The V-Twin, Perfected: 1998 Suzuki TL1000R for Sale

It was clear that Ducati had a lock on the “sexy v-twin” market in the mid-90s, selling basically every 916 they could make at a very premium price. But, aside from the funky, springless valves, they weren’t really offering anything all that innovative, and Suzuki figured they could do something much better for cheaper. And the TL1000R and S were definitely a bargain, offering 916-levels of power for the price of a much slower air-cooled Ducati 900SS. So the TL1000R and more street-oriented S should have sold like hotcakes and beaten their Bolognese competition like a red-headed stepchild in comparison tests, but something went wrong…

Transverse v-twins have a bit of a packaging problem: go with a perfect primary balace 90° configuration and the engine is very long, making it difficult to package into a short-wheelbase bike with an appropriate length swingarm. Go with something like a 45° configuration and packaging isn’t a problem, but you get a ton of vibration unsuitable for a sportbike engine. Suzuki solved this problem by rotating the engine backward in the chassis compared to a Ducati that has the front cylinder lying almost horizontal. The only problem was that this left little space for the rear suspension, so Suzuki used a “rotary” damper that was very compact and should, theoretically at least, have been a perfect solution.

The TL’s were powerful, but the innovative rotary damper wasn’t sized correctly to tame the forces involved and they tended to get hot with hard use and lose their dampening. This led to unpredictable handling and a nasty reputation for wayward behavior and general scariness. If you’re a casual street rider, the stock damper is probably fine, assuming it’s in good shape. But folks who ride their bikes hard tend to go with a compact aftermarket shock/spring setup that should transform the handling.

This TL1000R is extensively upgraded and includes that shock modification, along with some top-shelf brakes and other tasty components.

From the original eBay listing: 1998 Suzuki TL1000R for Sale

Ex AMA Roadracing championship winning Team Owner selling personal ride. 

I am selling my fully loaded immaculately clean Superbike 1998 Suzuki TLR1000.  For those of you who share in the love of these v-twin superbikes. I am offering this one of a kind Street/Superbike. This bike is immaculate in every way and has ONLY 1420 original miles. This is quite possibly the best example of a virgin year TLR1000 in existence. This bike has never been crashed or tumped over and has never seen rain. It features only the best of the best racing parts and components to make it quicker, lighter, and better handling than the original v-twin monster Suzuki sold between 1998 and 2003. This bike was built incorporating surplus superbike parts from the Corona Suzuki AMA Formula Extreme and Superbike GSXR’s we always preferred the TLR power delivery over the GSXR for street use so it made perfect sense to make this machine a true hot rod since we had an overage of racing goodies already.

The bodywork is 100% original OEM suzuki (not that crappy chinese bodywork) and the paint is absolutely perfect with not a single flaw or blemish (it has an Ohlins front fender instead of the OE Suzuki front fender). There is not a single chip, scratch, crack, or abrasion anywhere on the bike. It is absolutely mint. It has the original OE Suzuki windscreen that is also perfect. We saved tons of weight on this build and we made it handle like the TLR should have handled from the factory by using full Ohlins Superbike suspension, lighter wheels, full titanium exhaust, and other super trick goodies. The engine is bone stock, and 100% original with only 1420 miles. The bike also includes a Dynojet Powercommander PC3 and has been custom mapped on our in-house dyno. 

The racing parts and add-on parts have less than a few hundred miles on them (even the tires) as i built this bike when there was about 1100 miles showing on the ODO. Nothing leaks and everything works perfectly. Charging system puts out 14.5 volts. I use only Maxima Full Synthetic 15/50 in this motor and it has had 2 oil changes in its short life (oil was changed twice simply because of the time on the oil (17 years) – not due to mileage. Inside of fuel tank is perfect with absolutely zero rust. Bike thunders to life with the push of the button. It has the original branded YUASA battery that is only 2 year old and since it is maintained on a trickle charger it should have a couple more good years left in her easy. 

This bike has been stored indoors (of course) in a climate controlled environment amongst many other super cool and collectible bikes its entire life so the finishes on the metals and painted surfaces are just as they were when they were manufactured.

Included with the bike is the original ignition switch, seat lock and gas cap with factory key. I also have the OE passenger seat, the passenger foot peg brackets and foot pegs, the OE muffler heat shields, as well as the front and rear turn signals.

There’s also an extensive list of the modifications and updates that have been done to this bike over at the listing, work that appears to have been done to a very high standard. Fresh off the showroom floor, these were disappointing bikes. They made plenty of power, but they felt heavy and that rotary damper was a notorious trouble spot, although some bikes were better than others.

But as the foundation for something special, the TL1000R can be epic: there’s a reason Suzuki’s been making and selling that engine as long as they have and putting in sportbikes and adventure-tourers. And they’ve probably sold almost as many engines to power bikes by Cagiva and Bimota and probably a few I’ve forgotten. It’s powerful, reliable, and makes a very sexy noise with a set of cans fitted. Not quite as raucous or as angry as a Ducati, but very deep and satisfying.

The TL1000R a do-it-all sportbike and, while this one is seriously pricey, I don’t think it’s outrageously priced: this is one of the nicest R’s I’ve ever seen and you’d never be able to duplicate it for the money. And knowing it comes from a pro shop makes this one, to me, a keeper.

-tad