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Thought you might be interested in taking a look at a review I found written by a Kevin Ash on the 5^th May 2010.

He tested the new Suzuki Bandit 1250GT and felt that it was good value for the money, read on and make your own judgement.

 Suzuki needs to wake up and smell the coffee, as its range lacks any bike in the £12,000 bracket, let alone one that meets my needs - with a lot of winter riding to airports to attend new bike launches, I need some weather protection and substantial luggage capacity.

For this year, Suzuki offered me a Bandit GT fitted with big panniers and a top box, but boy did I have to compromise on price. I mean, 1,250cc, full luggage and less than £7,000? Worse still, it doesn't even muster 100bhp. The shame of it, this was the bike price equivalent of a mullet haircut. Don't they know who I am?

You'd never guess the Bandit's bargain basement price when you ride it, however. In the rev zone you always use on the road, it feels stronger than most £12,000 bikes by at least £2,000, so much so you can just leave it in top gear.

The fuel range only just tops the £12,000 barrier, though, edging out Honda's VFR by 10 miles or so – what's that, £500 more? But it does manage to annoy you with two silly low fuel warnings, the first coming on with 60 miles remaining, the second with about 10 left, so it's hard to make the most of the 180 miles to empty.

The chassis is very disappointing. Not only is it barely in the £12,000 class, you can't fiddle with it much, and when you do, you need... a spanner, for the spring preload! Er, like most £12,000 bikes, then.

The ride quality is fine anyway, up with bikes which would be its rivals if only the Suzuki cost more. It steers beautifully, too, until the tyres wear, when it starts to tuck in a little. Bridgestone's new BT-023s cured that.

I managed to find something wrong with the capacious, waterproof, colour-matched luggage - the panniers require a different key to the top box. Surely that alone is worth the £5,000 more the bike ought to cost?

On top of that, the Bandit defied Suzuki's old reputation for corrosion susceptibility even in last winter's vile conditions, shining up beautifully come spring. It might not have looked a million dollars, but it definitely had a £12,000 mien.

It's hard to know what's going on here: full fairing, that luggage, a smooth and muscular motor we know will last forever, decent finish quality, huge torque, reasonable fuel range, comfortable, sure handling, a centre stand, ABS brakes...

To be fair to Suzuki, it has tried hard to compete by raising the price to £7,149 for 2010. But that is only because the new, near-identical GSX1250FA was costing more without the £600 luggage. (£600? The VFR's top box alone is almost as much as that...).

I'm sorry Suzuki, get real: £7,000 for a bike that's as everyday-good as a VFR? It'll never catch on.

THE FACTS

PRICE/AVAILABILITY From £7,149/Now

POWER/TORQUE 97bhp@7,500rpm/81lb ft@3,700rpm

TOP SPEED 130mph (est)

FUEL TANK/RANGE 4.3 gallons/180 miles

VERDICT You really have to wonder why you'd pay more. The engine is not just a match for some £12,000 rivals, in everyday riding it's better and you're unlikely to miss the greater power of other bikes. The chassis is easy handling and reasonably agile, the luggage holds lots more than a VFR's, and the bike survived the winter impressively. Few signs of budget cutting, apart from the old-fashioned dash, making this the best value motorcycle of 2010.

TELEGRAPH RATING Five out of five

THE RIVALS

Honda CBF1000GT £8,425

The nearest real rival to the Bandit and a mere £1,200 more costly. Despite the extra cost and smaller engine, you could justify the extra for the way it feels and its air of class. And that only adds tot he questions over those £12,000 machines...

Triumph Sprint ST £9,099

A facelifted version is due, but even as it is the Spring ST is good value at £2,000 more than the Suzuki. It lacks the huge torque but compensates with more horsepower and higher performance. Three-cylinder character lifts it above the four-cylinder norm.

BMW K1300GT £12,840

The definitive sports tourer in that higher price bracket, but you'll need at least £2,000 more to bring it up the most common specification. You'll get better weather protection, fuel range, comfort and performance, but the build quality's not as good and it costs double...