Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) Simplicity is one of the Band it's stron gest selli ng po ints , no t to men tio n it s reasonab le $5399 as kin g pr ice . (Bel ow) Unlike the , European and Japanese vers ions, the U.S. Bandit 600S is fi tled wi th a sma ll " ca fe" fairing. whereas the Bandit uses a stainless steelconstructed four-into-one design. The cylinder head differs from the current Katana head due to a redesigned valve-train system, which now uses the same screw an d lockn ut system used in the '88 to '91 model Katana 600 and all Katana 750 models, except it uses a multi-plate cam chain instead of a roller type. The current shim-type Katana 600 system mainly benefits high-rpm operation and therefore is n ot suited to the Bandit's power characteristics. The Bandit valve timing has less overlap than the Katana for better low to midrange power. . Valve timing has a lso been altered to enhance bottom and midrange performance. Transferring power to the rea r wheel is basically the sa me six -speed, clutch cable-operated clutch, transmissio n system used in the Katana 600. They share the same in terna l ge ar ratios b u t the Bandit uses a slightly higher fina l-drive ratio. As mention ed , the Bandit is air / oilcooled, similar to the Katana 600. The oil cooler is sligh t ly smaller tha n t he Kata na versio n but otherwise the cooling system is the sa me . The lubrication system - a wet sump - is also the same as the Katana except for the oil pa n, wh ich is m ad e of a ribbed h o neyc omb construction that'gives the pan more rigidity and help s red uce engine noise. Unlike the Band it 400, whe re the e ngine was "hung" in the frame, the Band it 600 uses a stronger double-cradle frame design to better withstand the higher-output engine. It is constructed of large-diameter steel tubing, and the steel swingarm is constructed of square tubing similar to the RF600R . Despite the fact the swingarm length is 25m m shorter than the Katana's swingarm, the wheelbase of both bikes is the same at 57.2 inches. This is due to the Bandit's less-vertical front-end rake. Suspensionwise, the Bandit is outfitted with Kayaba components both front and rear. Conventional 41mm forks are used up front and a single nitrogencharged shock out back. Neither ends have damping adjustments but the shock does have va riable pre loa d capabilities . The Bandit is equi p ped w ith twopisto n, slide-type front brake calipers, sin tered metal pads, and 290mm floating brake ro tors, and the front brake lever position can be adjusted to four different positions, via a notched spin d ial. In the back, the brake system consists of an opposed-piston caliper, semimetal pads and a 240mm rotor. Bridgestone Exedra tires wrap around two 17-inch cast-aluminum wheels. As compared to the Katana 600, the rear rim on the 'Bandit is actually an inch wider at 4.5 inches, while the front w heel is also a half-inch wider, at 3.5 inches. Other niceties include a' large 5.0gallon gas tank, which includes 1.1 gal lons of reserve and a fuel on/ off / reserve petcock. The instrument panel only offers the bare minimum: the speedometer and tach are separately housed in chrome cylinders, and there's a s ma ll cluster of information lights directly underneath the speedo and tach. The tubular handlebars are quite wide and easily adjustable, PUTTIN' TIME ON THE BANDIT Swinging a leg over the Bandit for the first time you immediately rea lize that this bike is no full-on, racer-replica sportbike. Rather than reaching down for the handlebars and having the footpegs high up on the frame, the Bandit has a far more relaxed seating position than even the most ergonomically friendly sportbike. In fac t, the Ban d it . has a very straight-up-and-down riding position, which at first seems a little od d for a sportbike. One tester said that he felt like he had "motorcycle cop posture" on the Bandit. The Bandit isn't nearly as cold-blooded as some of the other Suzuki sportbikes, and this no doubt has a lot to do with the new Keihin carbs.. Though it still takes a good few minutes to warm up, and the choke lever, which is located on the left handlebar, can u sually be completely turned off after about a mile . Suzuki reached their objective of obtaining good low-end performance out of the motor. It pulls strongly off the bottom - for a 600 - but the meat of the power hits in the middle of the powerband, and the bike doesn't fall on its face as you scream it out through the gears. In fact, there's a decent hit around 8500 rpm, . and power continues to develop as you near the 12,000 redl ine. But it's right in the middle of thepowerband where t h e Bandit likes to b e ridden. To top things off, there's very little vibration to contend with as you climb through the gears, bu t there is one spot, where vibration does get your attention - right around 70 mph, when the tach needle hovers around the 6000 mark. From about 70-75 mph, a fair amount of tingling can be felt throughout the entire motorcycle and ghostlike images begin to a ppear in the rearview mirror. But anywhere below 70 mph and above 80 mph, there's hardly any vibration at all. Also, right around 5000 to about 5300 rpm, the motor develops a loud, lowfrequency resonance perhaps caused by the air intake system, or simply by the motor itself. Unfortunately, this annoying resonance occurs right in the rpm ran ge where the bike is ridden the mos t, usually when the throttle is held steadily in one position, maintaining about 65 mph, or when slightly backing off the throttle. Otherwise, we enjoyed the mo tor very much. . Clicking up and down through th e gears was a breeze. It takes little effort on the s hif t lever to reach the nex t cog an d neutral is easy to find while no t in motion. And to make things even better, the clu tch lever has a super-light pull and has decent feel. Our -Bandit only had 41 miles on the odometer when we got it , and the brakes reflected its newness. While both the front brake lever and rear foot pedal ha d plenty of resistance, the grip at both en ds left a lot to be desired - at first. But after a few good hard miles of nothing but tight switchbacks, the brakes began breaking in and started developing decent braking power. Even after putting over 1000 miles on our Bandit, the brakes are still gradually improving and getting stronger. The combination of good bottom and midrange power, low 31-inch seat height, the relaxed sealing position and its overall light weight, makes the Bandit an absolute blast in the twislies. It takes little effort to initiate the turns and th e wide handlebars offer good leverage. Even though you're not crunched up in your typical sportbike position on the Bandit, you can still crank it over pretty good through tight corners without having to scrub off much speed before entering the turns. In other words, thi s bike is very flickable. Okay, it might not get you from tum to turn as quickly as the RF600, but it can hang through the turns. The Bandit can also be ridden for long periods of time without leaving y ou in pain, a s we discovered after .... l-< c, ~ 27

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