Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

Hello Australia, My wife and i are coming to OZ in the latter end of 2011 to reliveour younger years where we met and married,and that was Victoria. We are buying a GSX 650F from Stevens in Melbourne , touring Victoria and then up to Cairns and returning south to spend Christmas with my sister in East Malvern. I would like to know if the forum experts think that the 650F would be up to the trip or should we consider the 1200 Bandit that we currently have? I have not owned other than Suzuki bikes .We hope for some intresting replies Yours Robin Norton.
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I love my GSX650F, but in the same breath I will say if you're planning to do Melbourne to Cairns (and back) with a passenger, definitely use the 1200.

The 650 will do it, but the 1200 will do it better.



Even better still, buy a GSX1250FA - it's a long trip!

The 650F will do that ride no problems but only if you were going solo. That's one HUGE distance you plan to ride and although the F is a top little Tourer
there is no way it will offer you the same comfort and performance to what the Bandit will.
The 650F is just a bit too small a bike for what you will need.

I'm also trying to factor in to this rider fatigue generated from the bike. With two up plus gear, you are going to rely on and need a lot
of low end / mid range torque and the 650 F won't be enough. It will increase the need for rider input which will increase the fatigue on you.

If you were only touring Victoria for a week or two then the 650F would be adequate, but not for the trip you are planning.

I do good bit of touring with 650F .... but it's all solo.
For 2-up, ya will definitely need bigger bike.

Yes, The GSX1250FA would be perfect for the job, The guy down the road at my local dealer got one a few weeks ago and has done sydney to melbourne and back and said it was a real pleasure over the longer distance two up, here is the suzuki link

http://www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au/bik ... 250fa.html

When comparing the GSX650F and the GSX1250F the ergonomics are that close it's not funny so if choosing between the 2 purely on the reasons of how you fit on the bike it makes no difference.

The 650 will tour with 2 up no probs at all if you are already used to riding 2 up and packing properly considering the space available on a bike.

The only reason IMO to choose the 1250 or in fact bring your 1200 to Oz is that the bigger engine will do it all in a more relaxed way.

If your buying a new bike keep in mind that the 1250 costs about 5 grand more than the 650. Second hand you can pick up 1250 bandits in Oz for about the same as a GSX650F.

What will it cost to ship your 1200 here and use it. Might be something to consider

Hi to all suzuki nuts, Thanks for all the replies to date Just to answer some of the points raised. 1. to bring the bandit to OZ would cost me at least $3500 plus it need to have no soil , bugs and anything else nasty that would harm the Australian enviroment.2. hiring a suitable bike for 3-4 months is not an option purely on price.3. at the moment my wife and i are still happy to get the 650F ,having purchased a GSX600F in 1998 and toured much of the continent ,including the Pyrenees 2up so after 70.000 miles on a 600 I think that the 650 would do the job but willl still be assesing any other advice that is still forthcoming.I must say what agreat range of topics there is on the forum.Just one last point for the moment. Has anybody considered joining the Suzuki owners club here in the U.K.@www.suzukiownersclub.co.uk. Yours Robin&Isobel Norton.

Best of luck!!

As has been said above the ergonomics of a 1250 are not much different than the 650, so you are NOT gaining any comfort by going for the 1250. The 1250 does have a lot more torque, but the 650 has enough for 2 people on fairly flat roads. Since Australia doesn't have any elevations like the alps, or rockies, the 650 should have enough pull for you.

The 650 WOULD NOT be as comfortable 2 up as a dedicated touring bike however (ie FJR 1300, ST 1300). On the other hand, if you are used to a smaller bike as you have mentioned, the GSX650F should do the job (although you may want to make some changes (ie hard bags, double bubble windscreen, + 1 tooth on the countershaft sprocket).

What is the current price of the gsx 650 f in oz atthe moment as suzuki oz have taken all prices off their international website.

Hi mate and welcome.

I would test ride a 650F at your local dealer ,only you can see if you thing it will do the trick.


Start off by looking at this website for used and new prices.
http://www.bikepoint.com.au/

PLEASE NOTE ....if it says 650f LAMS ..or ..650f "FU" ...THEY ARE LEARNER MODELS .that are resticted.

Peter stevens is the largest dealers in Melbourne so you should be able to get a decent deal with the bike and gear and have it all set up for you .
You will be able to get all the little extras like tyre repair kits and so on.
With the amount of km's you will travel I would consider getting road side assistance ,threw NRMA ...our largest break down company .
If you got the premium package it will cover you with all the break down companys in every state in OZ ..offer towing to a next motorcycle dealer-mechanic and a car and accomadation etc if your really stuck ....not that the Suzuki will break down ,just in case you get a flat ect.
http://www.mynrma.com.au/index.jsp

The 650F ...I would call it pretty bullet proof and reliable .
Good on fuel and easy to ride..it would serve you well ..just up to you to see if it will carry you and your gear and still have to power you want .

If you need any advice ,I'm more then happy to try to help you out ...with places to see and roads you MUST do ..the ones I know about anyways ..and places to stay if your in Sydney or the south coast of sydney as thats where I live.
I would sugest looking at ADVRIDER for info also.
Thats if your not already a member ,you will get alot of tips and info.
http://www.advrider.com/

Have a look at http://www.bikesales.com.au This is for second hand and new dealer listed bikes.

Use the search functions to find what you need. It will give you a rough indication of current prices in Oz,
and don't forget you can always bargain them all down a bit.

Hello Sleddog, Thanks very much for the information regarding the NRMA. I have had a very good response from them and a great deal as an overseas rider and thank you for the connection. I now have to start sorting out the purchase of vthe 650 F and all the bits aqnd pieces that we need as extas. Yours Robin Norton aka. Bandit sa

Next time, hope I'll be the guy searching for a new bike to ride around Oz.

Without a wife or something like that, of course... lol.

Hi there, I just picked up a brand new 650F (09 model) for $8300 on road with 12 months registration and loving it