[Rex81]

Hello all, I'm new to this forum and a new owner of the TU, looking for a forum for it as well. I've had it almost a week and I love it to death. I'm not a new rider by any means, I've been riding for about 10 years, I've owned a bunch of different bikes and ridden countless others. I know the TU is considered a beginners bike, (and it certainly would be great for a beginner) but as a seasoned rider I find it to be the most satisfying ride yet! Suzuki really hit the mark with this one. In a word, I would call it "responsive". There is no hesitation in any of it's operation, from the engine firing up, to twisting the throttle, to pulling the clutch, to pulling around a corner. It's just smooth and effortless.

I've been collecting and restoring old Hondas for a number of years, my most recent (and favorite) a 1971 CB350. I had recently convinced myself I was going to keep that one forever. But even fully restored, no 40 year old bike can be considered reliable, and I like riding more than wrenching so I decided to check out the TU. I was really attracted to the simplicity and reliability of a single cylinder, fuel injection, and electronic ignition. No more bad floats, stuck needles, gummed up carbs. No more choke, cold bloodiness, hesitation. No more leaking petcocks.

I love old bikes. They just have a certain "mojo" to them. But after I rode the TU for the first time I knew I wouldn't miss the 350. Sure, it doesn't have the raw power and acceleration of a bigger bike, but it does everything else better. Way better. It's just so much easier to live with. I know that no matter what, I can just shut the bike off when I'm done with it, and always have it waiting to go for me when I need it.

I couple of other benefits: It cruises at freeway speeds better than the 350 due to gearing. It will sing along at 65 mph all day long. Gas mileage is great. Getting 75 now, but I know that wll improve. The distance from the passenger foot pegs to the pillion seat is short so my 6 year old daughter can toot around town with me. Also, with the exhaust on one side, I taught her to always enter and exit the bike from the left so I never have to worry about her getting burned. It actually carries a full sized passenger with ease, something I was sure it couldn't handle. With a combined 400 lbs of rider and passenger, it does just fine, with only a slight degradation in power and handling.

There's probably a ton more good things to say about this little bike, but I can't think of them now. I just love it. They can keep their 750, 1000, 1500s. My TU250 works just fine, thank you very much.