Tweet
I became a man yesterday! Some thoughts about the new TLS
Observations about my new 2000 TL1000S…
After owning my TLS for 12 hours or so, here are some thoughts and comparisons from my last bike (1999 Ducati SuperSport 750)
First off the looks are similar but distinctly different. The TLS looks meaner than the Ducati ever did. The Ducati was cool and exotic, the TLS, just plain evil.
The red is not my favorite red out there. It looks orange-ish in certain light. I prefer the yellow on the Ducati, but I like the red okay, it will grow on me.
I love the frame of the TLS, the frame on the Ducati was a trellis, which was neat and different, but again the TLS looks like it means business.
I sit up higher on the TLS and the pegs are less aggressive, this is more comfy and after riding 25+ miles my back and butt were not sore at all. When I made that trip on the Ducati, I would have to stand up several times to relieve the pressure. I do not like how low the gauge cluster is. I have to look down to see the tach/speedo where as on the Ducati I just moved my eyes a little bit.
The performance aspects are completely different. The ducati had unbelievable brakes…I actually miss the Brembos. The front forks on the TLS are softer, but I can adjust them. On the duck, they were set for race track use, and if you wanted them any softer…too bad, not adjustable at ALL. So, I liked the rigidity of the Ducati, but I will be able to tweak the TLS when I want to. Turning feels way different. On the Ducati it just snapped into place where I wanted it to with out thought. The TLS seems flickable and I think it is, but it just feels different and I will get used to it. The steering damper is adjustable and I will play with it later.
Time for noises. The D&D slip-ons on the Ducati sounded good, but the full D&D system on the TLS is evil sounding. It is so loud and mean, I scared several animals and had people in the neighborhood just stop and stare at me as I drove by.
Now to talk about the power differences. The Ducati was my first bike (that I owned) It had plenty of torque and some power to keep me happy… or so I thought. To get moving, I had to really wring the living poo out of her. WOT was the name of the game on the Ducati. On my way to work this morning, I was on the freeway and I needed to pass a slow truck. I was in 4th and I probably cracked the throttle open about 1/4th open. I passed the truck in a hurry and looked down to see that I was going the leisurely pace of 105 mph. I immediately made some choice comments to my self and slowed back down. I couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear the whole way to work, and come to think of it I am still grinning.
Miscellaneous comments:
The clutch lever has up and down play, which I hate. The Ducati’s clutch lever was rock solid. My buddies GSX750R’s does the same, so I don’t think it is that big of a deal, just an annoyance. The Zero Gravity wind screen is amazing! I might not need to wear ear plugs for the wind noise any more…but will for the exhaust probably.
Here are all the extras I got with it:
It has new Bridgestone 010's
K&N air filter
European market solo cowl
Daytona steering damper
D&D full exhaust
tank bra
Zero Gravity windscreen
And I got him to throw in the rear tire stand!
It has just over 8000 miles on the ticker and all for $4200!
I am in love!
After owning my TLS for 12 hours or so, here are some thoughts and comparisons from my last bike (1999 Ducati SuperSport 750)
First off the looks are similar but distinctly different. The TLS looks meaner than the Ducati ever did. The Ducati was cool and exotic, the TLS, just plain evil.
The red is not my favorite red out there. It looks orange-ish in certain light. I prefer the yellow on the Ducati, but I like the red okay, it will grow on me.
I love the frame of the TLS, the frame on the Ducati was a trellis, which was neat and different, but again the TLS looks like it means business.
I sit up higher on the TLS and the pegs are less aggressive, this is more comfy and after riding 25+ miles my back and butt were not sore at all. When I made that trip on the Ducati, I would have to stand up several times to relieve the pressure. I do not like how low the gauge cluster is. I have to look down to see the tach/speedo where as on the Ducati I just moved my eyes a little bit.
The performance aspects are completely different. The ducati had unbelievable brakes…I actually miss the Brembos. The front forks on the TLS are softer, but I can adjust them. On the duck, they were set for race track use, and if you wanted them any softer…too bad, not adjustable at ALL. So, I liked the rigidity of the Ducati, but I will be able to tweak the TLS when I want to. Turning feels way different. On the Ducati it just snapped into place where I wanted it to with out thought. The TLS seems flickable and I think it is, but it just feels different and I will get used to it. The steering damper is adjustable and I will play with it later.
Time for noises. The D&D slip-ons on the Ducati sounded good, but the full D&D system on the TLS is evil sounding. It is so loud and mean, I scared several animals and had people in the neighborhood just stop and stare at me as I drove by.
Now to talk about the power differences. The Ducati was my first bike (that I owned) It had plenty of torque and some power to keep me happy… or so I thought. To get moving, I had to really wring the living poo out of her. WOT was the name of the game on the Ducati. On my way to work this morning, I was on the freeway and I needed to pass a slow truck. I was in 4th and I probably cracked the throttle open about 1/4th open. I passed the truck in a hurry and looked down to see that I was going the leisurely pace of 105 mph. I immediately made some choice comments to my self and slowed back down. I couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear the whole way to work, and come to think of it I am still grinning.
Miscellaneous comments:
The clutch lever has up and down play, which I hate. The Ducati’s clutch lever was rock solid. My buddies GSX750R’s does the same, so I don’t think it is that big of a deal, just an annoyance. The Zero Gravity wind screen is amazing! I might not need to wear ear plugs for the wind noise any more…but will for the exhaust probably.
Here are all the extras I got with it:
It has new Bridgestone 010's
K&N air filter
European market solo cowl
Daytona steering damper
D&D full exhaust
tank bra
Zero Gravity windscreen
And I got him to throw in the rear tire stand!
It has just over 8000 miles on the ticker and all for $4200!
I am in love!
great price
Comment