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All Suzuki TL Reviews
Suzuki TL 1000cc Apr '00 (W)
Overall Rating:
Review
I have owned this bike for four months, I had a YZF1000 Thunderace, before that was very good, I owned that from new on a '51' plate, however the TLR has surprised me, always wanted one because of the bark from the exhausts, sounds great the V-Twin. I collected the bike from Manchester and was worried about the comfort thing, the big surprise was that it is the most comfortable sport bike I have ever owned, at 100mph she is ticking over at 6000rpm and still has bags of power even at that speed, it is the most effortless bike I have had the chance to ride, however you do need to respect this bike, the bottom end grunt if you have never riden such a beast is mad!! It twitches under throtle, but I think this is flex from the swinging arm, not for the faint hearted. If you have just got off a 600cc or even a 750cc and you are thinking of buying one of these I would say buy an 1000cc inline four first to get used to the power or you will kill yourself. Power delivery to the back wheel is completely different to a four pot, you will love it I can guarantee, check out TLZONE and read carefully for more information.
Submitted by
waynewillavoys@ on 25/01/2008
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Suzuki TL 1000cc Sept '99 (V)
Overall Rating:
Review
The TLR1000 was the fully faired and updated version of the TL1000S which was half faired. When first introduced it was perceived along with the VTR1000 Honda as the Japanese answer to the V-twin hegemony of Ducati and the iconic 916. This was the Fogarty hey day and the Brit was pissing over everyone on the Duke at the time.


Naturally the Japanese quickly plagiarised the format but the TLR was never as soulful as the Duke and was definitely the ugly sister in comparison, however more reliable and cheaper.



Perceived as a ‘nutters’ bike, both versions of the TL had a new rotary damper allied with a separate spring unit which never really took off and wasn’t the most efficient rear shock mainly because it was said the heat from the rear cylinder’s exhaust affected the action but gave the journo’s and riders something different to talk about. The main other difference between the ‘S and the ‘R’ models was the frame. The ‘R’ enjoyed a conventional styled ally beam frame a la GSXR wheras the ‘S’ had a trellis styled frame, though not of geodetic design and made of aluminium.



The TLR had its battery located in the lower front fairing which slid in sideways so therefore required an expensive gel type ‘MF’ battery which wasn’t cheap.



Most people hated the styling saying it was porky and ugly; you either hated it or loved it, not quite marmite because most people hated it as far as I could tell, other than the handful of owners who bought one.



The TLR had the same wheelbase as the contemporary Yamaha YZFR1 apparently but had a steeper steering head angle (I think) which made it a bit twitchy, hence the steering damper as stock. Jumping from a four cylinder bike onto the TLR one’s riding style had to be adapted, as in slow turns or roundabouts the bike felt like it wanted to fall over unless you were on the gas.



It also had twin fuel injectors which made it a bit more fuel efficient than the TLS model. I embarked on a few road trips with mine accompanied by a mate on an ‘S’ model and he always had to stop for gas before I did.



I bought mine with a 190 section rear tyre which made it harder to lay on its side so I changed it for a thinner 180 section which improved the handling somewhat. Race pipes made it sound like all the demons of hell were having a bass drum party, feckin brilliant! It really boomed and mine equipped with twin Yoshimura RS3 pipes used to set off car alarms when I went past (which was fun). Surprisingly for a sports bike it was comfy for touring but getting any sort of luggage on board was a task. It was generally a tank bag and rucksack or nowt. The upswept Yoshi’s didn’t help much. I knew some owners who bought a set of carbon fibre slip on cans and within a few months had pretty much blown them to bits. Remus did a sturdy set of pipes which effectively just had a carbon wrap, most owners went the Yoshi route as far as I could make out looking at other machines, which makes sense really as the Yoshimura concern has closer ties to this factory than any other.



Top speed about 165 from 135hp, but it was more about the punchiness of the motor rather than the top end, which also used to make it a bit twitchy when you were heavy handed on the throttle, it used to feel like you were rippling up the tarmac behind you. Monster fun!



I took mine to Silverstone for a track day and the allure was lost. I hated it, it felt like a dustcart, quick on the straights but I just couldn’t get it to handle (or suit my riding style), I tried different tyre pressures and got the on track suspension ‘experts’ to try and help, but alas Silverstone rang the death knell of my TL ownership and my brief foray into V-twin world.



Ultimately it was probably a sales failure as it was never really popular as was its Jap rivals the Honda VTR1000 Firestorm which was a little more sanitized, (great road bike also had one of these) but did spawn the SP-1/2 which Colin Edwards won a Superbike series on.



Anthony Gobert won a Superbike race on a Bimota which housed the TLR motor at a very wet Phillip Island meeting I believe, plus Cagiva used it in their 1000 Raptor models as a donor engine.



Basically if you were poor you bought a Jap v-twin because they were fast and reliable, whereas the more well heeled in the V-twin milieu opted for the 916 Duke and paid the price in servicing and upkeep costs. Beautiful bike though and given the option I’m sure the majority of Jap bike owners would have plumped for the Duke (apparently modelled on the shape of a women viewed from above).



Secondhand values of the TL aren’t too bad if you can find a decent one. The majority I see now tend to be streetfightered.
Submitted by
bignose in Hastings, East Sussex on 28/11/2007
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Suzuki TL 1000cc Sept '99 (V)
Overall Rating:
Review
Suzuki TL100R - the successor to Suzuki's TL1000S, a really exciting ride, but not for the faint hearted!
Both the TL1000s and TL1000R feature the amazing V-twin engine, and the TL1000R boasts double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and fuel injection, which means the front end becomes very light with all that power. However, Suzuki have improved the rear shock and revised the chassis on the TL1000R, so it doesn't misbehave as much as its predecessor! The frame is based on the GSX-R750 and has a short wheelbase, and with the poke from the V-twin, it sometimes gets loose at high speeds, and
coupled with a tendency to oversteer on slower corners, it can sometimes seem a little dicey!
The torquey engine is awesome, and closely resembles a race-ready unit and has been highly tuned for the road, producing around 135bph and revs 1000rpm higher than the TL1000S.
Unlike the TL1000S, the R is fully faired and the aerodynamic fairing is quite wide, so you get less of a battering from the wind, and the front mudguard is shaped to counteract lift at high speed.
The downside of this wicked bike, are the
electrics, so a strong gel type battery, is worth the investment!
Overall the TL1000R is a "nutter's" bike, with the awesome V-twin engine, its an adrenaline pumping, challenging ride all the way!! Enjoy!!!!
Submitted by
sammy271 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent on 27/11/2007
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