Alright, so I got this Suzuki 1200 Bandit, the 2001 model. It was a beast, but not without its quirks. I remember picking it up and thinking, “This is gonna be a project.” And boy, was it.
First off, I started by giving it a good once-over. Checked the oil, the tires, the whole nine yards. This bike had been sitting for a while, so I knew there’d be some gunk to clean out. I drained the old oil, and let me tell you, it was like tar coming out. Not a good sign.
Next up, I tackled the fuel system. I had a hunch that the carbs were going to be a mess, and I was right. They were all gummed up. I took them apart, piece by piece, and soaked them in cleaner. While I was at it, I checked the fuel lines too. Sure enough, they were clogged. Nothing a little bit of seafoam can’t fix. I ran some through the tank to clear things out.
Then came the spark plugs. I pulled them out, and they were pretty worn. I also noticed some weirdness with the ignition timing – it seemed off. So, I replaced the plugs and adjusted the timing. I also checked the valve springs ’cause I heard they could be a problem, but they seemed okay.
After that, I moved on to the gearbox. Sometimes it just wouldn’t shift right. I did a low-buck shock swap, and that seemed to help a bit. But it wasn’t perfect.
- Drained the old, gunky oil.
- Cleaned out the carburetor.
- Replaced the old spark plugs.
- Adjusted the ignition timing.
- Checked the valve timing and springs.
- Did a low-buck shock swap for the gearbox.
I put everything back together and fired it up. It started, but it was still running rough. I was scratching my head, trying to figure out what I missed. Then it hit me – the air filter! I hadn’t even looked at it. I opened it up, and it was filthy. I cleaned it out, and that made a huge difference. The bike was running smoother, but still not quite right.
At that time I also noticed the bike was burning oil like crazy. I did some digging around online, found some forums with people who had the same issue. Seemed like it was a common problem with these older models.
Getting the bike running smoothly took a lot of time and elbow grease. I learned a ton along the way, and it was a pretty rewarding experience. Even though the Bandit had its issues, it was a blast to ride once I got it sorted.
So that’s my story with the 2001 Suzuki 1200 Bandit. It was a challenge, but a fun one. These old bikes have a lot of character, you know? You just gotta be ready to get your hands dirty.
