I had a 1999 Bandit 1200S for many years. It was the last year of carburetors, and it was cold-blooded as hell. It also felt like a potato was jammed in the exhaust. Shortly after I rolled it out of the dealer and discovered this, I went online and bought a Holeshot Performance Stage 2 kit by Dale Walker with new jets, twin individual oval filters, a 5-degree ignition advancer, and a jet hot ceramic coated pipe with Holeshot Performance exhaust can/muffler. It was stunning how different the bike performed. I believe it was a 20 rear wheel increase in hp, and it ran perfectly from cold. It was all bolt-on and completely worth the money. Walker knows what he's doing, and I'm not alone in this opinion.

@@privateer0561 Holeshot is a fantastic company. I used them for my ZRX tuning. Even worth the money getting stuff imported from them into the UK.

Cool. I like it too. Recently I got the 650. Havent filmed it yet. Drop by bro, you may like my content. Cheers.

I´ve bought one two months ago and I´m in love with her...

bo440guitar oil cooled

@Gerry Cooney Air cooled, with an oil cooler

You're not kidding. I'm now riding a ZRX-1100. Just as awesome and old school.

The Lone Trader Is the ZRX Better or worse than the Bandit?

I got a 650 oil/air cooled one

Cheers man. I plan to restore this bandit to its former glory so there will be plenty of updates on it. I don't think there's enough attention on the old school bargains that are out there. First step is new renthals and headlight. Then I'll get some tuning done! Glad you like the vid. I've got GSR600 and a Zx6r A2p coming up.

+Adrian Maziarz I'll be resuming the videos soon as the seasons have finally started to turn. I've got plenty to do on the Bandit and a new sound recorder so it should sound even better than before. First up is a clutch upgrade and handlebar replacement. I have also just gotten hold of a lovely ZX12R and will be picking up a Triumph Sprint ST1050 so stay tuned for some new vids. I'm going to try keep things to 10-15 mins and refine the format a bit. There's a lot of butthurt people on the GSR-600 video so it should be interesting.

great review, wondering if i should get one, you convinced me friend. I'm not sure if I should get a mk1 or 2, but have been told to steer clear of '01 and '02 models due to the engine eating up oil issue. Would you recommended a particular model ? Cheers, Pierre from Québec

Hi again , 18 mouth on I still have my 1200 bandit s and still love it , I've changed the exhaust for a full system black widow , road legal, just right for the image, lol , belly pan crash bars, and progressive springs for the forks , the feeling after a ride stays with me for week until next weekend , yes it's a weekend toy and I love it , can't see myself selling it ,

Exactly. after this, Bandit were changed to liguid cooled smooth engine, with another 30KG

100% correct.I’m 60 yrs young & have been messing about with bikes all my life.Mainly 2 strokes from the 70s -Yamaha RD’s&Kawasaki triples.+ a fair few motocrosser’s ,CR500’s,Ktm’s etc. Just recently I found myself getting a bit bored with them-tired of being nearly shaken off them due to the old school near non existent suspension & the expansion pipe noise that I used to love finally got on my nerves. So I bought myself a 96 mk1 1200 with the usual mods-seat,pipe,motocross bars etc & I absolutely love it. Smooth,powerful & quick as f#ck if you want it to be.Comfortable & the handling & brakes are fantastic to me compared to the old stuff I’m used to.Also cheap as chips in comparison.I paid £1900,which is an absolute bargain compared to the 3 to 12k + the old strokers go for these days.

Michael Andrews Thanks. As an everyday road bike that is still fun it's hard to beat. I've not ridden the K1 but glad to know it still has it's mojo. The 1250 was a great bike but just seemed a bit to grown up haha. I've posted a new vid if you're interested: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rLNmY7h6yZ3JkX0.html

The Lone Trader ha. indeed.

craig wilson Thanks for your feedback. I aim to please. The next vid is up if you're interested: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rLNmY7h6yZ3JkX0.html

I thought the same about the drag comment. I share a garage with my pal who has a 1999 CBR600f and he certainly cannot outdrag me, ever! Great review though.

I fancy making a hardtail chop out of one, great machines.

I do my best!

Good find for sure!!

yishay83 Thanks. I really appreciate it. Next vid is up: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rLNmY7h6yZ3JkX0.html

+The Lone Trader Any more reviews in the future?

How has it cost you? They usually stand up to abuse pretty well.

The key to my heart.

thank you so much for that timemark! didn't count how often I used it

@@TheLoneTrader Hi whose exhaust have you got on your B12 ?

MrCimexman Also the bike has done ove r43000 miles and still runs sweetly

I hope it lives up to expectations

So true they can be dangerous but this is great for tempering feelings of invincibility.

I bought a 1250 6mths ago, and I love it. I've always had v-twins, and the smoothness of the in-line 4, the hugs gobs of usable torque, along with the upright riding position all have me hooked! Yes, it's not truly 'fast', but as a road bike, putting it through a nice set of corners just puts that big grin on your face. My commute is a 250km round trip on highway, with one really great section of mountain range to go down in the morning and then up in the afternoon. The Bandit is perfect for this. With peak torque only a couple of hundred revs above what she sits on at the speed limit, there's no need to drop down. Just keep it in 6th, check over the shoulder, wind the throttle on and enjoy the train-like pull!

m0untainm0ney I think it's ugliness is a part of it's beauty. I was a bit pissed off with the sound as the mics on my Zoom H4 get overloaded above 50mph or so. I'll have to look at other options I think. Although it certainly captured the feeling of riding it. As regards "future classic" talk haha: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iteirZBnyKrOgnU.html