Announcement

**horkn** · 10-09-2003, 10:56 PM

lots. but look at it this way. you will make it very nice when shes done. ok i'll tackle some Q's here....

the tlr swinger is not a direct bolt on. but it flexes less. and i want to do this (or buy the JMC swingarm) ask kevh about this....and maybe lasse!

the digi gauges work fine. they dont mess with the codes, and its a very possible swap, but it sounds like theres other things to do first.

1st, see if suzuki will replace your frame. tell them your story, and see what they will do. welded frames have been cracked once. I would use eastwood company's chassis black, way easier and less messy. i'm sure there are more questions, but i gave you a start...

**rzarobbie** · 10-09-2003, 11:06 PM

Re: weeklong project turns winter project

Originally posted by nsutke222
well my idea of gettin my TLS in and fixing the engine didn't work out to well.. if you'll remember, this is the $1000 TLS i got.. the kid that started tearing it down took each and every bolt out and put it in a big box.. so its like putting together a frikkin jigsaw puzzle..

So now i have my $1000 TLS, the numbers on the frame don't match the numbers on the side panel and the title isn't in yet so theres NO tellin what numbers are on it..

the frame has been rewelded just in front of the radiator mount behind the frame neck along the bottom of the frame.. it looks professional, but its still a weld..

the engine has every valve in it BENT from the guy workin on it himself.. (hence the question last week about why the motor wouldn't turn all the way over without hitting something inside)

soooooo my one week long project has now turned into my winter project...Which is fine because it was going to be my beater bike, but now I'm going to go all out on it like I did my F4i.. this summer I'll put the F4i up for sale and get a different bike as my second bike..I really wanna do this right.. from the engine, to the frame, to the paint job, to the braks and suspension.. all done ONCE and done RIGHT! I was hoping a few of you might have some advice for me.. heres the questions I have.. I've used the search function numerous times but this is more opinion than anything else..

If theres anything YOU would do to it while its strung out in boxes all over my garage, post it.. i wanna hear about it. once i finish it, i wanna be DONE with it..

1.) Should I POR the frame or polish? The body work is going to be sprayed "triple-jet black" with a "glamour gloss" final coat put on.. so would it look better polished or blacked out? you photoshop wizards would come in REALLLY handy right now!

2.) Is the digital gauge swap worth the effort? Will it mess with the codes?

3.) Whats the advantage of a TLR swingarm? It came with one (extra) but it doesn't look like its a straight swap..

4.) The akro system I have has turned a hideous color on the pipes and the carbon looks completely baked and the gloss has all but come entirely off, what should i do? is it rebuildable? Can i use different cans (M4 or Yoshi, something like that) with the Akro Headers?

Any advice on where I should go with my project is much appreciated..it only cost $1000 so I've got about $4200 left to spend on it.. not that i will spend all of it on this project though!

My wife would have my ASS!

So basically, if you had a free TLS and $4000, what would YOU do?

1) with the frame.. go black.. all black is way hot

2) the digital GSXR gauges look great, i have them on my TLS and get a lot of comments on them. But they do mess with the codes.. ie: there aren't any.. you can't get the codes nor the temp with the gsxr gauges

3) look up Kevh's name.. he has a great writeup on the whole thing.. i think it all depends on how hard of a rider you are.. Kev seems to notice the difference.

4)

I don't really know I am sure if you call Akro they might be able to help you out..

if you have some extra cash laying around.. go out and get the suspension done, and then buy another cheap TLS for about $2000!

Or you could just buy a new motor

Goodluck!

**nsutke222** · 10-09-2003, 11:08 PM

can someone point me in the right direction for a write up on a TLS/TLR engine swap?

**horkn** · 10-09-2003, 11:08 PM

didnt know if thats what he meant by "messing with the codes" i know that you cant get fault codes, but i thought he meant something else...

and the tlr engine into tls swap would be a great how to. i know at least one guy that needs this info........jbeavers....

**TL4LIFE** · 10-09-2003, 11:33 PM

Check out the frame and the title first. I don't know if I'd trust the frame if it's been welded the TLS have weak frames to begin with. You don't want to spend all winter and get this thing

and then have the frame break in half coming down from a wheelie.

Carbon cans dry out if they are exposed to sunlight for too long. If you have the full Akro system. I'd for sure keep it. Contact Akro and get replacement sleeves, if that's the only thing wrong with them.

Do the GSXR gauges swap, New Steering Damper and Rear are a must. TLR swingarm swap is nice. Por out the frame and maybe chrome the wheels if you're doing everything else black, it would set it off nicely.

Personally I'd just grab a TLR engine off of ebay, $500-$1,000 all the time.

**Duken4evr** · 10-10-2003, 12:14 AM

Focus on the engine first, one thing at a time.

Are the pistons OK? Maybe he bent the valves because he was a moron and did not put the cams in right, then forced the engine to turn over while doing a valve adjustment. Or do the pistons look like the surface of the moon? If all the valves are bent, I bet he just put the cams in wrong.

After you get the engine thoroughly squared away, start on the other stuff. Do see about getting a new frame if you can.

Here is some food for thought.

Oooh. I kinda like the Duc rear end on a TLS

**JarkkoT** · 10-10-2003, 01:24 AM

yep, don't polish, it's not a show bike.. Go black, make a bike that goes and wheelies like mad man...

go before show, or was it "if it doesn't run, crome it"

JT

**Wondertwin** · 10-10-2003, 10:42 AM

I'd sell it for parts or buy a wrecked TLS and combine the two.

To put it in perspective, I bought a nice '97 TLS a guy hit a deer with (but never laid down) for $2500. I replaced a few parts and should have the eBay fairing parts I bought back from paint next week. Less than $3000 and I'll have a nice one. Gel seat, solo cowl, factory service manual and all...

What you bought sounds like a disaster, or at best a money-pit! A TLS, even a custom one, isn't worth spending a total of $5000 PLUS all the work and time you'll need to spend. I've bought and fixed MANY bikes, and I just can't say much positive about a bike like that for anything but parts.

**mlc34** · 10-10-2003, 12:00 PM

I spent $4000 on a 2000 gsxr 600 2 years ago. The bike had a "previous damage" title and was pretty rough, although it seemed to run good. To make a long story short, I ended up sinking another $2000 into it and never had it quite right. There is always something with these "project" bikes. Small oil leaks were a source of many of my problems with the gsxr and it absolutely drove me nuts (my wife too). I also had problems selling it because of the branded title. I did eventually sell it (just took what I could get for it and cut my losses). That's when I bought a bone stock 2001 TLR and have had no problems since

Seriously though, best of luck with it and I hope it turns out great for you.

**Tbird** · 10-10-2003, 12:32 PM

If you have it that far down, why not just go on and powdercoat the frame instead of painting?

**GXRKLR** · 10-10-2003, 01:49 PM

Powder coat the frame, head pipes and end caps on the cans black and get new sleeves from Akro.

**nsutke222** · 10-10-2003, 05:19 PM

Originally posted by GXRKLR
Powder coat the frame, head pipes and end caps on the cans black and get new sleeves from Akro.

can powdercoating withstand the heat of a twin?

thats a cool idea!

**SDTLR** · 10-10-2003, 05:57 PM

Those Akrapovic headers are Titanium.....if you black them out, I will have to kill you

jk

**TL4LIFE** · 10-10-2003, 06:06 PM

Powdercoating Akro pipes

Welcome to TLPlanet!

- Your home for all things TL related

Notice!

Announcement

weeklong project turns winter project

weeklong project turns winter project

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment