Dear Bandito,

I put this page together to help guide you in your tuning and suspension decisions and the best place to start when it comes to modifying your Bandit. I've done years of testing and my goal is for you to get the biggest bang for your dollars spent and do it right the first time.

New questions will be added periodically. Enjoy for now,

Dale Walker

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Questions

Horse Power

1. What is the first step to make more power?
2. Is re-jetting necessary when I add the slip-on?
3. I'm on a budget so can I run the slip-on first then add the jet kit later when I can afford it?
4. I see you make three jet kit, the stage 1, stage 1 mod & the stage 2, which do you recommend?
5. Does the stage 2 add a lot of intake noise and will the filters get wet while riding in the rain
6. What does the timing advancer do and is it hard to install?
7. What about the full Holeshot Vortex stepped header, should I just go with that first or start with the slip-on?
8. I already own a Brand X slip-on. Can I purchase just the Vortex header?
9. I've done the external mods I want, so can I do any thing else without tearing down my motor
10. I'm thinking of a winter project and I want to eat my friends R1 so what's next?
11. Can't I just mill the head and raise the compression?
12. What will your street strip port work do for me?
13. Why do you mill the head when you do the port work?
14. Whats the next step for even more power?
15. How much of a gain will this give me and how will it effect the power delivery.

Brakes and Suspension

1. My bike doesn't seem to stop as well as it should and the front end really dives when I brake hard. What's the first step to improve this?
2. I hear the ultimate front fork modification is the Race Tech gold valves and springs, should I do this more expensive mod instead?
3. Can I install the Race Tech parts myself?

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First lets talk HORSE POWER my favorite thing

The first step is to add the Holeshot vortex slip-on, jet kit and +5 degree timing advancer.

It is not mandatory and the Vortex will add 12 to 14 hp and 10 ft- lbs. on the 1998-2000 B-12 and 5-7 hp on the 2001+ B-12. Just bolting it on. To make it less cold blooded, really smooth it out and to get even more power and torque I highly recommend one of my jetting kits. The B-6 will pick up 5 to 7 hp in the mid range and about 3 on top for a much more enjoyable ride.

Yes you can and it will not cause any motor damage by doing so. The B-12 has such low compression you can't hurt it. The B-6 should always have my jet kit and advancer installed at the same time.

This is really a personal choice. All my kits can be dialed in to run very smooth. The stage 1 retains the look of the stock air box, will add about 2 more hp and really help it warm up quicker as well run much smoother with better response. The stage 1 Modified kit is the same kit with different jetting so an additional 2 inch hole may be added to the back of the air box for increased air flow and about 2 more additional hp which is free of charge. The stage 1 and 1 mod kit is also the most economical. The stage 2 kit is my personal choice eliminating the air box completely. It give you much easier carb access really cleans things up and adds a full 5 to 7 more hp above the slip-on. All my kits include the complete jet kit that I designed and tested, Plus K&N high flow filter or filters. I also offer the stage1 and 2 for the B-6 through 1999 models and the results are what I already mentioned.All my kits come with very good instruction for the home tuner and I'm always here to help.

The intake noise is very minimal On the B-12 but a bit louder on the B-6. Riding in the rain is absolutely not a problem and the filters do not get wet. The shape of the tank and wear your legs our located shed all the water off and it will not get to the filters. The only time they can get wet is if you have to park in the rain for a few hours. We have a simple full water proof cover that slips on in seconds that cures this problem, so no worries.

The Holeshot timing advancer advances the ignition timing 5 degrees. This adds throttle response, makes it easier to tune, adds 1 to 2 hp and smoothes it out even more. I highly recommend adding this with the jet kit. I do not recommend it unless you are re-jetting. As far as the install, Its a real easy bolt on deal. Just remove the small right front engine cover un-bolt the old one and bolt on the Holeshot you will need to get a new cover gasket from your dealer first because it may tear when you remove the cover. The advancer does not cause it to run hot or ping at all.

This again depends on your budget. The full header system removes about 16 lbs. verses about 7 lbs. with the slip-on. It not only looks beautiful with the sterling silver jet hot coating, but makes 3 to 4 additional hp with the proper tune up. It offers more ground clearance than the original and good oil and filter access without removal.

Note: The Vortex header is Available as a full system or an upgrade to owners that already purchased our Vortex slip-on.

Sorry, NO. After 8 months of development I just can't have my beautiful pipe running around with another big name muffler on it.

Yes the next step would be to drop in the GSX-R intake cam. This will get you 4 to 7 hp upstairs and only hurt the midrange ever so slightly. We sell these brand new at a discount to our current Bandit customers.

Note: This only applies to the B-12.

Installing my 1157 cc 11:1 piston kit or 1216 cc kit with head work is the answer. Both combined with my port work are capable of 145 to 150 peak Horsepower but the 1216 combo kicks the standard bores butt from 4000 to 8000 rpm range really bad.Both kits utilize J&E pistons with my own dome design to keep the CR relatively low so pump gas even 89 octane is not a problem and the engine stays very reliable. The standard bore kit is capable of 85 ft lbs. where the 1216 cc kit has made a arm stretching 96 ft-lbs. on my dyno. Note these numbers are with my head work, full pipe, stage 2 and advancer.

Yes but I don't feel this is the way to go. To raise it enough to be effective you must mill off .050 to.060 and if you add cams or want to change the cam timing you can bend the valves pretty easy if you make one mistake. Plus the J&E pistons are forged not cast like the stockers and are a work of art. They also have much deeper valve pockets so piston to valve clearance is not a problem with any camshafts.

I learned long ago that your motor is just an air pump. You can make a lot of power in a very mild combination if the head, pipe, carb work, air intake can work together afficiently. I've spent the last 2 years perfecting my Bandit 1200 combination. My cylinder head work is not overly ported. Its not only the size but the shape of the ports that make good overall power and good mid range. The quality of the valve job, matching the intake manifolds to the ports and lightly milling the surface are all key points that make power gains at the rear wheel. For the work we do my head porting is very reasonably priced because We specialize in the Bandit air oil cooled head only and I only do the job one way.

We take off .015" to .020". This gets it to the CR I'm looking for with my pistons and reduces the chamber size which really adds response and makes it rev quick.

The next step would be to install the GSX-R exhaust cam and possibly a set of 38 to 40 mm Mikuni smooth bore carbs.

I've seen as much as 9 to 12 peak horse power, but keep in mind it will move the power upstairs allot more and hurt the midrange throttle response. Unless your planning on building strictly a track bike I usually don't recommend this combination.

Brakes and Suspension

Install our Galfer steel braided brake lines and Ferodo brake pads. This will really give you a firmer lever feel and improve the braking power big time, very smooth progressive braking can be expected.

I usually recommend this set up for the very aggressive street rider or occasional track day carver. The Race tech gold valves in conjunction with their matching fork springs really make for the ultimate front end. With this done the forks will really suck up the stutter bumps in the corners as well as offer super smooth damping for better handling and ride quality.

If you're an ace mechanic I would say yes. The second option is to take your forks to a shop that's familiar with the Race tech products and does this type of work. The third option would be send us your forks and we will ship them directly to Race tech for you to have everything installed. This cost about $96.00 and is well worth it to have it done properly.