Suzuki TL1000S Overboard And Didn’t Bother Listening To The Firm’s European Testers

When Suzuki released the TL 1000 S in 1997 it is fair to say it wasn’t expecting the reaction it received, In fact the next few months were the stuff of nightmares as phone lines to Japan went into meltdown, lawsuits were threatened and eventually the bike was recalled for a highly embarrassing safety update. It’s fair to say the TL 1000 S was a complete disaster for Suzuki, but were we all being a bit dramatic. The TL 1000 S or widow maker as it was very quickly dubbed, was a brand new concept for Suzuki. Seeing the popularity of models such as the Monster and with V-twins the 1990s must have engine thanks to Ducati’s WSB domination, Suzuki decided to build their own version of a sporty naked V-twin. The problem was they went overboard and didn’t bother listening to the firm’s European testers. The result was an impressively punchy V-twin sportster with over sharp steering geometry, radical rear suspension that couldn’t keep pace and as a consequence, a reputation as a tank slapper. Although quickly recalled and remedied via a steering damper and engine tweak the damage was done. One of the highlights of the TLS is its engine and power delivery, The all new V-twin originally produced a punchy, dynamic 123 brake horsepower enough, in fact to quickly find the limitations of its chassis and suspension particularly out of slow corners. The resulting backlash prompted Suzuki to restrict second year on bikes to a more modest 110 brake horsepower by retarding the ignition in the bottom three gears, but the damage was already done. If you’re not sure which your bike is, unrestricted TL 1000 S ECU have 00 as the last two digits, restricted bikes have 01, Most survivors today will have been reverted to original spec. At the heart of the TL 1000 S was a brand new, water cooled, DOHC, 90 degree V twin motor displacing 996cc and originally pumping out a claimed 123 brake horsepower. Although original bikes were flawed the motor is still considered something of a gem and apart from the similarly flawed TL 1000 R, went on to be used in the SV 1000 and V-Strom 1000s as well as the Cagiva Raptor and Bimota SB8. Generally it’s a sorted reliable unit. Post 98 the black box retards the ignition in the bottom three gears but it’s a cheap fix to get it back, Standard twin exhausts are now rare with many owners switching to louder Yoshimura or similar systems which make the TLS sound incredible, The gearbox is a typically slick Suzuki six speeder.
LIKE, SHARE & SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed the video please!

​follow my INSTAGRAM :   / egi_alamsah  

All materials featured in the video are owned by their respected owners. We do not claim their videos as our own.

All videos/photos/used in the explanation are for visualization purposes only.
#suzukitl1000s #suzuki