Just sold my TL

I think its a combination of front end feel and the ergos of the bike. I was never really 100% comfy on the gixxer, tank felt too wide. Long reach to the bars made it all feel like a big bike. The TLR feels so much smaller to ride. Also this TLR is the first K-TECH equipped front end ive had. Its just the ssrk piston kit with needles and also comp adjusters with 1.2kg springs on stock tls carts. It just feels on rails! Up till now ive only only used ohlins 25mm carts and ohlins 30mm kit. I get much better feel and support from my current front end then ever before. The track is a front end track couple corners are less then 35mph down from well over 140mph.

Cheers

 

Talk to Stu, he's been trying to get a KB kit to work for a few years now. Sounds like he's going to take another stab at it. Sam is also a wealth of knowledge, helped me figure out what I needed to put together my 1080. For what it's worth, I have known several people over the years that have tried to build an engine using KB's parts, none were successful. At least one had KB's "help" with the engine build only to end in miserable failure and a much lighter wallet. It'll be interesting to see if Stu can finally make one run.

 

Spoken to both stu and sam. In the end I am only going for the 1080cc pistons. Leaving the crank and the rest alone.

Cheers

 

That first pic is awesome...nice lean and that corner looks like a blast. What track is that?

Cant wait to get at mine and get that damn motor on the dyno than a track day!

Going to balance the motor? I'd say it's a must!

Apparently mine was done at 50/50. I have no experience with it so have no idea what that will be like.

 

Actually, going back few pages I see that you probably have done the motor by now.
If so what's the verdict?

 

I havent done the motor yet, as I was waiting for the season to finish up, which it just has, I ended up coming 3rd in my class for the championship, broke lap record at one point for the class as well (1:18.8) which was then rebroken by another rider on a 2000 R1 (1:18.6). Not been too bad of a year tbh. I built this from a burnt out wreck, it has 50k miles on the motor, first time I rode the bike was for Qualifying in Round 1. Only time i Ride the bike is when im lining up on the grid due to budget constraints, so each race has really just been about developing the bike.

3 Pole positions, 3 race wins, finished on the podium every race bar one this year. Im stoked with the results considering the other 5 bikes in contention for the podium are ex ASBK 98-02 R1's and a YZF750 with a 185HP FZR1000 motor crammed in it. The bike and I are the first V-Twin home every race despite the other twins being 998 ducatis.

Still, bikes proving competitive, but the motor is now officially tired, the last race of the year was an all in 30min "enduro"race. Against all 600/1000cc bikes accross all classes. Managed to finish third and set 2nd fastest lap, but as the race went on, the bike developed a growing vibration in the upper revs, to the point it was sending my hands and feet numb for the last 10 min of the race. Once i pulled into the pits, it filled the 600ml overflow tank.

So, Now its time to finish modifying this K-tech 35DDS shock to fit in place of the ohlins TTX unit, then get cracking on building the motor up as a high comp 1080cc unit. Still would like to get my hands on a set of SBK ram tubes so I can take moulds of them to match this large capacity airbox Im currently building. See if I cant put these R1's in their place.

Just before this last round I fitted carrozzeria wheels and a set of K-TECH 25RDS fork carts, paid off, i went from a 19.4 to an 18.8 and it puts me within 4 sec of a race lap from current superbike at this years ASBK round. Im going to enter the ASBK round next on it for shits and giggles. With the new motor, shock, and other bits and bobs, I may get down to a mid 17 yet, which would upset a few current SBK riders somewhat.

cheers.joe.

PS. track is morgan park, queensland, australia.

 

Just going to join in on this thread as i am in love with my tl as well and i am seeing some awesome tl pics come by!
Wish i could track it here but i am just too afraid to bin it !
And dalmatino i think i have seen your tl for sale around here ! Have a feeling we both live in the same great white north area!

 

That's awesome Joe! I got a feeling the rider's not too shabby either and has a lot to do with the great results lol..
Cant wait to see what you do once you get the rest done!
Keep us posted on things.

Hopefully I'll get at mine by June. It's dirty nasty here already.
We're in full blown winter weather already so I got to run atta here real fast...down South America way

 

Hey Smtr2,
I'm a bit of a Vagabond but when around I tend to hang out around Fort Sask and Edmonton.
Not sure if he had it advertised or not, but yes, I bought it in St Albert in Summer. I had other TLR race bikes and one came with a real nice done up race motor so I'm blending best parts to end up with a real nice package.
I did sell off (or give away lol) good deal of things that I didn't need but still have some extras including 2 motors that need to go.

That's a nice R you got there. I see why you'd be hesitant to take it out to that shitty little track. I shouldn't complain about the track cause otherwise we'd have nothing at all lol.

 

OH sweet well if your ever around the whyte ave area let me fire me a message ! I’ll prob run into you on the track as I have an 08 r1 as well that I track. Hahahah yea at least we have a track !

 

Lol you may have seen the bike at the track or on the Tl forum. Ryan the previous owner races there regularly and he used to track that TL few years ago but I'm not sure it was same colours at that time. He races a 300 now.
R1....man that be a handful there. Do you even use the 3rd gear lol..

I haven't been on that track or any other since I moved here from Ontario 10 yrs ago. Tracks in Ont and some northern US States ware my playground for about 25 years prior to. Hopefully I'll get out next Summer at some point and check it out and shake this TL down..
It's gona take a while to get the rust out. At this age not sure if it will buff out lol.

There's few of us here with R's and S's and we've talked about gettn together and riding or coffee and shootn the shit once a while (out off season) so when that happens I'll shoot you a line.
I hear a rumor that there's going to be a new track built? Any insight on that?

 

He might have been racing that tl before i was racing at Castrol only been around the last two years there. Haha nah 2nd and a little in 3rd but its goods enough for what it is.
Yea totally let me know if you guys all meet up and ill join! Apparently they got the permits finished for a new Track by Carstairs or something like that, have not been following a lot on it tbh. The new one in BC is supposed to be pretty nice haven't been there yet but hopefully summer 18!

 

Will do smtr2! Year I really hope to get back out next year and hopefully we will have few more decent options.

Damn that's some nice riding crazymofo!!

 

Does anyone here have any ideas or advice about TLR frame stiffness...

Currently the swing arm on my track bike is being lengthened some, lightened, and will be a bit less stiff.

Fuel is going down into an aluminum tank which fills and extends backwards from the space vacated by the rotary damper. The idea is to save weight, lower the CG and make the TLR a bit less of a pig in some really tight chicanes we have in a track nearby. There will be air ducted to both the new fuel tank and the Bitubo to keep them cool - with not a lot of space left over in that area.

But looking at the back part of the frame I just cant help thinking that it appears to be way heavy and also too stiff...

Was thinking about milling out a good pile of metal in that area - and replacing it with bolt in stiffeners. These could be made in different thicknesses - maybe even different materials - as a way to experiment some with frame rigidity.

For sure I am not the first person to think about doing something like this. And yes I do have an extra frame in case it all turns out to be a total disaster....

Thanks for any positive input.

Steve H.

 

i gotta say, the frame stiffness is freaking awesome, if your a 250GP style rider then the TLR is actually a nice chassis to rail corners on (with proper suspension on board). Fit an alloy tank sure, but i would be hesitant to lower the fuels weight in the chassis as the motor is a fkn heavy lump itself.

 

Hey Steve, I haven't heard of anyone messin with the frame itself. As per our previous conversation (I think, lol). It's been mostly the Swing arm which apparently is the main culprit. I have had thoughts a bit along those lines myself tho. Bit milling and few strategic holes.
I'm gona chop my brace (along with the whole bottom cast) right off and than add/weld a plate across the bottom and see how that works.
Got two swing arms so if I fuck it up, oh well..

 

I can say that when i swtched to the TLR swingarm on my TLS.. the improvement in finishing a corner on the gas was night and day.

 

Not to doubt you Joe (especially the way you ride that thing lol) but wondering why just about everyone back than here in Canada was changing swing arms on the R's especially the National racing team including Yoshimura. I wonder if it had something to do with not being allowed to scrap the stock suspension setup? Somehow one connecting to the other possibly.