Was it Worth the Wait?

The all new Suzuki TL1000R was originally introduced to the motorcycling press at the Eastern Creek racing facility in Australia back in March of this year. The preliminary impressions of the bike were promising but, due to a few problems encountered in manufacturing the motorcycle, it took until Mid-June for it to reach our shores ready for the show room. We nabbed one from the nice folk at Suzuki, we put our butts on the seat, and we rode it.

Power Plant
As everyone knows, the TL1000R engine is a slightly modified version of the 1000cc, 90 degree, twin cam, four valve, V-twin that first appeared in last year's TL1000S. The modifications include throttle bodies with dual stage injection and two injectors per cylinder, a redesigned air box for improved flow, cams with higher lift and longer duration, and a high-volume exhaust, to name just a few.

Taking a look inside the big twin, we find forged pistons for increased durability over cast ones. Forged pistons also have the advantage of allowing for thinner support walls for the wrist pins and the removal of nearly all of the side skirts of the pistons. The rods connecting the pistons to the crank are carburized for higher surface hardness, providing for light weight and high strength. Light weight is doubly important on moving parts because the weight savings is multiplied by the subsequently reduced inertia. It's sort of like that movie with the giant cannon they were dragging across Europe and how, although it was difficult to drag the thing up the mountain side, it was even more difficult to control its speed on the way down. I can never remember the name of that movie.

So concerned were the engineers about throwing away horsepower when designing the TL1000R that even the splashing of oil in the crankcase is controlled to reduce power loss. To reduce agitation, the side case that carries the return oil from the heads has a fin cast into it to deflect the oil away from the crankshaft.

To ensure proper cooling while also maintaining the narrow profile of a V-twin, the TL-R's radiator was split in two and mounted piggyback - one above the other. The two radiators are plumbed parallel with the upper radiator carrying two fans. And as if that weren't enough, the bike also has a watercooled oil cooler. Horsepower means heat, and heat means melting engines, so this thing is way cooled.

Since this is a large twin made for sport riding, the clutch has a back torque limiter to help reduce rear wheel hop on those less-than-tidy downshifts, when engine speed isn't quite matched with wheel speed. None of us would ever need such a thing but still, it's nice when companies put in anti-idiot devices to help make us look smart. Just like Suzuki's GSX-R1100, the clutch is hydraulically actuated and the feel is much better than some of the other hydraulic systems on the market.

The TL1000R's electronic fuel injection is about the smartest system ever to come on a bike from the Pacific Rim. Each of the four injectors is controlled by two independent maps from the ECM (electronic control module), which adds up to a total of eight separate maps.

Note the giant diameter of the steerig head with its external locking collar to allow for altering the bike's rake and trail. The tach features a digital heat gauge that also shows malfunction codes should you have one.

To also ensure that the efi has complete knowledge of the bodily functions of the bike, the system monitors crankshaft position, camshaft position, water temperature, intake air temperature, throttle position, intake manifold pressure, and atmospheric pressure. If judging from this information it thinks you're too much of a wuss, it won't allow you to close the throttle. Alright, that last one's a lie. Actually, with this information, the dual stage efi system is able to compensate for altitude, cold starting, ambient temperature, and speed-induced ram air changes. If the bike's diagnostics system detects a malfunction, it displays a code number on the gauge's liquid crystal display located on the white-faced tachometer.

The fuel injection system works sort of like the classic four barrel carburetors with only the primary injectors spraying fuel from low to middle rpms for economy and efficiency, and the secondary injectors kicking in at high rpms for full throttle acceleration. Which brings us to the obvious question - what about the secondary injectors working at full throttle at low rpms, huh? That'd be cool. "Yaaaaaaaah. . . !" is the sound of me going over backwards.

If the performance of the TL1000R isn't good enough for you, you might want to send piles of your disposable income to Yoshimura to purchase some of the really groovy race kit stuff like aluminum radiators, dry clutch, race pistons, hot cams, and so on and so on. Or you could buy a Porsche Boxter or put your kid through college. Either way, don't call Yoshimura looking for this stuff unless money is no object to you. The radiators alone will set you back about $13,000.