Welcome to Classic Cars and Tools!

Website is new and will be frequently updated. Please bookmark and check every week for new blog posts and other updates. Follow me in Twitter: Classic Cars & Tools @Dne007

My TLS Suzuki (TL1000S)

Welcome to Classic Cars and Tools! I should have added motorcycles in my title as well, as motorcycles have always been a large part of my life! I have many exciting memories from these machines! ; )

This is my second post of a bike that I once owned. I had it from 2003- 2006. This is about the only bike that I could wheelie for any distance! The TLR is the race version, though is on the street too of course and the race version is awesome, and the TLS is the street version. The TLS also lacks a lower faring exposing the powerful V-twin B-12 bomber sounding engine!

The leathers in this picture were made in Bogotá, Columbia~ I’m sure they fit me and only me as they were made on the spot in a little shop where all they did was leather work.  They look very good, but aren’t very protective. This has to be my sexiest pose ever! Leathers are sexy anyway!

 

At this time in my life (late 2003), I was still single (dating Gary), living in Navasota doing home health physical therapy. I wanted a bike and found this ’98 Suzuki TLS for sale. I paid 3500, and he would not come down on the price! darn, never could wheel or deal! The bike was bone stock, no upgrades at all!

 

I had already been involved in track days, even had my CMRA Race license, but never actually raced. Here at Texas World speedway near College Station, I was having a marvelous time~! I could really lay this bike over in the turns! Vrrooom!  I remember it like it was yesterday!

 

The leathers I have on in this picture are pretty scarred up as I had gone down on my EX500 Kawasaki at this very same track, and the leathers show the signs. I thought I’d never get on a race bike again after that, but wasn’t long, I was back on the track! The reason I went down was due to an oil leak, the oil contaminated the rear tire~ it was only a matter of time until I was to go down on the EX500, not this bike! Crashing is no fun and shatters confidence.

 

After moving back home living with Mom, I soon had the yearning to make my bike more personalized~ and had to be yellow! I had this thing for yellow, still do! This is when I met Corby Genzer which owned a paint and body shop. I took all the plastic to him and he painted the parts, then I anxiously put the parts back on the bike!

I was about to have a beautiful motorcycle!

OMg, look at that hair~ you can see my old EX500 behind this pose.

Here I had already installed the up-swept Yoshimura exhaust! The stock exhaust hung lower. I get excited just looking at this bike! OH, I also had the wheels powder coated white!

Just a small amount of graphics set this bike off!

Happiness~ ; )

As fate would have it, I sold the bike not long after Gary and I got married! sob! Do I regret selling it? Damn right I do! Of all the bikes I’ve owned, I miss this TLS the most! Gives me kind of a sick feeling, like I abandoned it! The man I sold it to, not long after he had it, laid it down by a driver edging him off the road~ the person in the car didn’t see him (the usual comment when some hits a bike). When he went down low siding it, it took out the entire left side. One exhaust can is about 500 bucks! ouch! He was a little scratched up, but ok!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little glimpse of my past, and a truly remarkable motorcycle~ the Suzuki TL1000s!  I’ll soon be posting another one of my bikes~ I have many bike tales!  Please don’t forget to subscribe to Classic cars and Tools to receive updates as I post them! ; )  dne’

2 Responses so far.

  1. Kaz Kobayashi says:

    I also really love TL1000S, having 3.

    • admin says:

      3!;) I really did love that bike~ 😉 Sadly have kind of given up on motorcycles~ traffic here in Houston is just too stupid and I have more projects to accomplish;) Thank you for posting;)
      dne’ 😉

Leave a Reply