I think I've been cramped up on sports bikes too long, because I absolutely love the comfort of the GSF1200! Just this Sunday, after a bacon and egg roll and flat white at Cafe Metz, I headed up the Goat Track. For those not in the know, it's a cracking little road full of hairpin bends that takes you up to North Tamborine. Great fun, up or down, whatever bike.
Fifty K's per hour is how fast I was going. Fifty K's!
I was more mellow than a bong-induced mellow guy from Mellowford, and happy to cruise. Until six or seven bikes flew past me like I was on a pushbike!
I took chase, but gave up when the front got a bit iffy in one of the bends. All good, back to Sunday morning cruising.
So what's this thing like day-to-day?
Honestly, it's blown me away. It's quick when you want it, happy to mooch around at snail's pace, just a cracking allrounder. I'm fixing up little things as I go, and making a list of things I want to do.
One thing that was niggling me since getting this thing running was the rev-counter... it wasn't counting the revs. I had two secondhand CDI units, it didn't work on either. I had continuity from the tacho (black/red), back to the CDI. I had 12v and a good earth at the tacho itself. So the tacho must be faulty? One would assume so. But to assume...
New Old Stock.
Secondhand rev-counters were going for around $150 on eBay, if you could find them. But then a NOS one came up for $300.
Oof, a bit steep for my liking. Maybe I could make do without one.
Then they reduced it to $200 (these things retail for around $800 from Suzuki) so I snapped it up. Bought some blue LED lights for the instruments too (3 x T5 and 2 x T10 sizes needed).
Investigation.
Wasn't much info about tachometers not working on Bandits. Seems they must be pretty reliable. The talk online was that all Mk1 Bandits could use any CDI so long as the multiplugs were the same, and these are the ones with an eight and four-pin plug. I'd only been able to get hold of the later part number, and although the bike runs perfectly, there is actually a difference from around 2001 (maybe where the clocks change?).
Part numbers for the CDI's are as follows:
Early Mk1 1200 Bandit
Suzuki # 32900-27E10
Denso # 131800-6730
Later Mk1 1200 Bandit
Suzuki # 32900-31F40
Denso # 131800-7640
I had a wiring diagram for the early version, but not the later, and there didn't seem to be much info on that one. Bugger. So I checked out secondhand looms on eBay and found a picture of the multiplug on the late model. It doesn't have the black/red wire — that pin in the multiplug is left empty! Problem almost solved.
Eventually found out from an old forum post that the tachometer on the late model takes its signal direct from the black/yellow wire feeding the coil for cylinders 2 and 3.
Could it be that easy?
A quick probe of the wires coming out of the CDI unit confirmed it. By joining the black/yellow to the black/red in the wiring loom, the rev-counter now worked a charm!
I used a Scotchlok (oh the shame) only because it was very quick, simple and easily removed if need be.
And just like that, everything was working. Mmm...
My next issue.
My front paddock stand wouldn't fit the bottom of the forks safely. It would lift the bike, but then the brackets would twist slightly on the bottom of the forks and made it unsafe. I considered making new attachments for my paddock stand but that still left the problem of the forks not being able to be taken out.
A stand to fit in where the centre stand fitted might work though...
That way I could also change over the rear shock, grease/replace all bearings and give the suspension a once over.
Out came the scrap metal, and ended up with this. I can't put 10mm bolts in due to the exhaust being in the way on the righthand side, though a 1/4" drive extension slots right through both mounts from the lefthand side. With the bridge welded in too, most of the weight of the frame is transferred through that and not the 1/4" drive extension. Boom!
The next tasks on my list are to change the shock over for the GSXR1000K8 version. While I'm in there I'll inspect/grease/change the swingarm and linkage bearings.
For the front I want to change the wheel bearings, swap the tyre back to a 120/70 (120/60 fitted), and change the fork oil. Maybe springs too, if the fork oil doesn't improve things.
Then the old Bandit should hustle with the best of them.
Just to add.
Took it for a good blast last night and the tacho works perfectly all the way up to 4,000RPM. Then it goes nuts, swinging around everywhere! It could well be a flux capacitor issue when the bike goes into warp drive. If that's not it, I'm guessing interference from the coils (wonder if they damp or shield that circuit in the original CDI). Next time the tank is off I'll take a feed from that part of the loom and see if it helps.
Before you ask, it's the same on both tacho's because I swapped them over when I got home. The joys of diagnostics on older vehicles. 😜
More soon...
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