Summary

• The Suzuki TL1000S had a harmful rotary damper that overheated and misplaced its damping properties, making the bike deal with poorly.
• Despite the issues, the TL1000S had redeeming qualities akin to a strong engine and an gratifying journey expertise.
• The TL1000S is gaining reputation within the used market and could be modified to enhance its security and monitor efficiency.

The motorcycling world has seen just a few Widowmarkers, however for essentially the most half, these Widowmarker bikes are killing machines for being too outrageous or highly effective. Take the Vincent Black Shadow, which had a strong engine however pathetic brakes and an unpredictable chassis. Even the Kawasaki H2 750 was too quick to deal with for many bikers. But there may be one motorbike that turned harmful, maybe because of rushed growth.

We’re speaking in regards to the Suzuki TL1000S. This roadster was produced by Suzuki in 1997 to tackle the Ducati 916, and in a bid to get the WSBK cake as quickly as attainable, Suzuki may’ve forgotten to check the bike totally. The motorbike featured an thrilling V-twin engine, but it surely was held again by its rotary damper, which might have you ever scent the grass on a racetrack earlier than you even warmed up on a sunny day.

Remember, rotary dampers are a wonderful piece of engineering. Race groups have used rotary dampers in Formula One automobiles for years and the identical design can also be utilized in most steering dampers utilized in superbikes. But the one used on the Suzuki TL1000S wasn’t so good, and right here’s why.

In order to provide the latest and correct info attainable, the info used to compile this text was sourced from Suzuki and different authoritative sources, together with Motorcyclenews.com and Motorcycle.com.

A Bit of History Of The Suzuki TL1000S

Production Years: 1997 to 2001

It’s the 90s and the venerable Ducati 916 is dominating the World Superbike Championship, because of its extremely agile chassis and a punchy V-twin engine. Ducati received six of the final seven WSBK Championships and took the coveted Manufacturer’s Title for six years straight. Credit goes to the V-twin powerplant that allowed riders to drive tougher out of corners than peaky inline-four screamers that different producers used.

Unsurprisingly, many producers turned to get a slice of the V-twin pie to not solely compete with the 916, but in addition meet the fashionable backside line. Suzuki wasn’t an exception right here; the Japanese moniker took a direct method by constructing its personal model of the V-twin engine, which noticed the general public roads within the 1997 Suzuki TL1000S. Unfortunately, the TLS wasn’t successful as Suzuki would’ve anticipated; in reality, the bike dampened — pun supposed — the model’s fame and virtually killed its V-twin goals.

The Rear Shock: Achilles’ Heel In Quite A Literal Sense

Rear Suspension Type: Lever-Actuated, Rotary-Acting, Hydraulic Shock

Once Suzuki determined to plonk a V-twin engine on its motorbike, it bumped into one main downside — packaging. V-twin engines are longer from front to back, which might push the wheelbase longer. That’s not a great factor for a monitor weapon; race bikes want a brief wheelbase with a steep steering head angle for fast dealing with. Such a geometry permits fast acceleration, nook corrections, and simpler turn-ins into the nook. An extended wheelbase would make the bike slower to lean and reply to rider inputs.

So, to maintain the wheelbase as quick as attainable on the Suzuki TL1000S, designers took an modern method with the rear suspension. Suzuki teamed up with Kayaba to develop a brand new sort of motorbike suspension that separated the rear shock damper from the spring. This wasn’t new tech by any means; the setup was fairly much like the suspension used on Formula One automobiles, but it surely was new within the two-wheeled world.

On the Suzuki TL1000S, the spring was positioned on the precise facet of the bike and a rotary-style damper supplied damping by way of rotating arms. This is the place issues went slightly haywire for the TLS. Under arduous use, the rotary damper would overheat and lose most of its damping properties, which made the motorbike deal with like an overcooked noodle by way of corners. Plus, the bike’s wheelie-happy nature made the entrance liable to flap in the event you weren’t cautious sufficient. The end result — a scarily harmful motorbike to journey that may produce extra lock-to-lock tank slappers than giggles.

Chassis And Suspension Specifications

(Specs sourced from Suzuki)

How Does This Shock Work, Really?

The rotary-style shock will get a foul rep for making the Suzuki TL1000S a widowmaker, but it surely was truly an ingenious innovation for the time. It gave the TLS some additional advantages over a shorter wheelbase. One of the benefits, satirically, was warmth dissipation. Any damper’s largest enemy is warmth build-up since damping is merely a conversion of mechanical power into warmth power. Since hydraulic fluids and rubber seals don’t work so nicely once they get sizzling, the warmth have to be dissipated correctly. The TLS’ aluminum damper physique with extra mass than a traditional shock would dissipate warmth higher.

Additionally, the relative movement within the rotary-style shock consisted of rotation as an alternative of telescoping movement. This has two advantages. The rotating joints utilized in a rotary shock are simpler to seal and don’t require bushings; as an alternative, rolling-element bearings can sit between the 2 elements. This reduces friction because it has no uncovered sliding surfaces.

But this brings two downsides, with one being annoying and the opposite lethal. The first downside is that any leaks within the rotary hydraulic damper can lead to a whole lack of damping. This is why Suzuki and Kayaba declared the damper non-serviceable. Some suspension consultants might service it, however most received’t contact it.

The second, a lot deadlier downside, is oil overheating. The damper already had much less oil; this damper had 50cc of it in comparison with 300cc, which is utilized in most shocks. Plus, the amount assorted for every unit because of lax manufacturing tolerances. Some suspension consultants declare that the vanes within the damper didn’t push sufficient oil by way of the movement restrictions.

At common speeds, this wouldn’t be an issue, however it could make the TL1000S’ rotary damper work arduous and the oil would get too sizzling. After some extent, the damping fluid would change viscosity and lose its damping talents. Somehow, the rotary-style damper couldn’t dwell as much as Suzuki’s expectations of high-volume oil pumping or good warmth dissipation traits. This is irony at its best.

Related

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Motorcycle suspension methods have come a good distance because the pre-war days of coil-sprung druid and leaf spring forks.

Suzuki TL1000S’ Redeeming Qualities — There Are Many

Power Output: 125 HP @ 8,500 RPM

The rear suspension unit on the Suzuki TL1000S is the elephant on the racetrack that you just can’t journey round, however in case you are courageous of coronary heart, you’ll discover that this Suzuki was actually quite rewarding till it become a soggy French fry, and threatened to kill you. It was exhilarating to journey and had a terrific energy supply that may have you ever in giggles at each twist of the wrist.

The V-twin engine on this motorbike produced a linear throttle response and was a lot more predictable than a modern Panigale, however the torque got here in early within the rev vary and the quick wheelbase made the motorbike completely happy to wheelie on a regular basis. Yes, the fueling wasn’t exact within the low-revs, an issue that was made worse by the sunshine flywheel, however after 2,500 RPM, issues bought a lot better.

The 90-degree V-twin configuration made for the proper major steadiness, and it featured hybrid chain/gear-driven cams. In essence, a cam chain would flip a gear that may additional flip the cams. This setup eased upkeep and produced a mild gear whine that added to the aural expertise of the engine. The engine was such a sweetheart that it was bought to Cagiva for V-Raptor and Navigator. Even Bimota used the identical mill on the SB8R sports activities bike. Even immediately, the identical engine configuration is used within the Suzuki SV1000 and V-Strom 1000 bikes.

Apart from the engine, the Suzuki TL1000S had different nifty methods up its exhaust. Before the damper become a thawed bacon strip, it labored nicely. The motorbike would flip into corners with ease, maintain the road nicely, and blast out of corners when wanted. Plus, this was the first Suzuki to get fuel injection, the other way up forks, torque limiting clutch, and trellis body.

Engine Specifications

Engine Type	Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, 90-degree V-twin
Displacement	996cc
Compression Ratio	11.3:1
Max Torque	79.21 LB-FT @ 7,100 RPM
1/4 Mile Acceleration	10.9 seconds
Top Speed	165 MPH

(Specs sourced from Suzuki and Motorcyclenews.com)

The motorcycle was well ahead of its time, and regardless of an unsteady run in its earlier manufacturing years, the TLS remains to be an gratifying bike to journey. Suzuki had even issued a recall for the TLS to suit it with a steering damper and a slight engine tune-up. Today, the TL1000S is gaining some traction in the used market, and with just a few extra mods, you possibly can get pleasure from this Widowmaker with out having your accomplice plan your funeral. Turning this motorbike right into a secure monitor weapon is pretty simple.