TL1000S handling

[ric007]

Under throttle, changing from L to R, if hitting chatter, bike seems to want to straighten. Otherwise handles well, but can be a handful under these cirumstances. Is this just TL?

[Robert Taylor]

Under throttle, changing from L to R, if hitting chatter, bike seems to want to straighten. Otherwise handles well, but can be a handful under these cirumstances. Is this just TL?

Excessively fast high speed rebound in the forks which cannot be compensated for with the clickers. Given that there is 10 years of wear the forks will doubtless require attention. Also what rear shock does it have?

[Squiggles]

Still got the stock steering dampner? running 180 rear or the fat 190 still?

[DEATH_INC.]

DON'T change to a 180 rear, stay with the 190.
Be thankful it wants to straighten, not just try to tankslap you off :whistle:
Can you explain in a bit more detail what you mean?

[Morcs]

They handle fine. Just learn to ride it and your onto a winner :banana:

Im gonna try a 190/55, will let ya know how that goes.

But also raising the forks a few mm in the clamps has a similar effect to changing to a 180.

[Robert Taylor]

They handle fine. Just learn to ride it and your onto a winner :banana:

Im gonna try a 190/55, will let ya know how that goes.

But also raising the forks a few mm in the clamps has a similar effect to changing to a 180.

Completely untrue, the handling on these can be improved dramatically and in the rear especially the tyre life can be almost doubled. The best youve ridden is the best you know....

[Morcs]

Completely untrue, the handling on these can be improved dramatically and in the rear especially the tyre life can be almost doubled. The best youve ridden is the best you know....

Yeah, but hey, I like bikes with character.

Best I know is a 94 CBR600 F2 motard wannabe that was worth less than an ohlins shock.

Your more than welcome to stick an ohlins in my tl so I can write a review on it... :D

[Robert Taylor]

Yeah, but hey, I like bikes with character.

Best I know is a 94 CBR600 F2 motard wannabe that was worth less than an ohlins shock.

Your more than welcome to stick an ohlins in my tl so I can write a review on it... :D

Why would I do that when I have already sold an enormous number?

Funny sort of character with the high friction damper from hell!!!!! Plus tyre expenditure because it is so overworked...

[ric007]

has stock damper, i replaced the spring at xmas that made a huge difference, lucky i had friends in japan who got me the part for $300 bucks.Im running a 180 tyre on the back and getting great milage. the forks have been serviced and are showing no sign of wear. doesn't like sharp fast impacts ie alot of the shock goes through my wrists hence the skitterishness in rough corners.

[98tls]

TLZONE.NET is your friend,that aside i need to find a way of getting mine to Robert Taylors shop.<_<

[Robert Taylor]

has stock damper, i replaced the spring at xmas that made a huge difference, lucky i had friends in japan who got me the part for $300 bucks.Im running a 180 tyre on the back and getting great milage. the forks have been serviced and are showing no sign of wear. doesn't like sharp fast impacts ie alot of the shock goes through my wrists hence the skitterishness in rough corners.

You could actually remove the shims off the stock compression pistons in those forks, aside from then having no immediate ride height control those sharp impacts will still be felt! That is because the port sizes are too small and choke off in flow at around 300mm/second shaft speed. A set of Race Tech big port pistons transforms this but with our own shim stack that is quite different. We have done dozens of these over the years and the difference in compliance is massive, but still retaining the ride height control required.

[ric007]

what about a lighter grade fork oil?

[ric007]

JUst rode my mates fire storm, thats how i want mine to handle it was telepathic almost. i found that mine is trying to turn the bars against the counter steer. becoming heavy in the steering throught the cnr, you have to push against it to keep the counter steer going where as the firestorms was light an neutral

[Morcs]

Why would I do that when I have already sold an enormous number?

Funny sort of character with the high friction damper from hell!!!!! Plus tyre expenditure because it is so overworked...

okay so maybe im just making excuses for not being able to justify spending the equivalent of 30% of the value of my bike on a new rear shock :crybaby:

[svr]

TL's a cool bike - pity that motor doesnt fit in the sv. Sounds like your tyre profiles have gone (flat rear, scallopped front) - TLs feel like they've gone from new a bit... `Triangular' profile tyres would really help I reckon (less bump leverage on the bike at moderate lean angles) - and less damping in the forks. Changed the oil recently?

[Robert Taylor]

what about a lighter grade fork oil?

When the shim stacks are open the fork oil viscosity has very little influence because there is a lot more flow area than when it is just cycling through the bleeds at low fork shaft velocity. Moreover the low speed rebound control is already marginal through the bleed so going to a lighter oil is going to exacerbate that poor area of control.

These are cartridge forks we are dealing with, not damper rod forks.

So the cheap fix ( lighter oil ) is not a fix at all. The piston ports are simply not big enough to flow enough oil volume at abrupt bump velocities ( fork velocity, not bike velocity)

[Robert Taylor]

okay so maybe im just making excuses for not being able to justify spending the equivalent of 30% of the value of my bike on a new rear shock :crybaby:

The same argument can be applied to the fitting of aftermarket exhausts. I know what actually gives much better value and doesnt upset the neighbours......''Hey listen to my ill handling bike"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ric007]

bikes always handled this way even with new tyres was thinking maybe a different profile tyre might help

[Robert Taylor]

bikes always handled this way even with new tyres was thinking maybe a different profile tyre might help

The profile will affect steering response but will not ''mask'' the atrocious suspension on this model.

[Pussy]

My 0.05c worth... I have a mate in NP with a Y(2000) model TLS, it's had the RT fork valve mod and an Ohlins damper unit fitted to it... totally transformed the bike. The forks run higher in the stroke, with 100% better sharp bump compliance. Worthwhile mod

[Sensei]

Saddly no one has suggested about the Rebound damper fault they can have . The rear damper unit connecting bolts that screw into the righthand side of the frame that break & course the bike to do some very strange things . I have gone to great lenghts to make a side plate & weld repair the broken frame mounting plate that the rebound damper bolts to & cracks when the said bolts break . May pay to check this out as well as the other stuff the Technos are talking about .

[Robert Taylor]

Saddly no one has suggested about the Rebound damper fault they can have . The rear damper unit connecting bolts that screw into the righthand side of the frame that break & course the bike to do some very strange things . I have gone to great lenghts to make a side plate & weld repair the broken frame mounting plate that the rebound damper bolts to & cracks when the said bolts break . May pay to check this out as well as the other stuff the Technos are talking about .

Its because the fitting width of the damper is less than the fitting width of the frame and the correct thing to do is to release the bolts, measure the gap and shim accordingly. But that does nothing to address the disgusting performance of that high friction damper.

[Wheeliemonsta]

Under throttle, changing from L to R, if hitting chatter, bike seems to want to straighten. Otherwise handles well, but can be a handful under these cirumstances. Is this just TL?

Gidday ric007,
In all honesty - spend the money & have Robert do his thing, he did mine back in 98 when it were a new bike & it was the best couple of grand I've ever spent...

TL's (R's & S's) are a bloody fantastic bike - BUT the suspension was fundamentally flawed from factory, hence Suzuki trying mask the problem with the recall to fit steering dampers...

With ten years wear & tear on it I can't see it having magically started to handle any better

Cheers

:rockon: