[mrknight411]

The B-King is claimed to be the naked version of the Hayabusa. It's categorized as a standard, naked bike, but does that make the B-King the luxury version in the Bandit 1250 class? Is it built for touring, such as the Bandit 1250S?

 

[Oldbutslow]

I claim the opposite is true; the Bandit is a luxo-cruiser versus the B-King. I cruised many miles on my old Z1000, but fighting the wind drove me to the Bandit (of which I'm extremely happy with). Before you go off buying a B-King for cruising, I'd make sure that you can get a screen big enough to fight the wind. Even with that said, the B-King is still a massive bike in both styling and reality. Owners of the B-King probably have one of the most misunderstood bikes on the market, but the market definitely spoke when the bike never sold. ,BK

 

[mrknight411]

... Even with that said, the B-King is still a massive bike in both styling and reality. Owners of the B-King probably have one of the most misunderstood bikes on the market, but the market definitely spoke when the bike never sold. ,BK

It's going to take a lot more than mere impulse to seperate me from my purchase of the Bandit. I'm waiting for my Bandit to be serviced by the recall, but in the meantime I noticed the same dealership selling a used, performance tuned B-King for the same price as a new 09 Bandit ABS. It definitely peaked my interest.

There were a few things that stuck out on the B-King that ditracts it from being a touring bike. One obvious awkward facet of the bike is its tank. The ignition switch on the B-King is placed on the tank. I imagine that this setup makes it rather awkward to travel with a tank bag. Along with the placement of the ignition switch, the shape of the tank itself would require a special kind of tank bag to fit perfectly, which limits the plethora of aftermarket bags. And like you've mentioned, no windshield!

I don't understand your last statement, or what I quoted above. "massive bike in both styling and reality?" The B-King is definitely stylish, which is just fugly in this case, but not sure what you meant about being massing in reality. As for actual weight, the B-King weighs slightly less than the Bandit. Go figure.

The market definitely spoke and Suzuki suffered for its investment in the B-King. However, I'm not ruling it out. The newer models are more aesthetically pleasing for supersport, which should attract better sales. It might not be as tourific (I know, corny) as the Bandit, but it's definitely has potential to one day be the B(andit)-King of the road.

 

[Oldbutslow]

What I meant in massive styling and reality is that it is a big, overly styled bike. You mentioned the tank, but don't forget about those laser-gun exhausts. Weight-wise, having your sporty naked weigh as much as a dedicated sport-tourer won't win many votes. In closing, I'm always encouraged when a B-King, Rune, W650, etc. comes to the market. They might not be commercial successes, but it's always good to dream. ,BK

 

[Suzooker]

I reject the B-King on looks alone. That bike is just plain ugly. The Bandit on the other hand is a very attractive motorcycle...

 

[T-Meanie]

I owned a '99 bandit 12, the green one in the '99 bandit post. The B-king you must keep in mind is a handful if you twist the throttle....it has gobs more HP and torque than a stock bandit and will leave the latter in a blur. The king was intended to be a high performance alternative to the busa as a naked street fighter and does handle superbly in the turns, quicker than snot and very fast....not for a novice. It is, however, civil if you switch the king to the lower power modes on the bar-mounted selector switch. Compared to the mighty 'busa, the king which essentially has the same motor, is less peaky, and tuned for more low-end torque. The bandit 1250s comes with about 98 rear wheel hp, while the B-king comes with 161 on the back wheel. A notably huge difference. The bandit has great street power and torque and if you want to get more out of one with a minimum of investment, contact Dale Walker in Ca. at holeshot.com ....he is a bandit engine tweaker specialist and has a kit available for all bandits, old and new. By now there should be some kind of afermarket fairing available for the mighty king. I did love the wind protection provided from my '99 half faired bandit 12.

 

[cajunhog]

I own a B-King, have never owned a Bandit. From a set up stand point the Bandit is much more adaptive to being a touring machine... mostly due to accessories available to make it a tourer. The B-King on the other hand there are only one or two manufactuers to add luggage. Now with that being said which isn't that much. The B-King is hands down the most fun motorcycle I have ever ridden & I have been riding for about 30 years. It is big in the front, but the wideness is cosmetic & does not add weight. It is very balanced & handles very well albeit , at my age I do not go around dragging my knees. Just my humble opinion. The Bandit is an awesome versatile machine, but with a little extra work the B-King can be turned into the Touring Bike from Hades! The performance is comparable to none in its class... if it has a class.

 

[Vegas Chinois]

Hey Bro-I got a Bandit 1200-can I put bags on it?? Hard Bags would be awesome!! Thanks!