From a distance of almost 30 years it’s difficult to remember how dominant a superbike Ducati’s 916 was in the mid-1990s – and how influential it became to other marques.
By the end of 1996, after watching the Italian brand win three world superbike championships in a row, many of Ducati’s rivals began to take the view “if you can’t beat them, join them” when it came to attempting to better the V-twin 916 on track – and road.
Racing rules gave twins a 250cc advantage over traditional inline fours, meaning 1000cc V-twins became a new genre in the mid-to-late ‘90s.
Honda, while still having some faith in its RC45 on track, launched its road incarnation first. The 1997 VTR1000F, or Firestorm as it was better known, was, like the 916, a 90-degree longitudinal V-twin sportster, and well-received, although in truth it was more of a sporty road bike than a racer-for-the road like the 916. For that we’d have to wait for the track-focussed 2000 VTR1000R, or SP-1, which finally stole the 916’s WSB crown in its debut year.
The second came from closer to home. Ambitious Italian rival Aprilia launched its first superbike, the RSV1000 Mille, in early 1998 and followed a similar 1000cc longitudinal V-twin format, although this time with a narrower 60-degree design. It would go on to enjoy modest success in racing, while proving popular with road riders looking for a well priced alternative to the Ducati.
But it was the third, which although initially the least successful, is the most fondly remembered, left the biggest legacy and is today regarded as a true modern classic.
Suzuki’s TL1000S was unveiled in late 1997 and, on paper at least, had everything required to be a Ducati-beater. Its 996cc, 90-degree longitudinal V-twin produced a class-leading 125bhp at 8500rpm, along with an equally impressive 76lb.ft of torque at 8000rpm. Its Ducati-mimicking tubular trellis frame was constructed from lightweight aluminium, not steel, and was oval section rather than round.
The TL had high spec cycle parts yet street sports style and, with a stumpy wheelbase of just 1415mm, partly enabled by a novel, more compact, ‘rotary’ rear damper. It promised ultra nimble handling to go with all that power. It never actually replaced the iconic GSX-R750 in Suzuki’s line-up, but it did promise a tempting alternative.
Trouble was, although the engine was phenomenal, its chassis proved a little, er, fierce, too. The rotary damper proved prone to overheating which, combined with its short wheelbase and sharp steering geometry led to well documented reports of the TL being prone to ‘tank-slappers’. It was enough to dent sales and prompt a recall for a factory-installed steering damper.
A second, even racier version, the TL1000R, was introduced a year later. It was developed to race in world superbikes and intended to challenge the 916, but despite having even more power it proved ugly, bulky, heavy, difficult to tune and ultimately uncompetitive on track. The result for both bikes was a loss of public confidence and disappointing sales, with both being deleted after just four years.
Over the years since, however, both TLs, and particularly the S, have gone through something of a resurgence. In a similar way to Kawasaki’s later 2004 ZX-10R, while initially gaining a reputation as something of a ‘widowmaker’, the TL1000S, especially with tweaked suspension and later steering damper, also soon became something of a bargain-priced, connoisseur’s street sports V-twin.
Its fabulous engine lived on, too, first in Suzuki’s 2002 V-Strom 1000, then the SV1000. It continues to live on today, in updated 1050 form, in the V-Strom 1050.
All of which contributes to why, when revisiting the 1998 TL1000S today, the initial impression is not of how old and flawed Suzuki’s big V-twin is but actually quite the opposite. It feels modern, still relevant and, well, just ‘right’ it is, too. Maybe the big TL really was years ahead of its time…
We went to Suzuki GB in Milton Keynes and were granted a privileged ride on the company’s own mint condition black example. I’d have preferred the more iconic all-red version but maybe that’d be pushing the Ducati mimickry too far and, besides, you can’t have everything.
Even so, up close, it’s still a menacingly handsome, utterly distinctive and well-proportioned beast. Always a sporty road bike not race replica, the S, like Honda’s Firestorm before it, left its V-twin engine on show with only a half fairing and kept things classy and subtle with plain, single colour paintjobs next to the multi-coloured razzamatazz of the race versions. It helps to not date the S, too…
Compared to the Honda, though, the TL-S is altogether meaner, meatier and more serious.
On board it gets better, the S somehow striking that near perfect balance of being sporty – yet not too extreme – and also being a full litre class machine – but not in any way being a heavy, awkward or imposing one.
From the riders’ eye there are ‘old school’ giveaways to its age, of course: the analogue, twin dial dash of white-faced tacho (with small LCD insert) and black speedo is as simple as it gets while the equally simple switchgear needs no familiarisation. But it’s also all refreshingly ‘pre-digital’ with no complicated TFTs or electronics.
It's also refreshing – and exhilarating – to ride, too. In terms of sheer ‘get up and go’ the TL-S is effectively modern: the big V-twin fires easily, fuels cleanly and is flexible enough to be easy from the outset. The gearbox is typically Suzuki slick, the cycle parts – tyres, Tokico brakes, inverted forks – are sufficiently modern to not suffer in comparison to contemporary fare and the whole plot is deliciously neutral and well balanced.
Instead, it’s all about the engine – and it’s still an absolute peach. In mere travelling mode it’s more than adequate, undemanding yet effective and characterful.
But open the taps and its progression is immense and addictive, bounding forwards fast enough to generate power wheelies, accompanying it with a booming, stirring soundtrack and all delivered with a slick reassurance that sometimes only the Japanese could muster.
The result quickly allures and enamours; makes you wonder why anyone really needs 200bhp and complicated electronics. It also makes you think of what might have been…
It’s not perfect, of course. The ‘necessary’ steering damper slows quick changes of direction and build quality can, by reputation, be a little patchy (although not on this restored example). Many replace that notorious rotary rear damper and the styling, although distinctive, isn’t to everyone’s taste.
But for a 28-year-old bike, the TL1000S remains hugely impressive, wonderfully evocative and still something of a mystery as to why it didn’t do better. You can blame those initial ‘scare’ stories, and the little factor of the simultaneous launch of Yamaha’s first R1, for that. The 1000cc V-twin fad was relatively short lived and, by 2001, Suzuki ruled the superbike world with its first GSX-R1000 – the new generation of four-cylinder ‘litre’ bikes capturing buyers imaginations in a way the V-twins never could quite manage.
Specs:
Engine: 996cc, liquid-cooled, 8v, V-twin
Power: 125bhp @ 8500rpm
Torque: 103Nm @ 8000rpm
Seat height: 835mm
Weight: 191kg (dry)
