SUZUKI TL1000S (1997 - 2001) Review

Year: 1999

Annual servicing cost: £200

Ohlins rear shock and steering damper, solid as a rock in corners, great acceleration and engine braking. Suits me as I’m 6’4” and like sports bikes.

Buying experience: Paid what they asked as it was mint

Year: 1997

Annual servicing cost: £150

Bought it during the first lockdown, it's my first V twin and I love it. The TLs comes with a reputation for being a bit of a nightmare but honestly after a few rides to get used to the tourquy bottom end it just puts a huge grin on my face. It does however give you a sense that it will eat you if you mess around to much but aren't bikes supposed to get the heart pumping a little now and again. I have changed a few things here and there as it is a 25 year old bike and needed a little love. Overall it's great to ride.

Buying experience: I paid £1750 so it was a bargain

Year: 2001

Bought this so I could the Iron Man at Almeria with Focused Events as My normal bike is a HD Street Glide Special. My first track day and it was brilliant, the TLS did 6 sessions a day for 6 days and didn’t miss a beat and got down to 2.11 which is not bad for an old lady on road tyres, Bridgestone Battlx S21s. Brakes let it down, so now have Hayabusa calipers and master cylinder, so much better.

Buying experience: Bought this on the internet from North Yorkshire so trusted what the dealer said. I was not disappointed the bike is brilliant.

Year: 1999

Annual servicing cost: £500

Overall im very happy with my 99 tl1000s.i don't know about all this suapension problems i read about. My bike is tight, on it , responsive, fun, it's bullet waiting to be shot out of a gun...

Buying experience: Bought from a friend 2000 usd

Year: 1997

Annual servicing cost: £200

I've owned 3 1997 TL1000S's and they've all been excellent for what I need - never taken on a track day, but I reckon they'd not embarrass even there. They certainly get you over the Mountain on the Island with a huge grin on your face - equally glad of the speed limits on the cart track from Ginger Hall to Ramsay! I've always ridden all year round and as long as they're washed down thoroughly they can survive UK winters well enough (plenty of GT85/WD40 after cleaning). Great for fast distance work and with a grab rail good two up for a sportster too - really a genuine sports tourer - load her up and then have fun on arrival. Ride fast on the revs or nearly as fast on the torque just rolling on & off the throttle: bliss! I've had standard, Maxton and Ohlins equipped bikes and the standard damper is not as bad as its reputation suggests in my opinion. Likely annoyances are oil leak from clutch cover, oil leak from clutch push-rod seal and rear exhaust stub-pipe gasket. My current (granted well looked after) !997 TL has 86000 on the clock and although is a bit down on power compared to my 21000km TL is still my favourite ride from a choice of six bikes. Love em!

Buying experience: Can still be had for under £2k

Version: tls sv

Year: 1997

Annual servicing cost: £100

Not for the faint hearted awsome exciting unpredictability is what makes you wish you never sold it. Not to mention the fact its the best sounding V Twin out there. TL1000s the bike that every RD rider should own.

Buying experience: dealer asked £2700 got for £2200

Year: 1998

Annual servicing cost: £100

Best long distant sport touring bike I have ever ridden. The tranny was perfect, the motor with a set of pipes on it can't be beat for sound. My license plate for it was "EAT DUC" which I did a lot of at the track after replacing the rear shock with Penske.

Buying experience: Bought it new from Ted, my local Suzuki dealer who passed not long after. Loved going there and loved buying the bike from him. Crotchety old guy who sat over the heater vent during the winter, smoked and drank coffee....

been the Owner from New in 97,yes have to replace tyres each year, but the chain had lasted 15 years. plastic work always breaks when removing it, but Iput that down to age now.

I had one of the first in the country,being on the waiting list at my local dealer,looked good in green. First year was a bit up and down with recalls and the press getting their knickers in a bunch over how dangerous it was. Yes it shook its head a bit but usually I was riding like a tit anyway. The steering damper recall spoiled the steering feel imho,and it would weave gently in fast bends but I loved it,brilliant engine torquey with top end and the handling you got used to, not a bad riding position either. Had it for 4 years only got rid because i fancied a change and I've regretted it ever since. Have had a Falco and a SV1000s they're just not as good/exciting.......

owned it for 12 years,nearly new when I got it,when it runs right its fantastic,when it plays up it's a piece of junk.Ignore all the crap about Japanese reliability,it's a myth unless it's a Honda,I've had more problems with this bike than there is room to list,bad expensive things as well and as soon as I can afford it it'll be gone,needless to say the next bike will have a Honda badge on it.I think alot of the problems stem from the cheap shit build quality,you get what you pay for and after the CBR i had before this the TL feels like some Chinese thrown together budget bike.A great bike when it's not playing up,a bleeding nightmare when it is.

My favorite Crotch Rocket. I have had a 95'CBR600f3, 98'ZX9R , 01'SV650S , I like the TL1000S the best. Makes riding in the triple digets easy. I don't know if it could beat the ZX9R I had but pretty close. I have not had a problem with rotary damper. I probably don't ride hard enough. Lots of power and torque. More than enough for most people. If you need more your crazy! It will kill you! This bike will do what you want it to do. The "bad" your rear tire will wear out fast ha ha!

Have owned mine for nearly two years and I have to say what a machine. This was my first Litre Bike and took some getting used to, however it is very rewarding, sounds awesome and the engine never fails. When you go to a bike meet, many people look as the TL1000S is fairly rare these days and with unbaffled cans sounds like thunder. You need to muscle this bike a bit to get it to do what you want and be careful of the engine breaking as its pretty hard. All in all a lot of bike and fun for the money and rare to boot.

I've owned mine for 10 years and still can't think of what to replace it with. It is a fantastic bike, huge power everywhere (I had a ZZR 1100 previously)handling better than me and enormous fun. I run a full Yoshi system, and the noise is incredible...not so bad at tickover, but amazing when opened up. Best mods apart from the exhaust, fully adjustable Sprint steering damper (run at its weakest setting) and braided brake hoses. If you haven't tried one, make the effort, it's an adrenaline fuelled rush every ride!

The most fun you can have without busting the bank and fun it can be. The noise can loud with aftermarket cans ( art cans on mine )but they`ll hear you coming and you`ll be differant. Have fun but itis an animal when it wants to be so be warned

All i can say is ignore what the mags say about the TL remember they ride the bikes to the limit, how many of us can say we do i ride hard and fast and the TL is supurb yes get a new shock for the rear and yes get a new damper for the front get the suspension set up for you and more than anything remember to respect it. when the the TL was new it was one of the first big v twins to come out and have so much power and the said full throttle out of a corner it was a bit wild ! what did the expect try and do the same on a new GSXR 1000 that would get a bit wild as well!!!! I love the TL with race cans the sound it just adictive you find yourself cracking open the throttle just to hear that thundering sound it can keep up with most of my mates and we all have 1000cc sports bikes. I go to allot of bike meets and get the same looks and muttrings ( you dont see many of those around ) and thats the good thing its not another GSXR. Great bike loads of power great noise good handling when sorted somthing different oh and it makes you smile everytime you go for a ride isnt that what its all about.

I have owned my TLs for 7 years now and and love it. keep it on an optimate charger and look after its cailpers. Keep an eye on the 2 side bolts the lossen themselves off. also if you have a small water leak coming from R/H casing hole just to the front. That is your mechanical seal has gone it costs about £30.00 from your suzuki dealer. Its not a big job and not the end of the world. Leave lots off slack in your chain as it goes boe string tight when you pinch up nut on rear wheel. so find tigtest part of chain then ajust there . there is lots more but if anyone is looking to buy one and have a Qestion Email me on kennymcq@googlemail.com

Hi I had the TL1000r and had to sell it due to personel reasons, Regretted it ever since, Just got the TL1000s and what a machine experieced rider's only, and give it respect loads of power handles well if you take it by the scruff of the neck, pulls pulls pulls although my TL1000r was a better machine.

I've actually owned 2 TL1000S so that itself says something about them. Some people can get on with V twin engines and others say they can't. If you can then you've got to try a TL1000S. The uummph from the engine from 6000rpm onwards is utterly addictive as is the engine noise with race cans. The handling can be twitchy when HARD on the power over bumpy roads. The main prob is the rear damper unit squatting under power which lifts the front end such that undulations on the road can cause the front to twitch. Its no worse than any other bike I've ridden but the torque allows you to get in that situation easier than some other bikes. Mines fitted with a WP rear shock and handling is more than good enuff to keep up with pretty much anything round the twisties on track days (brakes and chassis are capable of keeping with most things if in good sted). I've toured all over europe without aches and pains on it and if not in 'cane it' mode it'll return around 46miles per gallon. People who buy TL1000S all miss them when they replace them and quite a significant proportion go and buy another one. I can't think of a package that offers anywhere near the same fun and character of the TL1000S at the same price Very early bikes (97) produced the most power but had slightly lumpy delivery. This should be sorted nowdays with a recall remap. If the bike runs lumpy at 3-4000rpm then the throttle position sensor needs adjusting which is just loosening off a couple of screws, repositioning the sensor and securing.

A friend of mine who owns Leicester's best bike shop, called Chris Sharpe once said about the TL1000s, its got an FJC engine...Which he axplained as one of those rare bikes you ride and then say to yourself its an fjc, ride. "F...ing Jesus Christ"!Ride one and see what he was talking about.

To quote a respected member of Leicester's biking community, called Chris Sharpe.This bike delivers an unforgetable mad rush of power, which he called an "F.J.C" engine, {F..king Jesus Christ}...There are faster and wilder bikes out there, but nothing kicks like an angry TLS!

Very nice bike,Plenty of power,Runs rough at low revs[3000] handles ok.It as Ohling shock. Front brakes very good back rubbish,Engine not as good a my Vrod but i will not part with it

Had my 1998 TL for a month now and im chuffed with it. Its a full power original version, meaning masses of grunt everywhere in any gear. It has race cans which are a must for the fantastic noise and extra power. Even without fuelling mods for the cans its kicking out 125bhp. The handling is fine once setup, even more so with the crap steering damper removed, but will be miles better when I fit Ohlins or similar. If you find the fueling at low revs is dodgy, adjust the throttle position sensor, then it will be as smooth as a babies bum. Strengths: Masses of grunt from the engine, comfy, just ticks along at high speed, cheap. Weaknesses: Handling is different!, thirsty when ridden hard, question mark over frames cracking.

I've owned or ridden one of most major Jap bike models over the years and I can honestly say this is my pick of the lot. Replace the stock shock with a regular aftermarket piece, bolt on a full system and add a TRE and what your left with is the most fun race-rep you can get for your dollar. It also helps if you replace that steering damper with an adjustable piece. A few select mods has you between 125-130 rwhp and between 75-80 lbs of torque. Getting the bike down to a 470lb wet weight is not hard at all. If Suzuki had just tossed the rotary damper and put some track development into this bike I think it could have been a winner. Now, it's just a hell of a lot of fun for the person who can appriciate it. Go get one... Strengths: 120+ rwhp V-twin for sod all cash. Aggressive styling that still attracts more attention than most of the new bikes. Can easily be modded into the bike Suzuki should have built. Weaknesses: Stock rear shock. Stock exhaust too restrictive. No adjustment on steering damper. No longer loved by the after market community.

Owned since new, no problems except lumpy power delivery around town or on part throttle. Power Commander should fix that and I will get round to fitting one eventually. Race cans a must, OEM exhausts too quiet. Handling ok except long sweepers - can't get suspension set up quite right, and rear pre-load adjustment impossible nearly. Strengths: Grunt, sound, presence. Weaknesses: Brakes, lumpy fuelling, crap finish.

Love just about everything except not sure about handling, BUT, it will be going for a couple of suspension mods shortly which will imporve things no end. Absolutely stunning bike. Have no regrets buying it.

A real head turner, sounded great, brilliant engine, didn't handle the best and lost rear damping after a few K's when rotary damper became very hot... good front end, brakes ok but not as good as some... overall great for the street but could think of better things to ride on track. was exhausting to ride hard because of the weight and handling. Just couldn't seem to get the set up right on it...