SP1/SP2 were always renowned for being heavy. Great bikes though. TL1000S is lighter than an SP- TL1000R is heaver than the S but handles better as stock.
The road to decent TL1000S handling is easy
- 5.5 inch rear rim from a GSXR600 with a 180 section tyre.
- The rotary rear shock can vary wildly in quality- I've had useless examples and brilliant examples on my TLs. If it's a poor one a Hagon shock does the job and doesn't cost a lot, although the damping adjuster operation can also vary somewhat on Hagons. They have great customer service though.
- Ditch the stock steering damper and fit a quality item, although I had good results from emptying the stocker and filling with paraffin. Easy to do, you just need a torx bit, plastic container, gloves and a few litres of paraffin.
- Sync your throttle bodies and check the TPS alignment regularly. They drift, and it ruins throttle response.