At Last! Suzuki Shows A Bigger Bandit
AT LAST! SUZUKI SHOWS A BIGGER BANDIT
ROUNDUP
SUZUKI HAS made the motorcycle many riders have been asking for, but the new Bandit 600 may not make it to the U.S.
CW's European
sources say the Bandit is powered by an air-and-oil-cooled, 16valve engine based on the Katana 600 powerplant. There's a steel-tube frame, although it is not the semi-birdcage, perime ter-style unit that gave the dear, departed Bandit 400 much of its flair. The 400 neo-standard sold here from 199 1-93 and impressed us with its style and handling, but it was not a big seller.
No performance figures are available, but Japanese sources say the new Bandit's 598cc en gine has been retuned for more low-end torque. Minor motor changes include a quieter camchain tensioner. A non-ad justable 41mm conventional fork and twin 11.4-inch disc brakes are fitted up front. Sin gle-shock suspension and a disc brake of unknown size are used at the rear. Suzuki's claimed wet weight for the new Bandit is 434 pounds, less than 50 up on the 400 Bandit. There's been no word on the new Bandit's price, but expect the figure to be well below that of the 600cc hot-shots.
Cruisers have been among the best-selling motorcycles of late, and Suzuki is joining the other Japanese manufacturers in offering a small-displacement laid-back mount. Probably in tended only for Europe, the new Intruder appears to be very sim ilar to the 800cc version, with a 45-degree, 598cc engine based on that of its big brother.
While most of the Suzuki news out of Europe centers on 600cc motorcycles, fans of larger-displacement bikes haven't been forgotten. A lim ited-edition RF900R, the RS2, is expected for 1995, sporting new graphics and a fully ad justable fork.
1996 may bring more excite ment for big-engine enthusi asts. Suzuki will unleash a 1200cc "Super Bandit," ac cording to a Japanese source.
The Big Question? Will the new Suzukis come to the U.S. in 1995? "We have released
our entire 1995 lineup for the American market," says a Suzuki spokesman. How about a Bandit 600 in `96, then? "We don't know about 1996," was the response. -Robert Hough
