Where is a good place to get spares?

[Bandit 400 v]

Where is a good place to get spares for an import vc bandit? I'm looking for fork seals, gasket set/oil seals, chain and stuff

[Variablevalves suck]

Should be able to get most parts from your local as they imported the Bandit officially into the UK, Just remember the Jap import had twin discs so different front brake pads than the single disc UK model and the cam cover gasket on the VC is not the same as the non VC so look after it as i dont think you can get them anymore.

[Bandit 400 v]

Bugger! cam cover gasket is in the bin. know of any good online suppliers? i work 6 days a week and rarely get a chance to visit the bike shop

[Variablevalves suck]

Have used wemoto for normal parts, filter etc. If you need somthing VC specific then Riders of Yeovil can get straight from Japan but takes a while and you pay the postage. Shame youve binned the gasket as theyre very rare D'oh!. You can use the standard one but its not a perfect fit due to slight difference in the outline and the dowels are in a different place.

[Bandit 400 v]

ok ta. what do you think of the variable valve engine? does it suit the bandit well? i have been thinking about changing it to gsxr spec in the future.

[Bandit 400 v]

I just got a price of £220 for piston rings. Surely that is takin the piss? Most of my bike experience is with little 2 strokes and cb125t's, so it sounds crazy money to me.

[Variablevalves suck]

Hi mate, wot you need rings for? they cost loads cuz theres lots of them what with oil and scraper rings etc. The VC gives as much BHP as the gixer plus loads extra grunt on the public highway due to the low/mid range cam setting so big work for little or nothing going with the gixer parts and gk73a parts may fit the VC, i know they fit the standard B4 but gk76a are very different and will not swop across (bigger bearing lobes, thinner cam lobes ) as the 76A has got much thinner valve stems. The best thing you can do with the VC is get the valve clearences right as the followers are a bit fragile and its a good little motor. You need a manual to do it as its very complated hence my user name.

[Bandit 400 v]

rings are just one of the things i normally do when i'm rebuilding an engine, but i dont think i'll bother this time, i have a gk73a bottom end, barrels and pistons and a gk7aa head. the extra oil way is being added by an engineer mate of mine soon, then i can bang it back together. parts prices are alot more than i'm used too. looking foward to getting it finished, it's my first big bike (apart from a gs450 and a gt750 that never got done). just got to change gearbox and clutch on my beemer so i can sell it to pay for my bike test.

[Variablevalves suck]

Forgive me mate, ive just switched on you got the gk7AA with the hole. If your drilling the oil way out its 14x1.5mm barrels, pistons and bottom end will all fit, dont fit new without measuring parts and going with the stuff thats within spec as with 4 of everything you will soon be into mega money. Only one problem you may have is that im sure the gk7AA VC has a different cam chain to the early B4/gk73A its like a twin duplex style as apposed to the older single type so i dont know if it will run on the gk73A crank sprocket, can you post some pics and sizes of the VC cam sprockets and i can compare to some first gen VC spares i have. Also they should be a differnt lenght as the links between the cam sprokets when setting the cams is i think 24 not 20 as the first gen VC that i have but im sure we can work it with a little thought! If its different can you use the gk7AA crank with the gk73A conrods?
Chris.

[Bandit 400 v]

i will take some pics and measure the cam sprocket later The gk7aa crank i have, i'm not sure is any good, a bolt snapped on the conrod and the crank mangled the conrod and pushed it through the casing, so it's probably buggerd. Thank you for your reply, i'm so glad some one knows what they are doing with these engines. I was beginning to lose faith in it. (seen a nice sv650)