Faults:

I have had no faults with the TL1000R in the 14 months I have owned her.

General Comments:

This motorcycle is truly awesome, I have had her for 14 months now and can honestly say that I have enjoyed all the 3,500 miles I have covered on her.

Being 6ft 6inches tall, I find that the size of the TL fits my lanky frame a treat, one sits in the bike rather than on it.

The grin I get every time I open the throttle says it all really, as that warp factor 10 cuts in at 6,000 RPM, the front wheel wants to launch itself into hyper-space.

It's not pure horsepower that pushes your bum into the single seat unit, it's that huge amount of V-Twin torque that's generated with the opening of the throttle.

The only negative point I can think of, is that I had to have a new clutch fitted at 19,000 miles!! It does seem to be the norm rather than the exception on this motorcycle. If you are thinking about buying a good used example with above 18,000 miles on the clock, be sure to check the roll on in top gear above 80mph to check if the clutch starts to slip.

As far as the handling department goes, I can keep up with the best of them along the lanes. I am a big guy and find that the rear rotary damper works well for me, with none of the frightening stories you read about in the press. Apparently, the oil in the rotary damper needs to get nice and warm before it works efficiently, and being 11 stone plus is mandatory for this to do so.

Faults:

Nothing has ever gone wrong with this bike.

General Comments:

The low end torque is stupendous. The engine is a wonderful piece of engineering. Just don't look for liter bike beating horsepower though, it's simply not there.

The sound, especially with an aftermarket exhaust system, or bolt-ons, is absolutely music to the ears.

The stock steering damper is too heavy for my tastes, easily, but not cheaply fixed with an aftermarket adjustable unit.

The rear suspension is a bit of a mystery with its separate spring and rotary damper. The rotary damper is next to impossible to set up properly. Look for a conventional style aftermarket shock to remedy this too.

Overall it's a great bike, that needs a little more sorting out then most Japanese bikes, but nothing too extreme.

I wasn't sure how to rate to acceleration, braking and comfort on a scale of 1-10? Compared to what for example? It's comfortable as far as sportbikes go, but it's no Goldwing?