Raced a GSXR 1100 in a 24hr race. A team of 4 riders taking turns riding and wringing the snot out of that bike. After 24 hrs it ran as strong as it did when we started the race! Just realized that at 9:15 of the video, #5 is a former teammate on his personal GSXR 1100 racing at Road Atlanta.
@@francisconavarro956Tx Yes, nonstop. Only stopped enough to change riders, and refill the gas as fast as possible...one stop included tire change. They don't overheat when you're averaging over 100mph. No antifreeze either, not allowed, straight water.
I was a mechanic in a Suzuki shop from the early to mid 70's, and I raced a 250 Suzuki twin in AMA pro half-mile. Suzuki's were and are some of the most reliable and well-made bikes in the world.
I owned and raced a TM-400 in 1973 and 1974. It was the most reliable dirt bike I've ever owned. I loved its (non-stock) engine, but it was an evil handler. I should have put that engine in a Bultaco Pursang chassis. It never hurt me (although a 1972 Cyclone I raced for a dealer did...), It started easily for me, and never missed a beat in two race seasons.
I owned one in the late 70's. It was gifted to me at 15. At 115 lbs, it was a rocket when it lit. Learning about that compression release was painful lesson. I'll never forget the first time to start it. My shoe slipped off the kick start and it kicked back, slapping that bar right against my shin-bone. I limped around for days and still have the scar and depression right below the knee.
evil handler ? apparent you were never handled by the evil that would have taken an exorcist to tame the MX360 that was your competition setting beside you at the starting line from yamaha that was just like superman able to leap tall buildings on a single bounce if you wanted to or not ....and kick starting got expensive as your tm might jap slap you with the worse breaking your leg ...my MX360 would do all of that plus if it started at same time would twist the teeth off the idler kicker gears causing them to lock up splitting the transmission / engine cases into 3 easy pieces dumping the entire transmission gears on the ground ....much more dangerous and unpredictable than your suzuki in your own word never missed a beat meaning you lose as your bike was too reliable and i win this around of champion bench racer owning the worse pile of junk yamaha ever made
My older brother has one and used to ride me around the farm at full speed, I was sitting on the handlebars feet on the front fender. No helmet it was fun but looking back at it I’m surprised I’m alive.
I'm looking to upgrade from my Ninja 400, and honestly what draws me to Suzuki's bikes is that they haven't changed them much at all. They still have an analog look and feel in an age where everything is becoming more and more computerized.
I have a 2015 GSXR 750, I love the fact it is still a mechanical bike and not a ride by wire. ABS might be nice but I seem to stop just fine as is. @@BornAGoon
Alex Rins winning the final race of Suzuki's MotoGP entry has got to be one of the most underrated race wins of all time. It's such a damn shame that Suzuki pulled out.
I stumbled on your channel tonight and after watching a few of your videos, I have to say that you are truly the "National Enquirer" of youtube. Thankfully you don't have many subscribers. I too will forget you after this comment. I was working as a motorcycle mechanic in a Suzuki dealership when the 3 cylinder, 2 stroke water cooled street bike came out. The one you try to deride as the "Water Buffalo". Actually we referred to it affectionately as the Water Buffalo. Smooth, quiet and very fast. Suzuki had positioned it as a sport-touring bike. I assembled the first one that came to the shop, took it for a shake-down spin, came back and immediately bought it. What a wonderful bike! It had one problem. Suzuki used polymer bushings in the swing-arm. I machined a couple of Oilite brass bushings and that problem went away. The worst mistake I ever made in motorcycling was selling that bike. It was by far the best bike I've ever owned and that includes the early 80s Gold Wings when Honda was still marketing it as a performance bike. The Suzuki had the same smoothness and power as the Gold Wing but with a third less weight and little heat rejected by the radiator. 2-strokes send much of the heat out the exhaust. I can remember many a time in the summer sitting at a traffic light in my riding suit absolutely frying from the heat from the Gold Wing radiator. The TM400. We got one in but could not sell it because it took a real man to crank it. That's the only part you got correct. There was nothing wrong with the magneto or anything else. The problem was that Suzuki went for instant throttle response and to that end, equipped it with a rotor button-in-the-stator magneto and no flywheel. At the time I was 6'7", 235 lb man. I had little trouble cranking it. I asked the shop owner to let me race it in hare scrambles. He agreed. What solved all those problems was an aftermarket flywheel that bolted onto the magneto rotor. This transformed the bike. Easy to start. The power band, though vicious, was controllable. I NEVER got beat to the first corner. And the bike was stone cold reliable. I straightened out the handling with Koni shocks mounted at a semi-cantilevered angle. I filled up the shop's trophy case with wins. The owner ordered some more TM400s, put the flywheel on as part of the package and sold several.
Had four Suzukis and currently ride a K5 Gixxa 1000 which I've owned for over 17 years. Always loved their bikes and was devastated when they pulled the pin on MotoGP.
Had 2 K 5's, great bikes, had one stolen. I have a GSX R L1 600, remapped, 114 bhp great bike plenty for me at 77. Have a Ducati Monster 1100 EVO for when I want an easier ride.
Don't see myself a Suzuki fan yet totting up bikes they're the most bought marque over my 30 yrs motorcycling....just bought GSXR1000K5....omg it's good!
I've had / have five new Suzuki street bikes. '82 GS1100EZ and 4 Busas --I've also had / have five new Kawasaki street bikes. 2 12's / 2 14r's and a ZH2. Then I jump down to the 3 of level. How I answer when someone asks which of my bikes is the all time favorite, since I don't really have an answer.
Suzuki is the Toyota of motorcycle. They actually have a hard time selling their motorcycle in my country because it's so tough and no one need to replace their Suzuki.
Development Progression Strategies Honda: Starts at the end and works its way back. Yamaha: Starts at the bottom and works its way up. Suzuki: Starts in the middle and works its way out. Kawasaki: Starts with the outside and works its way in. Honda: Well-proven tech. Best money can buy. Yamaha: Innovative. Calculated risks. Suzuki: Might learn from mistakes. Cost-effective. Kawasaki: But it performed great in the CAD simulator...
I always thought that Suzuki was the sweetest handler of the Japanese Bikes … I went from an A100 in 1974 to A T20 and RV 50 a bunch of other brands and now a Honda today, TGB 101 50 and a GSX1100 from 1981. Loved the reliability of all my well maintained Suzuki’s , my Honda’s were never as inspiring and I enjoyed a LS 400 and VS 700 vee Twin as a young Father … the 700 being the only bike to Die on me .. I couldn’t keep up with my Brother in law on his 1200 Kawasaki Concours , on some very challenging Central Hawkes Bay country back roads but really enjoyed the challenge …the power edge he had at nearly twice my capacity really shone through then …
My second bike purchase was a Suzuki SV650, had it for about eight years. Loved that bike, the "Poor Man's Ducati." The engine was great, was a ton of fun to have that amount of torque on a lightweight sport chassis. Only downside was a somewhat mushy suspension, but that was an easy fix. Unfortunately, I'm tall and the seat-to-footpeg ratio was definitely designed for shorter legs. Started to think about upgrading to a slightly larger chassis, and hoped for years that Suzuki would bring back the SV1000 with a cosmetic redesign. I grew tired of leg cramps and waiting for Suzuki to bring something new to market, so I upgraded to a Yamaha MT-09 about 4 years ago. I love the MT, the inline-triple is great fun and has a distinctive roar to it when you open up the throttle. It is an upgrade in every way over the Suzuki... but there are days that I still miss the old SV and that V-Twin. It's a real shame that Suzuki seems to have no interest in innovating and competing with their peers any more, usually not a good sign for the future trajectory of a company.
Im currently in possesion of 2011 sv650s, which is my first "bigger" bike and tbh, i'm impressed how well it sticks to the road, how gently yet steady the gearbox works, how well the enginge handles my noob skills... Love this bike so far and im looking forward into future with this beast
As an owner of a couple of the TM-400's I found your reporting fairly accurate. One of the biggest problems with them was that the people who bought and raced them didn't put enough time into fixing them. Yes, yes, I know, you shouldn't have to "fix" a brand new motorcycle to make it ride-able. I have owned and ridden a lot of off road/racing bikes, mostly I raced motocross because I liked the intensity of it, unlike cross-country or desert racing, though I did both of those sometimes too. I never experienced the ignition problem you mentioned which is odd since I and several of my racing buddies all rode the 400's. I won a bunch of races with my TM but it wasn't stock. I had the engine re-ported to hog out the transfer ports and change the port timing some, all of which smoothed out the power band and increased the torque. I cut the frame and forward mounted new expensive shocks, I put on Traveler forks with 8 inches of travel, and I did a lot of lightening up of the whole bike with new tires, rims, seat, gas tank, and a homemade air filter box that was lighter and more water proof. I also re-engineered the expansion chamber pipe to add more engine softening performance. The bike was still heavier than some of the competition but the long-travel suspension and enormous power made the bike formidable. The friend I used to go to races with had a 400 Maico and the TM could out drag it anytime. Tires had a lot to do with the way the bike handled. I put on DID alloy rims with Cheng Shin 450 knobs on the rear and a 300 by 21 front set up. Reducing the unsprung weight helped the handling too which I accomplished with buying the lightest brand of tire (Cheng Shin at the time) even though they didn't last as long. I also drilled out the brake shoes to lighten them. I was never injured riding either of my TM's, but a friend of mine hit a hay bale while riding one of them and broke his collar bone. I had a lot of good times riding and racing my TM's. Since I lived in cold country in the mountains of eastern Oregon I also wanted to ride in the winter so I made a set of tires for my TM with 3 inch long bolts through them like studs and it went through snow and ice like crazy.
@@itslogical8459 No, sadly they didn't. I won a bunch of trophies though--of course I could have just avoided all the work and bought some trophies cheaper than doing all that work. It was kind of fun though fixing the bike, racing, working on it some more, and racing it again.
I race an rmz450 and often am the only yellow bike in my race. My bike was sold new for so cheap I was very happy to get it and it's been both reliable and competitive in my intermediate class races. Seeing Ken get that win felt so good to see, im very sad Suzuki couldn't use that as a wake up call
The ONLY bike I ever sold a bike for my HEALTH sake.... was my Cyclone... Mistakenly the PE400 was my do all bike, transport and off road adventure for a while... riding the 400 On the road was like suicide... pull off in 2nd gear and as the revs came up so did the front wheel... crash into 3rd... crash into 4th.. now you're doing nearly 100kmph... time to come down.. by this time the front wheels' stopped rotating and it skids as you touch down... a bit of cross handle bars... I must admit... A nice episode was drag racing a blond in a 911 Porsche... I did it in fine wheelie style... and survived.. but a few of my mates crashed out on their Yammie 500's trying to keep up.. So I bought an XT500 in order to slow down and survive.. Still remember the thrust from that 400.. forever...
As a motorcycle mechanic (for over 35 years now), I've got a lot of experience with lots of brands. After years of doing motorcross (on Maico's) my first road bike was a '72 Suzuki GT750J (still have it) and around '87 i had started working in a motorcycle shop where all sorts of brands and models came in. One thing I can tell from Suzuki, is that working on them for maintenance and repairs was always a joy compared to the other Japanese brands (Honda the best, Yamaha by far the worst). From that GT750 waterbuffalo, I got on to my first Ducati (600 Pantah) and talk about a difference?? Every time I step on that GT750 again, it keeps me wondering how I didn't get myself killed on that thing and at one point it almost did and it's my experience in motorcross that saved my life that one moment. Anyway: building a good chassis is essential if you want to put in a monster of an engine and that's something Suzuki's developpers never seem to have managed fitting their brains.
I have a ‘99 TL-R and love it! I don’t push it hard enough to expose any issues with the rear suspension and handling. It’s a very underrated motorcycle and has quite a cult following now with prices increasing for good ones. It also sounds brilliant with the twin Yoshis I have fitted! I also have a ‘98 SRAD 750, both are in white and blue.. of course. 😌👊🏼
I had a 2000 TLR....absolutely loved it. Rode it in many track days. I replaced the rotary rear suspension with a Bitubo rear shock. The bike was soooo much fun. I still regret selling it.
@@stewart8127 I have. I owned a '97 TLS and spent some time with the SV Thou. Very different bikes: the SV is completely sanitised. The TL1000S is a hooligan. One common misconception is that the SV has the TL engine - it doesn't. Both TL engines are slightly different and the SV has a more heavily revised version of Suzuki's big V. Top end work (cams/porting) and different throttle bodies are needed to take the SV motor to either TL spec. The SV is a very easy bike to ride, with easy handling and soft, linear power. The TL needs a shove to turn, and packs V-Twin shunt with top end rush. The induction roar is also missing from the SV. Both have shit brakes and need better suspension to even think about going toe to toe with an RSV - road or track. Think of the SV as Suzuki cutting the balls off the TL to make it behave instead of spending the R&D money on a chassis that the motor deserved. The worst aspect of the TLS is it's unpredictability; it gives no warning before dumping you in the road. Once upon a time I would have told you that the TL shows no sign of instability, as I regularly thrashed mine down bumpy English country lanes. ...And then one day it threw a tank slapper on the exit of a roundabout on my way to work. Forget what any bullshitter will tell you about how to deal with a tank slapping bike, because you're hanging on by your fingertips. Obviously I'm able to tell the tail because it calmed down before launching me into on coming traffic, but it really wasn't a fun experience. It also fishtailed once in the rain for no apparent reason... Straight line, gentle throttle and no silly rider behaviour. I finally got sick of crashing and frequent electrical issues, sold it and took a test ride on a tidy '03 RSV Mille, which taught me what good handling and brakes were. My encounter with the SV came about when that Mille was twatted up the arse by a white van man and insurance provided a hire bike while said van man's insurance was being difficult. I have to admit the SV was near perfect for regaining my confidence after the accident because it was just so easy and unthreatening. The SV needs a lot of throttle provocation to wheelie. A TLS is going to lift the front right up at some point, whether you like it or not. I've not ridden the TLR, but I know someone with one that has had a WP shock and fork springs. He's not a light fella, but he said the R was over sprung as standard and that it had the same random mid corner weave that my S did. I'm not taking tank slapping; it's more like the frame has a hinge or becomes flexible when leaning over. I can confirm this is cured by replacing the rotary damper with a quality aftermarket shock. Forget Suzuki's claimed specs, myself and the aforementioned chap has pushed a Mille up a ramp and will tell you both TL models are overweight. The R was apparently particularly fond of pies and is a hefty old gal! My V-Twin sportsbike summary goes like this... SV1000S: giant plodder pretending to be sporty. TL1000S: Two wheeled hooliganism - it's fun but your going to end up in hospital. TL000R: Who ate all the pies? At least it's stable. RSV Mille: if your toes can touch the floor, then forget the Japanese twins. RC8R: 1970's tractor engine and gearbox with a supercharger bolted on, packaged in a scalpel sharp chassis.
@@stewart8127 I do, and I've ridden both extensively. Paul above has a lot of good points. I won't repeat but add my 2 cents. The SV is not slow or plodding at all. But, it was set up that way. An hours worth of work and a lot is fixed. Pipes and reworked electronics gets you the rest of the way. Here's a quick one... the SV has a small screw on one side made out of the softest metal on earth, and a security torx at that... why? Because the bike is set up to not give you full power until about 3000rpm. Why? So that every moron out there didn't wheelie the bike out of the shop. So, adjust that screw so you get full power at 50-100rpm above idle. Guess what? Hooligan wheelie city if you want it. "The SV needs a lot of throttle to wheelie" LOL. I've wheeled the bike in third by rolling on too fast. Another SV note, the stock suspension is very decent, AND fully adjustable. The stock SETTINGS on that suspension were trash, but again targeting a very different crowd than the TL or GSXR 1000. So adjust the settings and its actually quite good. Would it benefit from aftermarket? Well of course, but so does almost every bike. It's not like the TL that needs a rear suspension so it doesn't kill you. A TL1000S is a wheelie monster, responsive feeling despite weighing more, iirc. BUT, it can get squirmy on you real fast. Now I rode the same bike again after it had a completely redone rear suspension and it was really great, an excellent machine at that point. And for the love of everything get a proper damper. (The SV1000S comes stock with a good non-rotary damper) The SV and TL both make a lot of torque, but more importantly a lot of torque very early. I joke that the bikes don't have torque curves they have torque line. You will take an equivalent era GSXR1000 from zero to 60, oh the look on their face :) Now, that GSXR is gonna have your lunch from 100 to 160. But who cares? You're faster in almost all non-track and non-jail/fine/illegal situations.
I won races on my Tm 400 but had shock, fork and added a flywheel kit to the motor that really settled that bike down. It was way faster than other open class bikes at the time!
My dad raced 500's all thru the 80s and 90s. All Hondas until Kawis in 92 and then 4 strokes starting with the KTM 525SX. The number of snapped kickstarters laying around the shop from the 500s is impressive. 😁
I was lucky enough to test ride a GT 750, a used one in the late 80s I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it for sale in a small shop. I owned a GT 550 for a short spell.
Too much money for what they are these days. I get it that the S has, and should have a cult status due to its bad reputation (and as a former owner I can testify it is as hilarious to ride as it is dangerous), but the R still had the rotary damper and was so overweight that you can spend a fortune just to get it close to hanging with an aprilis RSV. Don't get me wrong, the TL motor has way more character than the Rotax V60, but the ape runs rings around a stock TL, and the engine is every bit as bomb proof if looked after.
First full size bike was an 82' RM125 when I was 13. I can honestly say all these years later and after all the different bikes I'v had, that old Full Floater lightweight is the only bike that still haunts my dreams!
@@BornAGoon I was a really heavy boy for my age but I could still send her a good 7-8 feet up before all that glorious travel would bottom out! So fun!
I got the same bike when I was 12. I was halfway in saving up for it and my Dad surprised me by paying the other half. I think it was $1600 msrp back then. They were the top 125cc MXer at that time.
As much as it hurts me to say it. I agree with you 100%. 30years, 17 bikes, 8 Suzuki's GSXR's. However on a positive note. They do build bikes designed for the home mechanic. Not over engineering has been the strength it gives me to stay loyal to the brand. An old GSXR 1000 K5 still occupies a corner which has captured my heart 18 years ago and still makes me feel alive. So one has to ask, is it deliberate by Suzuki?
At 15 in 1975 I bought a TM400 and rode it year round every week for 6 years. I never got hurt unless it was totally my fault, the bike was great for what it was!
@@itslogical8459 You mean a stuck throttle? No, but even then I was already a decent wrench and was up on the issues from Dirt Bike and Motocross Action so I stayed on top of service and prep and my TM was a 74 model so Suzuki had fixed the "instant on" spark advance problem with the CDI. PS, I didn't race, which is not to say I didn't haul ass now and then, I like fire and logging roads and especially hill climbing, the 400 was great for that and it didn't hurt I only weighed a buck fifty then either lol!
As a content creator myself I just want to say that this man spent over 40 hours making this video....the editing was polished and professional...the script was educational and very well written. Great Job my friend.
@@judgegixxer One of the reasons I support content creators here on YT there is much talent here and many us do care about what we produce. I have followed this channel for several months now and the content is truly amazing. I love the data, the history and the passion.
I had a 1993 Suzuki bandit 400 which at the time I thought the steel frame made the bike a little heavy. But the frame design was pretty solid around the street. A friend of mine raced his 93 bandit on the local course and ended up crashing in the sweeper turn, a rather broad but fast turn. He blamed it on the tire selection..
I LOVE my TL1000S. The rotary damper was an abomination. I paid $200 for an R1 shock, made my own bracket and spent an hour fitting it. Classifying a motorcycle as one of the worst ever made when its most glaring fault can be so easily and cheaply rectified is hardly justified. The torque of the motor is also mentioned as a negative, when it's one of the features I like most about this motorcycle.
It was a negative because of the suspension problem. Its okay to defend what you like, but when is clearly a design flaw that cant be defended. I couldnt imagine what it would be like to ride with a rear suspension that wanted to work or not.
@@bumblebeeisfree But funny enough, the rear rotary damper wasn't the cause of crashes, it was the extreme geometry (Which they alleviated with a steering damper)
The most dangerous TLS was the 1997. I had a green one and loved it. There were several aftermarket remedies for the rotary damper. I ran a remote reservoir version and the bike was great on tracks that didn't have a long straight.
The TM 400 was a fantastic motorcycle! I got to witness the machine up close and personal. My nephew purchased one used. My nephew, cousin and I would ride motorcycles along the river in Southwest Kansas. He could crank the throttle at any speed and it would wheelie. It was the rocket ship of the trails back in the day.
although I agree with every word that you said , the TM 400 was and still is my favourite motorcycle that I have ever owned . It got me podium finishes in beach racing and road racing but in MX I had to be happy with a reasonably consistent top 10 rating and a best placing of 6th in a national event . Yes I know that it wanted to kill me but we came to an agreement . That was 52 years ago .
@@BornAGoon Graham in New Zealand we had beach racing back in the day. Two bamboo poles half-a-mile apart - stuck in the sand when the tide was out. The TM400 was the killer bike to have! LOL
@@DennisMerwood-xk8wp I raced a Chaney framed TM 400 on the beach in Whakatane and Gisborne back in the 70's . Only got my ass handed to me once and it was by Forest Carden , he was riding a Manx Norton with a V twin JAP motor on methanol and twin GP carbs . It was still putting up a rooster tail at the end of the half mile . I had not realised that Whakatane was half mile and was way under geared but I still got second .some times this is good for the sole .
My GSXR1100 L was brutal. I did many high speed long distant trips on it. Always above 200kph. When unsettled it had a mean habit of going into an instant tank slapper but ride it smoothly and it will fly like a rocket. Great memories. The ACDC of motorbikes!
@ 200 KPH ( 124 mph) it is just STARTING to come into its awesomeness. Lets say you rode it at 250 kph now you are in the REAL Adrenalin Zone and must remain hyperfocused of ALL Conditions at all times and look way ahead. Honestly above 140 kph you risk losing the bike if you get stopped anyway (at least in Canada) and if the law can prove you were Racing you risk losing it by forfeit. So, Therefore 200 KPH may be your personal limit of comfort, but, life doesn't even begin till you exceed 250 KPH.
I’ve only had one crash on a motorcycle that I blamed on the motorcycle. It was a mint, low mileage, almost new gpz 750 turbo. I was doing 60 and was losing power slowly. I had traffic building up behind me as I dropped a gear and the power came back. Since the bike was running great, I upshifted and started losing power again. At that point I figured I’d pull over and take a look to see if there was a problem. The instant I crossed the line to the shoulder and got on the brakes I went down like a sack of bricks. Six or seven cars passed me with only inches to spare as I was crashing at about 55 mph. As I limped around trying to walk off the pain, I went to the bike and in the dark I could see the front rotors glowing. I rebuilt the bike with new front brakes from master cylinder to rotors completely with new calipers and master cylinder. A year or so later, I was riding it and the same thing started happening. I glided to a stop on the shoulder immediately and never touched the brakes this time. Both rotors were glowing, just like last time. It had to be the master cylinder or the brake line collapsed. I flat bed towed it home , I touched nothing until the next day. Even when loading it and looked at the master cylinder first. I pulled back the boot on the master cylinder plunger and it was stuck in the bore. My buddy said he didn’t care and asked to buy it since I was going to get rid of the factory master cylinder and use something different. He ended up crashing it a few months later with the same symptoms and he never changed it, just cleaned it up and rebuilt it. That bike nearly killed at least two people and both of us got some decent injuries. When I talked to Suzuki about it they said they weren’t aware of any issues with the master cylinder and weren’t interested. I’ve never ridden a Suzuki since.
Great video, thanks. Shortly after the SRAD came out in 96 we started installing steering dampers prior to selling any new Gixxer. The reduction in the wheelbase from the previous models made for very twitchy handling and surprise wheelies, leading to tank slappers and many accidents. This bike had a beautiful, race-inspired design and was very popular among beginner riders, but it was definitely not a beginner bike.
I had -98 TL1000R , rear suspension on my bike was deadly as stock and factory steering damper was really stiff: Race tech ,springs and shimming sorted fork, Öhlins rear shock and hyperpro steering damper rest , bike worked better the faster you rode and was really stable but not comfortable, for me i had terrible shoulde pain with that bike when drove at legal speeds .
The great thing about the TMs were that they filled up the starting lines and gave guys a chance for a thrill. The only TM I rode was the 125. I might as well been on the 400 as I was such a squid. When they brought out the RM 125, the days of Honda Elsinore dominance were coming to an end. I owned an '81 RM 125. It was as good a bike as existed.
I think it was a TM125 we had as a farmbike back in the 70's , Horrible thing, You could always see dad ride out the farm track in a cloud of smoke only to see him pushing it back a few minutes later. He sold it and bought a Yamaha Ag 100 which ironically for it's size had a towbar on it that we towed a small trailer with for the dogs. I have run Yamahas ever since on the farm.
I do agree with you that the 76 rm370 was a fun bike, mine felt a lot like jumping a bicycle to impressive heights as it was fairly light and the suspension was far better than my tm400.
I've only owned two Slowzuki's-A Burgman 650 and a Burgman 650 Executive, both of them were a blast and had the nickname the "Halfabusa". I intend to get another one
Have you ever had a tank slapper at 50 miles an hour with a 10 wheel dump truck on your ass, not slowing down, staying behind you and you can't change lanes, wondering if the idiot driver is laughing at you? It only lasted for about 20 seconds but those were like 20 minutes. I thought for sure I was gonna eat pavement .
I had a Suzuki bandit 800.. I rode it around my block once and parked it until I traded it.. absolutely terrifying motorcycle.. I even tried starting in 2nd and it still wanted to go up..
I had a 1981 GS850G. It wasn't a sport bike, but it was a very reliable and forgiving motorcycle. I rode it for 20 years and would probably still have it, if I hadn't piled into the back of a parked car on the freeway. Even in a wreck, it didn't bend all that much, unlike me.
My Brother's first bike was a Yammie RD 250 which he later gave to me. His next Bike proved to be the love of his life. Yes a Suzuki GS 850G. In fact he had 3 over a 15 year period. Gunmetal Grey, Blue and Gunmetal Grey again. They were all 850s, never a 1000 or whatever, had to be the 850. We Bikers can be a bit different. Anyway, thanks for reminding me about my dear old brother and his love for the mighty Suzuki GS 850G!
The Suzuki Bandit... A bike I owned for 11 years. Not once did it not start. You could of blown it up with C4 and it would still start. I sold it at 76000 miles on the clock and wish I'd have kept it as a second bike.
I grew up riding the tm400 & never had any issues as mentioned here. I always had to land it at full throttle to avoid the pain from bottoming out the suspension. I wore out the TM400 replacing it with a RM465. More of the same, didn't corner near as well but handled landings much better.
The TL V twin's biggest problem when it was released was the epic tank slappers that occurred far too often. Even experienced testers had big issues. THAT'S what caused the crashes. I remember they were in press constantly til Suzuki had to find a solution... Eventually they were fitted with a damper. Not exactly fixing problem but still...99% certain it was retro fitted too for all the vexed owners of brand new TL's that were red on release and for testers btw...
As a former TL1000S owner, I can state that it did slap. The real issue is that it was unpredictable; you'd think that it would shake it's head when on the power down a bumpy road, but mine only gave the expected slight twitch of the bars. I did go lock to lock once when I rolled OFF the throttle and the weight transferred to the front.
These are all rear rebound issues caused by the rear damper, usually the damper would heat the oil changing its viscosity which would slow rebound to the effect it would not rebound enough before the next spring input, loading the damper progressively more before the stored pressure rebounded the shock more than the last spring input required, the tlr suffered less so in this regard with less unsprung weight ..
@@mitchpender8113 There's a lot more problems with the TL-S chassis than the much (justifiably) maligned rotary damper. There's speculation about the forks having shorter travel than usual and the unbraced swing arm being too flexible and also short because of the need for a short, quick steering wheelbase which was otherwise compromised by the length of the motor. In reality no one ever really got to the bottom of the TL-S handling woes. I'd imagine with today's computer aided design, being able to simulate the different stresses being applied to the chassis, someone could come up with a comprehensive theory, but clearly the mid 90's were still very much "suck it and see". I replaced the rotary damper with a Nitron race shock, sprung to my weight, and while the Nitron certainly helped the old beast hold a line, it was still an unforgiving and unpredictable bitch. The tank slapper incident happened after the shock swap. The TL engine was a fantastic blend of performance and character, but no matter what bolt ons you throw at the chassis neither the S or the R will ever handle like the Europeans or Honda's VTR SP1/2. I say this as a former owner of a '97 TL-S (the original bad boy before Suzuki tamed the throttle response), multiple aprilia RSVs and current owner of a KTM RC8R. Oh and I also spent a while abusing a loaner SV1000S, which proved that Suzuki did make a fairly sweet handling big V-Twin (it suffered from Suzuki raiding the budget parts bin). Sadly Suzuki chose to cut the TL engine's balls off to ensure the SV would behave.
Watching them tank in their 450 class was all i needed to know that they dont care. They had some of the best riders ever and just did "3hh were done"... i honestly think their partnership with kawi was what kept them alive. A lot of the big dirt bike riders started on kawis and ended on Suzukis... i think kawi put the time in and the other milked off them. My 2 cents
The GSXR-750 and 1000 are fabulous bikes. So is the Hayabusa. The gasoline burning motorcycle has been perfected. I like simple bikes so I'm sticking with my GS1000. Old Japanese bikes are great if you can find one that hasn't been thrashed or trashed. With ordinary care they last indefinitely.
I agree William. The GS1000 was another winner from Suzuki. And from my experience Suzuki engines always out lasted their Honda rivals. Suzuki engines were always high mileage and durable.
@@derekscarrsr2688 My GS1000L is a 79 and the 83 GS1100E is wonderful. 108 HP. Great handling. I was a Cycle World and Motorcyclist subscriber back then.
In 1985 in Canada, I bought a GSXR 750 good lord I loved that bike! I still have a 1995 RMX 250 that has been turned into a super motard a great bike but yeah, I agree with you video. Cheers from Tokyo!
My friend laughed at me when I bought a Harley soft tail custom. He got a Suzuki Hyabusa😳. He immediately had it modified (cam, intake, exhaust etc etc etc ……) Horsepower was in the low 200 range and the speed he was looking for was the same 🤨😳😧. One Sunday in August, we were in a poker run in upstate New York and came upon a looooooong straight away. The last thing I saw was him pulling a wheely as he took off waving 👋 at me. The state trooper said he was traveling upwards of 190-200mph when the front tire blew apart. He hit a tree, died instantly, never knew what hit him. Thanks for sharing the video post. Best of luck 🍀
I commute to work on a 2005 Gixxer 1K I bought new and immediately turned into a club racer. Eventually converted it into a streeter. I now have around 95K miles on it. Thing has been put through the ringer and I've had to constantly fix stuff, but I love it. Still looks good. In fact, couple years ago, I had some guy come up to me at a gas station and ask if my bike was a year 2011. And that's one thing I love about these bikes, Suzuki hasn't really changed the looks of the big Gixxer over the last two decades. Bike is almost 19 years old, still hauls and doesn't look dated. LOL
Great video Mr. Goon! All I own are Suzukis. You did great job covering their quirky and lazy ways. I am not sure if it is the "bean counters" in the corporate HQ, or the design engineers who need to up their game. You made a great point about the DR series. I have an extensively modified DR650 which I love but a lot of the things I have done to it should have been done by the factory (suspension- Hello)! Well done video on this subject! Cheers!
I owned a DR 650 for a couple of years, which was THE worst bike out of more than 30, that I ever owned! I had nothing but problems with a complete engine repair and just after that the shock absorber busted, so I had to buy a new White Power for replacement, but when it rode it was great fun...
I use to own a 1994 gsxr1100. I had it set up for drag but drove it as a daily. And for a dinosaur, it never failed me and I beat the daylights out of it just about every day for years. I finally ended up selling it to a buddy about 5yrs ago who had wanted it forever.
I am 63 years old and riding all types of motorcycles since I was 15. I had Hondas, Kawasakis, and Yamahas, but curious enough, never rode nor had a Suzuki motorcycle.
The description here and every where else I have heard of the 400 Cyclone makes me think"that all sounds so familiar." Then it hits me,every characteristic of the Cyclone is shared by my 1999 YZ400F. Another bike that makes you truly work just to start the pig! Forget about if its cold outside,gotta run VP 110 just to make the thing a bit easier to start.
The TL was certainly a gnarly beast. But man, was it a formidable bar hopping commuter and back roads rocket ship! My love for Suzuki's late 90's dirt bikes and early 2000's GSXR1000 will never fade. Still great machines, some 25 years later. In fact, I might be buying a y2k RM250 tomorrow, and if I found the right Gixxer, I'd be buying that too. 😎 Excellent video.
I owned a TL1000S and loved (and hated) it. When it was good, it was VERY good. But when it was bad, I questioned my life's decisions. I also owned a 400 Bandit and that was perhaps one of the best bikes I've ever owned.
@@RogerWyatt365 if you mixed those 2 bikes together it might make a great cocktail called the SV650. The only Suzi I currently have is a 96 DR350E. It's not the legendary Honda XR350, but I'm not complaining (especially when I push the magic button)!
@@RogerWyatt365 The TL engine had so much character. It's a real shame Suzuki cut its balls off to make the SV1000 behave instead of really going to town on the chassis. I agree with you on the good/bad thing, my S was very Jekyll and Hyde.
The person who says the 400 crosser is the worst bike made is nuts. It's an angry animal but it's great at what it's designed for, which is winning... Try a big Maico and you will fill your pants. The TL s and r? Yes the rotary damper was rubbish, but it was not an afterthought as you suggest. It was used to make a compact, agile steering bike capable of beating pretty much anything, it would too on smooth tracks, in the real world it was flawed, that is true but it was not a budget idea or afterthought, in fact the idea was progressive. Oh and conventional systems do fit, Maxton (for one) makes them. The frame cracks, yep that's true. The Gixxer 1100s, a top drawer nutter bike and brilliant. Not sure how you decided they were that deadly, the throttle goes both ways. By comparison the original fireblade was lethal, twitchy and fast. At least this makes a change from Kawasaki being named the most deadly. I'm not sure if Goon hates Suzuki bikes in general or if it's down to hearsay simply to make a quite interesting video. But if you want to feel alive ride some of these bikes, they are awesome, of course, it might be that many of you fine US folk ride differently to us in Europe where agility is desirable in a bike.
I remember the 1970's. Suzuki motorcycle quality was always as good as the others. Kawasaki and Yamaha made widowmaker two-strokes too. It's unfair to single-out Suzuki. Honda probably had the best quality but Suzuki is no worse than the other three.
@@BornAGoon Probably, but to be fair if we start picking old Japanese bikes apart we would have to admit everything American is old heavy expensive junk by comparison and the Chinese stuff is so bad it shouldn't be allowed to be sold.
The fact that Suzuki won't even do anything to boost their 450 blows my mind. They won't even send out media bikes, places are still running years old bikes to compete in 2023 shootouts... it kinda seems like they're trying to bankrupt themselves
I've been riding Suzukis since 83. Started on RM80 then RM 125s, RM250s even a DRZ 125. Streetside Gamma500, 86'Katana,9 0G"SXR750 Currently 03''&14' GSXR 1000s. I survived. Was going to buy the new Busa but so expensive i ended up getting an electric skateboard that does 80km/h. You guys don't know what you're missing.
a strange choice, considering that a fall of 80 kmh without protection means death, or do you want to say that you wear protection every time? As for me, it's best to bike - you can fall, but nothing will happen if you don't ride where the cars are.
An acquaintance got killed in front of his family right in front of my house because the sudden explosive power of the Suzuki 400 drove him off his line into a car. Naturally he was brave enough to skip the helmet for protection and Dawined himself. First time on the bike. Not even his. The owner had just unloaded it after picking it up from the Dealership. Brand spanking new It was the VERY FIRST ride on the bike. Always wondered what caused the accident. Now I know. Thank you. At the time I was riding a 250 Bultaco and couldn't imagine riding a 400cc anything. My experience with dead friends and relatives is they all get involved in motorcycling late (post 18 years old) and hadn't experienced crashes in their childhood when they were softer, more pliable, closer to the ground and riding less powerful bikes (doodle bugs). My friends and relatives who got involved in their early years knew the score and all survived. My advice - If you haven't ridden a bike since early youth - DON'T for it will certainly kill you. Parents - If your young kid has the strong desire to ride. Allow it. Yeah, he's gonna crash and get hurt but he'll learn his limitations. And like Clint Eastwood sez "A man has got to know his limitations" BTW I'm 77 and looking at getting and older Triumph kick start. Figure If I can't kick it I shouldn't be on it.
My first real mc after scrub brake minis was a 78 rm80. It was beat but awesome!! Then a used TS 125 that was almost perfect the a used 1983 GS750e that I rode for ten years. Bullet proof, just changed oil and a voltage regulator. I love Suzuki.
I trashed a 1966 X6 in 9000+ miles then put 67k+ miles on a '69 Titan. That Titan was one solid road bike; most of the lower 48, and the right half of Canada. Colorado year 'round it never failed to start. I miss her.
To be honest I owned a 1972 Suzuki Gt 750 water cooled 2 stroke triple and man that bike was scary fast! But what was even more scarier was trying to take a corner on it! That bike was pretty heavy and the engine cases were low and wide so wide that when taking a nice sharpe turn and trying to lean it over the side cases would start grinding and limited my controlled lean in a turn which almost made me crash a couple of times. So with the bike being super quick in the straight away and poor handling in the turns I decided to now regrettably sell that bike before I killed myself because back then I was a squirrel behind those bars and surly would’ve kept pushing the limits on that Suzuki GT750 water buffalo motorcycle and most likely wouldn’t be here today writing this!
Ind Suzuki AX100 is one of the bikes that changed India. Introduced in the early 80s and lived through another model which was India’s last two stroke commuter motorcycle.
Miss my Ind Suzuki AX100 ! One the best bikes I had. I still miss it , even though I currently own a 1200cc beast from Kawasaki ( ZX12R )..and a 1200cc V-twin, Italian beautiful bike ( Moto Guzzi Griso 1200SE )..Also owned&drove a BMW R1100RT.
Our family has had a swag of Suzooks: TM125 (scary bike, savage power with no handling to speak of ...), RM125C (not much better, but a bit more fun than the TM), RV90 (don't ride this bike on a creek, it tries to float, but so much fun in the sand!), PE370 (a monster but oodles of scary fun), Katana 1000 (oof! A set of smooth bore carbies on that sucka was a true workout for the right wrist, then both as you hang on for dear life!) Now my daughter has a Swift! 😂
I owned a 2008 B King. I loved it, but I didn’t fit it well. I paid around $1200 for new foot pegs, and $700 for a Corbin seat, and it was still uncomfortable. But with 180 horses and 108 foot pounds of torque at the rear wheel, it was bloody fast. I was loaded with 150 pounds of camping gear, and still blew away a c5 Corvette… and I was short shifting.
Very well done! Suzuki needs all the shit you can throw at them! They have had decades where they were the dominant motocross machines and roadracing machines…I raced RM125’s and owned 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982 examples of that bike. They were FANTASTIC! They won so many world championships….it’s sad to see them today.
All my best MX memories are on Suzuki bikes. They saw me get from C grade to A grade back in the mid 2000s. I would love to relive this to some degree but each year they disappoint me with no real updates on any of their machines.
I own two Suzuki's from the 2022 model year....a gen 3 Hayabusa and an M109R and they both perform extremely well. I'm riding the wheels off both of them. Thanks for the video as you make some very good points. I just hope that Suzuki turns things around but I'm doubtful.
@@BornAGoon When the 85' GSX-R750 came out in the States - every proddy race was 100% Gixxers on the grid! They obsoleted all other sports bikes overnite. Offering for the first time a street-legal Japanese motorcycle capable of race-bike performance. For the first time in two decades here was a motorcycle the average punter could ride at the track and ride home afterwards. As the first pure race replica from the Land of the Rising Sun, the GSX-R750 also created a subculture that continues until today.
THE M 109 R IS FAMOUS FOR 2ND GEAR STRIPPING FROM SPEED SHIFTING, MY FRIEND DOUG BROKE 2ND GEAR, HAD IT FIXED, AND THE SAME PROBLEM STARTED AGAIN, SO HE TRADED IT IN FOR A KAWASAKI VAQERO 1700 RECENTLY. RIDE IT EASY IN 2ND OR PREPARE FOR AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR BILL. P.S. HOPE IT NEVER HAPPENS TO YOU
@@proudamerican6763 Thanks. I've heard of that issue with 2nd gear so hopefully it doesn't happen to me. My second gear shift is usually pretty good but I never speed shift and always try to be careful when shifting. I mean it's not a sports bike and it's fun to just roll on the throttle after shifting to build speed. I use the bike mainly for cruising as I have a couple of sports bikes for more agressive riding.
I had a nice TM100 and a friend had a TM400. I was amazed how it felt like it was twisting under power. Then I'd get back on my TM100 and it felt like a Briggs & Stratton!
I had a TL back in the day. It handled poorly and lifted the front wheel all the time, and I mean ALL the time. The oomph that came on around 7000 RPM was sensational (in a straight line). Under acceleration it would regularly put itself onto the back wheel without coming back to the ground for what seemed like an eternity, even when changing through the gears. Sporting D&D pipes, the sound was second to none, deep and loud. Certainly was an evil machine and was relieved to survive ownership. 😆
I've ridden them on the road and found them easy to use, they might have had uprated suspension, they definitely had loud pipes. On the track they were too slow and didn't corner well due to the excessive weight, easy to light up the rear tyre and look good on the way out of corners though. The weight made them more like a sports tourer on the road for me, I only weighed 10 stone so size wise they were huge. They wheelie well but only when you want, not like trying to ride a ZX10R C1 on the limit where I'd have to get all my weight forward out of bumpy corner to try and keep the front down. On the track the TL1000R was no match for any 600 of the day and even well ridden 90's 600's would leave it behind except on the straights. I've ridden the TL1000S as well with a steering damper, it didn't have very reliable throttle response and had excessive engine braking like the Honda SP1 which I couldn't do a lot with either.
What a great, insightful video! I grew up riding in the early 70's on Jap trail & motocross bikes. You nailed this evolution in Suzuki nicely. Just know each brand had their fair share of turds. But, your "perfect bike" had a lot to do with the terrain and application. I loved torquey 4-stroke Hondas, because I rode on the Appalachian Trail all day. Some friends liked the punchy 2-stroke TM Suzukis & Elsinores for racing. Others preferred the smoother Yamaha endurdos. I loved them all...but those big 2-strokes were all scary!
Agreed, my SV was great. After some work to the forks and a brake your upgrade, I was able to show the tail lights to my liter bike buddies any time the road was twisted. I stepped up the Tl-R after, and it was an amazing machine, again, after dealing with some of the issues.
I bought a 2004 SV1000N in December. The power, sound and the looks is exactly what I wanted from a bike! There's so many bikes now with these overly aggressive lines and complicated looking headlights, the SV just looks so good with its round headlights lol
I have had gsxr750 ,86 and 98 , gsxr1000 2013, drz400 , gsx-s1000 2016, and a tu250x 😂 , great bikes but the gsxr1000 was to dangerous no abs no traction control scared the crap out of me . And i even had a cagiva raptor with a tl1000 engine. Test drove a bking once but it was to heavy went for a 2007 z1000 with acra instead and it had abs 😊 . But the bike i missed the most was my 86 750r i was young and thin 74 kg miss those times😢
great video - brought back some memories Had a '91 gixxer 750 - was beautiful - the black and Silver paint with the pink and purple bits - took her up a big road on one of the first days riding her and snapped the chain that took off the water pump and the bit of steel that is around the gear shaft (where the changer enters the engine, so the piece that holds the seal) - emptied all the water and oil out - managed to not drop her and got home in a van Was never able to properly repair it and she leaked oil out of the gear shaft hole forever - then started leaking petrol into the engine oil - it then spent a year in Galway in a bike shop called specials - I was trying to get a replacement engine either a 750 or 1100 - but after a year it still wasn't even looked at - so ended up getting it back and selling it and had to walk for 2 years till I paid it off It was the most "high spec" bike I have ever riden I think I did 255KPH on her - practically drove itself around corners - was so bummed when I had to let her go :(
Total rubbish, the GSXR-1100 was super popular road bike(though the K version had issues) And was the bike to have until the first Fireblade unless you had the 750. In all my years I have never heard a thing about frame issues.
I wonder what my Dad was thinking... We had 3 Suzuki's dirt bikes, I started riding 1976 or 77.. I never heard of an injury directly from the Suzuki rider...what they bi*ched about most was the bike constantly broke down or had to replace a broken part. Around 2000 I did buy ($150) a mint 1980 RM 250... that was the last Suzuki I had. After a supercross event at the Silverdome in Pontiac MI 92 or 93. We had pit passes and got to meet Jeremy McGrath and his Dad.... Few months after that my Dad brought home a Kawasaki...for the next 15yrs I rode Kawz . I Owning Hondas and Yamaha's, but, I always had at least one Kawasaki.
This is such a great channel dude keep it up you're gonna be at 100k before 2024 at this rate
Your words are too kind I appreciate the support Thank you
@@BornAGoon your video are BIG bullshit , i`am drive at 90-is GSX-R , the BEST serie`s bike EVER (on street)
Lol hahaha
@@BornAGoon dude that 400 had points.
I'm there because I want to be read in 2024 when everyone seen this guy was right.
Raced a GSXR 1100 in a 24hr race. A team of 4 riders taking turns riding and wringing the snot out of that bike. After 24 hrs it ran as strong as it did when we started the race! Just realized that at 9:15 of the video, #5 is a former teammate on his personal GSXR 1100 racing at Road Atlanta.
What?? Non stop? And it never overheated?
@@francisconavarro956Tx Yes, nonstop. Only stopped enough to change riders, and refill the gas as fast as possible...one stop included tire change. They don't overheat when you're averaging over 100mph. No antifreeze either, not allowed, straight water.
i ride a 1100W 96 for myself its an amazing bike
Thats freaking amazing
How does someone get involved with racing like this 😮😮
I was a mechanic in a Suzuki shop from the early to mid 70's, and I raced a 250 Suzuki twin in AMA pro half-mile. Suzuki's were and are some of the most reliable and well-made bikes in the world.
This video is utter bollox...
But very deadly, because if you drive fast the wheel can fall off anytime, wich is dangerous.
Still the best and highest revving engine I know. I'm biased though, I love these bikes😅
this site su----ks
Until bmw shows up
I owned and raced a TM-400 in 1973 and 1974. It was the most reliable dirt bike I've ever owned. I loved its (non-stock) engine, but it was an evil handler. I should have put that engine in a Bultaco Pursang chassis. It never hurt me (although a 1972 Cyclone I raced for a dealer did...), It started easily for me, and never missed a beat in two race seasons.
you are a legend
I owned one in the late 70's. It was gifted to me at 15. At 115 lbs, it was a rocket when it lit. Learning about that compression release was painful lesson. I'll never forget the first time to start it. My shoe slipped off the kick start and it kicked back, slapping that bar right against my shin-bone. I limped around for days and still have the scar and depression right below the knee.
evil handler ? apparent you were never handled by the evil that would have taken an exorcist to tame the MX360 that was your competition setting beside you at the starting line from yamaha that was just like superman able to leap tall buildings on a single bounce if you wanted to or not ....and kick starting got expensive as your tm might jap slap you with the worse breaking your leg ...my MX360 would do all of that plus if it started at same time would twist the teeth off the idler kicker gears causing them to lock up splitting the transmission / engine cases into 3 easy pieces dumping the entire transmission gears on the ground ....much more dangerous and unpredictable than your suzuki in your own word never missed a beat meaning you lose as your bike was too reliable and i win this around of champion bench racer owning the worse pile of junk yamaha ever made
My older brother has one and used to ride me around the farm at full speed, I was sitting on the handlebars feet on the front fender. No helmet it was fun but looking back at it I’m surprised I’m alive.
I'm looking to upgrade from my Ninja 400, and honestly what draws me to Suzuki's bikes is that they haven't changed them much at all. They still have an analog look and feel in an age where everything is becoming more and more computerized.
Thats the good part you can buy and old one and nobody would know
I have a 2015 GSXR 750, I love the fact it is still a mechanical bike and not a ride by wire. ABS might be nice but I seem to stop just fine as is. @@BornAGoon
Alex Rins winning the final race of Suzuki's MotoGP entry has got to be one of the most underrated race wins of all time. It's such a damn shame that Suzuki pulled out.
a terrible shame
Everyone knows pulling out never works!
@@robertreasor7522 it worked for kawasaki
Amen, what he said...
Rins Wins 🏆
@@robertreasor7522 lol 😆
I stumbled on your channel tonight and after watching a few of your videos, I have to say that you are truly the "National Enquirer" of youtube. Thankfully you don't have many subscribers. I too will forget you after this comment.
I was working as a motorcycle mechanic in a Suzuki dealership when the 3 cylinder, 2 stroke water cooled street bike came out. The one you try to deride as the "Water Buffalo". Actually we referred to it affectionately as the Water Buffalo. Smooth, quiet and very fast. Suzuki had positioned it as a sport-touring bike.
I assembled the first one that came to the shop, took it for a shake-down spin, came back and immediately bought it. What a wonderful bike! It had one problem. Suzuki used polymer bushings in the swing-arm. I machined a couple of Oilite brass bushings and that problem went away.
The worst mistake I ever made in motorcycling was selling that bike. It was by far the best bike I've ever owned and that includes the early 80s Gold Wings when Honda was still marketing it as a performance bike. The Suzuki had the same smoothness and power as the Gold Wing but with a third less weight and little heat rejected by the radiator. 2-strokes send much of the heat out the exhaust. I can remember many a time in the summer sitting at a traffic light in my riding suit absolutely frying from the heat from the Gold Wing radiator.
The TM400. We got one in but could not sell it because it took a real man to crank it. That's the only part you got correct. There was nothing wrong with the magneto or anything else. The problem was that Suzuki went for instant throttle response and to that end, equipped it with a rotor button-in-the-stator magneto and no flywheel. At the time I was 6'7", 235 lb man. I had little trouble cranking it.
I asked the shop owner to let me race it in hare scrambles. He agreed. What solved all those problems was an aftermarket flywheel that bolted onto the magneto rotor. This transformed the bike. Easy to start. The power band, though vicious, was controllable. I NEVER got beat to the first corner. And the bike was stone cold reliable.
I straightened out the handling with Koni shocks mounted at a semi-cantilevered angle. I filled up the shop's trophy case with wins. The owner ordered some more TM400s, put the flywheel on as part of the package and sold several.
I must be your age. I remember the TM400 very well. I had several Suzuki's as my first bikes and Suzuki will always hold a special place in my heart.
Had four Suzukis and currently ride a K5 Gixxa 1000 which I've owned for over 17 years. Always loved their bikes and was devastated when they pulled the pin on MotoGP.
yea me too and they are gonna stop making those GSXR 1000s I hope you never sell that bike
Had 2 K 5's, great bikes, had one stolen. I have a GSX R L1 600, remapped, 114 bhp great bike plenty for me at 77. Have a Ducati Monster 1100 EVO for when I want an easier ride.
Don't see myself a Suzuki fan yet totting up bikes they're the most bought marque over my 30 yrs motorcycling....just bought GSXR1000K5....omg it's good!
I've had / have five new Suzuki street bikes. '82 GS1100EZ and 4 Busas
--I've also had / have five new Kawasaki street bikes. 2 12's / 2 14r's and a ZH2.
Then I jump down to the 3 of level. How I answer when someone asks which of my bikes is the all time favorite, since I don't really have an answer.
@@geraldgoodman932477!? You are my idol man
Suzuki is the Toyota of motorcycle. They actually have a hard time selling their motorcycle in my country because it's so tough and no one need to replace their Suzuki.
That is true they build some reliable stuff
@@BornAGoon reliable stuff.....but deadly? LMAO. What in this world isn't?
Development Progression Strategies
Honda: Starts at the end and works its way back.
Yamaha: Starts at the bottom and works its way up.
Suzuki: Starts in the middle and works its way out.
Kawasaki: Starts with the outside and works its way in.
Honda: Well-proven tech. Best money can buy.
Yamaha: Innovative. Calculated risks.
Suzuki: Might learn from mistakes. Cost-effective.
Kawasaki: But it performed great in the CAD simulator...
those are some very good points you make
@@BornAGoon Thank you for the interesting and informative videos.
I always thought that Suzuki was the sweetest handler of the Japanese Bikes … I went from an A100 in 1974 to A T20 and RV 50 a bunch of other brands and now a Honda today, TGB 101 50 and a GSX1100 from 1981. Loved the reliability of all my well maintained Suzuki’s , my Honda’s were never as inspiring and I enjoyed a LS 400 and VS 700 vee Twin as a young Father … the 700 being the only bike to Die on me .. I couldn’t keep up with my Brother in law on his 1200 Kawasaki Concours , on some very challenging Central Hawkes Bay country back roads but really enjoyed the challenge …the power edge he had at nearly twice my capacity really shone through then …
My second bike purchase was a Suzuki SV650, had it for about eight years. Loved that bike, the "Poor Man's Ducati." The engine was great, was a ton of fun to have that amount of torque on a lightweight sport chassis. Only downside was a somewhat mushy suspension, but that was an easy fix. Unfortunately, I'm tall and the seat-to-footpeg ratio was definitely designed for shorter legs. Started to think about upgrading to a slightly larger chassis, and hoped for years that Suzuki would bring back the SV1000 with a cosmetic redesign. I grew tired of leg cramps and waiting for Suzuki to bring something new to market, so I upgraded to a Yamaha MT-09 about 4 years ago. I love the MT, the inline-triple is great fun and has a distinctive roar to it when you open up the throttle. It is an upgrade in every way over the Suzuki... but there are days that I still miss the old SV and that V-Twin. It's a real shame that Suzuki seems to have no interest in innovating and competing with their peers any more, usually not a good sign for the future trajectory of a company.
Im currently in possesion of 2011 sv650s, which is my first "bigger" bike and tbh, i'm impressed how well it sticks to the road, how gently yet steady the gearbox works, how well the enginge handles my noob skills... Love this bike so far and im looking forward into future with this beast
Well, Suzuki response to everyone is 8S. They're saying, "This is what we got, bring it on."
23 gsx-s750z has the same number, just not upgraded tech, but less can go wrong on it and its i4 scream is a gem
Owner of a 2007 DRZ400S and a 2014 VStrom 1000adv. These bikes have never let me down and been economical to operate and fun to ride
As an owner of a couple of the TM-400's I found your reporting fairly accurate. One of the biggest problems with them was that the people who bought and raced them didn't put enough time into fixing them. Yes, yes, I know, you shouldn't have to "fix" a brand new motorcycle to make it ride-able. I have owned and ridden a lot of off road/racing bikes, mostly I raced motocross because I liked the intensity of it, unlike cross-country or desert racing, though I did both of those sometimes too.
I never experienced the ignition problem you mentioned which is odd since I and several of my racing buddies all rode the 400's. I won a bunch of races with my TM but it wasn't stock. I had the engine re-ported to hog out the transfer ports and change the port timing some, all of which smoothed out the power band and increased the torque. I cut the frame and forward mounted new expensive shocks, I put on Traveler forks with 8 inches of travel, and I did a lot of lightening up of the whole bike with new tires, rims, seat, gas tank, and a homemade air filter box that was lighter and more water proof. I also re-engineered the expansion chamber pipe to add more engine softening performance. The bike was still heavier than some of the competition but the long-travel suspension and enormous power made the bike formidable. The friend I used to go to races with had a 400 Maico and the TM could out drag it anytime. Tires had a lot to do with the way the bike handled. I put on DID alloy rims with Cheng Shin 450 knobs on the rear and a 300 by 21 front set up. Reducing the unsprung weight helped the handling too which I accomplished with buying the lightest brand of tire (Cheng Shin at the time) even though they didn't last as long. I also drilled out the brake shoes to lighten them. I was never injured riding either of my TM's, but a friend of mine hit a hay bale while riding one of them and broke his collar bone. I had a lot of good times riding and racing my TM's. Since I lived in cold country in the mountains of eastern Oregon I also wanted to ride in the winter so I made a set of tires for my TM with 3 inch long bolts through them like studs and it went through snow and ice like crazy.
Bet you were riding at a fairly young age.
Hope suzuki paid you for all your time and effort
@@itslogical8459
No, sadly they didn't. I won a bunch of trophies though--of course I could have just avoided all the work and bought some trophies cheaper than doing all that work. It was kind of fun though fixing the bike, racing, working on it some more, and racing it again.
Suzuki only give you power.. you have to take care the rest.. 😂😅
OMG Lol
I race an rmz450 and often am the only yellow bike in my race. My bike was sold new for so cheap I was very happy to get it and it's been both reliable and competitive in my intermediate class races. Seeing Ken get that win felt so good to see, im very sad Suzuki couldn't use that as a wake up call
The ONLY bike I ever sold a bike for my HEALTH sake.... was my Cyclone... Mistakenly the PE400 was my do all bike, transport and off road adventure for a while... riding the 400 On the road was like suicide... pull off in 2nd gear and as the revs came up so did the front wheel... crash into 3rd... crash into 4th.. now you're doing nearly 100kmph... time to come down.. by this time the front wheels' stopped rotating and it skids as you touch down... a bit of cross handle bars...
I must admit... A nice episode was drag racing a blond in a 911 Porsche... I did it in fine wheelie style... and survived..
but a few of my mates crashed out on their Yammie 500's trying to keep up.. So I bought an XT500 in order to slow down and survive..
Still remember the thrust from that 400.. forever...
10 minutes after copping my DRZ. I have no regrets!
Fire content always.
Thank you bear the DRZ is one of the best ever
I zip around on my sm drz everyday, so fun
@@BornAGoon EU decided we can't have it :[
@@TomTom-gx1sm Of course they did. Not a rich enough toy to be able to bypass emissions. You'll need a private jet or yacht for that...
Everything about the DR and DRZ sounds perfect for me except the seat height.
As a motorcycle mechanic (for over 35 years now), I've got a lot of experience with lots of brands. After years of doing motorcross (on Maico's) my first road bike was a '72 Suzuki GT750J (still have it) and around '87 i had started working in a motorcycle shop where all sorts of brands and models came in. One thing I can tell from Suzuki, is that working on them for maintenance and repairs was always a joy compared to the other Japanese brands (Honda the best, Yamaha by far the worst). From that GT750 waterbuffalo, I got on to my first Ducati (600 Pantah) and talk about a difference?? Every time I step on that GT750 again, it keeps me wondering how I didn't get myself killed on that thing and at one point it almost did and it's my experience in motorcross that saved my life that one moment. Anyway: building a good chassis is essential if you want to put in a monster of an engine and that's something Suzuki's developpers never seem to have managed fitting their brains.
I have a ‘99 TL-R and love it! I don’t push it hard enough to expose any issues with the rear suspension and handling. It’s a very underrated motorcycle and has quite a cult following now with prices increasing for good ones. It also sounds brilliant with the twin Yoshis I have fitted!
I also have a ‘98 SRAD 750, both are in white and blue.. of course. 😌👊🏼
Have you rode an SV1000 ? How does it compare to TL?
I had a 2000 TLR....absolutely loved it. Rode it in many track days. I replaced the rotary rear suspension with a Bitubo rear shock. The bike was soooo much fun. I still regret selling it.
@@stewart8127
I have.
I owned a '97 TLS and spent some time with the SV Thou.
Very different bikes: the SV is completely sanitised.
The TL1000S is a hooligan.
One common misconception is that the SV has the TL engine - it doesn't.
Both TL engines are slightly different and the SV has a more heavily revised version of Suzuki's big V.
Top end work (cams/porting) and different throttle bodies are needed to take the SV motor to either TL spec.
The SV is a very easy bike to ride, with easy handling and soft, linear power.
The TL needs a shove to turn, and packs V-Twin shunt with top end rush.
The induction roar is also missing from the SV.
Both have shit brakes and need better suspension to even think about going toe to toe with an RSV - road or track.
Think of the SV as Suzuki cutting the balls off the TL to make it behave instead of spending the R&D money on a chassis that the motor deserved.
The worst aspect of the TLS is it's unpredictability; it gives no warning before dumping you in the road.
Once upon a time I would have told you that the TL shows no sign of instability, as I regularly thrashed mine down bumpy English country lanes.
...And then one day it threw a tank slapper on the exit of a roundabout on my way to work.
Forget what any bullshitter will tell you about how to deal with a tank slapping bike, because you're hanging on by your fingertips.
Obviously I'm able to tell the tail because it calmed down before launching me into on coming traffic, but it really wasn't a fun experience.
It also fishtailed once in the rain for no apparent reason... Straight line, gentle throttle and no silly rider behaviour.
I finally got sick of crashing and frequent electrical issues, sold it and took a test ride on a tidy '03 RSV Mille, which taught me what good handling and brakes were.
My encounter with the SV came about when that Mille was twatted up the arse by a white van man and insurance provided a hire bike while said van man's insurance was being difficult.
I have to admit the SV was near perfect for regaining my confidence after the accident because it was just so easy and unthreatening.
The SV needs a lot of throttle provocation to wheelie.
A TLS is going to lift the front right up at some point, whether you like it or not.
I've not ridden the TLR, but I know someone with one that has had a WP shock and fork springs.
He's not a light fella, but he said the R was over sprung as standard and that it had the same random mid corner weave that my S did.
I'm not taking tank slapping; it's more like the frame has a hinge or becomes flexible when leaning over.
I can confirm this is cured by replacing the rotary damper with a quality aftermarket shock.
Forget Suzuki's claimed specs, myself and the aforementioned chap has pushed a Mille up a ramp and will tell you both TL models are overweight.
The R was apparently particularly fond of pies and is a hefty old gal!
My V-Twin sportsbike summary goes like this...
SV1000S: giant plodder pretending to be sporty.
TL1000S: Two wheeled hooliganism - it's fun but your going to end up in hospital.
TL000R: Who ate all the pies? At least it's stable.
RSV Mille: if your toes can touch the floor, then forget the Japanese twins.
RC8R: 1970's tractor engine and gearbox with a supercharger bolted on, packaged in a scalpel sharp chassis.
@@stewart8127 I do, and I've ridden both extensively. Paul above has a lot of good points. I won't repeat but add my 2 cents.
The SV is not slow or plodding at all. But, it was set up that way. An hours worth of work and a lot is fixed. Pipes and reworked electronics gets you the rest of the way.
Here's a quick one... the SV has a small screw on one side made out of the softest metal on earth, and a security torx at that... why? Because the bike is set up to not give you full power until about 3000rpm. Why? So that every moron out there didn't wheelie the bike out of the shop. So, adjust that screw so you get full power at 50-100rpm above idle. Guess what? Hooligan wheelie city if you want it. "The SV needs a lot of throttle to wheelie" LOL. I've wheeled the bike in third by rolling on too fast.
Another SV note, the stock suspension is very decent, AND fully adjustable. The stock SETTINGS on that suspension were trash, but again targeting a very different crowd than the TL or GSXR 1000. So adjust the settings and its actually quite good. Would it benefit from aftermarket? Well of course, but so does almost every bike. It's not like the TL that needs a rear suspension so it doesn't kill you.
A TL1000S is a wheelie monster, responsive feeling despite weighing more, iirc. BUT, it can get squirmy on you real fast. Now I rode the same bike again after it had a completely redone rear suspension and it was really great, an excellent machine at that point. And for the love of everything get a proper damper. (The SV1000S comes stock with a good non-rotary damper)
The SV and TL both make a lot of torque, but more importantly a lot of torque very early. I joke that the bikes don't have torque curves they have torque line. You will take an equivalent era GSXR1000 from zero to 60, oh the look on their face :) Now, that GSXR is gonna have your lunch from 100 to 160. But who cares? You're faster in almost all non-track and non-jail/fine/illegal situations.
People love that V-2 and were glad they put it in other bikes!
I've had my TL1000S from 1997, bloody love it!
I won races on my Tm 400 but had shock, fork and added a flywheel kit to the motor that really settled that bike down. It was way faster than other open class bikes at the time!
You are a legend
Did you compete against or come across the '76 Yamaha DT400?
My dad raced 500's all thru the 80s and 90s. All Hondas until Kawis in 92 and then 4 strokes starting with the KTM 525SX. The number of snapped kickstarters laying around the shop from the 500s is impressive. 😁
The so called water buffalo and the hustler were two of their very best machines Suzuki has ever built.
the hustler?? the boxy car????? REALLY?
@@twrcrew8852 The X-6 Hustler in it's time, was very well thought of.
I was lucky enough to test ride a GT 750, a used one in the late 80s
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it for sale in a small shop.
I owned a GT 550 for a short spell.
“When the Isle of Man calls you too dangerous, you know that isn’t good.”
Haha. Another great video.
Proud owner of a TL1000S since 2011 from 1997, great bike.
you are a testament of will and a legend
wait...aren't they the ones with a hinge in the middle ?
@@andyhall7032 How many miles/km on that bike?
Wow
@@gerardjanssen it's not me I just replied
I always wanted a TL1000, but after watching this…I still want a TL1000
Too much money for what they are these days.
I get it that the S has, and should have a cult status due to its bad reputation (and as a former owner I can testify it is as hilarious to ride as it is dangerous), but the R still had the rotary damper and was so overweight that you can spend a fortune just to get it close to hanging with an aprilis RSV.
Don't get me wrong, the TL motor has way more character than the Rotax V60, but the ape runs rings around a stock TL, and the engine is every bit as bomb proof if looked after.
First full size bike was an 82' RM125 when I was 13. I can honestly say all these years later and after all the different bikes I'v had, that old Full Floater lightweight is the only bike that still haunts my dreams!
the full floater I remember that
@@BornAGoon I was a really heavy boy for my age but I could still send her a good 7-8 feet up before all that glorious travel would bottom out! So fun!
I got the same bike when I was 12. I was halfway in saving up for it and my Dad surprised me by paying the other half. I think it was $1600 msrp back then. They were the top 125cc MXer at that time.
@20TIL6 Should've gotten the Elisinor 125, the funnest bike ever made, next to the RD 350.
@@HegelsOwl all I want now is a Time Machine so I could be 12 again. 😄
As much as it hurts me to say it. I agree with you 100%. 30years, 17 bikes, 8 Suzuki's GSXR's. However on a positive note. They do build bikes designed for the home mechanic. Not over engineering has been the strength it gives me to stay loyal to the brand. An old GSXR 1000 K5 still occupies a corner which has captured my heart 18 years ago and still makes me feel alive. So one has to ask, is it deliberate by Suzuki?
I repeatedly hear people talking down the tm400 but as an intact american male my 73tm400 was still one of my favorite all time rides!
you are a legend
Lol
Owned Suzukis since 1970, never had a bad one.
same here good bikes
I think I have one of the good Suzukis then - RG500. One of Suzukis most iconic models, mainly for the right reasons
you're lucky to have a machine like the RG500 🙏
At 15 in 1975 I bought a TM400 and rode it year round every week for 6 years. I never got hurt unless it was totally my fault, the bike was great for what it was!
I take it you never hung on the cable then...?
@@itslogical8459 You mean a stuck throttle? No, but even then I was already a decent wrench and was up on the issues from Dirt Bike and Motocross Action so I stayed on top of service and prep and my TM was a 74 model so Suzuki had fixed the "instant on" spark advance problem with the CDI.
PS, I didn't race, which is not to say I didn't haul ass now and then, I like fire and logging roads and especially hill climbing, the 400 was great for that and it didn't hurt I only weighed a buck fifty then either lol!
@@loganpe427 hung on the cable... giving it full throttle 😊
As a content creator myself I just want to say that this man spent over 40 hours making this video....the editing was polished and professional...the script was educational and very well written. Great Job my friend.
thank you very much its nice to see someone acknowledge the effort put into a video My editing skills are bad so I think this one took me 85 yours lol
Yes, so much better than many channels. Pro job. You can tell he is truly into it and not some loser cranking out clickbait AI swill.
@@judgegixxer One of the reasons I support content creators here on YT there is much talent here and many us do care about what we produce. I have followed this channel for several months now and the content is truly amazing. I love the data, the history and the passion.
It’s good to see people giving respect to others for their effort
Yea, but the Rap song part was unnecessary, so I know which audience this was intended for…
I had a 1993 Suzuki bandit 400 which at the time I thought the steel frame made the bike a little heavy. But the frame design was pretty solid around the street. A friend of mine raced his 93 bandit on the local course and ended up crashing in the sweeper turn, a rather broad but fast turn. He blamed it on the tire selection..
I bought a Bandit 400 for my wife as her first bike. Except for having the turning radius of the Queen Mary it was a nice bike.
I LOVE my TL1000S. The rotary damper was an abomination. I paid $200 for an R1 shock, made my own bracket and spent an hour fitting it. Classifying a motorcycle as one of the worst ever made when its most glaring fault can be so easily and cheaply rectified is hardly justified. The torque of the motor is also mentioned as a negative, when it's one of the features I like most about this motorcycle.
It was a negative because of the suspension problem. Its okay to defend what you like, but when is clearly a design flaw that cant be defended. I couldnt imagine what it would be like to ride with a rear suspension that wanted to work or not.
@@bumblebeeisfree
But funny enough, the rear rotary damper wasn't the cause of crashes, it was the extreme geometry
(Which they alleviated with a steering damper)
Not many people have the money to buy new shocks after buying the motorcycle. And not many have the skills fabricate new parts to fit certain parts
The most dangerous TLS was the 1997. I had a green one and loved it. There were several aftermarket remedies for the rotary damper. I ran a remote reservoir version and the bike was great on tracks that didn't have a long straight.
That and adding a front steering stabilizer/damper.
The TM 400 was a fantastic motorcycle! I got to witness the machine up close and personal. My nephew purchased one used. My nephew, cousin and I would ride motorcycles along the river in Southwest Kansas. He could crank the throttle at any speed and it would wheelie. It was the rocket ship of the trails back in the day.
I was born and raised in SW KS. Liberal area.
@@michaels7499 No such thing.
@@HondaWanderer No such thing as what?
my first bike was suzuki, GSX400E, in the most vulnerable age: 20-21. I am still here, learned a lot, thank you Suzi
although I agree with every word that you said , the TM 400 was and still is my favourite motorcycle that I have ever owned .
It got me podium finishes in beach racing and road racing but in MX I had to be happy with a reasonably consistent top 10 rating and a best placing of 6th in a national event .
Yes I know that it wanted to kill me but we came to an agreement .
That was 52 years ago .
you are a legend
@@BornAGoon Graham in New Zealand we had beach racing back in the day.
Two bamboo poles half-a-mile apart - stuck in the sand when the tide was out.
The TM400 was the killer bike to have! LOL
I agree! I also had one and its bad reputation is seriously overblown.
What a load of bollox
@@DennisMerwood-xk8wp I raced a Chaney framed TM 400 on the beach in Whakatane and Gisborne back in the 70's .
Only got my ass handed to me once and it was by Forest Carden , he was riding a Manx Norton with a V twin JAP motor on methanol and twin GP carbs . It was still putting up a rooster tail at the end of the half mile .
I had not realised that Whakatane was half mile and was way under geared but I still got second .some times this is good for the sole .
My GSXR1100 L was brutal. I did many high speed long distant trips on it. Always above 200kph. When unsettled it had a mean habit of going into an instant tank slapper but ride it smoothly and it will fly like a rocket. Great memories. The ACDC of motorbikes!
@ 200 KPH ( 124 mph) it is just STARTING to come into its awesomeness. Lets say you rode it at 250 kph now you are in the REAL Adrenalin Zone and must remain hyperfocused of ALL Conditions at all times and look way ahead. Honestly above 140 kph you risk losing the bike if you get stopped anyway (at least in Canada) and if the law can prove you were Racing you risk losing it by forfeit. So, Therefore 200 KPH may be your personal limit of comfort, but, life doesn't even begin till you exceed 250 KPH.
My L 750 did the same. Road change meant under wear change.
My 1982 Suzuki RM 250 was nothing short of magical. I liked it so much I bought a second one!!
I miss those 2 smoker RMs
@@BornAGoon Yes sir me too! Had so much fun on them
I’ve only had one crash on a motorcycle that I blamed on the motorcycle.
It was a mint, low mileage, almost new gpz 750 turbo.
I was doing 60 and was losing power slowly.
I had traffic building up behind me as I dropped a gear and the power came back.
Since the bike was running great, I upshifted and started losing power again. At that point I figured I’d pull over and take a look to see if there was a problem.
The instant I crossed the line to the shoulder and got on the brakes I went down like a sack of bricks. Six or seven cars passed me with only inches to spare as I was crashing at about 55 mph.
As I limped around trying to walk off the pain, I went to the bike and in the dark I could see the front rotors glowing.
I rebuilt the bike with new front brakes from master cylinder to rotors completely with new calipers and master cylinder.
A year or so later, I was riding it and the same thing started happening. I glided to a stop on the shoulder immediately and never touched the brakes this time. Both rotors were glowing, just like last time.
It had to be the master cylinder or the brake line collapsed. I flat bed towed it home , I touched nothing until the next day. Even when loading it and looked at the master cylinder first. I pulled back the boot on the master cylinder plunger and it was stuck in the bore. My buddy said he didn’t care and asked to buy it since I was going to get rid of the factory master cylinder and use something different.
He ended up crashing it a few months later with the same symptoms and he never changed it, just cleaned it up and rebuilt it.
That bike nearly killed at least two people and both of us got some decent injuries.
When I talked to Suzuki about it they said they weren’t aware of any issues with the master cylinder and weren’t interested.
I’ve never ridden a Suzuki since.
Great video, thanks. Shortly after the SRAD came out in 96 we started installing steering dampers prior to selling any new Gixxer. The reduction in the wheelbase from the previous models made for very twitchy handling and surprise wheelies, leading to tank slappers and many accidents. This bike had a beautiful, race-inspired design and was very popular among beginner riders, but it was definitely not a beginner bike.
very true thanks for sharing your knowledge
I had -98 TL1000R , rear suspension on my bike was deadly as stock and factory steering damper was really stiff: Race tech ,springs and shimming sorted fork, Öhlins rear shock and hyperpro steering damper rest , bike worked better the faster you rode and was really stable but not comfortable, for me i had terrible shoulde pain with that bike when drove at legal speeds .
The great thing about the TMs were that they filled up the starting lines and gave guys a chance for a thrill. The only TM I rode was the 125. I might as well been on the 400 as I was such a squid. When they brought out the RM 125, the days of Honda Elsinore dominance were coming to an end. I owned an '81 RM 125. It was as good a bike as existed.
I think it was a TM125 we had as a farmbike back in the 70's , Horrible thing, You could always see dad ride out the farm track in a cloud of smoke only to see him pushing it back a few minutes later. He sold it and bought a Yamaha Ag 100 which ironically for it's size had a towbar on it that we towed a small trailer with for the dogs. I have run Yamahas ever since on the farm.
We lived parallel lives! First a TM then and RM125C. Loved them but I couldn't ride them for shit. A bit scary for this 14 year old back then.
I Owned 3 TL 1000S and i can say IT is a Thrill of of a Ride. The Power Delivery was insane.
I do agree with you that the 76 rm370 was a fun bike, mine felt a lot like jumping a bicycle to impressive heights as it was fairly light and the suspension was far better than my tm400.
I've only owned two Slowzuki's-A Burgman 650 and a Burgman 650 Executive, both of them were a blast and had the nickname the "Halfabusa". I intend to get another one
I've owned many SUZUKIs from Early RMs to GSX-Rs to TLRs to BUSAs.... Luv'd em all ! Figure'n out the twitchy ones, only makes U smile bigger !
always loved RMs too my RM 80 and 100 were garbage but my 125 and 250s were awesome That is Suzuki lol
Have you ever had a tank slapper at 50 miles an hour with a 10 wheel dump truck on your ass, not slowing down, staying behind you and you can't change lanes, wondering if the idiot driver is laughing at you? It only lasted for about 20 seconds but those were like 20 minutes. I thought for sure I was gonna eat pavement .
I had a Suzuki bandit 800.. I rode it around my block once and parked it until I traded it.. absolutely terrifying motorcycle..
I even tried starting in 2nd and it still wanted to go up..
There never was a Suzuki Bandit 800
and if it was lifting its wheels in 2nd, you didn't know how to operate a clutch
I wrote motocross in 1976 with a TM 125. It was my first motocross bike. If you were a good rider it could hold its own with the Honda Elsinore 125.
I had a 1981 GS850G. It wasn't a sport bike, but it was a very reliable and forgiving motorcycle. I rode it for 20 years and would probably still have it, if I hadn't piled into the back of a parked car on the freeway. Even in a wreck, it didn't bend all that much, unlike me.
My Brother's first bike was a Yammie RD 250 which he later gave to me. His next Bike proved to be the love of his life. Yes a Suzuki GS 850G. In fact he had 3 over a 15 year period. Gunmetal Grey, Blue and Gunmetal Grey again. They were all 850s, never a 1000 or whatever, had to be the 850. We Bikers can be a bit different. Anyway, thanks for reminding me about my dear old brother and his love for the mighty Suzuki GS 850G!
@@bigozimak I am building an 850G for my youngest son.
The Suzuki Bandit... A bike I owned for 11 years. Not once did it not start. You could of blown it up with C4 and it would still start.
I sold it at 76000 miles on the clock and wish I'd have kept it as a second bike.
I grew up riding the tm400 & never had any issues as mentioned here. I always had to land it at full throttle to avoid the pain from bottoming out the suspension. I wore out the TM400 replacing it with a RM465. More of the same, didn't corner near as well but handled landings much better.
The TL V twin's biggest problem when it was released was the epic tank slappers that occurred far too often. Even experienced testers had big issues. THAT'S what caused the crashes. I remember they were in press constantly til Suzuki had to find a solution...
Eventually they were fitted with a damper. Not exactly fixing problem but still...99% certain it was retro fitted too for all the vexed owners of brand new TL's that were red on release and for testers btw...
As a former TL1000S owner, I can state that it did slap.
The real issue is that it was unpredictable; you'd think that it would shake it's head when on the power down a bumpy road, but mine only gave the expected slight twitch of the bars.
I did go lock to lock once when I rolled OFF the throttle and the weight transferred to the front.
These are all rear rebound issues caused by the rear damper, usually the damper would heat the oil changing its viscosity which would slow rebound to the effect it would not rebound enough before the next spring input, loading the damper progressively more before the stored pressure rebounded the shock more than the last spring input required, the tlr suffered less so in this regard with less unsprung weight ..
@@mitchpender8113
There's a lot more problems with the TL-S chassis than the much (justifiably) maligned rotary damper.
There's speculation about the forks having shorter travel than usual and the unbraced swing arm being too flexible and also short because of the need for a short, quick steering wheelbase which was otherwise compromised by the length of the motor.
In reality no one ever really got to the bottom of the TL-S handling woes.
I'd imagine with today's computer aided design, being able to simulate the different stresses being applied to the chassis, someone could come up with a comprehensive theory, but clearly the mid 90's were still very much "suck it and see".
I replaced the rotary damper with a Nitron race shock, sprung to my weight, and while the Nitron certainly helped the old beast hold a line, it was still an unforgiving and unpredictable bitch.
The tank slapper incident happened after the shock swap.
The TL engine was a fantastic blend of performance and character, but no matter what bolt ons you throw at the chassis neither the S or the R will ever handle like the Europeans or Honda's VTR SP1/2.
I say this as a former owner of a '97 TL-S (the original bad boy before Suzuki tamed the throttle response), multiple aprilia RSVs and current owner of a KTM RC8R.
Oh and I also spent a while abusing a loaner SV1000S, which proved that Suzuki did make a fairly sweet handling big V-Twin (it suffered from Suzuki raiding the budget parts bin).
Sadly Suzuki chose to cut the TL engine's balls off to ensure the SV would behave.
Watching them tank in their 450 class was all i needed to know that they dont care. They had some of the best riders ever and just did "3hh were done"... i honestly think their partnership with kawi was what kept them alive. A lot of the big dirt bike riders started on kawis and ended on Suzukis... i think kawi put the time in and the other milked off them.
My 2 cents
The GSXR-750 and 1000 are fabulous bikes. So is the Hayabusa. The gasoline burning motorcycle has been perfected. I like simple bikes so I'm sticking with my GS1000. Old Japanese bikes are great if you can find one that hasn't been thrashed or trashed. With ordinary care they last indefinitely.
I agree William. The GS1000 was another winner from Suzuki. And from my experience Suzuki engines always out lasted their Honda rivals.
Suzuki engines were always high mileage and durable.
I think my favorite of all time is the gsxr 750
I owned a 1983 GS1100E and bought new to this day I still think and dream about it and I own a 2005 Hayabusa I also bought new.😎💖🔥💯
@@derekscarrsr2688 Derrick I have a 1998 TL1000S with 1,432 miles on it. I am 75-years old and afraid to ride anymore! LOL
@@derekscarrsr2688 My GS1000L is a 79 and the 83 GS1100E is wonderful. 108 HP. Great handling. I was a Cycle World and Motorcyclist subscriber back then.
In 1985 in Canada, I bought a GSXR 750 good lord I loved that bike!
I still have a 1995 RMX 250 that has been turned into a super motard a great bike but yeah, I agree with you video.
Cheers from Tokyo!
Still got a 1987 gsxr1100h after 22 years! Awesome machine!
and you're still alive?!?@?!
My friend laughed at me when I bought a Harley soft tail custom. He got a Suzuki Hyabusa😳. He immediately had it modified (cam, intake, exhaust etc etc etc ……) Horsepower was in the low 200 range and the speed he was looking for was the same 🤨😳😧. One Sunday in August, we were in a poker run in upstate New York and came upon a looooooong straight away. The last thing I saw was him pulling a wheely as he took off waving 👋 at me.
The state trooper said he was traveling upwards of 190-200mph when the front tire blew apart. He hit a tree, died instantly, never knew what hit him.
Thanks for sharing the video post. Best of luck 🍀
Great video! SV650S best bike I have ever owned. Had 2 of them. Suzuki demonstrating it can make brilliant bikes
they do make great stuff the SV is spot on
I commute to work on a 2005 Gixxer 1K I bought new and immediately turned into a club racer. Eventually converted it into a streeter. I now have around 95K miles on it. Thing has been put through the ringer and I've had to constantly fix stuff, but I love it. Still looks good. In fact, couple years ago, I had some guy come up to me at a gas station and ask if my bike was a year 2011. And that's one thing I love about these bikes, Suzuki hasn't really changed the looks of the big Gixxer over the last two decades. Bike is almost 19 years old, still hauls and doesn't look dated. LOL
Great video Mr. Goon! All I own are Suzukis. You did great job covering their quirky and lazy ways. I am not sure if it is the "bean counters" in the corporate HQ, or the design engineers who need to up their game. You made a great point about the DR series. I have an extensively modified DR650 which I love but a lot of the things I have done to it should have been done by the factory (suspension- Hello)! Well done video on this subject!
Cheers!
Thank you I cant figure Suzuki out Its like they dont want to sell bikes at all lol
I owned a DR 650 for a couple of years, which was THE worst bike out of more than 30, that I ever owned!
I had nothing but problems with a complete engine repair and just after that the shock absorber busted, so I had to buy a new White Power for replacement, but when it rode it was great fun...
DOC650!! You have a beautiful DR650. I've watched all your video. Most excellent sir.
@@verbalwidget7267 hey VW! I would say the same thing about you!
I use to own a 1994 gsxr1100. I had it set up for drag but drove it as a daily. And for a dinosaur, it never failed me and I beat the daylights out of it just about every day for years.
I finally ended up selling it to a buddy about 5yrs ago who had wanted it forever.
they did make good engines on those things
I love Suzuki, reliable and well-made motorcycle.
The last MOTOGP race I went to that damn Rins won on a Suzuki, my beloved Rossi was second..
what a race that was Rins seems to have COTA down
@@BornAGoon yeah, man.. he looks great on that Honda..
I am 63 years old and riding all types of motorcycles since I was 15. I had Hondas, Kawasakis, and Yamahas, but curious enough, never rode nor had a Suzuki motorcycle.
What a shame. Its like dying like a virgin my man
The description here and every where else I have heard of the 400 Cyclone makes me think"that all sounds so familiar." Then it hits me,every characteristic of the Cyclone is shared by my 1999 YZ400F. Another bike that makes you truly work just to start the pig! Forget about if its cold outside,gotta run VP 110 just to make the thing a bit easier to start.
I have never heard a single cylinder 2 stroke firing order criticised before 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1
The TL was certainly a gnarly beast. But man, was it a formidable bar hopping commuter and back roads rocket ship! My love for Suzuki's late 90's dirt bikes and early 2000's GSXR1000 will never fade. Still great machines, some 25 years later. In fact, I might be buying a y2k RM250 tomorrow, and if I found the right Gixxer, I'd be buying that too. 😎
Excellent video.
I owned a TL1000S and loved (and hated) it. When it was good, it was VERY good. But when it was bad, I questioned my life's decisions. I also owned a 400 Bandit and that was perhaps one of the best bikes I've ever owned.
@@RogerWyatt365 if you mixed those 2 bikes together it might make a great cocktail called the SV650.
The only Suzi I currently have is a 96 DR350E. It's not the legendary Honda XR350, but I'm not complaining (especially when I push the magic button)!
@@RogerWyatt365
The TL engine had so much character.
It's a real shame Suzuki cut its balls off to make the SV1000 behave instead of really going to town on the chassis.
I agree with you on the good/bad thing, my S was very Jekyll and Hyde.
The person who says the 400 crosser is the worst bike made is nuts. It's an angry animal but it's great at what it's designed for, which is winning...
Try a big Maico and you will fill your pants.
The TL s and r? Yes the rotary damper was rubbish, but it was not an afterthought as you suggest. It was used to make a compact, agile steering bike capable of beating pretty much anything, it would too on smooth tracks, in the real world it was flawed, that is true but it was not a budget idea or afterthought, in fact the idea was progressive. Oh and conventional systems do fit, Maxton (for one) makes them.
The frame cracks, yep that's true.
The Gixxer 1100s, a top drawer nutter bike and brilliant. Not sure how you decided they were that deadly, the throttle goes both ways. By comparison the original fireblade was lethal, twitchy and fast.
At least this makes a change from Kawasaki being named the most deadly.
I'm not sure if Goon hates Suzuki bikes in general or if it's down to hearsay simply to make a quite interesting video.
But if you want to feel alive ride some of these bikes, they are awesome, of course, it might be that many of you fine US folk ride differently to us in Europe where agility is desirable in a bike.
I remember the 1970's. Suzuki motorcycle quality was always as good as the others. Kawasaki and Yamaha made widowmaker two-strokes too. It's unfair to single-out Suzuki. Honda probably had the best quality but Suzuki is no worse than the other three.
I think the Kawi H2 was the worst
@@BornAGoon Probably, but to be fair if we start picking old Japanese bikes apart we would have to admit everything American is old heavy expensive junk by comparison and the Chinese stuff is so bad it shouldn't be allowed to be sold.
The real widow maker Yamaha sc500
The fact that Suzuki won't even do anything to boost their 450 blows my mind. They won't even send out media bikes, places are still running years old bikes to compete in 2023 shootouts... it kinda seems like they're trying to bankrupt themselves
I've been riding Suzukis since 83. Started on RM80 then RM 125s, RM250s even a DRZ 125. Streetside Gamma500, 86'Katana,9 0G"SXR750 Currently 03''&14' GSXR 1000s.
I survived. Was going to buy the new Busa but so expensive i ended up getting an electric skateboard that does 80km/h. You guys don't know what you're missing.
a strange choice, considering that a fall of 80 kmh without protection means death, or do you want to say that you wear protection every time? As for me, it's best to bike - you can fall, but nothing will happen if you don't ride where the cars are.
An acquaintance got killed in front of his family right in front of my house because the sudden explosive power of the Suzuki 400 drove him off his line into a car. Naturally he was brave enough to skip the helmet for protection and Dawined himself. First time on the bike. Not even his. The owner had just unloaded it after picking it up from the Dealership. Brand spanking new It was the VERY FIRST ride on the bike. Always wondered what caused the accident. Now I know. Thank you. At the time I was riding a 250 Bultaco and couldn't imagine riding a 400cc anything. My experience with dead friends and relatives is they all get involved in motorcycling late (post 18 years old) and hadn't experienced crashes in their childhood when they were softer, more pliable, closer to the ground and riding less powerful bikes (doodle bugs). My friends and relatives who got involved in their early years knew the score and all survived. My advice - If you haven't ridden a bike since early youth - DON'T for it will certainly kill you. Parents - If your young kid has the strong desire to ride. Allow it. Yeah, he's gonna crash and get hurt but he'll learn his limitations. And like Clint Eastwood sez "A man has got to know his limitations" BTW I'm 77 and looking at getting and older Triumph kick start. Figure If I can't kick it I shouldn't be on it.
My first real mc after scrub brake minis was a 78 rm80. It was beat but awesome!! Then a used TS 125 that was almost perfect the a used 1983 GS750e that I rode for ten years. Bullet proof, just changed oil and a voltage regulator. I love Suzuki.
thanks for watching and commenting K Ober
I trashed a 1966 X6 in 9000+ miles then put 67k+ miles on a '69 Titan. That Titan was one solid road bike; most of the lower 48, and the right half of Canada. Colorado year 'round it never failed to start. I miss her.
To be honest I owned a 1972 Suzuki Gt 750 water cooled 2 stroke triple and man that bike was scary fast! But what was even more scarier was trying to take a corner on it! That bike was pretty heavy and the engine cases were low and wide so wide that when taking a nice sharpe turn and trying to lean it over the side cases would start grinding and limited my controlled lean in a turn which almost made me crash a couple of times.
So with the bike being super quick in the straight away and poor handling in the turns I decided to now regrettably sell that bike before I killed myself because back then I was a squirrel behind those bars and surly would’ve kept pushing the limits on that Suzuki GT750 water buffalo motorcycle and most likely wouldn’t be here today writing this!
yea this channel is great man... keep it up! subbed :)
Ind Suzuki AX100 is one of the bikes that changed India. Introduced in the early 80s and lived through another model which was India’s last two stroke commuter motorcycle.
Thanks for watching and commenting
Miss my Ind Suzuki AX100 !
One the best bikes I had. I still miss it , even though I currently own a 1200cc beast from Kawasaki ( ZX12R )..and a 1200cc V-twin, Italian beautiful bike ( Moto Guzzi Griso 1200SE )..Also owned&drove a BMW R1100RT.
Our family has had a swag of Suzooks: TM125 (scary bike, savage power with no handling to speak of ...), RM125C (not much better, but a bit more fun than the TM), RV90 (don't ride this bike on a creek, it tries to float, but so much fun in the sand!), PE370 (a monster but oodles of scary fun), Katana 1000 (oof! A set of smooth bore carbies on that sucka was a true workout for the right wrist, then both as you hang on for dear life!) Now my daughter has a Swift! 😂
Yeah. I felt weird watching this with my SV parked outside. Nevertheless, lovely bike. I'm thinking of getting a GSXR or a GSR 750 next
nah the SV is a good bike
Got a GSR 750 since two years. Absolutely love it!
I owned a 2008 B King. I loved it, but I didn’t fit it well. I paid around $1200 for new foot pegs, and $700 for a Corbin seat, and it was still uncomfortable. But with 180 horses and 108 foot pounds of torque at the rear wheel, it was bloody fast. I was loaded with 150 pounds of camping gear, and still blew away a c5 Corvette… and I was short shifting.
after 14 years still got my B-king a smile to my face every ride...love it
Very well done! Suzuki needs all the shit you can throw at them! They have had decades where they were the dominant motocross machines and roadracing machines…I raced RM125’s and owned 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982 examples of that bike. They were FANTASTIC! They won so many world championships….it’s sad to see them today.
very very true thanks for watching
My first intro to riding was on a late 70's Suzuki RM50. So they will always have a place in my heart.
The TL wasn’t a disaster. The rear shock was. I swapped my TLS rear shock with a PDS style setup based on a CBR600F2 rear shock.
Loved .my bandit 1200s. Owned 2.
Also had a dr350
All my best MX memories are on Suzuki bikes. They saw me get from C grade to A grade back in the mid 2000s. I would love to relive this to some degree but each year they disappoint me with no real updates on any of their machines.
You had me in tears with the B-King 😂.
My GSXR 1000 K3 was the best bike I ever drove on street and track, great memories.
I own two Suzuki's from the 2022 model year....a gen 3 Hayabusa and an M109R and they both perform extremely well. I'm riding the wheels off both of them. Thanks for the video as you make some very good points. I just hope that Suzuki turns things around but I'm doubtful.
I am doubtful about them too
@@BornAGoon When the 85' GSX-R750 came out in the States - every proddy race was 100% Gixxers on the grid!
They obsoleted all other sports bikes overnite.
Offering for the first time a street-legal Japanese motorcycle capable of race-bike performance.
For the first time in two decades here was a motorcycle the average punter could ride at the track and ride home afterwards.
As the first pure race replica from the Land of the Rising Sun, the GSX-R750 also created a subculture that continues until today.
THE M 109 R IS FAMOUS FOR 2ND GEAR STRIPPING FROM SPEED SHIFTING, MY FRIEND DOUG BROKE 2ND GEAR, HAD IT FIXED, AND THE SAME PROBLEM STARTED AGAIN, SO HE TRADED IT IN FOR A KAWASAKI VAQERO 1700 RECENTLY.
RIDE IT EASY IN 2ND OR PREPARE FOR AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR BILL.
P.S. HOPE IT NEVER HAPPENS TO YOU
@@proudamerican6763 Thanks. I've heard of that issue with 2nd gear so hopefully it doesn't happen to me. My second gear shift is usually pretty good but I never speed shift and always try to be careful when shifting. I mean it's not a sports bike and it's fun to just roll on the throttle after shifting to build speed. I use the bike mainly for cruising as I have a couple of sports bikes for more agressive riding.
I had a nice TM100 and a friend had a TM400. I was amazed how it felt like it was twisting under power. Then I'd get back on my TM100 and it felt like a Briggs & Stratton!
I had a TL back in the day. It handled poorly and lifted the front wheel all the time, and I mean ALL the time. The oomph that came on around 7000 RPM was sensational (in a straight line). Under acceleration it would regularly put itself onto the back wheel without coming back to the ground for what seemed like an eternity, even when changing through the gears. Sporting D&D pipes, the sound was second to none, deep and loud. Certainly was an evil machine and was relieved to survive ownership. 😆
I've ridden them on the road and found them easy to use, they might have had uprated suspension, they definitely had loud pipes. On the track they were too slow and didn't corner well due to the excessive weight, easy to light up the rear tyre and look good on the way out of corners though. The weight made them more like a sports tourer on the road for me, I only weighed 10 stone so size wise they were huge. They wheelie well but only when you want, not like trying to ride a ZX10R C1 on the limit where I'd have to get all my weight forward out of bumpy corner to try and keep the front down. On the track the TL1000R was no match for any 600 of the day and even well ridden 90's 600's would leave it behind except on the straights. I've ridden the TL1000S as well with a steering damper, it didn't have very reliable throttle response and had excessive engine braking like the Honda SP1 which I couldn't do a lot with either.
What a great, insightful video! I grew up riding in the early 70's on Jap trail & motocross bikes. You nailed this evolution in Suzuki nicely. Just know each brand had their fair share of turds. But, your "perfect bike" had a lot to do with the terrain and application. I loved torquey 4-stroke Hondas, because I rode on the Appalachian Trail all day. Some friends liked the punchy 2-stroke TM Suzukis & Elsinores for racing. Others preferred the smoother Yamaha endurdos. I loved them all...but those big 2-strokes were all scary!
I own a ‘99 sv650 and I love it. Amazing naked bike with plenty of torque and power to have a lot of fun with
always like that model I think they scrapped that engine
Agreed, my SV was great. After some work to the forks and a brake your upgrade, I was able to show the tail lights to my liter bike buddies any time the road was twisted. I stepped up the Tl-R after, and it was an amazing machine, again, after dealing with some of the issues.
@@michaelwilliams8297 yeah after you upgrade it a tad it’s an amazing handling bike and will take anything you throw at it
I bought a 2004 SV1000N in December. The power, sound and the looks is exactly what I wanted from a bike! There's so many bikes now with these overly aggressive lines and complicated looking headlights, the SV just looks so good with its round headlights lol
I have had gsxr750 ,86 and 98 , gsxr1000 2013, drz400 , gsx-s1000 2016, and a tu250x 😂 , great bikes but the gsxr1000 was to dangerous no abs no traction control
scared the crap out of me . And i even had a cagiva raptor with a tl1000 engine. Test drove a bking once but it was to heavy went for a 2007 z1000 with acra instead and it had abs 😊 . But the bike i missed the most was my 86 750r i was young and thin 74 kg miss those times😢
But in big 4 the suzuki engines are bulletproof!!
yes they are for sure
great video - brought back some memories
Had a '91 gixxer 750 - was beautiful - the black and Silver paint with the pink and purple bits - took her up a big road on one of the first days riding her and snapped the chain that took off the water pump and the bit of steel that is around the gear shaft (where the changer enters the engine, so the piece that holds the seal) - emptied all the water and oil out - managed to not drop her and got home in a van
Was never able to properly repair it and she leaked oil out of the gear shaft hole forever - then started leaking petrol into the engine oil - it then spent a year in Galway in a bike shop called specials -
I was trying to get a replacement engine either a 750 or 1100 - but after a year it still wasn't even looked at - so ended up getting it back and selling it and had to walk for 2 years till I paid it off
It was the most "high spec" bike I have ever riden I think I did 255KPH on her - practically drove itself around corners - was so bummed when I had to let her go :(
All I hear you hate Suzuki...To me the best and most powerful bike I ever bought. I have had other bikes and Suzuki is King.
*Laughs in Kawasaki* 🤙🦑
I thought that the 70s H2 750 was the original widowmaker?
Total rubbish, the GSXR-1100 was super popular road bike(though the K version had issues) And was the bike to have until the first Fireblade unless you had the 750. In all my years I have never heard a thing about frame issues.
the 1100 was popular but some did have frame issues but it could be a case that the 750 was so good that people expected more
I wonder what my Dad was thinking... We had 3 Suzuki's dirt bikes, I started riding 1976 or 77.. I never heard of an injury directly from the Suzuki rider...what they bi*ched about most was the bike constantly broke down or had to replace a broken part. Around 2000 I did buy ($150) a mint 1980 RM 250... that was the last Suzuki I had.
After a supercross event at the Silverdome in Pontiac MI 92 or 93. We had pit passes and got to meet Jeremy McGrath and his Dad.... Few months after that my Dad brought home a Kawasaki...for the next 15yrs I rode Kawz . I Owning Hondas and Yamaha's, but, I always had at least one Kawasaki.