OMFG... ok, ive always been one of those guys who thought there was no such thing as too much power. Maybe its because im used to the GS... i dunno.
A few years ago, when i bought my gs, my buddy would let me ride his 02' gsxr 750. It was, to me, my perfect bike. It was perfect weight, height, and power. It had smooth delivery as well.. and you didnt need to use the power all the time, but you could always rev it to double digits if you wanted it. To me, i thought a 1000 cc bike, especially only a twin.. would be slightly faster.. but still good for me. Ive ridden many fast dirtbikes over the years as well.. keep that in mind.
Ok, today at my bud's house.. hes thinking about gettin rid of his bike... and im looking..so i sit on it. Very comfy, good seat height... sounds nice, being a twin. SO when i asked him to take the almost new TL1000R for a ride, i was surprised when he tossed me the keys. He has a few mods.. dont know them all.. but it was dynoed at around 147 rwhp :o . Thats about what my car has.... ummk moving on...
I fired her up, and the Dual Yosh pipes came to life and reminded me that this was no gs500. I started to go, and annoyingly he had his clutch adjusted for use with all five fingers( you had to pull it ALL the way in to not stall it). Im used to 1-2 fingers and i feel uncomfortable any other way. But i made do. :mrgreen:
All i can say is, if your not ready, dont ride this thing... maybe his was different.. i dunno. But there is no gradual build of power. The torque monster leaps almost out of your hands if your not careful. The wheel spent more time in the air then on the ground if i tried to ride it like the GS... omg.. i cant get over it. That 750 had NOTHING on this bike.
I accelerated to only 4k.. shift, and get on it.. and the wheel pops up in SECOND GEAR!! only by shifting!!! I went all the way to top gear and it STILL accelerated faster than the gs!! CRAZY!(top gear going only 45-55 mph)
I cant believe IM saying this.. but i can see an instance where a bike has TOO MUCH power. Its insane, and i can see why he wants to get rid of it. Hes shorter, scrawnier and weighs less than me (hes about 154lbs).
Anyhow, im sticking to the gs for now.. after im done cowering in the shadows cast by dual yosh pipes... ;)
Oh yeah, i did freak out a few people, mainly because i did a 12 o clock on accident a few times..at least i think it was an accident.. :lol:
Ill stick to my 500cc twins and 'modest' 4-cylinders...
END.
I saw one of these tonight at Hooters bike night and got to hear it run. Definatly not the sound I care for, much rather have a I4!
BTW Anyone from the board here at Hooters in Toledo, OH with a burgandy GS500?
a v-twin liter bike growling through yosh pipes is music to my ears. one of the sweetest sounds I know. That's what made me think I wanted a twin. Changed my miond after riding one though-not for me.
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There's no reason to have that much power...then again there's every reason to.
Rashad I know exactly what you are talking about my best friend has a yellow TL100R it is sweet I rode it one afternoon and after about 20 minutes I was scared almost visibly shaking. I gave him his keys back and he was surprised I didn't want to ride it for long. I felt that I wasn't ready for that kind of power. He found it funny but I was dead serious when I told him I wasn't ready for his bike yet.
Keith
Ok, ive done some research.. and i came to a few conclusions..
I think part of the reason that bike was so scary is because SUZUKI screws up the timing factory (hmm sounds like jetting!) to reduce hp.. and to TRY to reduce wheelies.... TRY...
If you buy the PC-2 apparentely that smoothes out the power, like a gsxr or other four cylinder. I checked out some curves.. and the power looks very very much like an R-1 or other 4-cyl equivalent. Even the torque curves look similiar but STILL!! 87 ft. lbs is NO JOKE!! at the REAR WHEEL!!! uggh...
I came to one more conclusion.. after riding that bike for more than a few minutes i would LOVE IT. I would get used to the added power, respect it, and harness it..
I WANT ONE NOW... oh no.. im doomed. :x
He must have some hefty mods to be getting 147 wheel hp. I think the TLR has about 120ish hp to the wheel stock. Have you ever ridden other liter bikes? How are they coming off of our little GS? I really like the naked SV1000 and Triumph Speed Triple but engine size and thoughts of insurance are scaring me away (plus the Triple is pretty expensive). The TLR is a bad example because it is anything but "tame" for a liter twin
My cousin has an '02 Yamaha R1 that I borrow ocassionally. I think it has 147 hp at the crank (not at the wheel), but is amazingly fast. Very nice bike, especially the fuel injection (no warm-up time), it pulls hard from any rpm, and is super smooth.... zero vibration at any rpm.
You really have to watch it though ;) Coming from a naked GS (where the wind lets me know when I get up in the 80 to 90ish range, its easy to look down and see that you are going way, way faster than you should be... and it gets there without even breathing hard.
Its a nice bike and I considered upgrading to one, but now that the FZ6 is going to be available, I plan to buy one (FZ6) next spring. I haven't ridden one yet (of course), but it should be nice (fuel injection, more upright riding position, more power (but not crazy amounts), more passenger room, etc. That is, if they stick at $6500 or less.
Not sure if the TRX850 is available in America but I SURE HOPE the TLR/TLS/Firestorms are more impressive rides.
I took that TRX for a test ride and couldn't see what the fuss was about, it moved very quickly but it was hardly intimidating, I don't think i'd be satisfied with a TRX or SV650 .. and I only weigh 70kg, felt a lot like a GS850 (they're both parallel twins)
Quarter mile times: TRX 11.7, SV 12.0, Thundercat 11.3
Let me tell you that Thundercat (YZF600R) was the most exciting bike I ever tried (but i've only ever tried a TRX850, SV650, ER5, GS500, F650GS). The top-end rush is great ! :)
I'm suprised that the TLR impressed you more than the GSXR !!
You have to remember that the TLR was Suzuki's answer to the Ducati superbikes.
Widowmaker? That's actually the nickname given to the TL1000S, not the R. The S had that godawful rotary shock in the rear that highsided riders around the globe. Don't get me wrong... the R is no tame kitten!
Emmett Lyman
My friend has a GSXR 1000. Talk about wheelie machine. I don't need to go to theme parks anymore. Just that that thing out for a spin. DAMN!!
That bike will do 190mph/300kmh stock.
There is NO reason to have that much power. I don't care about all the "i can control it" type arguments. There is no need to have a bike with that much power. the GSXR 600 has too much power IMO. If I can't crank the throttle coming out of a corner, then it's too scary for me.
I don't even like to ride it around, cuz if you're going less than 100MPh - you're bored. These kind of bikes are designed to go so damned fast, that they are almost no fun to drive around slowly. Again, IMO.
Amen brother Pizzle!
Emmitt- Yeah both bikes got a bad reputation for being unstable because Suzuki used regular 4 cly bike geometery for a big twin. The S especally, because its lighter, shorter frame was much more tank-slapper prone than the R.
The rotory shock actually worked prety well for an OEM shock, it was just different, and unsupported by the aftermarket industry.
Yeah, i noticed that they have steering dampers stock, and also heard that insurance companies wont cover you if you take it off and wreck..hmmmmm... Maybe they NEED that thing.
It did feel heavy and unstable sometimes... only because i can flick my gs around.. but man o man, ill never forget that pull.
I agree that much power isnt needed, and if i ever had a road rage trip because a cager almost killed me, and i flogged it like i do on my gs.. id be in trouble :o
Im thinking 600 or 750 for my next beast.
Yo I rode my friends 03 R1, all I can say is I think I felt 2 drops of pee come out after my first 12 O' clock :o ... If your not ready for the sausage grinder and are not used to the power of the modern 600's stay off those sportbikes... I have a new found appreciation for my gs...As ratty as seabiscuit is...LOL
Quote from: RashadYeah, i noticed that they have steering dampers stock, and also heard that insurance companies wont cover you if you take it off and wreck..hmmmmm... Maybe they NEED that thing.
What would be the advantage to removing a steering damper? Do people actually WANT to have tank-slappers? It's kinda like removing the seatbelts from a brand new car.
some steering dampers can make the bike steering feel vague and heavy.[/i]
Widowmaker??? LMAO. :mrgreen:
"Newbie riders should simply skip the TL and go straight to the morgue"
Editor in Chief, www.motorcycle.com
Yeah they guy was having fun blurping the throttle and getting the rear tire to squeek but the exhaust sounded like a guy trying to win a farting contest with the longest string of short farts possible. I like the scream of a I4 until I hear a speed triple to see if there is anything better!
One of the dumbest poeple i know just bought a gixxer 600... lord have mercy on him. Thats like putting a chimp on a yz450f powered unicycle.
I hope he decides its too much and gives it to me :cheers: .
Seriously, i rode my bike today.. and i can see why people take off that damper. Makes that bike feel like a goldwing. Uggh.. i LOVE my bikes handling now..
:thumb: Glad i rode that TL!!!