USD forks on vintage bikes
- Thread starter gribbs
- Start date
bbqb4racin
SIKK CYLS
Wingspan said:
Right there with ya! The TLR is a hell of a bike! Miss mine too!!
biker_reject
Over 1,000 Posts
Dude! Tillers can be made into decent sportbikes with some weight loss! But, it's your bike to chop up if you so choose. It'd be an awful shame though...
gribbs
Coast to Coast
i am just dreamin.....its snowin out, so why not 8)
i do wanna see some pics though! reminds of when i use to be svrider a ton and every now and then a sweet front end would pop on an sv650...
still gotta talk to insurance to get a quote for the tiller.
Loco - i do dig your XS ...hmmmm
One of you guys should just buy the TL from me now!! $4250 out the door, I am in the GTA (and too lazy to post in the Forsale section haha)
i do wanna see some pics though! reminds of when i use to be svrider a ton and every now and then a sweet front end would pop on an sv650...
still gotta talk to insurance to get a quote for the tiller.
Loco - i do dig your XS ...hmmmm
One of you guys should just buy the TL from me now!! $4250 out the door, I am in the GTA (and too lazy to post in the Forsale section haha)
gribbs
Coast to Coast
I found out the TLR will cost about 100 bucks a month for me to insure, which isnt much more than I was paying for my old CB750.....so it may be kept afterall. Got any other pics kicking around??? The more I read about it, the more scared I get to ride the thing! I only have a couple months worth of riding experience overall.
gribbs said:
I've got a ton of pics.
My standard answer is that any sport bike is a bad idea for a new rider in general. But if you've got some riding experience and keep your head when riding then it is doable. What have you read that scares you?
My TLR is my favorite of all the bikes I've owned. Sure, it's a bit on the heavy side and isn't as fast as other bikes but it's got tons of character and a sound to die for. I put close to 50k miles on mine, including a 1000+ mile day.
Here it is in touring mode. This pic was taken in northern Michigan ~midway through a 8 day 2200 mile ride around Michigan and up into Canada:
biker_reject
Over 1,000 Posts
I've ridden one as well and didn't notice any quirky handling characteristics at all. The only critique I can remember reading is that the rotary damper may become overheated and fade a bit (sport riding mode). In fact, I would have greater concern over doing triple digit speeds or entering a corner on a Japanese standard of 30 year old design than I would a modern sport bike.
biker_reject said:
The supposed "handling problems" of the TL series were always more myth than reality. It wasn't the best handling bike out there and the rotary damper had some issues when ridden at track speeds, but to read some of the reports you'd think it just plagued with problems and something of a "widowmaker". Not so. Aftermarket shocks, like the Ohlins I had on mine, did improve the handling...but what stock bike isn't improved with a quality race shock? I'd wager that most street riders wouldn't notice the difference if you didn't tell them first. The whole TLR stability thing started when a British bike mag bashed the TL1000S for shaking it's head in their review. Never mind that no one else found anything unusual and at least one US magazine named the very same motorcycle as their bike of the year. Nevertheless, the buzz created prompted Suzuki to recall the TLS to fit steering dampers. Every model of TLR and TLS after '97 came with the steering dampers and what was a minor issue before became a total non-issue.
I sold my TLR shortly after purchasing an Aprilia Mille R. I've regretted selling that bike from day one and of all my past bikes it is the one I'd really like to have back. That includes the Aprilia, which was better than the TLR in every measurable way but was never as dear to me. I lived on my TLR for 4 years. I bought it as a wreck and rebuilt it several times. It was in a constant state of change as I found parts for it. I rode it all over the eastern US from my home in Indiana north to Canada and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Never once did it leave me stranded. The closest thing I had to a break down in 40k+ miles was a punctured radiator, which can't be blamed on the bike. Even then, she got me home and lived to fight another day.
I'm getting all misty eyed...someday I will have another.
gribbs
Coast to Coast
Great read!
I am worried about grabbing too much throttle, that is all. I am not concerned with handling, as I ride very defensively on the street, and probably will never be on a track (but it must be great fun). The first time i blipped the throttle, I was shooting for about 2500 rpms, and she fired up to 5500 ....though I imagine you get used to the difference between old/newer bikes.
I am worried about grabbing too much throttle, that is all. I am not concerned with handling, as I ride very defensively on the street, and probably will never be on a track (but it must be great fun). The first time i blipped the throttle, I was shooting for about 2500 rpms, and she fired up to 5500 ....though I imagine you get used to the difference between old/newer bikes.
gribbs said:
You have to be careful with the throttle at first, but that's true of any sportbike. The TLR isn't blisteringly fast by modern sportbike standards, but it's still damned quick and the sound of the twin can be deceiving if you're ridden I4's before it. The first time I rode my TLR I was cruising down main st of my town as I would have on my 600 without a thought. Then I looked down and realized I was running nearly 80mph. ;D
biker_reject
Over 1,000 Posts
gribbs said:
Man, that reminds me of the time I rode my '98 ZX9R to my favorite dealership to buy some grips. I was drooling over this '02 gixxer 1k and asked how much they would sell their only blue and white. The owner shot me a good price and so I bought it. Now, they knew what I rode (136.8 hp at the wheel) but kept saying over and over to "BE CAREFUL!" on this new 1000 because of the 16.5k redline and 140+ hp (actually dyno'd 146.2 baseline). Shit, by the time I rode off the lot, I was a nervous wreck! After about a mile or so on the highway, gingerly feeling out the response, I just couldn't take it anymore. I whacked that throttle open, boy! Wheeeeeee....!
The first mod I did was to install a TRE (timing retard eliminator). Suzuki was scared that new owners would loop the 1k so they retarded the timing in the first three gears so that full horsepower could not be attained in the lower gears. Silly manufacturer! Ha!
bbqb4racin
SIKK CYLS
You can't do any mod to a TLR to stop the endless wheeling! Maybe yank one of the spark plug wires off but she'd still probably lift! As far as stability, even with the factory damper, mine could and would occasinally tankslap on me. It's not a pleasant feeling either! Just the same, like others have said, an awesome bike I wish I had never sold!
biker_reject
Over 1,000 Posts
The first time I had experienced a tank slapper was on a friend's stock (except for Kerker exhaust) KZ650 at just under 115 mph. It was the worst death wobble I've ever felt and I consider myself lucky to be telling this tale today as I wore no gear at all. All my modern sport bikes were equipped with dampers, either factory or aftermarket.
