Had one of them 15 years ago, the V version... everything you say is right...they turned on a dime, and the carbs were sh*t out of the box from day one.... Still miss it though...great little bike.
My parents bought me one just like this one from one of my friends in '93 when he upgraded to the Yamaha FZR 600. It already had the Yoshimura slip on and was my upgrade from a '93 Ninja 250 my grandfather had taken me to the dealership and bought brand new. He had checked me out of school early and took me to pick it up. i was 14. i had no idea he was buying me a motorcycle. All my friends but one had mostly 600's (We were all spoiled upper middle class teenagers) so it wasnt long before I stopped riding my little 250. my mom noticed i wasnt riding my new bike and took me to meet my friends dad one day to purchase his Bandit 400. I went on to own several more bigger bikes. Even did some racing for our local Yamaha and Honda shops owner. But i loved that little 400 at night. the gages, the way they lit up. the way the redline lit up. the background was white and the actual redline lit up bright red. it was awsome. And that yoshi when i would be just riding along and downshift a couple of gears, the way that pipe sounded and the bike came to life was the best. We'd take girls from our school and other schools riding all the time. Go out to eat and have a blast. Im pushing 50 now. time sure does speed up when u get older. oh, and one more thing i remember about the Bandit. when i would take off from a dead stop wide ass open and speed shift from first to second and it would wheelie up on its own. that was so much better than my 250 sitting at home never to be ridden again, where the 250 Ninja i had to dump the cluch and just pop a wheelie. But oh boy did i learn on later bikes how to stand one up and run thru some gears before putting the front wheel back on the roads surface. The girls used to be scared to death at first but then after riding for so long i would only have to brace my legs and id feel the girl hold on tight. She knew when we were going to show off and stand it up for those watching. im thinking about buying a '92 or '93 ZX7 or a Bandit 400 soon. hints why i was looking at these videos. Kids, be careful out there. Bikes are very dangerous and regardless how invencible u think u are if u ride like an idiot and run that bike faster than ur skill level it can end horrible for u and or others. but stay within ur skill level and dont show off in the wrong places and these will be the times of ur lives.
Wow your child hood sounds like mine,the Bandit I miss but now have a Ducati same exact color as the Bandit, Kids now days don't know the thrill of a 400cc online for, hopefully they will bring one back, I.D be the first buy!
The engine sounds decent and there isn't any smoke coming out the tail pipe during idle so I would say your bike's engine is in good condition. My Bandit 400 is 23 yrs old and runs great after I restored it. It was running almost like yours with a somewhat high and unstable idle. A good carb overhaul fixed that. Bandit 400 are great bikes but the carbs need more care and attention compared to other bikes and are a bit fussy at times so have a mechanic that knows his stuff.
I had a 1991 that I bought brand new in 1993. Great bike! cheap insurance, 4 cylinder water cooled bike, can't go wrong. Not really comfortable on a highway, but sure was a lot of fun. I keep my eye out for another every so often. When I sold it in 2004 needed a bit of work on the carbs.
I had the same bike it was a 91 bought it brand new in 93 it did not sell at the dealership so I picked it up cheap and rode the holy hell out of it I was like 18 years old and that bike would haul ass!!
Get it piped and jetted correctly. It will idle nice around 1500...and will pull better on the lower end. Only thing i can say is powerband comes on abruptly at around 10500rpm. Goes from semi hard to insane quickly. Watch that coming out of corners at high rpm. They marketed this as a entry level sport bike...it's not... a little tweeking and it is a small displacement racer...period.
Sadly, I doubt these smaller capacity 4 cylinder babies will ever make a comeback. They would rather knock out these gutless and overteched twin cylinder jobs like the 250 Ninja, etc. Give me the bikes from the 80s and 90s anyday.
Safety restrictions killed of bikes like this. You would never find a 16v dohc 4 cylinder bike these days. 1 too much engineering for the cost 2. Lots of tunability in the wrong hands. 3 emissions. The most important thing is probably the last one. That's just the way it is now. Gotta conform to regulations. Now all we have is single or twins at best that wouldn't pull the the skin off your rice pudding. 😔
Awesome bike. My first bike was a 1992 GSF 400 Bandit. Loved the bike. I rode it about 12K then sold it after I got married. I've regretted selling. The bike was very quick. She would pull hard above 10K RPM.Hoping to find another to restore. I currently ride a 2015 Honda CTX700 with 49 HP. the 400cc Bandit has more HP.
Can hear the adrenalin still spiking in you lol, When you say i just ripped it around can tell. I hope i can get a 400cc bandit one day i think it would be the perfect bike for me. 5"6 60kg the 600cc bandit might be heavy for me idk but mayb go 600cc one day i just like the smaller size on 400cc but they seem rare in UK the ebay page is pretty dry but crowded on the 600cc bandit theres loads of those. So mayb ill have to pull up my balls and rodeo them the bandit is definite the bike for me though 90s bikes are the only bikes i think. They dont make them like they used to is real because over time the brands learn cost saving tactics they design and build them just to the bar needed. But back in the day they just built it and found out what they had later lol, But now they plan every detail to save money and all the bs regulations that are in effect now too. New bikes are sekcee but the 90s bikes sound manly. New bikes sound castrated like modern man is castrated lol men call themselves boys and shave their balls lol. Women slap you if you call them girl and they so hairy now wtf happened take me back to the 2000s please lol. I do shave my balls tho its just nicer init but got no time for hairy women lol.
Please bring back this bike, Suzuki. Fuel inject it, give it an optional windshield, put a top case, tail bag and tank bag on it and this is a proper do-everything bike. Be sure the bars aren't buzzy; that could kill it. I guess the current crop of 250 starter bikes are going this way, having just turned into 300s. Next year, they'll be 350s, then 400s, then we'll finally be back here again, 30 years on.
From one Bandit 400 owner to a new guy on the block. My advise to you is have your carbs overhauled. The Bike should be idling between 1k-1.3k rpm, or just below the 2k mark on the odometer since the bandit doesn't show 1k on the odometer. Since your idle is jumping up and down and not stable it is probably due to the various o-rings in the carbs needing replacement. It could also be the float valves or even something as simple as having the carbs synchronized.
I had two Suzuki Bandits, a 250 and the 400. My friend bought an 400 as well, and I rode it too. The 400's had twin disc brakes on the front wheel, while the 250 only had one. I see only one in the video, which I didn''t know about - thank you!
Adjust your air screw 1/2 turn more out. That should help with the idle. Make sure your choke cable isn't stuck; push the choke pin in by hand. Is your air filter clean?
I had the same bike, vv timing...always idles high 1500 warm...completely norm...set lower than that it lopes....I could get 140mph out of that bike at 14000 rpm...used to shift at 15500...stay above 10 grand and its a beast! One of the most enjoyable rides ever...wheelie machine....
Thanks for this review. I just lucked into a 91 Suzuki bandit 400 that has been kept in a garage basically since it was bought. A little over 3k miles. The info about the helmet lock/seat lock was especially helpful.
This is my first bike and had it for decades but haven't ridden recently - need to rework the carbs and renew my endorsement. I will have it back on the road this year. It is indeed a well-kept secret and Suzuki was ahead of their time. If they had kept sending it to the US for a few more years, it would have caught the wave that the Monster got.
@@SnowTrooper I did keep it! It's just sitting in storage awaiting carb work and new tires. As I typed in my original comment, it should be back on the road this year. I did just add a 2nd bike in my collection with a 2004 SV650 that I can ride right now, but even the dealerships tell me to never let go of my little Bandit. One of the sales guys had a CB1 before and regretted letting go of that, with the CB1 being almost the same as these Bandits but the Bandits have nicer painted tube frame.
change the plugs for NGK Iridium,,,,,way better than the OEM . i just synchro my carbs,way better also,idle is so so because this engine is built for high rpm. i rode Yam 350LC in the 80's and this bike reminds me of her but its a 4 stroke and i am 64 have fun Gervais
Might want to also check the O-rings in the carbs if it starts getting a bit lumpy at lower revs when idling. If you don't already have the service manual you can take a look on Tony Sleep's website - he did a nice write up on sorting the carbs on a GSXR400 (same engine). A word of warning if you do strip the carbs is that the plastic float assemblies can be pretty easy to break - you can still get replacements but they are quite pricey!
my Bandit already had the jet kit and yoshi when my parents bought mine. It had been my friends before he went to the FZR 600 so I had already ridden it a lot. I had a new 250 ninja back then and couldn't keep up with my friend so I had to ride his bandit until it was finally my own. I missed that bike. I loved the gages at night the most.
This is probably late but you got a little "switch" that controls air flow. You open it when you start your bike cold and then close the intake. Its on the left side handlebar ^^
Had one of them 15 years ago, the V version... everything you say is right...they turned on a dime, and the carbs were sh*t out of the box from day one.... Still miss it though...great little bike.
Right on
@@SnowTrooper
Do you still have it dude?
That comment was a year ago and I miss mine even more now...😭😭😭
@@mixerD1- Sold it!!! Thanks for the response
My parents bought me one just like this one from one of my friends in '93 when he upgraded to the Yamaha FZR 600. It already had the Yoshimura slip on and was my upgrade from a '93 Ninja 250 my grandfather had taken me to the dealership and bought brand new. He had checked me out of school early and took me to pick it up. i was 14. i had no idea he was buying me a motorcycle. All my friends but one had mostly 600's (We were all spoiled upper middle class teenagers) so it wasnt long before I stopped riding my little 250. my mom noticed i wasnt riding my new bike and took me to meet my friends dad one day to purchase his Bandit 400. I went on to own several more bigger bikes. Even did some racing for our local Yamaha and Honda shops owner. But i loved that little 400 at night. the gages, the way they lit up. the way the redline lit up. the background was white and the actual redline lit up bright red. it was awsome. And that yoshi when i would be just riding along and downshift a couple of gears, the way that pipe sounded and the bike came to life was the best. We'd take girls from our school and other schools riding all the time. Go out to eat and have a blast. Im pushing 50 now. time sure does speed up when u get older.
oh, and one more thing i remember about the Bandit. when i would take off from a dead stop wide ass open and speed shift from first to second and it would wheelie up on its own. that was so much better than my 250 sitting at home never to be ridden again, where the 250 Ninja i had to dump the cluch and just pop a wheelie. But oh boy did i learn on later bikes how to stand one up and run thru some gears before putting the front wheel back on the roads surface. The girls used to be scared to death at first but then after riding for so long i would only have to brace my legs and id feel the girl hold on tight. She knew when we were going to show off and stand it up for those watching. im thinking about buying a '92 or '93 ZX7 or a Bandit 400 soon. hints why i was looking at these videos. Kids, be careful out there. Bikes are very dangerous and regardless how invencible u think u are if u ride like an idiot and run that bike faster than ur skill level it can end horrible for u and or others. but stay within ur skill level and dont show off in the wrong places and these will be the times of ur lives.
Wow your child hood sounds like mine,the Bandit I miss but now have a Ducati same exact color as the Bandit, Kids now days don't know the thrill of a 400cc online for, hopefully they will bring one back, I.D be the first buy!
The engine sounds decent and there isn't any smoke coming out the tail pipe during idle so I would say your bike's engine is in good condition. My Bandit 400 is 23 yrs old and runs great after I restored it. It was running almost like yours with a somewhat high and unstable idle. A good carb overhaul fixed that. Bandit 400 are great bikes but the carbs need more care and attention compared to other bikes and are a bit fussy at times so have a mechanic that knows his stuff.
Fussy machine, but fun!!!
I had one of these when I was in my 20's back in the 90's and I loved it. Great bike with a very high redline and yes, it cornered very very well.
Couldn't agree more!
Got to get another!
you got that idling crazy high dude.. should be 1500
I agree
Very bad carbs on them, you had to run them high or they'd foul the plugs or just flake out.
I had a 1991 that I bought brand new in 1993. Great bike! cheap insurance, 4 cylinder water cooled bike, can't go wrong. Not really comfortable on a highway, but sure was a lot of fun. I keep my eye out for another every so often. When I sold it in 2004 needed a bit of work on the carbs.
Go get another one!!!
I had the same bike it was a 91 bought it brand new in 93 it did not sell at the dealership so I picked it up cheap and rode the holy hell out of it I was like 18 years old and that bike would haul ass!!
Get it piped and jetted correctly. It will idle nice around 1500...and will pull better on the lower end.
Only thing i can say is powerband comes on abruptly at around 10500rpm. Goes from semi hard to insane quickly. Watch that coming out of corners at high rpm. They marketed this as a entry level sport bike...it's not... a little tweeking and it is a small displacement racer...period.
Keep them stock
Yikes! High idle..... 4k?
You are correct
Spaaaaaaark plugs duuuude that doesn’t even run on 4 cylinders! No wonder yours doesn’t idle well…
If I still had it, plugs would have helped
Sadly, I doubt these smaller capacity 4 cylinder babies will ever make a comeback.
They would rather knock out these gutless and overteched twin cylinder jobs like the 250 Ninja, etc.
Give me the bikes from the 80s and 90s anyday.
they keep making them in Japan, they just don't get exported (see honda cb400 2018)
What I'd do for a CBR250RR....
there are Great small 4 cylinders bikes in Japan and they are reliable.
they could import them in N-A if they wanted!
Safety restrictions killed of bikes like this. You would never find a 16v dohc 4 cylinder bike these days. 1 too much engineering for the cost 2. Lots of tunability in the wrong hands. 3 emissions. The most important thing is probably the last one. That's just the way it is now. Gotta conform to regulations. Now all we have is single or twins at best that wouldn't pull the the skin off your rice pudding. 😔
They are making a come back as we speak, Kawaski is bring back a 250 4 cylinder in 2023
The idle can be adjusted from the left side of the Bike , I have a 92 Suzuki Bandit 400cc , other than the cold starts they are great reliable bikes
I agree!
Hahah jus bought same too
I loved that bike!!!!
How do you set the timing
Sold it, never did try to set the timing
Awesome bike. My first bike was a 1992 GSF 400 Bandit. Loved the bike. I rode it about 12K then sold it after I got married. I've regretted selling. The bike was very quick. She would pull hard above 10K RPM.Hoping to find another to restore. I currently ride a 2015 Honda CTX700 with 49 HP. the 400cc Bandit has more HP.
I have a Versy 300 with a Yoshimara pipe and Puig shield, not as quick as my Bandit but close,love the Bandit always will!
Did you ever get another?
@@SnowTrooper I searched a few times but never found a GSF400 that I liked.
Can hear the adrenalin still spiking in you lol, When you say i just ripped it around can tell. I hope i can get a 400cc bandit one day i think it would be the perfect bike for me. 5"6 60kg the 600cc bandit might be heavy for me idk but mayb go 600cc one day i just like the smaller size on 400cc but they seem rare in UK the ebay page is pretty dry but crowded on the 600cc bandit theres loads of those. So mayb ill have to pull up my balls and rodeo them the bandit is definite the bike for me though 90s bikes are the only bikes i think.
They dont make them like they used to is real because over time the brands learn cost saving tactics they design and build them just to the bar needed. But back in the day they just built it and found out what they had later lol, But now they plan every detail to save money and all the bs regulations that are in effect now too.
New bikes are sekcee but the 90s bikes sound manly. New bikes sound castrated like modern man is castrated lol men call themselves boys and shave their balls lol. Women slap you if you call them girl and they so hairy now wtf happened take me back to the 2000s please lol. I do shave my balls tho its just nicer init but got no time for hairy women lol.
Hahaaa, yes that was a sweet bike
Such a pretty bike!!!!
Thanks!!!
Please bring back this bike, Suzuki. Fuel inject it, give it an optional windshield, put a top case, tail bag and tank bag on it and this is a proper do-everything bike. Be sure the bars aren't buzzy; that could kill it.
I guess the current crop of 250 starter bikes are going this way, having just turned into 300s. Next year, they'll be 350s, then 400s, then we'll finally be back here again, 30 years on.
These will make a comeback for sure
From one Bandit 400 owner to a new guy on the block. My advise to you is have your carbs overhauled. The Bike should be idling between 1k-1.3k rpm, or just below the 2k mark on the odometer since the bandit doesn't show 1k on the odometer. Since your idle is jumping up and down and not stable it is probably due to the various o-rings in the carbs needing replacement. It could also be the float valves or even something as simple as having the carbs synchronized.
Should have kept it!!
I had two Suzuki Bandits, a 250 and the 400. My friend bought an 400 as well, and I rode it too. The 400's had twin disc brakes on the front wheel, while the 250 only had one. I see only one in the video, which I didn''t know about - thank you!
Right on
Adjust your air screw 1/2 turn more out. That should help with the idle. Make sure your choke cable isn't stuck; push the choke pin in by hand. Is your air filter clean?
Bike is gone, time for a new ride
I had the same bike, vv timing...always idles high 1500 warm...completely norm...set lower than that it lopes....I could get 140mph out of that bike at 14000 rpm...used to shift at 15500...stay above 10 grand and its a beast! One of the most enjoyable rides ever...wheelie machine....
Thanks for the info
Seriously??
Did you have work done on it?
just bought my second bandit 400. overall a very reliable fast bike high revs
Lucky you!!!
Thanks for this review. I just lucked into a 91 Suzuki bandit 400 that has been kept in a garage basically since it was bought. A little over 3k miles. The info about the helmet lock/seat lock was especially helpful.
Enjoy!!!! Great bike!!!!
Your welcome!
this bike is so popular in iraq but we renamed it "panda" without suzuki's permission💪😅
Buy a crate and send them over to Canada Please!!!
lol
Right 😂😂 i own one
This is my first bike and had it for decades but haven't ridden recently - need to rework the carbs and renew my endorsement. I will have it back on the road this year. It is indeed a well-kept secret and Suzuki was ahead of their time. If they had kept sending it to the US for a few more years, it would have caught the wave that the Monster got.
Should have kept it
@@SnowTrooper I did keep it! It's just sitting in storage awaiting carb work and new tires. As I typed in my original comment, it should be back on the road this year.
I did just add a 2nd bike in my collection with a 2004 SV650 that I can ride right now, but even the dealerships tell me to never let go of my little Bandit. One of the sales guys had a CB1 before and regretted letting go of that, with the CB1 being almost the same as these Bandits but the Bandits have nicer painted tube frame.
Awesome!
Still miss that bike!
I had a 93 looked just like it!!!!!!
Lucky
change the plugs for NGK Iridium,,,,,way better than the OEM .
i just synchro my carbs,way better also,idle is so so because this engine is built for high rpm.
i rode Yam 350LC in the 80's and this bike reminds me of her but its a 4 stroke and i am 64
have fun
Gervais
Thanks, still miss that bike!
Just got a Versey 300,The Bandit Motor in a small Duel purpose would be the bomb!
What the hell, sounds almost identical to the 600 model I was riding, lovely. Same engine and different displacement or what?
Nope a 400
got to Bandit Alley BBS for more help. Look in the 250/400 forum.
Thanks!!
I wish I could find one!!
Suzuki is bringing it back next year!!!
Yes super hard to find!
you have a pilot jet blocked, reason why it doesn't idle smooth. You can replace them, but they can be a real booger(!) to get out.
I agree
I had the same problem idle was somwhere in 6000rpm, sinc the carbs and now idle is around 1-2000rpm
Never got it fixed?
Hey. Does anyone know whether I can place a Gsxr 600 carb?
Dont think so
Might want to also check the O-rings in the carbs if it starts getting a bit lumpy at lower revs when idling.
If you don't already have the service manual you can take a look on Tony Sleep's website - he did a nice write up on sorting the carbs on a GSXR400 (same engine).
A word of warning if you do strip the carbs is that the plastic float assemblies can be pretty easy to break - you can still get replacements but they are quite pricey!
Sold the bike , wish I kept it
YOur rpms are changing you have a clump up some whre chek the filter ore the carburators
Bike is gone, should have kept it
Thanks ,what do you ride?
Bandit 400 was iconic outside the US, you got a good deal. If you swap the silencer for a yoshimura you won’t believe your ears.
Hard to find
my Bandit already had the jet kit and yoshi when my parents bought mine. It had been my friends before he went to the FZR 600 so I had already ridden it a lot. I had a new 250 ninja back then and couldn't keep up with my friend so I had to ride his bandit until it was finally my own. I missed that bike. I loved the gages at night the most.
This is probably late but you got a little "switch" that controls air flow. You open it when you start your bike cold and then close the intake. Its on the left side handlebar ^^
yea... its called a choke...
hahhaaaa
carbs are way off sync.. or maybe a false air
Yup, you are correct
Is it a good quality bike? Will it last long?
Great bike!!!
Very similar to my 2001 cb400
Nice, do you still have the bike
Will probably buy the same one and color
Black the best
If your lucky
Never seen a black one
geez i wish these were under 1k in ontario/qc. theyre 1.5-3k here.
Just bought one for 1.5 taxin from a outdoors dealer. Pretty clean, 34k kms. Was in St-hubert !
Perfect,you will love this bike!!!! I just picked up a GS1000 ,Keep it and dont sell it.
volumetrik yeah saw it on kijiji!
I got 2 b4's (gk75a) 😎
hahaha those captions
Those captions are funny
not 59hp for sure! us version is about 50hp
its 60 at the crank and 50 at the rear
I was surprised with my 1991. With a Yoshimura full system, an aftermarket CDI, and a jet kit mine put 51.6 horsepower in a Dyno.
You are correct
Thats is awesome!
you still have the bike?
Nope
@@SnowTrooper lol I asked the question 7 years ago lol
@@realgundamsonly I know,I,m a little slow hahhaa
Sold that one, plan on getting an Enfield
It's idling way too high...not just a little.
Yup, traded it for a Cbr 600
Just got one but I'm having issues with the carbs I have a rebuild kit on the way so I'm hoping it will sort it out
I hope the carbs help, these bike just rip if you get them set up perfect!