tl1000 vs sv1000

[xr-rider]

My old man is looking at getting a bike to commute on and do a bit of touring on. he is looking at a SV1000 or a TL1000, is there any problems with these bikes and what mods would make it an awesome bike? Are they any good two up? are they any good with luggage on them

[James Deuce]

I think your "old man" should be looking at a Bandit 1200/1250 with those criteria.

The TL and SV are chalk and cheese. One is "exciting" and the other a bit bland but very competent. There are container ship loads of mods for both, but neither is a luggage/pillion kind of bike.

[paturoa]

I commute and tour on my SVS. Needs a sheepskin for touring!

[James Deuce]

I'd commute and tour on an SV too. But not with a pillion. Unless they had very short legs. And didn't mind sitting head and shoulders above the pilot.

[98tls]

I think your "old man" should be looking at a Bandit 1200/1250 with those criteria.

The TL and SV are chalk and cheese. One is "exciting" and the other a bit bland but very competent. There are container ship loads of mods for both, but neither is a luggage/pillion kind of bike. The TL anyway isnt pillion friendly at all,even if you fit a packrack the pillion seat is tiny and you have to fit one to have any hope of carrying enough gear for two.Other than that the TL is any awsome bike to do big miles on,some would say not that comfy but ive never had a problem,if it has to be a v-twin theres plenty of other options as in the VTR,Ducatis ST range,Triumph Tiger although not a V-twin would be an awesome do it all as well.

[n0regret5]

tiny pillion seat? i've had no complaints (for the seat, anyway) from the young ladies i've had on the back..:-D
BUT i wouldn't use it for touring. it IS a sportsbike, after all..and does get uncomfortable after a while. i thought the SV had a better seat/ergo's anyway? just a (horrendously) down-tuned engine.
tell him - get a GSX1400..there's a thread on here for one and it almost got me buying one. huge, comfy, and loads of power on tap. supposed to be consistently 100bhp at the back wheel or something. and he can tell his lady friend, theres 11L of storage under the seat.
11L OF STORAGE UNDER THE SEAT!!

[Morcs]

The TL anyway isnt pillion friendly at all,even if you fit a packrack the pillion seat is tiny and you have to fit one to have any hope of carrying enough gear for two.Other than that the TL is any awsome bike to do big miles on,some would say not that comfy but ive never had a problem,if it has to be a v-twin theres plenty of other options as in the VTR,Ducatis ST range,Triumph Tiger although not a V-twin would be an awesome do it all as well.

Yeah but have you got Heli Bars?


I Find with a pillion the gap between us is too big. Round time Im sat forwards, motorway cruising i push my arse back HALF A FOOT! so round town/slow stuff the pillion is very uncomfortable and in a precarious position.

[n0regret5]

Yeah but have you got Heli Bars?


I Find with a pillion the gap between us is too big. Round time Im sat forwards, motorway cruising i push my arse back HALF A FOOT! so round town/slow stuff the pillion is very uncomfortable and in a precarious position.

yeh - ditto. that seat really was designed for shifting around alot..

[Morcs]

My old man is looking at getting a bike to commute on and do a bit of touring on. he is looking at a SV1000 or a TL1000, is there any problems with these bikes and what mods would make it an awesome bike? Are they any good two up? are they any good with luggage on them

I just did a write up.

Worth a read:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=1467844#post1467844

[madbikeboy]

The TL is an interesting bike, it has a reputation for being a handful. It uses a rotary damper in the rear shock unit that has a very small amount of fluid... Which leads to poor handling when the fluid gets hot and overworked...

I'm biased because I don't get on well with the TL (I'm not small, so I tend to notice suspension issues that don't affect 70kg guys). I like the SV, it's a nice handling no fuss bike. It's still plenty fast enough for most people...

MBB

[007XX]

Like Hell I would pillion again on the SV1000 of 007XY :angry2:

Fark, that is by far one of the most uncomfortable rides I've ever been on. hence the fact I now have my own bike.

Mind you, we do the likes of Auckland to the Cold Kiwi, which we did one year with me on the back of hubby's 955 Daytona, and it wasn't as uncomfortable as the SV.

His ex had the pleasure of pillioning when he had the TL1000 and she hated it too...He had a blast with it, but apparently the front end has a bit of a bad habit for "floating".

Honnestly, for serious touring, the likes of a Bandit or a Triumph Tiger cannot be beaten...