been looking at the TL-S online on bike trader etc, found soem nice examples, quite cheap to, what sort of money SHOULD these be going for? are they reliable? thirsty on fuel?? any bits n bobs to look out for?
also like the superduke, bit out of my budget tho…but you never know…
Ratty - the super-dukes are stunning bikes arn’t they! How much have you seen them for?
The TL is probably more diverse in terms of allowing you to ride for long rides or to go touring, which the duke probably isnt suited for (but is still capable of im sure!)…
Some of the frames cracked near the top shock mount - in most cases Suzuki replaced the frame foc. If I was going to buy one I would make sure that the rotary damper has been replaced with a ohlins/maxton/hyperpro unit, and I would also want an aftermarket steering damper (the stock unit can be modded but is pretty bad). Also be careful of high mileage examples as the gearboxes (esp 3rd gear) can melt if the bike has been abused.
I wouldn’t pay more than £2k for a stocker, or £2.5k if it has a shock, hoses, fork springs and cans. Anything else is a bonus.
Ratty I’m not sure if we’re both looking for an answer to the same question but I just bought this:
I pick it up either Wednesday or next Saturday - can’t wait. Test rode it about three weeks ago and couldn’t resist any longer. It will be an adjustment from what I’m on now but loved it straight away when i rode it.
+1 - early TLs had a bit of a ‘reputation’ for dangerous tank slappers and stuff - some people called it the ‘widowmaker’ - I think that’s probably a bit over the top/hype (it’s also the reason why the SV thou which uses a slightly modified version of the TL-1000 engine was toned down a bit by Suzuki (made less power than TL and has a conventional suspension set up in contrast to the TL’s rear rotary unit which was blamed for some of the bikes handling issues- Suzuki didn’t want a rehash of some of the negative publicity that accompanied the original TL. If the work outlined above has been carried out it should be fine - great bike, I’d like one as well.Nice bike Ratty! Real man’s bike! :D;)
Firstly thanks dude, I already have a big enough ego as far as riding is concerned.
I love the TL, one of the reasons I bought it was for it’s reputation. It shook its head on me the second time out but nothing major. I adjusted the suspension for me and it’s been fine since. The dampening in the rear shock has such a small amount of oil that it heats up and becomes too thin resulting in no dampening.
The stock brakes are awful and are next on the list to sort, it likes fuel aswell and getting the power commander sorted has helped. As you know I am touring on it at the moment and it has proved better than I thought. It is comfortable even after 14 hours, carries the load well and after 2 long days across Europe started without an issue.
I am off to the Tirol on Monday so it’ll get altitude tested.
I really like the Falco, you can get them cheap and it has the same geometry as the Mile and with a chip the same power. It is Italian however and that needs bearing in mind.
I got my TL super cheap and have been offered over 1000 pounds more to sell it. They are a new classic and I expect will hold their value or even start to go up in a few years.
I have ridden all sorts of bikes, I’m not too bad on a bike but still treat the TL with absolute respect when I ride it, it can be a handful and catch you out.
Oh and last thing…it eats tyres, I got only 5000 from my last one. I’d fit something harder but it spins up too easy, I have Dunlop Roadsmarts on my Fazer at the moment and may try them next time.
As ever look for original bar ends and foot pegs as these will show if it has been dropped, service history and m.o.t’s.