Tony Nitrous

Every now and then I look at the Mk 1 Bandit in the back of the shed gathering dust and get these stupid visions of a yellow DR1200. Where I live there are endless mile after mile of fire trails and forestry roads.

My answer to most questions in life is normally “Hayabusa”. I’m a self confessed fan-boi, had several, currently using 4 and I love ‘em! Tough motors, noticeably more torque than a 1000, unmatched potential, ridiculous amount of mods and go faster kit. ….. but….. if I had a 600 srad roller roller I think I’d be looking at a 750 motor for a quick fix or a 1000 for hyper build personaly. To me Busa lumps are like GSX1400 ones, much as I really like them they are big, both in weight and dimensions, which means the benefits come at a price. Not that Busa motors won’t fit anything if you’re keen though….

I know where there’s a 600/750 with an intercooled turbo Hayabusa engine. I’ve been out on a trip down South with him. It was a lot of work and some serious surgery. Busa motors are always in demand and never cheap, I much prefer the later 1340’s to the earlier 1299’s, not just the size, but newer, no weak 2nd gear, smarter ECU and other upgrades.

It’s very popular to see the Toxic 6 plops removed and 4’s fitted. I have two bikes here with them, and when they need any maintenance they’ll go in the bin. Folk regularly tell me they just need regular maintenance and a bit of love, but I’ve had them on brand new bikes and in my opinion they are average on a good day.

Wheel is a 17 x 3.00 Discs are 290mm

That makes a lot of sense, and directly related to why the latest class dominating Pro Stock bikes in the US are now running full aftermarket billet motors / cases etc. There’s never been a better normally aspirated engine than the 1135E but they were just consuming too many new and used 40 year old parts. Theres only so many out there. The rules let them change to a full aftermarket engine because of how close to the original design it was.

Thanks. I was thinking it was, I just wasn’t 100% if there was something else with the same front end I’d forgotten about. Thanks.

# I have a heap of early GSX11 snowflake wheels, as already mentioned, mine are all 17 x 2.50. # One of my 11’s has wider rims, 18 x. 4.25 rear. It’s wearing a 160/60-18 tyre, It fits, but it’s tight. # What you will do well to learn and remember is tyre sizes are not the exact science some folk think they are. I can find you 3 tyres in the same “size” that are different in reality. Some manufacturers sizes may be different to others. My 11 with the wire wheels takes some 160’s but not others.

They are out there! We had a shop open up in the nearest city. All bike aftermarket bling and accessories. I rolled up on my naked Busa, Renthals, German Streetfighter headlight, GSXR tail. The owner looked for a while before asking…. “Which model of TL1000 is it?” That shop didn’t last long.

Mines been sitting gathering dust in the back of one of my sheds for a while with some of the other unloved. I always had the thought that maybe I’d break it for parts. In reality, I probably won’t. If I part it out, then I wouldn’t have a Bandit, so I’d have to buy another one obviously!

That’s what I expected to hear. The turbo guys near me don’t run oil coolers or the Mocal coolers. They run in the city traffic, at the drags etc in Aussie summer heat. It’s a common mod and I’ve never heard folk talk of having a drama.

In my parts collecting and hoarding, I picked up some front end bits. Pretty sure they aren’t off anything I’ve ever owned. I’m thinking RF900 ? Is there any easy way to tell or anything that makes them specifically RF900 ?

I did my time on Bandits when they were the “new thing”, put nitrous on one, then I moved on to modern, faster, more powerful, better handling bikes… .…… then I bought another old Mk-1. I’ve always found them a lot more fun than the specs and comparison to other bikes would suggest, with the added bonus they (like many OSS’s) are just big boys Meccano.

In my case I have a good condition Yoshimura Cyclone full system available and Slabside and Bandit projects. Had it been an easy fit it’d be useful info for me.