is lookin' at tl1000r's also look at the rc51, forget about those other bikes if these two are an option. if he goes with the tlr or rc51 he'll be PIMPIN' instead of WHIMPIN'  

everything on the tl-r's look good but that tail is hideous, it looks like a mallard duck bill.

 

[gotgixers]

The B-12 is a great bike. It works great stock, and has enough aftermarket to play with it for years. My last B-12 ran 10.0's in the 1/4 when i finally sold it. The motor is based on the '90 GSXR 1100 oil cooled 1127 engine. It is the same engine with 9.5:1 comp and milder cams,36mm carbs, and 1157cc. Good comprise for a 1st ride. Best all around daily comuter IMHO.

 

[Big Bo]

First of all thanks for all the informative responses in the TL-R thread...seams like a great bike with quite a following.

My Son is also looking at a Bandit 1200 (2000)...I (we) would be very interested in opinions about the Bandit.

And how do the two compare to each other?

I ride a 2002 Bandit 1200s. It is my second bike and is jetted and piped. Great bike, good usable power, comphy, and very user friendly for an everyday ride. Will hit 140 plus fast, stable and the taller DB shield helps keep the wind noise down. I don`t know how old your son is or the experence that he has. Or the type of riding he will do. MaximumSuzuki has a ton of info on the B12. Dale Walker of HoleShot fame is a regular on the MaxZuk forums. Good luck in your choice.

 

[JINKSTER]

First of all thanks for all the informative responses in the TL-R thread...seams like a great bike with quite a following.

My Son is also looking at a Bandit 1200 (2000)...I (we) would be very interested in opinions about the Bandit.

And how do the two compare to each other?

hey justyntym...i missed the initial post but just gotta voice up for a fellow floridian busa bro and plug in my 2 cents here...so here's my take on the situation...

TL all the way...why?...as follows...

even though the bandit is a cool azz street bike that enjoys a strong long term following by the old school standard/bang-fer-buck naked/ujm crowd?...i believe it would be the wrong choice for a young new rider...mainly because no matter how much you soup it up and trick it out?...a bandit will never handle as well as a TL...nor will it's inline four ever have the oh so forgiving characteristics of the tl's incredible V-Twin torque curve...what's it all mean?...

the handling advantages of a properly set-up tl alone will make a huge difference in how safe it'll be for jr. to keep up with the old man on the busa vs. the low tech old school frame and suspenders of the bandit...also?...the tl's vtwin power plant is extremely forgiving...with so much torque throughout the low & mid ranges that it'll pull jr. through the curves smoothly even if he does mis-judge his corner speed by a gear or two...and the tl's twin is very forgiving in that dept....so much so that in not much time at all?...jr. will be right in your mirrors through the twisties...toss in a properly adjusted slipper clutch?...and he may give you a run for your money in the tight technicals in a year or so...safely...and in control...a bandit?...not so much...good bike but...it ain't no tl...which suzi originally designed to do combat with honda's rc51 and the ducs in the liter vtwin class...where the bandit was more of a price-point offering to the streetbiking masses by suzi.

and fwiw?....Ken Wheeler's weapon of choice for slaying the dragon for years was a red sun faded tl affectionately known by all in the area as "The Pink Lizard"..

lastly?..amidst his like peers?...i would think a younger fellow would be far more proud of doning a true sportbike like the tl rather than an old mans standard/naked bike..and for huge bonus points?...it'll be much easier for him to keep up with his future sportbiking friends on a tl than a decades out-dated design of the bandit..hence making a tl...

"THE SAFER CHOICE"

AND AS ABSURD AS IT'LL SOUND (to some here)...IT'S REALISTIC SOUND REASONING.

Good luck in your decision making and L8R, Bill.

 

[Revolution]

see, told ya

 

[Justyntym]

*UPDATE*

Saw the TL and the B-12 today. Both asking price is $3500...TL has (I think) around 25,000 miles the B-12 has a tad over 8,000.

That particular TL was a POS...Fairing rashed or scratched...almost every panel. No underail, as in if you take the seat off you were looking at the tire (which was BALD). MAJOR seat damage, etc, etc, etc...


THe B-12 was emaculate, garage kept...very nice (even had a radar detector

)

I didn't know diddly about the TL until I started looking into it a few days ago, it's a very intriguing bike. I must say, it's on my list...it's a neat bike and rare, I'm going to have to get one personally sooner or later.

The B-12, out of the two examples based on condition of the bike, wins hands down and I think that's a good buy, especially as a daily gas crunch commuter.

 

[cobravenom39]

First of all thanks for all the informative responses in the TL-R thread...seams like a great bike with quite a following.

My Son is also looking at a Bandit 1200 (2000)...I (we) would be very interested in opinions about the Bandit.

And how do the two compare to each other?

hey justyntym...i missed the initial post but just gotta voice up for a fellow floridian busa bro and plug in my 2 cents here...so here's my take on the situation...

TL all the way...why?...as follows...

even though the bandit is a cool azz street bike that enjoys a strong long term following by the old school standard/bang-fer-buck naked/ujm crowd?...i believe it would be the wrong choice for a young new rider...mainly because no matter how much you soup it up and trick it out?...a bandit will never handle as well as a TL...nor will it's inline four ever have the oh so forgiving characteristics of the tl's incredible V-Twin torque curve...what's it all mean?...

the handling advantages of a properly set-up tl alone will make a huge difference in how safe it'll be for jr. to keep up with the old man on the busa vs. the low tech old school frame and suspenders of the bandit...also?...the tl's vtwin power plant is extremely forgiving...with so much torque throughout the low & mid ranges that it'll pull jr. through the curves smoothly even if he does mis-judge his corner speed by a gear or two...and the tl's twin is very forgiving in that dept....so much so that in not much time at all?...jr. will be right in your mirrors through the twisties...toss in a properly adjusted slipper clutch?...and he may give you a run for your money in the tight technicals in a year or so...safely...and in control...a bandit?...not so much...good bike but...it ain't no tl...which suzi originally designed to do combat with honda's rc51 and the ducs in the liter vtwin class...where the bandit was more of a price-point offering to the streetbiking masses by suzi.

and fwiw?....Ken Wheeler's weapon of choice for slaying the dragon for years was a red sun faded tl affectionately known by all in the area as "The Pink Lizard"..

lastly?..amidst his like peers?...i would think a younger fellow would be far more proud of doning a true sportbike like the tl rather than an old mans standard/naked bike..and for huge bonus points?...it'll be much easier for him to keep up with his future sportbiking friends on a tl than a decades out-dated design of the bandit..hence making a tl...

"THE SAFER CHOICE"

AND AS ABSURD AS IT'LL SOUND (to some here)...IT'S REALISTIC SOUND REASONING.

Good luck in your decision making and L8R, Bill.

Amen.  

Moderators, you make close this thread.
Just a side note, the TL1000r looks awesome, especially in yellow.

 

[BusaWizard]

Good choice.

 

[Revolution]

yo Jus' keep in mind there are two models, the "TL1000" which is the naked version, and the "TL1000r whic is the full bodied race version.

 

[gotgixers]

FWIW, the bandit has tons of torque down low also. You can run 35mph in 5th and just gas it to pull away. It is VERY forgiving of pulling the "wrong" gear in any situation. They sell a (full)fairing kit for the B-12, that's not too much money. And they get really good mpg. Get a '01 or newer and they have better(smoother) low speed throttle response than an efi bike.