“I came late to biking, having had a CBT as a 50th birthday present, from there I was hooked, opted for DAS within 4 months and had a full licence 1 month after that. My big bike experience is therefore limited, but having trained on an ER6-F and an XJ6 I test rode the Bandit with the ink barely dry on my full licence. The Bandit was the one I felt most comfortable on. Fast enough and forgiving enough for post licence learning. Mine is an 08 it had 18k on the clock when I bought it, now has 28k having ridden in all weathers, wind, rain, hail, snow, sun, fog, freezing and sweltering temperatures. The bike does all I ask, starts first time everytime, and I love it. I learned quickly, having a bike is not just riding, its about maintenance too. The Bandit is easy to work on, chain adjust is quick, oil and filter change with minimal loss of knuckles. Downsides are the weight, at nearly quarter of a tonne fully wet, but once moving you don't even notice. General finish can be an issue if ridden through winter, however a liberal coating of ACF50, or similar, before the gritters appear seems to hold back potential corrosion. I would recommend fitting a rad guard, fender extender, and better quality brake pads, oh and get rid of the stock end can, there are some good cheap alternatives out there that look and sound way better. In summary I can't fault it, they call it the "Blandit", but 0 - 60 is sub 4 seconds, top is 130, (allegedly!), handles predictably, does all you ask of it and will keep up with many higher capacity bikes. If you are new to biking, or just want a do anything low maintenance machine that still puts a firm grin inside your helmet try one for yourself. I would buy one again without a doubt.”
“First proper bike and still love it after 3 years. Took advice from various websites and bikers who all said it was a bloody good place to start. When the time comes, I shall consider something physically smaller.”
