Mr. Turbo Turbocharger Kit
Mr. Turbo Turbocharger Kit
CW EVALUATION
Boosting the Bandit
FITTING A TURBOCHARGER TO A SUZUKI Bandit 1200S should result in a match made in heaven. After all, at $7199, the Bandit is a stone-cold bargain, leaving lots of room in the budget for add-ons, such as a turbo. Problem is, no one had ever done it before. Enter Mr. Turbo, the Houston, Texas-based aftermarket turbo manufacturer. The company specializes in bolt-on systems that increase power by packing a greater air/fuel charge into the engine.
With help from company founder and noted drag racer Terry Kizer, installation went smoothly. This included mounting a K&N filter-equipped Mikuni HSR42 carburetor to a modified intake manifold, and replacing the stock petcock with a high-flow Pingel unit. The latter directs fuel through an electric pump mounted in front of the battery box. Also, the stock oil cooler was relocated to clear the new header pipes. This required drilling and tapping the frame downtubes.
Because the small Rajay FF40 turbocharger is lubricated by engine oil, we plumbed circulatory lines into the clutch and right-side crankcase. With the clutch cover off, we also shored up the stock, diaphragm-spring clutch with a pair of heavy-duty Barnett springs (in addition to the two stock springs).
Since the air/oil-cooled engine was essentially stock, we limited boost levels. At a mere 6 pounds, the engine produced 160 horsepower at 10,000 rpm and 90 foot-pounds of torque at 7500 rpm, up from the stock 102 bhp and 70 ft.-lbs. At 8 pounds of boost, the effect was a mind-boggling 167 bhp and 101 ft.-lbs. of torque. Kizer has since tested with 13 pounds of boost, resulting in 196 bhp and 119 ft.lbs. of torque!
As expected, performance is breathtaking. Arm-straightening acceleration is a handful of throttle away, and reaching go-to-jail speeds is alarmingly easy. At the dragstrip, where a stock Bandit eclipsed the quarter-mile in 11.15 seconds at 120 mph, the turboed Suzuki ripped through the same distance in 10.38 seconds at 136 mph. Top speed is 170 mph, up from 144 mph. More impressively, the bike smacked the rev-limiter in top gear within half a mile.
The powerband is remarkably linear, with the exception of a brief dip at 3500 rpm. In fact, concerns that a fierce midrange hit would flip bike and rider onto the tarmac proved unfounded. Driveability, however, was compromised by the overly stiff clutch, lumpy idle and occa sional low-speed surging. We could live with the poor fuel mileage, which plummeted from 34 to 22 mpg. But the poorly plumbed turbo exhaust routing, which competes for space with the rider's left leg, is indefensi ble-not to mention painful. Fortu nately, the company offers a weld-on heat shield.
In the end, then, the Mr. Turbo kit is a qualified success. Performance is incredible, though some details need attention. Still, for Bandit owners looking for the cheap way to 160 horsepower, Mr. Turbo has the answer. Fike we said, a match made in heaven. □
MR. TURBO KIT
Mr. Turbo
4014 Hopper Rd. Houston, TX 77093 281/442-7113
Price...........$2999
Ups ITaaay-wicked acceleration Easier to install than high-comp pistons, bumpy cams, etc.
Downs Scent of burning flesh Not exactly an aesthetic triumph
