2005 · Naked Bike · Buyer's Guide
Reliable Inline-Four, Honest Miles
The Bandit 650S is a simple package. You get a 656 cc air/oil-cooled inline-four on carburetors, a steel double-cradle frame and a half fairing, with nothing layered on top. It makes 77 hp and 44 lb-ft. The only electronic extra is optional ABS: no traction control, no ride modes, no screens to learn. Front and rear suspension are adjustable from the factory, and so is the seat height. That's typical Suzuki. The bike won't make much noise in the showroom, but it's a well-sorted middleweight at a fair price, and a lot of riders find more in it than they expected.
It ages the way a sensible purchase should. Reliability is excellent, running costs stay low, and there's plenty of aftermarket support if you want to personalize it. Handling is easygoing and predictable, and with a 30.7 in (780 mm) seat it suits newer riders without boring experienced ones. It's for someone who wants one bike that commutes on weekdays and runs mountain roads on Saturday. The caveats: the suspension is soft, so a rider who wants to carry serious corner speed will need to spend some setup time on it. And a Bandit that sits all winter, or gets ridden through it without care, will show its age.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 77 hp (57 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 44 lb-ft (60 Nm) |
| Displacement | 656 cc |
| Engine | Inline-four |
| Cooling | Air/oil-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 290 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 160/60-17 |
| Seat height | 30.7 in (780 mm) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.3 gal (20 L) |
| Top speed | 120 mph (193 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 35 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Safety
I spent my time on this bike on mountain stages through Spain and France, and what stayed with me is how little it asks of your body. The clutch pull is light and the levers need almost no effort. The shifter has a very short throw and every gear goes in cleanly, so after a full day of climbing and descending my hands still felt fresh. The riding position fits a surprisingly wide range of people. Smaller riders settle in naturally, and bigger, heavier riders aren't cramped. Rev the four out and it builds smoothly all the way to the top with no rough patch along the way. Sixth gear winds out close to the limit, so you actually ride in top gear instead of sitting in fifth. At a brisk road pace it feels calm and settled, dynamic but never nervous.
My own 0–100 score for this bike against the class, area by area — the marker on each bar is the class average.
What impressed me was how well the chassis copes with load. My weight and everything the engine puts out through a string of tight bends never unsettled it. The soft setup worked in my favor on broken mountain and coastal tarmac, soaking up the surface without complaint. A rider who wants a tauter platform should expect to spend some time with the suspension adjusters before it feels right.
If you're a big, heavy rider, don't rule this bike out before you've sat on it. Shorter riders won't have to think about it either. What I appreciated most was how precise the shifter feels. There's no mush and no clunk at the lever, so you commit to each change without second-guessing it. Because every control on the bike takes so little effort, fatigue builds very slowly.
The front brakes earned my trust quickly. More than once a hairpin tightened up sooner than I'd read it and I had to brake late and hard. Each time, the bike slowed in a steady, controlled way with no grab at the initial bite. The response is progressive enough that I could feel exactly how much stopping power I had and adjust the pressure halfway through the stop.
Push this bike and it gives you more back. I rode it hard into corners, braked late, and got on the throttle before the apex, and it held up to that rhythm lap after lap without complaining. It's clear proof that you don't need a liter bike for a properly satisfying day on a good mountain road.
There is nothing to babysit here. I never had to feather the throttle around a flat spot or coax the four through a hesitant patch. In real riding, the delivery is predictable. When I opened it up exiting a bend, the drive arrived exactly where I expected it and in the amount I asked for. It isn't a character engine that surprises you. It's a well-tuned motor that does its job every time.
This is one Bandit where I'd leave the sprockets alone. A lot of owners change the gearing out of habit, but the stock ratio suits this motor well. You get to use every gear as intended, and you save the money and the hassle.
Over the years I've heard a lot about this bike: paddock conversations, owner chats, club nights, and the emails and messages riders send me directly. The picture is consistent. Owners describe a gentle, comfortable, long-lived workhorse that costs very little to keep. The complaints are about outright punch and heft.
What riders mention most is how unintimidating the power feels. It comes in docile and linear, pulls cleanly from low revs, and encourages relaxed progress, so owners often recommend it to newer riders and daily commuters. The softly sprung setup gets similar praise for taking bumps without drama, and the well-padded seat keeps long days pleasant. Owners also say that with basic maintenance, plenty of examples pile up high mileage without major trouble. Cheap to buy and easy to service in your own garage is a recurring theme.
A recurring gripe from experienced riders is that the inline-four lacks the top-end rush of liquid-cooled rivals and runs out of steam above 9,500 rpm. Some find it uninspiring. A few owners also call the bike portly in tight corners and at walking pace, and say smaller or less experienced riders can find it a handful.
Carburetor gumming and vacuum fuel tap failure
After prolonged storage (e.g., over winter), the Keihin carbs can clog, requiring a strip and clean. The vacuum-operated fuel tap may also fail, leading to poor running or difficulty starting.
Widespread corrosion on bodywork and fasteners
Many Bandit 650S examples suffer from surface rust on fork legs, fasteners, and engine cases, particularly if ridden through winter without frequent protective treatments. Poor factory finish quality is a common complaint.
Where this Suzuki Bandit 650S pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Bandit 650S is actually built for.
It'll give you a seriously good morning on the canyon roads, and 77 hp is plenty to use hard. If your standards are high, though, plan on dialing in the soft suspension first.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
For working on your technique rather than your top speed, this is a very good fit. It has light controls, a calm chassis and a soft setup that takes broken pavement in stride, one bend after another.
Made for Tail of the Dragon · Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway
The half fairing, 5.3 gal tank and low running costs make long scenic days easy. It feels more like a sensible all-rounder than a plush tourer, and that's exactly its appeal.
Made for Highway 1 / Big Sur · Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
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