Jane Omorogbe tries Suzuki’s latest Bandit spin-off.

THE Suzuki’s Bandit was once considered a great first bike - a stepping stone on the way to a full-on sports bike.

I guess Suzuki recognised that when it launched the GSX650F in 2007; the company was keen to distinguish it from the Bandit 650 by giving it a whole new image. It was a step towards GSX-R nirvana - a cheaper, less powerful alternative that mimicked the sports bike’s colourful bodywork and instrument display.

The new GSX1250FA has gone the other way; this model is aimed at riders down scaling from pure performance, people who would rather opt for a more comfortable pace and perhaps keep some points off their licence.

The FA looks like a stylish update of the Bandit 1250GT, with a revised fairing and GSX-R styled headlight.

ABS comes as standard, as does a useful centre stand and adjustable seat (from 805 to 825mm). The suspension has been revised to cope with the extra weight the slender new bodywork brings and as it wraps around the donated Bandit 1250 engine like a warm blanket, the FA gains a bigger radiator and secondary fan to ensure that engine keeps its cool.

It’s a chilled bike with a lazy vibe and bundles of low-down torque that’ll get you out of trouble with a flick of the wrist, or keep you rolling when the revs threaten to drop off the range.

Take it down to just 3,700rpm and you’ll grunt away with 81 lb ft of torque, that’s almost as much as a GSX-R1000 makes at 10,000rpm!

Make no mistake, it’s a capable bike. Power is capped at a modest 97bhp, feeding in smoothly and surging through the back tyre without any hint of snatchy aggression. Gear changes are faultless and there is no need to scream the engine to the 9,500rpm red line to reach the sweet spot, the FA stores its peak punch at 7,500 where most riders need it, whether they’re carrying pillions and panniers or not.

The bike is built for touring, so there’s a whole range of optional extras to turn the FA into a serious competitor for bikes like Honda’s VFR1200, which interestingly has a slightly smaller tank, 18.5 compared to the Suzuki’s 19 litres and weighs more too.

You can accessorise the Suzuki with anything from a top box, a tank bag, rear hugger and there’s even a decal kit. The sticker set lifts the FA’s looks like a touch of discreet make up and actually makes the standard colour schemes look quite dull.

For longer trips, tall riders might need to upgrade to a higher windscreen. On motorway blasts, the standard one shields the bulk of your torso from the blast, but I’d want more protection if I was riding for long stints at speed.

In twisties, the bike’s balance and steering means lively knee-down action is a grippy corner away for solo riders, while pillions will feel protected by the cushioned riding position which isn’t anything like the detached sensation of perching on the back of a sports bike. By lowering or raising the seat to suit, you could well imagine embarking on a true adventure with nothing but essentials packed in the optional luggage.

The Gixxer clocks include a digital speedometer which switches easily from miles to kmph (handy for those Continental holidays), two trips and a fuel warning light, which annoyingly, comes on when there’s still 30 per cent left in the tank. That’s a little early, especially when there’s a final warning that comes on with only a litre left on tap. Talk about one extreme to the other.

There’s also a gear indicator, which is one of those handy things you never miss until you’ve had one, and the FA’s is programmable with different shift lights, patterns and intensity (and you can turn it off).

Suzuki seems to have everything pretty much right, but it does seem to have confused the sales message with its existing line-up and prices. The Bandit 1250GT has a full fairing and luggage and costs £7,149. It’s not as sexy looking, granted, but the GSX1250FA already costs £6,999 and the luggage will set you back around £650.

So it seems that you’re paying extra for new clocks, stiffer suspension and a sharper image. On the plus side, Suzuki reckons GT owners can probably straight swap their luggage directly to the FA but it’s worth noting that the FA’s top box is slightly smaller than the one offered with the GT. Customer feedback suggested its size and position cramped their pillions and moving it further back over the mounting system affected the bike’s balance.

The bottom line is that until the remaining GTs have been sold, the FA may prove difficult to promote, despite being an impressive all rounder, simply because there’s a cheaper, albeit more dated, alternative out there from the same family.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Model: Suzuki GSX1250FA, £6,999
Engine: four-cylinder, liquid-cooled unit of 1255cc, producing 97bhp at 7,500rpm and 81 lb ft at 3,700rpm
Transmission: chain drive through six-speed gearbox
Weight: 257kg
Seat height: 805mm
Fuel capacity: 19 litres
Contact: www.suzuki-gb.co.uk