Just seen this.....

[HowardQ]

The later versions had the steering dampers and were detuned a little, not that you'd notice much.
My nephew Stephen had one the same year and it went very well.
(It was the bike that got me thinking about getting a V Twin. Not as fast as the CBR1000F I had at the time, but a much more exciting bike to ride)
It didn't handle like a modern Blade but was decent enough if the rear damper was in decent nick, his had been converted.
Like any "Nineties bike" it had to be ridden with respect, but so did the original Blade and many others.
With the Maxton forks and Ohlins rear shock the handling will be well improved but as has been said, fork seals and the like will need checking, and particularly the carbs will need sorting out.
Certainly worth a bid, but viewing and collection will be a major problem.
The 880 mile round trip and 16 hours or so driving will be fun!

[mangocrazy]

I owned a TL1000S from new - one of the very first in the country - and it was an absolute hoot. Had it not been for an extended bout of joblessness in 1999 I would never have sold it. I couldn't bear to see the new owner ride it away; I gave him the keys and walked back inside the house.

The original (1997) bikes had the full-fat motor. The one on eBay is from 1998 and stands a chance of having the non-detuned motor. It also has uprated suspension, which should cure most of the problems associated with the bike. The original bike had a crappy rotary damper which was as stiff as buggery when cold, then more or less stopped working when it got hot.

And guys - it doesn't have carbs. It's fuel-injected. The VTR had carbs, the TL had FI. And I think that was half the problem; most people weren't prepared for the very direct response they got from a fuel-injected V-twin with a short wheelbase and plenty of midrange.

Compared to a Falco, it will feel a bit lacking in every department, with the exception of the engine. The engine is (or was) a peach - plenty of grunty mid-range and an absolutely killer top end. Just when you thought it was going to ease off, it let rip. Well - mine did, anyway.

For me, the big breakthrough in handling was when I ditched the 6" rear rim with a 190/50 tyre and fitted a GSXR 600 5.5" rim with a 180/55 tyre. That sharpened the steering up hugely and made it steer really quite well. The front end never felt quite as trustworthy as the Falco does, but it wasn't bad by any means. And the brakes aren't a patch on the Falco.

To be honest, the Widowmaker tag is all a bit far fetched now. If any of us rode a reasonably well maintained TL now, we'd wonder what all the fuss was about.

But the early engines were mint. No doubt about it.

[robbier6]

its got all the right bits on but as an aside the shock worked slightly if you were a fat lad..I'm 15st.
its in Scotland and I'm just north of watford so just checked and it's 450 miles each way so a 900 mile round trip. oh and 18 hours

........Though i could be in scotland for work w/c 29th July so i could let the company pick up the fuel bill and throw it in the van

[blinkey501]

its got all the right bits on but as an aside the shock worked slightly if you were a fat lad..I'm 15st.
its in Scotland and I'm just north of watford so 750 mile round trip.

I see what you mean.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_Orchy