[john]

to get the power of the bird, you would be spending 800$ on an exhaust, 200$ on carb work, $200 on a cam (or 2 but then you lose torque) and maybe another 500 on either a 1216 kit or some headwork.



And then the suspension would still be sub par.



ask me how i know? it helps to have both to ride but the bandit is more FUN if not as fast.

 

[john]

Re: What about the 919?

you got it backwards. Although it came out first....the SV650 was what the majority of the people WANTED the TL-S to be, minus the displacement advantage. Thats why its so easy to switch out that funky rear suspension.

 

[9214]

Do you mean Blackbird or Bandit in your first sentence? Most birds dyno in at 135 to 140 rwhp-and I thought that the Bandit came in around 100rwhp stock. The bandit I rode (a buddy's) was a screamer off the line, a real Wheelie King, but the power crapped out around 7k rpms. This I could learn to live with, or fix as you mentioned. The suspension was slightly better on the 'bird, but non-adjustable, and not a real factor for me. The biggest reason I dropped the bandit from my short list was the frame-I've already got a prehistoric steel frame on my V65 Magna...why would I want TWO bikes with frames that wiggle more than the headliner in a strip club?

My opinion of the Bandit? Comfortable, and a great buy for the money with buckets of power/torque. My only real concern was that the engine was writing checks that the frame couldn't cash, at least with me riding it...



Of course, your mileage may vary.