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Always wanted a TL, then I wanted a cagiva x raptor as I think that is the best looking frame for the engine.
Rode a few friends 'widow maker' tl and it really was utter rubbish. Still say properly set up static sag and chain and it really was a fun bike. The the fireblade went from widow maker to tourer.
lynx-
Mine was a 97, so original 'widow-maker.' All that was bollocks really, it was just a lot lighter and faster than anyone expected and the response of the EFI more immediate. I fitted a hyperpro damper and sticky tyres and it lapped it up. Bumpy roads you had to dial things back a bit but still managed knee down, peg down at the wrong end of 4th gear on the street. It makes me queasy thinking about some of the imbecilic fuckwittery I got up to on that bike without it missing a beat.
The only genuinely sketchy thing it did was intermittently go on to one cylinder whenever it rained. Let's say it was better if you were pointed in a straight line when it went back on to two.
Jung
Ah I don't really regret it, I would have destroyed the Duke with the things I did back then. And I absolutely LOVED my TL. 125 dyno verified donkeys and a fat old powerband at 6k. That bike was a true partner in crime, I shed a tear when I eventually sold it.