SUZUKI GSF650 BANDIT (2005 - 2006) Review

Version: S

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £80

Old school compared to newer bikes but a good all round every day bike and fairly good on fuel. Bit miffed the road tax is now £101 a year as that’s also the same as my now defunct 1250. I’d say get the newest model you can afford if you’re after a bandit 650 and one with abs if you can.

Buying experience: Was advertised at £2000, Paid £1900 but bike is immaculate and full service history, bought privately and kindly delivered as well.

Version: S ABS

Year: 2006

Annual servicing cost: £125

That good I’ve had two of them! Picked up an 06 Bandit S (ABS) model and put 4000 miles on it with no issues (apart from consumables/routine maintenance) after getting my direct access licence. Returned to biking in 2022 and I’ve picked up another 06 model Badit S (ABS) and 1000 miles in so far. Provided it’s been looked after it’s a reliable novice friendly bike and one of the cheapest bikes available with ABS. Forgives mistakes and really entertaining - a top first big bike!

Buying experience: Dealer both times 1st one in 2021 a 2006 with 27k miles 1 year MOT serviced one month warranty for £2390 Current one in 2022 2006 with 21k miles 1 year MOT serviced three month warranty for £1999 Good peace of mind with both

Version: Gsf650s

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £150

This is a good size ergonomically, it's comfy, at 5'9" I can flat foot when stationary. The bike is very stable at motorway speeds and the half fairing really helps with the wind.

Version: SA ABS

Year: 2006

Gave it a 5. It does exactly what I bought it for, to use all year round and have a bit of fun with it

Buying experience: Second hand from a dealer

An easy bike. I just bought this and it's my ninth one. Needs a lot of revs at highways, but is very agile at town. Suspension is a bit wobblin compared to previous bikes. (R1100S, VTR1000F, Versys...)

MCN guys sure got this one wrong my friends. Bought my 05-06 faired bandit with 3k miles on the clock couple months back. I am loving it very much. Very nice smooth engine, and with a beowulf can fitted, it sounds super sweet. 30mph in sixth gear spins at 2100rpm, 40 at 3000rpm, and 60 at 5000rpm, 80 about 6800rpm. Accelerate nicely from 30 to 80 in sixth gear, nice amount of torque. When accelerating in lower gears, very smooth delivery from 3000-8000rpm, then you feel the kick from the engine. Not a big kick like on a gsxr but just enough to put a big smile on your face without killing you. only down side is the bike is way too heavy. With a full tank, it weights about 240 kg. at speed, it's easy enough to handle though and i got my knee down the other day at roundabout so it's ok once you get used to it. I have fitted Oxford LED indicators front and rear, and let me tell you, they are such a pain to fit on. The connectors from the Oxford LEDs are totally different from the factory lights. So i had to cut the wires and connect them together manually. Had to use superglue to glue the LED on to the indicator holders as there just wasn't any other way to stick it on the bike. Overall, as my second bike, it's very nice looking and makes nice noise. very nice fuel economy(5 blocks of fuel, 180 miles till the last block starts to flash meaning you almost at reserve). Mine is ABS model and it does work. I had to break hard once at 80mph and i can feel the abs kicking in to stop wheel locking.

MCN guys sure got this one wrong my friends. Bought my 05-06 faired bandit couple months back. I am loving it very much. Very nice smooth engine, and with a beowulf can fitted, it sounds super sweet. 30mph in sixth gear spins at 2100rpm, 40 at 3000rpm, and 60 at 5000rpm, 80 about 6800rpm. Accelerate nicely from 30 to 80 in sixth gear, nice amount of torque. When accelerating in lower gears, very smooth delivery from 3000-8000rpm, then you feel the kick from the engine. Not a big kick like on a gsxr but just enough to put a big smile on your face without killing you. only down side is the bike is way too heavy. With a full tank, it weights about 240 kg. at speed, it's easy enough to handle though and i got my knee down the other day at roundabout so it's ok once you get used to it. I have fitted Oxford LED indicators front and rear, and let me tell you, they are such a pain to fit on. The connectors from the Oxford LEDs are totally different from the factory lights. So i had to cut the wires and connect them together manually. Had to use superglue to glue the LED on to the indicator holders as there just wasn't any other way to stick it on the bike. Overall, as my second bike, it's very nice looking and makes nice noise. very nice fuel economy(5 blocks of fuel, 180 miles till the last block starts to flash meaning you almost at reserve). Mine is ABS model and it does work. I had to break hard once at 80mph and i can feel the abs kicking in to stop wheel locking.

I don't know what bike the MCN guys were riding, but I don't agree with much of what they say. If you're looking for a cutting edge crotch rocket to use on the racing circuit, then you're looking at the wrong bike. If you're looking at something that is a blast to ride, easy on the eyes and wallet, then this is bike for you. I just picked up a gently used '06 Bandit. 5100 kms on the clock, and I didn't realize it wasn't a new bike until the saleman pointed out it was a used one. In beautiful condition. Obviously well cared for by the original owner. I'm rather advanced in age to be buying my first sportbike, but maybe it is a case of midlife crisis or middle age crazy...call it what you will. I've been riding for over 20 years, and must admit I am glad the whole sportbike thing didn't appeal to me when I was younger. I'm sure I'd have died in the 80's. It is hard to be sensible when riding something this fun. It seems well put together, goes like stink, and is pretty comfortable to ride, even for an old fart with a bad back. I'm not quite ready to give up Harley quite yet, but I certainly have a new daily commuter! BTW...I'm 6' even and weight a touch over 250 lbs, so I'm not exactly a flyweight. This bike hauls my big meat locker around with little problem, so unless you're Andre The Giant's twin brother, this bike should fit you.

Had this bike now 12 months covered 9000 miles ride it every day (sold the car )longest trip 650 miles driven in rain ,snow shine .With me and the Mrs on there's not much change out of 30 stone I'm 6 foot. I've never felt that i needed more power always been able to over take any car I've wanted to it handles pretty good and is fun to ride ,sometimes hard to stay in speed limit your doing 80 with out realising it.On long trips we stop every 120 miles or so to stretch our legs and fill up ,it does get painful if I ride for much longer.I'm very happy with it ,But...It could do with higher screen and when I ride with summer gloves on after 20 minutes my fingers start to go numb . I dont think i have ever had less than 50 to the gallon.Over all good every day bike and good touring bike as long as you have regular stops

I bought this bike new after I passed my direct access. I got the candy blue one which i think is the best. Although it was hard to decide between the black. I was never looking at a new bike - looking at a 2001 naked bandit 600 which was going for £2100. Only with advice from the old man and 0% finance made much more sence. I dropped it on the way to the first service at 600 miles. Very lucky, very little damage. just scratched the engine casings and new indicator. No faults to report with anything really. As a first bike and my lack of experience I think it is a brilliant bike. Its comfy, cheap and goes fast enough. Its no sports bike but it still goes around bends good enough to scrape your boots and it will sit on the motorway all day (as a trip to france proved). The fairing screen is a little low but its good enough, and theres plenty of aftermarket ones about. Dont listen to the road tests they arent your everyday bandit riders...if you want a cheap and cheerful bike for commuting every day, something for a newbie (like me) or even someone returning to biking the GSF650 SA is in my oppinion is GREAT. I've put a aftermarket can on because the standard one is FAR to quiet (but thats not a bad thing really) and I do recomend a Oil Cooler cover because the fins dent and bend really easy. There are better bikes out there, but value for money i think you cant go wrong.

I purchased this bike new in 06 having ridden 29K+ the bike has had an oil cooler replaced, clutch cover replaced, rear brake disc replaced, 1 electrical short behind the front light and it has broken down again with another electrical fault. The bike has cost a small fortune in servicing. not a bad first bike, I get about 150 to 200 miles to a tank. Finish has seen better days resale value is about 1K for an 18 month old bike. Would I buy another maybe.

I bought this to get back to bikes after 12 years and to use every day so it is no dry-only weekend prima-donna. Compared to anything else I've ever owned its a pretty good bike for the money. I had to to raise the seat though. It's reliable, fast enough and easy to ride.

well i have owned ten bikes in 20 years but this 650bandit is so far the best bike i have owned and intend to keep it even if i get a new 1250S, easy handling, good controls, cheap ins and parts aplenty dont knock them until you tried one!

I see the Bandit gets a general poor review from MCN. Dont let that put you off this excellent bike, read what 'proper' owners say. My bike has been completly reliable, fun to ride and feels like aproper big bike. Still looks like new 12 months on and several thousand miles later. No rust, no defects to date and seems to get smoother and faster with every mile i put on it. A hard act to follow for VALUE for money.

I bought this bike to get back into biking, and have found it to be a much better bike than I expected. Most of my riding is done two up and it copes brilliantly, It does not require endless gear changes to make good progress. It is a very comfy bike as a 6hr trip to Ireland confirmed, although I found side winds a bit of a problem. Ive also found that the engine is very willing to rev and results in great performance. So pleased am I with this bike I dont plan on changing it anytime soon. Strengths: Smooth power delivery right through the rev range, ease of handling and novice freindly brakes. Weaknesses: Finish - the paint is too thin and all to easy to scratch.

Had this bike for 3 months now and its fun every time I take it out. The engine has more than enough power to put a grin on your face at the weekend but enough low down pulling power to make the daily commute a pleasure. My fun riding, round the somerset lanes, realy shows the bikes handling to its full and the extra 56cc gives enough power through out the rev range to make town / city riding less of a pain. Strengths: Good power through out the rev range. Taller than the average bike of its type, ideal if you are 6 foot. Good looking and easy to clean. Weaknesses: Build quality not as good as some. Not easy to change the headlight bulb.

I use my bandit to commute to work on, every day 12 mths of the year. I've owned a few bikes over the years from bmw to Honda's and this is the first bike I have not wanted to sell within 6 mths of having it. after a week of doing a 50 mile round trip to work it still come up tops for a blast on a Sunday morning. Strengths: Engine, it has the extra grunt compare to the old bandit for easier overtaking. Weaknesses: Finish, bit and bobs are starting to look a bit naff even after careful cleaning.

My review is slightly biased because this is my first bike since passing my test. I think the bandit is a great 1st bike, especially the 650...not too small and not too big...that said, it looks and sounds big. Great styling and comfort. The 656cc engine can easily deliver its full potential when you feel the need. Get your head down to the windscreen and it's stunning. Strengths: Ease of handling, great looks (especially in silver!). Weaknesses: Clutch is not the easiest. Finding neutral is an effort sometimes unless it's just me!

The press has an in-built bias against this type of bike. I need a bike that I can ride EVERY day, that can take some luggage, and is easy to maintain, while still being able to smoke any car that costs less than £100,000. This can! It easily lives with Fazers and Hornets unless they are piloted by nutters. Don't get me wrong, if I could afford 2 bikes I would have an R6 for the weekend, but the Bandit still puts a grin on my face every day. Strengths: More than enough power for most, bulletproof, cheap to maintain. Weaknesses: Could do with losing 20kg.