TL1000 - 2000 model

[mbikeman1]

im thinking of getting one and selling my trusty gpz1000rx.i looked up the specs and seen that they are the same hp and was gutted.having ridden one i thought they would have been a bit more than 125hp.anyway what i would like to know is what are the pros and cons to these machines.i may end up getting the tl first and then sell or swap for a 250 for the wife to keep her happy as she sold her bike once she found out she was pregnant,so id like to get her another now she can ride again.thanks in advance

[BuzzardNZ]

the 97 model supposedly had more HP than the later models which I think was due to a slightly different ECU from 98 on.

The rear suspension sucks and should be replaced with an after market one.

TL's are getting on in years now, wonder how easy it is to get spares etc.

Other than that, a very fun bike that sounds amazing with an after market exhaust fitted.

Plenty of info on the net, might pay to check one of the many TL specific forums.

[Jinx3d]

I have a 99 TL1000S, I havent had any trouble getting spares, but then what spares are you going to need?
Mines done 85,000, I put in a new clutch pack and clutch cable and regular oil, filters and spark plugs.

I love mine. Sporty enough to stay with the gixxers in the twisties and comfortable enough to ride for 6 hours. Say no more, sold.
If you buy it, budget for an after market rear shock. It really does improve the bike no end. Fuel economy isnt that good, same as all big vee twins, who knows why...
TRE mod is a waste of time, but the charging system mod is easy and quick if it has the charging problem, (battery does not charge well because of corrosion in the loom)

[98tls]

Where to start remembering that its a tender old age these days,rear damper unit (if its still there) will be shot as would any damper/shock unit on a bike that age,inspect the damper mounting point for fine cracks well documented that they crack on the frame,swingarm bearings etc will be shagged,Suzuki barely bothered with lube there from new.Fork internals will need attention without doubt.Strong as hell motor though clearences need to be watched,naturally noisy and if quiet get them looked at.Had mine for many years with no plans to ever sell it,things are a riot to ride even these days.Forget the 97 v the rest bullshit,if you take the time to pull it all to pieces your far better off with the later model ones all things said and done.If you buy the thing head over to TLZONE.NET theres pretty much nothing you cant find about the TL over there.Post up some pics if and when you buy it eh.

[rocketman1]

I haven't owned one but I reckon there a great looking bike.
Lots of guys modify them with paint jobs etc.
They are getting on a bit so you may need to be able to do a bit of work on it yourself to save $.
The Superbike mag in the UK reckon they are a bike that has a bit of cult following and prices are holding good on them. Dont know about NZ though.
Good Luck

[grantnz]

im thinking of getting one and selling my trusty gpz1000rx.i looked up the specs and seen that they are the same hp and was gutted.having ridden one i thought they would have been a bit more than 125hp.anyway what i would like to know is what are the pros and cons to these machines.i may end up getting the tl first and then sell or swap for a 250 for the wife to keep her happy as she sold her bike once she found out she was pregnant,so id like to get her another now she can ride again.thanks in advance

Pros. Lovely motor, heaps of torque, grunty, likes to rev.
Cons. Big fat bitch, heavy as hell, average handling.
Brought a Ducati.
It's like the TL went to Jenny Craig and lost 40 kgs.
The TLR was better than the TLS.

[98tls]

Dont recall the TLR ever winning IBOTY,the thing might only have been 10kg or so heavier than the S but felt more like 50.

[Mad-V2]

The TLR was better than the TLS.

Now thats a lie :lol:
I've had mine 11 years with only one problem pop up, which was the dogs in the gearbox wore out due to too many wheelstands. Other than that, I've had alot of fun with it and will never sell it.

But buying a second hand one there is alot to consider which is why you should definitely check out TLPlanet (http://www.tlplanet.com/forums/index.php) or TLZone (http://www.tlzone.net/forums/) for all things TL1000

[Elysium]

Or get an SV1000?....hey why so quiet all a sudden?

[BuzzardNZ]

Or get an SV1000?....hey why so quiet all a sudden?

certainly beats a firestorm :innocent:

[98tls]

Or get an SV1000?....hey why so quiet all a sudden?

Not a bad idea,there as cheap as chips.

[DEATH_INC.]

Or get an SV1000?
Yuk, Get a TL, either one...

[Juzz976]

ok so my 2c.

TL1000S 125hp
SV1000s 116hp
SV1000sz 125hp
TL1000R 135hp

the TL1000s was a bit of a wheelie monster so later models had timing retarded at high revs in lower gears (kindof like a soft limiter), the TLR has this aswell.
The TRE mod allows you to remove this retarding for the price of a 7c resistor.

I havn't personally ridden the TLS but was told by someone who's owned them that the TLR is superior on many levels.

The SV1000s I have ridden and difference to my TLR as follows.
Smaller pillion seat, more of a touring feel, less comfortable, does not corner the same and fair bit less grunt. They also do not have USD forks and without the fairings you get wet legs in the rain.

I'd like to add the SV1000S would keep almost up with a gixxer on road with amateur riders, however on track the gixxer would have huge advantage.

[Juzz976]

Now thats a lie :lol:


agreed, not was but is.

[DEATH_INC.]

so later models had timing retarded at high revs in lower gears (kindof like a soft limiter), the TLR has this aswell.
Sorry, gonna hi-jak this thread for a moment. This is a very common misconception. The timing retard only affects the first 3 gears, and only at partial throttle. Full throttle still gives full power in any gear.

[Juzz976]

Sorry, gonna hi-jak this thread for a moment. This is a very common misconception. The timing retard only affects the first 3 gears, and only at partial throttle. Full throttle still gives full power in any gear.

That I would say could very well be true, it just doesn't make sense.:blink:
(The part about full throttle, I knew about only in lower gears.)

I will consider this when I'm riding to work tomorrow :ride:

[98tls]

Actually on a TL and i would suppose other EFI Suzukis its gears 1-4,Tre simply fools the ecu into thinking its in 5th,theres also 6th gear ones available which remove speed sensor on some models.While were at it theres also auto and static TREs available,fwiw.Simply put the factory retarder still allows full timing at full throttle,as you shift up the amount of throttle needed to access the advance curve decreases until you hit 5th and its gone.TLs well the S anyway have a bad case of the stumbles at 3-3500 rpm which is a pain in the aese literally,removed when you fit a TRE.

[BuzzardNZ]

Actually on a TL and i would suppose other EFI Suzukis its gears 1-4,Tre simply fools the ecu into thinking its in 5th,theres also 6th gear ones available which remove speed sensor on some models.While were at it theres also auto and static TREs available,fwiw.Simply put the factory retarder still allows full timing at full throttle,as you shift up the amount of throttle needed to access the advance curve decreases until you hit 5th and its gone.TLs well the S anyway have a bad case of the stumbles at 3-3500 rpm which is a pain in the aese literally,removed when you fit a TRE.

my SV also had those stumbles at the same rev range ( common problem with SV's and TL's as you said ).
A power commander or TEKA tune will also smooth those stumbles away.
+1 on the TRE.
TPS adjustment also helps.
Pissed me off that dealerships don't set them up properly before the sell em ( new )
as it was pretty annoying to buy a brand new bike that ran a little rough in that rev range.

[98tls]

my SV also had those stumbles at the same rev range ( common problem with SV's and TL's as you said ).
A power commander or TEKA tune will also smooth those stumbles away.
+1 on the TRE.
TPS adjustment also helps.
Pissed me off that dealerships don't set them up properly before the sell em ( new )
as it was pretty annoying to buy a brand new bike that ran a little rough in that rev range.

Yea mate,ive had an old Yoshi ECU flasher for years,same day i fitted the TRE i mucked about with the Yosh box,end result no more stumbles whatsoever.Didnt realize the SV had them,jesus you would think after the TL Suzuki could eliminated them eh,not the most difficult or costly thing to do with all there resources.

[crazyhorse]

:love: The sound....................... is Orgasmic :innocent:

[Elysium]

:love: The sound....................... is Orgasmic :innocent:
Bah, so is the VTR

[98tls]

Bah, so is the VTR

How the fuck can somethiong that ugly make you produce custard E?Let alone admit it.:facepalm:All that taking the piss aside as good a motorcycle as they are (yea way back before buying mine i rode a few) i always thought of the VTR as a kind of Claytons motorcycle ie you rode it got off the thing and forgot about it cause there was nothing to remember,a tad similar to the first time you shagged a fugly with normal body dimensions.

[Elysium]

How the fuck can somethiong that ugly make you produce custard E?Let alone admit it.:facepalm:
It's how you use it brother. :innocent:

[98tls]

It's how you use it brother. :innocent:

Bugger,good answer mate.

[crazyhorse]

Bah, so is the VTR

Um............. nope! definitely not the same sound.

[imdying]

you would think after the TL Suzuki could eliminated them ehIt's right in the testing zone, and what's good for Euro3 and the EPA, isn't good for drivability, unfortunately.

[Morcs]

Ive owned both, and done all the 'routine' mods to them.
Both have great motors.

With standard shocks, the TLR handles better.
Suprising I found the TLR a lot more comfortable in general for longer distances (even with helibars fitted to a TLS)

[mbikeman1]

finally ive come back to reply to all your info etc.ive had it for a few weeks now and having only riden it twice im finding it completely different to ride than a 4 cyl bike.the other day i pulled out to pass a car and certainly didnt expect the front wheel to come up.damn what a supprise that was but the undies were still clean when i got home.im used to the speed (as anyone can go fast in a straight line) but what a change in tourge.ive noticed on deaceleration or low steady revs that it seems to hunt and that will take a bit to get used to cornering etc.this is probably the timing issue some have refferd to?un like my old ninja at least it can be thrown into a corner and seems light to throw around.seems like a 250 compared to the gpz .
Tags: None

[98tls]

Glad to hear your happy with it,yep sounds like it has the normal "stumbles" around 3000 rpm,if you fancy a trip down to Oamaru sometime i can flash your ecu with my Yosh box,best to get yourself a tre (auto) and fit that at the same time.Enjoy the TL,actually post up a few pics eh.

[mbikeman1]

Glad to hear your happy with it,yep sounds like it has the normal "stumbles" around 3000 rpm,if you fancy a trip down to Oamaru sometime i can flash your ecu with my Yosh box,best to get yourself a tre (auto) and fit that at the same time.Enjoy the TL,actually post up a few pics eh.

so where abouts would i get my hands on a tre?the stumbles make me a bit iffy when cornering.the next decent ride for me will be the brass so may posibley see you there?

[98tls]

so where abouts would i get my hands on a tre?the stumbles make me a bit iffy when cornering.the next decent ride for me will be the brass so may posibley see you there?

I bought mine off a bloke on the TL site,check out TLZONE.NET but no doubt you can buy them here in NZ.Do a search on this site and you should get what your after.Am working (again:facepalm:) the weekend of the Brass so na wont be heading over,shift finishes Sunday bugger it.There 2 types of TRE,you want an auto one and make sure its not one for a 97 as they had a different plug than the rest.

[Munterman]

Ive a 1999 TLS I dont ride like Kevin Swantz so the suspension is fine for me, (settings not stock), just not the class of latest sports bikes. TRE is actually for the first 4 gears & I reckon throttle response is much crisper at low revs & rideable around town. Plenty of grunt - muchos fun, cheap, comfortable, plenty of spares. Will keep mine as a second bike....its a gud un

[bsasuper]

You dont want a TLR, or a VTR FireStorm, You need a VTR1000 SP1 /SP2.

[98tls]

You dont want a TLR, or a VTR FireStorm, You need a VTR1000 SP1 /SP2.

:corn:Sweet,explain why exactly if you will.take your time the Mrs tells me "Coros" on :facepalm:i will do anything rather than watch that.:facepalm:And yea i have ridden an SP.

[Elysium]

Just curious here but why did they not fit hydraulic clutches to the TL? Most large capacity V-Twin bikes I've seen have them. Are they any better then normal cable clutches?

[98tls]

Just curious here but why did they not fit hydraulic clutches to the TL? Most large capacity V-Twin bikes I've seen have them. Are they any better then normal cable clutches?

TLR did.............Nothing wrong with the system on the S though,years back i did though put the 6 bolt R clutch into my S.Early Ss had a 5 bolt.

[Elysium]

TLR did.............

Ah ok. Just never seen a TLR in the flesh yet.

[98tls]

Ah ok. Just never seen a TLR in the flesh yet.

Easy to spot,rear end on them makes the rider look as though he has a Platypus sticking outta his bum hole.:facepalm:Way back i did consider buying one but didnt have the cash to widen the driveway to get the tub a lard into the garage:innocent:Weight difference was only 10kg but what a 10kg it was:corn::woohoo:

[Blackshear]

So I'm pretty keen on buying a TL1000s that's in wellytonne.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=357893266

Reckon anyone could check it out for me?
Looks pretty straight in the pictures but I don't plan on walking away from it should I happen to be down there with $$$.

[bsasuper]

From my personal view, the TLR has a great motor, but in a ugly fairing.I brought a TLS when they first came out, you know the wheelie monster version.It was so wheelie prone that it cracked where the head stock was welded to the frame, and suzuki in all there wisdom declined the warranty claim, said I had abused it!.OK fine I said, but ill never ever buy another suzuki.So then Honda plonks the VTR1000 SP1 on the show room floor, WOW!,wins Superbike,Suzuka 8 hour etc, but most important, shows ducati that its nothing special!.I dont own one but would love to, but have riden one, and its the most enjoyment I've ever had on a bike.You still pay top dollar for a SP1 (In my opinion the best RC51), expect to pay $10,000 for a fine example.

[Mad-V2]

From my personal view, the TLR has a great motor, but in a ugly fairing.I brought a TLS when they first came out, you know the wheelie monster version.It was so wheelie prone that it cracked where the head stock was welded to the frame, and suzuki in all there wisdom declined the warranty claim, said I had abused it!.OK fine I said, but ill never ever buy another suzuki.So then Honda plonks the VTR1000 SP1 on the show room floor, WOW!,wins Superbike,Suzuka 8 hour etc, but most important, shows ducati that its nothing special!.I dont own one but would love to, but have riden one, and its the most enjoyment I've ever had on a bike.You still pay top dollar for a SP1 (In my opinion the best RC51), expect to pay $10,000 for a fine example.

I wouldn't say wheelie prone....It wheelies when ya want it too, same as any big bike.
The frame was prone to cracking on earlier models and most people got a replacement frame under warranty. Mine cracked at the top rotary damper bracket and the dealer I got it from, fixed it under warranty :thumbup:
Later I put an Ohlins rear shock in it and now its not a worry. With the Carrozerias, 520 chain and sprocket conversion kit and Race Tech fork internals, she'll handle like a dream :2thumbsup