GSF1250 Bandit starter problem

I had been away on holiday for 3 weeks and despite the battery being on an Oxford Oximiser, on trying to start the bike it wouldn't turn over. I replaced the battery with a Motobatt and it started immediately, so I went for a 2 hour ride the next day.  The battery was fully charged when I left but I noticed on the ride it was getting sluggish turning over and by the time I got home it would not start at all.  Putting the meter across the battery after trying to start it showed around 12V, but checking the voltage when running showed no voltage increase at 5000 RPM (Suzuki say 14.5 - 15 volts at 5000 RPM).

It gave all of the symptoms of a flat battery due to it not charging, as jump starting it off car leads worked fine.

So, what was it?  The magnets inside the starter had come unglued and were smashed inside.  It could not be turned by hand, but sufficient current would occasionally turn it.  It gave a sluggish start and drew sufficient current to mean the battery struggled and of course you won't get peak charging system voltage until it is charged again.  It very much duplicated a faulty charging system as there was no untoward noise from the starter

Fortunately, I was aware of the issue on the 1250 Bandits and happened to have a spare starter I had scored at a low price from a late model bike a few months ago for this very eventuality (the starters are nearly $1100 NZD).    The bike is all fixed again, and I referred the issue to Suzuki NZ as a starter should not collapse like this on a 40,000 km well maintained bike.  I heard back, but they were unsympathetic, which isn't surprising given the bike is a K8 model.

Here's the pic of the interior showing the magnets.  Not repairable.

Rear spray guard GSF1250

I was sick of getting mud and spray on my rear light and top box, so bought this.  It's sort of like a Fender Extender but for the rear.  Works perfectly!


EBay

LED lights on GSF1250 forks

I wanted to improve my conspicuity so bought some 500 Lumen small LED spots from Jaycar.  They are diecast aluminium body, anodised polyester powder coat, 316 grade stainless fittings, lexan lens, IP68 rating (dust and water proof) and UV shielding.  They are shock proof with a 50,000 hour life, run from -40 degrees C to 60 degrees and only draw about 0.3A each.

The light output is amazing for such a small lamp, and is supposedly equivalent to a 35W halogen.  The beam distance is 145 metres.

I have them mounted on some modified fairing brackets off the top brake caliper mounting bolts, and have them wired via an accessory light switch on the bars.  I mainly use them as daylight running lights, but they are surprisingly good as an additional headlight at night.

With the triangle of light coming down the road, the bike is VERY conspicuous.

The link is:  http://jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=SL3916&keywords=Ip68+led&form=KEYWORD

GSF1250 Tank Bra

I went out and bought one of the OEM Suzuki Tank Bras.  Nicely made heavy duty vinyl embossed with the Suzuki logo.  Still has a couple of crinkles in it from being folded (a warm day should sort that).  Part number is:   990A0-36000

Fitting the Healtech Brake Light Pro to the GSF1250

I have an LED integrated taillight, as well as a Givi V46 top box with the LED high stop light.  I had a Kisantech flasher on the original taillight, but it wasn't able to flash the top box light.

I bought a Healtech Brake Light Pro and fitted it into the appropriate wiring, and have it set up with a decaying strobe effect.  The LEDs flash quickly enough to make this really eye-catching.  A very good safety feature.

The unit is tiny, about half the size of a box of matches.

Fitting a Speedohealer to the GSF1250

I was sick of the Bandit speedo being around 7 km/hr out, so bought a Speedohealer from www.healtech-electronics.com.

A really easy fit. Pop the left sidecover, separate the speedo sensor connector, plug in the cables and run the cable into the tray under the seat. I set mine for -7.0% and had it checked against a calibrated GPS used to check radar units.  50 km/hr indicated was spot on. 100km/hr indicated was 99 on the GPS.  Can't ask for better than that!

The device is tiny and you could fit it anywhere.  Nice to know my exact speed.

This connector is the one to separate to fit the unit.  Simply open, plug in the respective ends and it's done.  very much plug and play

Holeshot Corbin Seat on GSF1250 Bandit

Dale Walker (www.holeshot.com) teamed up with Corbin seats to make a seat to his own design.  A friend recently bought one and has loaned it to me to try.

The seat is very well made and covered with leather with a non-slip texture.  It's on a strong fibreglass reinforced synthetic base (Fibretech).  It sits about 1" (2.5 cm) lower than stock and the key thing I notice is I sit well into it and feel "in" the bike rather than "on" it.  It feels a lot harder just sitting there, but half the problem with the stock seat is that it is not supportive enough.

The front of it tapers nicely into the tank, and the sides round off so they don't dig into your legs.

I really like it.  I have a gel and a stock seat already, and this one is very nice indeed.  I'll be trying it out with a long ride tomorrow.

First pic is the Suzuki gel seat:

The rest are the Holeshot Corbin: