Don's New Ride

Don-STOC237

STealer
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Messages
630
Age
76
Location
Western Nevada
Bike
Suzuki GSX1250FA-ST
STOC #
237
So, I've been looking around for awhile for a new ride, since the DL1000 has about 60,000 odd miles on it and I decided since I high-sided a few years ago and busted my rotator cuff that I really am too old to be a dirt rider type guy, especially with heavy bikes. I also had the DL650, but really wanted to get back to a road bike.

However, I love the lighter weight of the DL1000 and the handling, but not the behavior in the wind. And, I'm a poor retiree on a fixed income, so a lot of the high-end bikes are out of the question financially.

After a lot of research and a good deal of soul-searching, I finally settled on what I think is the perfect bike for me, at least for now. I've been looking around for a lightly used, reasonably priced one for some time, and finally located one that wasn't at the other end of the earth. A dealer had my bike over in Jeff Bertrand country, Ventura California. So, this last week I've been having a series of phone conversations with them, and made a deal. I rode down there on Friday and took a two-day trip back with my new baby. And here it is, my first look outside of a Cycletrader website picture.



The 2011 Suzuki GSX1250FA ST

This bike had 5280 miles on it when I bought it. The guy who bought it was just getting into sport touring, and bought it for a starter bike, took one long trip on it, then traded it for an almost new FJR.

The FA was the replacement for the 1200 Bandit, and was made for 2009, 2010 and 2011. A few were also brought in for 2012, but not many. There are still "new old stock" 2011's in dealers. This bike occupies a grey zone between sport bike and touring bikes, making it, at least IMO, a great sport-touring bike that is a nudge more on the sport side.

It's almost identical in weight to my DL1000 at about 585 lbs. , but the COG must be a good foot lower due to that big four-cylinder brick sitting close to the ground. Due to it's 17 inch sport-bike wheels, I can actually flat-foot this bike at stops, the first time that has happened since, I think, my old Honda CL350, and that's a long time ago.

This particular FA has the "ST" package, which is basically the Suzuki-branded side-bags and topcase, made by Givi. It also had some owner farkles, including an aftermarket windscreen, some funky Kuriakan grips, a cramp-buster, two-inch handlebar risers, and some adapters to move the passenger footpegs down and forward of the rider pegs, making highway pegs. More about those later.

I traded the "wife's" VSTrom DL650 in on it to the dealer, and will be prepping my DL1000 for sale, transferring a lot of the farkles to the new bike. So I'll be down to just the FA and my to-be-restored Vespa 185 SS.

Had a great trip to pick up the bike at the dealer in Ventura CA. Left Friday late morning after a shaky start. The battery on the DL650 was toast, so after a bit of troubleshooting (my "smart" battery charger said the battery was fully charged when in fact, it was deader than a doornail) I bought a brand new Yuasa and installed it, then got on the road. I took the fast route down US395, CA14 across the Mojave desert (about 110F) charging my Marsee cooling vest twice on the way, and got into Ventura about an hour after the dealer closed. After paying the exorbitant hotel rates (in Ventura, just double the expected rate and you're close) for a ****ty room at the La Quinta, I hooked up with Jeff Bertrand. He picked me up at the hotel and, after an oh-so-cool ride in his new Mustang hottie, had dinner downtown, accompianied by a couple of outstanding local IPA's.

Next morning, I was up several hours early, and finally the dealership opened. After the usual inspections, and an hour or so of paperwork, etc, the dealer gave me what I wanted for my pristine DL650, the deal was done, and I strapped my bag on it and left the dealership on my new ride. I made a stop at Jeff's house, a couple miles from the dealer, then hit the road toward home.

In Ventura, I picked up CA33, which is an awesome road after some miles of semi-urbanity. I stopped to call the spouse and turn on my spot tracker, and to take a picture for her of some horses along the road.



I had a fabulous ride up CA33, then took a wrong turn after getting fuel and ended up on CA99 freeway. Hot, long and fast, at least 99 proved to me the roadworthiness of this bike as a freeway tourer. At 70 mph, it's barely turning 4000 rpm, redline is 9500. In 6th gear roll-ons, from 70 up to 95 mph are almost instantaneous - head-snapping power. No downshifts needed for high-speed passes, it just goes like stink. I'm impressed.

After a very very hot couple of hours on 99, I landed in Fresno for the evening, snagging a Hotels.com deal that made the motel price almost fair.

This morning, up early and on the CA41, headed toward Yosemite. Breakfast at "Bob's Eggs and Things" in Oakhurst. Good breakfast, and a few FB updates. Then on to Yosemite. The twisties going into the park re-affirmed once again that this bike is more sport than touring, but it does both really well. A picture stop at "Tunnel View," an elevated view of Yosemite Valley after you come through a long tunnel on CA41.



And, of course, a couple of obligatory "new bike beauty shots" at Tunnel View...





And, of course, the money shot of Half Dome in Yosemite Valley, before I turned to go out.....

http://www.st-riders.net/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/pic7~0.jpg

From Yosemite, I went out CA140 toward Merced, mainly because I'd never ridden that road before. Awesome, just mile after mile of fabulous sweepers.

Then I turn north onto CA49 toward Sonora. CA49 south of Sonora is a fabulous twisty run, up and down a few mountain ranges, too much fun! I stopped at an overlook where a sport bike club from Modesto was rehashing their run. Chatted a couple of guys a little - let them leave before me so they wouldn't have to pass me.



After that, no more pics. I went up to Sonora and noticed that there was a lot of heavy weather in the Sierras. I reasoned that if there was lightning, I'd rather be on Ebbetts Pass, which is below the tree line thus has many big trees at all levels, rather than Sonora Pass, which is exposed. So, I headed over to CA4.

I stopped in Arnold to fuel up with a Subway before hitting the rain. A few miles up the road, the sprinkling started. I stopped and, not having with me any liners for my Tourmaster mesh jacket (hey, I expected hot and sunny, not cold and rainy), I pulled over and decided the best I could do was to put on my Marsee cooling vest under my jacket.

In case you're puzzled, remember that the Marsee has a water-proof liner that normally goes against your body to prevent water from contacting your body. Since I had dried out the vest overnight, I just turned it inside out, putting the water-resistant liner out. It helped a lot, without that I probably would have gone hypothermic.

So, the sprinkles quickly turned to light rain, then heavy rain, and well before I got to Bear Valley it was a downpour. Of course it got colder as the altitude increased. The storms also washed lots of branches, ground-up wood pieces, and all kinds of other tree crap onto the road. At one point I passed a CHPS officer clearing branches off the road. So I had to navigate a lot of crap as well as water running across the road.

The heavy rain continued all the way over the Sierras, turning to light rain over Monitor pass, then dry on the east side of Monitor but with really high winds coming off the mountains. I got home around 4 p.m. and after changing and unpacking, mixed a good strong cocktail to warm up with.

OK, so first impressions of the FA -----

I LOVE THIS BIKE! It has gobs of torque, it's light, it's responsive, it's someplace between an ST1300 and a GSX R1 in handling. It has a lot less protection than an ST, about the same or less than the Vee.

And, it just plain goes like stink...

The bike is incredibly stable in high winds, passing trux, side winds, etc. Much more stable than the Vee, which was horrible, or my ST1100's which were almost as bad. Probably due to the really low low COG and the lower profile provided by the 17 inch wheels.

The stock seat really really sux. Even with my Alaska Leathers butt pad on it, my *** hurts like hell.

The PO did some strange farkles - He took the passenger pegs off and with the help of some special adapters, made them into rider highway pegs (see pictures 1 and 2). These are a bit nice, but I did manage to bottom the left one during a steep turn on CA49 - it snapped up rather disconcertingly - not sure I need those, but we'll see.

I think I'm going to research windscreens - there is a higher touring screen on there, but not sure I like it - there may be an MRA with a lip in my future.

The Kuriakan grips with no bar-end weights will be leaving in favor of my standard setup of BMW sport grips and heavy bar-end weights.

I'm thinking of putting DL650 hand-guards on the FA to provide some hand protection - now the only protection comes from the mirror airflow.

Grip heaters - nuff said. And of course, my BMW outlets, voltage meters, and my Starcom setup will be moved from the Vee.

Anyway, there it is, what I did with my weekend. :grin:
 

v8-7

Site Supporter
Joined
Jul 13, 2010
Messages
1,188
Location
Bradenton, Fl
Congrats on your new bike .

I have been looking at the FA also and found that Madstad is now making a taller windscreen that may work for you
or perhaps give you ideas to improve on the existing .

http://www.madstad.com/s.nl/sc.7/category.4123/.f

One of the things holding me to the St1300 is the weather protection so let me know if you manage to improve the FA in that regard .

Stan
 
Joined
Sep 18, 2012
Messages
343
Age
75
Location
Central Florida - Orlando area
Bike
ST1300/GSX1300R
It's a nice bike. I looked at one when I bought my Hayabusa, and went with the busa. If I had gotten that one, I probably wouldn't have the ST now.
Suzuki makes a great in-line 4!!
It's about bullet-proof too.
Congratulations !!!
 

970mike

Mike Brown
Site Supporter
Joined
May 6, 2008
Messages
6,167
Age
66
Location
Lompoc, California
Bike
07 & 12 ST1300A
SPOT
LINK
STOC #
8057
That is a great looking new ride Don. Enjoy it and keep us posted on what you change on it. Sounds like a good trip you had to pick it up.
 

OhioDeere

Been There, Done That, Got the Shirt.
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
658
Location
Lima, Ohio
Bike
06 ST1300
That is a nice looking bike. I may have to look into this further. Nice write up also
 
Joined
Dec 23, 2004
Messages
86
Age
82
Location
Moore, OK
Bike
2019 BMW R1250gs
STOC #
090
Nice find Don,

I think the ST versions are hard to find. I looked for some time a couple of years ago.

John W
ST090
 

VFR

"Uncle Larry"
Joined
Jun 23, 2006
Messages
1,072
Location
Idaho for good, no mo Cal
Nice choice, Don. Those are fine bikes with plenty of punch. I would have to pull the risers off & drop the bars a couple of inches...
 
Joined
Dec 12, 2004
Messages
1,282
Age
76
Location
Weatherford, TX
Bike
'16 Versys 650LT
STOC #
1134
Hey Don, congrats on the new Bandit FA.

I had an '09 Bandit that I had to sell back in March. Really hated to do it but due to the ravages of time on my body and the new ergonomics it demanded, I had to let it go to a new home. It was nice having a relatively light bike that "goes like stink" as you so accurately put it.

You probably already know about this but good resources for Bandit info are Maximum-Suzuki and Two Wheeled Texans.

There are some really knowledgeable folks on Max-Suzuki. Of special note are a couple of vendors, Dale Walker of "Holeshot" fame and Scott Brown of "Metrik Metal".

Farkles:

I had Rox 2" risers on mine. Of course, the minute I put the risers on it changed my position which required that I put a V-Stream touring windscreen on. A picture of both items can be seen HERE along with all my other additions.

Here are a couple of threads that may give you some ideas for farkling. These mods were done on the 1250S and not the 1250FA but they are essentially the same bike with the exception of the more encompassing fairings, headlight, and a few other minor things:

1. Installation of Rox Risers on TWTex by achesley (he did a lot of cross continental touring on his Bandit a did some good write-ups).

2. Installation of electrical farkles I did on my Bandit.
 
Top Bottom