A couple of days later I had it on the dyno, where it was tweaked from an already impressive 119rwbhp to 126rwbhp (later bikes produced around 100bhp), it was now the best bike in the world. Or it was when it worked 100%... On hot sunny days, after every ride I'd come back and find fuel leaking from the tank and dripping slowly down the side of the bike. Despite fitting later

model fuel tanks, trying sealants etc, the problem was never fully fixed. I often thought about what would happen if fuel dripped onto the exhaust as I was riding, sending me skywards in a large fireball.

There were also gremlins in the electrics. If it rained the bike wouldn't work. People often say how unreliable Italian bikes are, but this Japanese bike proved just as bad. Rain would seep in behind the front spark plug lead causing the front cylinder to cut out. You'd find yourself riding along and suddenly being launched out of your seat as it cut out then back in again. My neighbour also literally nearly punched me, because I'd have to sit there revving it after a wet ride until the water evaporated, otherwise the bike wouldn't start in the morning. Sealant cured it... sometimes.

Other electrics were also problematic, with melting connections being a regular occurrence resulting in short circuits, or if you were really unlucky you'd be riding along a road in the middle of nowhere in the dark, and the headlight would fail.

The straw that broke the camel's back however was when the out-shaft bearing failed. This was most likely caused by the previous owner having the chain too tight and resulted in an £800 repair bill. Most bikes you can remove the bearing from the outside, but on the TL1000S you have to split the cases then wait two months for parts. Soon after fixing it, I sold it after 2 years and 20,000 miles of ownership.

Do I regret selling it? Well I'm lucky enough to be back with my old bike 8 years later for one last ride. Since selling it I've owned a ZX9r and the monster that is the Kawasaki ZX12r (which I crashed on ice 8 months ago, oops!), both are significantly faster than the TL with 140bhp and 175bhp respectively, but did they have the same character? They were more reliable for a start, having covered 75,000 miles and 30,000 miles without a hitch. My biggest regret about selling the TL1000SV though is that they are now worth twice the amount I sold mine for!