Suzuki GSF 650 Bandit S 2013 — Specifications

How many riders learned the ropes on a Bandit? Since the mid-90s, Suzuki's GSF has carried the reputation of being an affordable Swiss Army knife, and the 2013 version in its S-faired guise continues this tradition without overhauling the recipe. The Hamamatsu manufacturer is content to refine the design, rework the fairing nose, and borrow a headlight closely related to that of the GSX-R 1000, just to put a little bite back into a silhouette that was beginning to show its age. The engine block goes matte black, the side panels become smoother, and a new instrument cluster swaps its dated graphics for a clean display, complete with a gear position indicator.

Under the fairing, the 656 cc inline four-cylinder remains true to itself, water-cooled since its 2007 overhaul. It pushes out 85 horsepower at 10,500 rpm and delivers 61.8 Nm at 8,900 rpm, figures that don't make your head spin on paper but are more than enough to animate its 243 kg fully fueled. The claimed top speed of 210 km/h confirms an unapologetically road-oriented vocation, with no sporting pretensions. On the chassis side, we find the indestructible tubular steel double cradle, a 41 mm conventional fork, and a rear mono-shock, all calibrated to eat up miles rather than carve through corners. The front braking with twin 310 mm discs and four-piston calipers does its job correctly, and ABS remains optional, which is somewhat puzzling for a 2013 model year.

The real selling point, as always with the Bandit, comes down to the invoice. Priced at 6,949 euros new, the S positions itself below the Kawasaki ER-6f and the Yamaha XJ6 Diversion, its direct rivals in the versatile faired roadster segment. For anyone wondering what the price of a Suzuki GSF 650 Bandit S 2010 is in France or what the price of the Suzuki GSF 650 Bandit S 2009 is in France on the used market, the current value hovers around 3,000 to 4,000 euros depending on mileage and maintenance. This makes it one of the most rational entry points into the world of four-cylinder bikes. The Suzuki GSF 650 Bandit S 2010, the Suzuki GSF 650 Bandit S 2012, and the Suzuki GSF 650 Bandit S 2015 broadly share the same architecture, with a few cosmetic tweaks over the model years.

Who is this no-frills Japanese bike aimed at? At the freshly-licensed A2 rider who wants a smooth four-cylinder rather than a nervous twin, at the pragmatic tourer who appreciates its 19-liter tank for stretching out the legs of a journey, at the commuter won over by a 770 mm seat that allows flat-footing without tiptoeing. The Bandit doesn't make you dream, it doesn't set forums on fire, but it delivers near-faultless service with proven reliability and a dense service network. Its weaknesses are well known, namely a somewhat generous weight that makes itself felt in tight maneuvers, rather soft suspension that dives as soon as you push on, and a presentation that still smells of cheap plastic in places.

Faced with a more playful ER-6f and a better-finished XJ6 Diversion, the 2012 or 2013 Suzuki GSF 650 Bandit S plays the reason card. This isn't the bike that will get your pulse racing on Sunday morning mountain passes. It's the one that will still be there in ten years, without having ruined you in servicing costs. For many, that's exactly what you expect from a motorcycle. For others, it will fall a little short.