Bandit 1200 Shock Swap... well worth it

[ctandc]

Swapping a Bandit 1200 into a pre 98 600.

It's listed as a direct bolt in on the shock thread / sticky, and as mine has 30K + on it, it looks ratty, plus the fact when riding 2 up (with my 11 year old son) my 220+ lbs + him, the suspension had seen better days.

Got it in, have put probably 150 miles on the new rear Z6 and the shock.

Ride Height (as the shock thread tells you) does increase. I didn't measure, so I can't be exact, but I'd say close to 2".

Only "downside" I see to this is that the bike leans a bit further over when on the sidestand. Still very stable, at least on my Kat.

RIDE IMPRESSION: Granted I did replace a balding in the middle rear tire, and I did do a full Swingarm / Rear suspension maintenance at the same time...but the bike is just SMOOTHER.

Ride on the highway is much improved over rough surfaces. A bit more firm, but not bone jarring. Doesn't seem to be as effected by imperfections in the road surface either.

Turn in is quicker, but feels much 'smoother' to me.

I may be imagining it, but it also seemed to quicken light counter-steering response, and I seem to have to 'guide' the bike much less on gradual curves etc.

I feel like I could 'lean' the bike much more if I needed / wanted to know.

Even on damp roads, coming home from work Thursday evening, I took a turn on the way home about 10 mph faster than I normally do, and the thing was I wasn't even thinking about doing it faster, it "felt" like the same entry / exit speed but it was definitely faster (according to the speedo / tach).

The other HUGE benefit (in my opinion anyway) is the fact that just a bit of throttle now seems to stand the bike back up out of turns.


All in all worth every penny (shock was less than $40 shipped from Ebay) and the bike is quieter as well since the suspension / swingarm maintenance.

I'm kind of excited about trying the 9" PVC spacers I finally got around to making for the front forks. I do plan on picking up a set of new springs for the front forks shortly, but I do want to see what the spacers do.


Another great tip from KR......

Thanks again

[Black_peter]

Glad I wasn't a liar!
I'm suspecting that a lot of the better "feelings" you're getting are due to how blown out the old shock was. With the rear all floppy your bike is handling more properly. Thanks for the info. I'll add you to the list of people having done the exchange..

[KimArndt]

Great post.. I'm thinking this, among other things, will be my winter project..
What year of bandit shocks fit the pre98 Kat? All years, or just the pre98 as well?
I'm thinking about getting one that fits '96 to '00 models..
Will this bolt right on, or do I need to make some modifications?

[wcj]

Get as new of a B12 shock as you can find. Specifically '01-newer. Make sure it is a B12 shock and not a Bandit 600 shock.

If you're vertically challenged, check with Neublie to see if he has any lowering kits left for the Pre Kats.

[GytRDunKat]

Yeah, newer the better. I also suggest the links from neublie as well. I wasn't comfy with the rear that high up. If your tall, it might not bother you as much.

[JBLUE]

I am waiting for my b12 stock to arrive looking forward to installing the stock

[Storm]

I got a B12 for my post kat.. But I dont know bout it.. Everyone is telling me center stand is useless now and the side stand may not be stable?

[arsenic]

storm, a post really couldn't be easier to lower. Get some 1 1/2" lowering links, it's still gonna be 1/2" higher, but everything will still work.

[JBLUE]

I got a B12 for my post kat.. But I dont know bout it.. Everyone is telling me center stand is useless now and the side stand may not be stable?

I raise my rear by 2 inches by using shorter dog bones and I can still use my center stand when I install the b12 its going to raise another 2 inches in the rear

[bta2997]

1200 BANDIT shock

I have a 91 750 Kat and I weigh 250 lbs. I would like to raise the ride height in the rear, i read you put a 1200 bandit shock on the rear of yours and got the results I'm looking for. Was the shock install something you can do in your garage? And is there any other shock that would give me simular results? I love the bike it has a lot of go fast parts on it but I need to do a rear shock swap. I noticed that you can adjust the rearspring 1-7, I think when I got the bike it was on like 2-3 I changed it to 7. I have not done a test ride yet. Is that going to help or hurt ride height and performance, I guess it will give it a lower stance but be stiffer. If I go back to 1, the least preload on the spring, will that be better than the max preload? PLEASE HELP I have been having problems posting questions on this site this is the first of many times I have tried to ask a question so any help would be greatly appriciated thanks man HELP!!!!!!!

[his-royal-freshness]

found this thread cuz ive been wondering about raising the rear... from wut ive read i can put a b12 shock in my 02 600 frame and it will raise it 2 inches, but then i cant use my center-stand and my side-stand wont b as stable? is that true? if so wut can i do to raise the rear but still have use of my side and center stands?

[loudnlow7484]

The back of my bike is lifted pretty significantly, but the sidestand is still fine. It just leans over a lot more on it (fine with me, because it felt too upright before). I don't have a centerstand, though, so I can't tell you about that. I would think it would still be usable, it might not keep the back tire as high off the ground though (or maybe at all). If that's the case, you could use lowering links to drop it a little bit from the Bandit shock, and help get the back tire off the ground again.

[his-royal-freshness]

The back of my bike is lifted pretty significantly, but the sidestand is still fine. It just leans over a lot more on it (fine with me, because it felt too upright before). I don't have a centerstand, though, so I can't tell you about that. I would think it would still be usable, it might not keep the back tire as high off the ground though (or maybe at all). If that's the case, you could use lowering links to drop it a little bit from the Bandit shock, and help get the back tire off the ground again.

ok thanks, and what did u use to raise the rear of ur bike?

[loudnlow7484]

ok thanks, and what did u use to raise the rear of ur bike?

A ZX14 shock.

[Unholy_m]

I have a question on this subject. I am around 280 and I also ride two up, is this shock better then a Busa? I understand that a busa shock is "stiff". However, that's is in the opinion of 165lbs to 200lbs person. (at the risk of sounding rude) So far The only benifit I can find over a busa shock is that it is a direct fit with no modification. Is this true?