Q: Hi guys,
At the moment I have a problem with my Suzuki TL 1000 S. After having it recently serviced I was informed that the cable controlling the idling speed had broken, probably due to age. I was informed that it wouldn’t give me any problems and I could ride the bike while a cable was sourced and then fitted.
The bike was fine for the first week or so and then suddenly she started misbehaving, as in an annoying misfire, and shortly after it began to stall as I approached the robots.
To cut a long story short she was throwing too much fuel into the front cylinder making the bike feel like it was only running on one cylinder.
I’ve had the valve clearances checked, as was the fuel filter, fuel pump and, the injectors were taken out and cleaned, but there’s still no improvement.
At this point in time I’m thinking ECU, is there any way to test it for any faults? I hope it’s not this black box as they cost a ridiculous R14,800 from Suzuki SA!
Can you please assist me as I love this machine and I’ve now been waiting over a month with little progress made?
Hennie Cloete Hazyview e-mail
A: I wouldn’t concern myself with the ECU, as that would give different symptoms. And don’t worry about that cable either; all it does is move a cam around to alter the idle speed.
I would take a look at the throttle position sensor though, which sits on the side of the throttle bodies. They do tend to malfunction on older bikes and give the sort of problems that you’ve described. It should only cost around R800, but it will have to be installed correctly and recalibrated before riding, either by you using a genuine workshop manual or by a qualified mechanic. I’d be surprised if that didn’t cure this annoying fault on your beloved TL 1000 S. Let me know?
