Question about the TLR's superbike status

[edlsen]

I know that the original intent of the TLR was as a street-legal superbike and part of the Suzuki factory race team and one of my Ducati-riding co-workers says that it kinda tanked on the track. Can anyone expand on the racing pedigree of the TLR and why it didn't work out on the track?


Jared

[Steve TLS]

$$$ or lack of dollars, Suzuki didn't invest any, the TLR was written off by Suzuki before they even hit the track.

The best ever result for a TL engine was when Anthony Gobert won a WSB race in the wet at Phillip Island on a Bimota, even that effort only lasted about 1/2 a season.

[MonkeyClaw]

With the Gixxer was doing so well and limited funds, Suzuki put the most money and best racers on the gixxers. The TLR racers (while great) couldn't match the top racers of the time. Put the right person and enough money at the TLR and it would still be a great bike on the track, competing for top spots the same as the Ducati does and the RC used to!

[TL-R1000]

Money is the key to winning racers... just ask Honda!

[TLRChad]

The worst thing Suzuki did with the TLR IMHO was let Yosh run the superbike program for the TLR. The reason being is at that time they had a four man GSXR superbike squad and the two man TLR squad of Larry Pegram, and Steve Crevier. That is a total of six superbikes. No way can one team devote the time necessary to develop a new bike with a squad that huge.

[Ryno]

Yoshimura ran two TLR's in 98. Steve Crevier and Larry Pegram rode them. Basically what the guys have said is the case. The bikes did alright for the first season out and for not having the best riders. I think seventh or eighth being the best finish that year. Yoshimura probably didn't see the point in sinking tons of money into the program. Honda was still running the RC 45, the GSXR was plenty capable of winning championships, so why spend the money to devolop a new bike?
I do remember that Yates and Mladin both rode them at a test somewhere that season and went quite a bit quicker than Pegram or Crevier.
They said the bike handled great, but was down on power compared to their GSXR's.
Could it have been competitive with more R&D and support?
Probably.
Will we ever know? Sadly no

[adavis]

The main problem was Suzuki knew they needed a shorter stroke motor to be competive. But sales did not support a product cycle change.

[edlsen]

You guys are a wealth of knowledge. Thank you. Now I have a little ammo to go back to the Italian bike only guy at work and tell him what I learned here.
He is such a poser. We don't have a lot of great curves around, but he goes and buys a 996 because it handles so well. Now he won't take it to track days because he doesn't want anything to happen to it. I plan on running the hell out of whatever I buy at the track whenever I get a chance. He might as well have bought a scooter for driving around town. He's one of those guys that thinks anything that he doesn't have or want is shit.

Thank you guys
Jared

[DaRKoN_]

Ok, so whilst the 998R, ZX-7RR, R-7, etc are all homogilations(did i spell that right)... That the factory had to make atleast 500 off ( I think the rules are) is the TLR the same? Or is there some super limited edition TL-RRRRR out there?

[racer122]

BTW - Ricky Orlando, who club races now with the MRA, finished 11th at Daytona in -- I think 2000, but maybe '99 -- on a TLR. This is from memory ...

Anyway, when's the last time a Duc even FINISHED that 200 mile race?

[kevh]

you got it right on the homilagation rule (i think i fugged up the spelling too) - you gotta sell 500. unless of course your name is foggy, then you get over.

and ricky orlando...pffft. another one of those "fast but complete jackass" kinda guys. he was the 1st salesman i talked to about a tls (he was/is working at a boulder bike dealer). whata schmuck. i wouldnt buy a candy bar from him

[Jokertlr]

Sounds like your co worker is a moron. If that is the only ammo he has against TLR's then he came to a battle of the wits completely unarmed. Does he really think that the bike he is riding is what they race at the track . Sure the handling on the duc out of the box is spot on but the engine could learn a couple of things from a Tiller. IMHO the extra cost of a Ducati is to much to even compare it to a Tiller. I paid $8200 for my Tiller and Powerwise I think it would stomp his $16000 bike.

[racer122]

and ricky orlando...pffft. another one of those "fast but complete jackass" kinda guys. he was the 1st salesman i talked to about a tls (he was/is working at a boulder bike dealer). whata schmuck. i wouldnt buy a candy bar from him

Well, I don't know about how Ricky is as a salesman, but he was always a really nice guy to me, as a noob racer. In fact, he taught my new rider school, and was always very nice. Maybe he was having a bad day when you dealt with him.

Sorry about hijacking the thread.

[Slapper]

Originally posted by kevh
you got it right on the homilagation rule (i think i fugged up the spelling too) - you gotta sell 500. unless of course your name is foggy, then you get over.

The homologation rule in the US actually states that a manufacturer must only make 50 motorcycles available to the general public to be legal for use in the AMA Superbike Series.

This is evidenced by Honda and the RC45. Only 50 came to the US in 1994. 25 came right off the top and went to Factory Honda and Erion -- and a lonely, wealthy privateer or two. The remaining 25 went to dealers. I know of two still in crates.

The same can be said for Yamaha and the OW01 and OW02. I can't say for sure on the FZR750RR, but I know for a fact that there weren't more than 50 YZF-R7s imported here.

Certainly, Suzuki made more than 50 TL1000Rs in 1998. Mine is #1657.

[kevh]

i think for wsb the number is 500, but that is for worldwide sales

and about orlando...coulda been, but when he said the lowest he could go on a new 2000 (this was in the middle of 2001) was the same as a 2001 (which they didnt have in stock) and that i couldnt get the 500 bucks suzuki cash since it wasnt a current year model, i pretty much just quit listening to him. which was a good thing because in the middle of talking to me, a buyer with cash in hand, he started bs'ing with another salesman about his last race.

i ended up going to a different branch of the same dealer and getting the same bike for 1500 less plus 3 years of extended warranty and a perferred owners card (free service, discounted parts and 48 hour scheduling). oh well, his loss