1998 Suzuki TL1000R
Summary:
A terrific V-Twin sportbike, with lots of soul!
Faults:
Nothing has ever gone wrong with this bike.
General Comments:
The low end torque is stupendous. The engine is a wonderful piece of engineering. Just don't look for liter bike beating horsepower though, it's simply not there.
The sound, especially with an aftermarket exhaust system, or bolt-ons, is absolutely music to the ears.
The stock steering damper is too heavy for my tastes, easily, but not cheaply fixed with an aftermarket adjustable unit.
The rear suspension is a bit of a mystery with its separate spring and rotary damper. The rotary damper is next to impossible to set up properly. Look for a conventional style aftermarket shock to remedy this too.
Overall it's a great bike, that needs a little more sorting out then most Japanese bikes, but nothing too extreme.
I wasn't sure how to rate to acceleration, braking and comfort on a scale of 1-10? Compared to what for example? It's comfortable as far as sportbikes go, but it's no Goldwing?
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th February, 2005
18th Dec 2009, 09:08
I have a tiller, and can say there are very few bikes that can be compared with this machine. Once you get on this thing, you feel like you are controlling a rocket. I have D&D pipes on mine, and while they are a little tiny too loud (I can't believe I admit this), the roar of the vtwin is simple captivating. It's 2009 and this bike, even though a 2001, still gets lots of attention, just like a brand new model.
26th Nov 2005, 16:50
I agree with everything you say! I've got one and wouldn't swap it for anything else. Brilliant bike!