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What year is it ? My TL is a 97 and used to average about 100 miles between fill ups . Be sure it runs at 81 degrees if it's a 97 as it'll be on the warm map, below that it'll run lumpy and constantly be on choke and as such thirsty. If the temp senders in the rad the thermostat mods a good idea

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7 hours ago, Foz said:

What year is it ? My TL is a 97 and used to average about 100 miles between fill ups . Be sure it runs at 81 degrees if it's a 97 as it'll be on the warm map, below that it'll run lumpy and constantly be on choke and as such thirsty. If the temp senders in the rad the thermostat mods a good idea

its a R reg registered march 98...it has the thermostat mod by using the TLR water pump

what mileage do the engines usually last till? is 42 too high? im clued up on most of the bikes I have owned/worked on but new to TLs

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Water pump ? You mean thermostat ? No sender unit in the rad at the lower left hand side ? Mines got 32k on it and is still strong, ask on the TL zone or the two TL Facebook pages. The early engines were perhaps a bit weaker especially the clutch but that said had better shaped ports so were more fun

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I've just got back from a 1500 mile trip to the Swiss Alps on mine...

Nothing else I've ridden makes me grin so much, and the rotary damper isn't that bad as long as you don't run the chain too tight (mine still has the rotary damper fitted, but I've got an Ohlins to go in when I get around to getting it rebuilt).

Mine is a 98 model and seems to have had most of the issues ironed out.  It didn't miss a beat on the Alps trip, though having to fill up every 100 -120 miles was a nuisance.  It's as comfortable as anything else I've ridden - more so than my slingshot 1100's.

They still seem to be dirt cheap and, I think, are absolute bargains for what they are.  Get it bought!

20160711_122023.jpg

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With corrected fueling, people reported over 150-160 miles between fill ups. But they might go on till the light goes solid, which is second warning.

The flatter clipons on my bike made it more comfy. As well as dropping the seat 1cm and reshaping it -3cm. That helps me stay seating under firm braking. Allthough that might be fixed when I sort the front end, it dives a lot.

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The biggest thing i would change on it is probably the brakes - they seem to have less bite than the Nissin 4 pots on my GSXR11's, despite changing the lines/pads/seals etc.  This really showed itself on the Alpine roads.  Been looking for a radial k5 front end or similar to go on for a while.

I reckon i could have got more from it, but didn't have the balls to run it down to the flashing fuel light for fear of conking out!

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If you've never owned one before, then now is the time to buy.... These things are appreciating and next year is the 20th Anniversary of it's launch.

I've had a Twin in the stable for almost 10 years now... Once you get used to the Torque you love it... Put it this way, I got a ZX9R in March and it felt gutless in comparison....Nothing rides like a large capacity V-Twin... I'll never look back to an inline 4 again...

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14 hours ago, Matt-Man said:

If you've never owned one before, then now is the time to buy.... These things are appreciating and next year is the 20th Anniversary of it's launch.

I've had a Twin in the stable for almost 10 years now... Once you get used to the Torque you love it... Put it this way, I got a ZX9R in March and it felt gutless in comparison....Nothing rides like a large capacity V-Twin... I'll never look back to an inline 4 again...

It's strange  but back when they were new I tested a TL back to back with a zx9r. One bike felt slow & a little disappointing, the other was a surprise with a great top end rush, & pretty good handling. I really wanted to like a TL back then as they were crazy cheap but I bought the zx9.  

They really are a Marmite bike. For me 4 cylinders will always be better than 2 but I do like the noise of a twin as long as I don't have to ride it. 

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Couldn't really give a decent description of the differences in handling. But the TLR did have firmer front springs out of the box. It's a lot heavier with the frame, extra rad, extra fan, braced arm and extra fairing. Stock they tend to run wide, but that can be cured. Rotary had been revised so probably better then on the S, but who cares right!

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5 hours ago, TLRS said:

Couldn't really give a decent description of the differences in handling. But the TLR did have firmer front springs out of the box. It's a lot heavier with the frame, extra rad, extra fan, braced arm and extra fairing. Stock they tend to run wide, but that can be cured. Rotary had been revised so probably better then on the S, but who cares right!

seems to be nothing but bickering about which is better the R or S on the TL  forums...suppose its horses for courses though and best way to decide is to test ride em

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Never noticed or payed attention to the bickering. Both have that hotrod vibe. TLR looks like no other bike and doesn't have the afterthought hump like an S. Slightly less of a stretch over the tank too iirc. And that angry grizzly under the tank at wot is fantastic! Clutch can be a bastard though, cam system problem, easy fix.

But..I prefer the S, with the right stuff it's just a bit more direct, more responsive on throttle. TLR is a bit more rounded.

But depends what you after too. Getting the fresher one might be the best bet..!

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Tlr is just the fat ugly brother to the tls , there's quite a weight difference and the R has twin injectors per cylinder as opposed to singles on the S so is smoother and more civilised. The early S 's had round port heads which gave it a lot of its character later models had a different port shape. Though the forums you'll find the R has about 118 bhp on the dyno , personally I'll have an S every time but I always go for the original us sanitised versions of bikes

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