Used Motorcycles: Yamaha TDM850 buyers guide
By MCN -
06 September 2009 10:03
Used price: £1,100 - £2,700
Engine: 849cc liquid-cooled parallel twin
Power: 77bhp
Top speed: 130mph
Weight: 201kg
The idea of a road orientated traile-style motorcycle may be fairly common place these days, but when the TDM850 was launched it was years ahead of it's time. Today it represents a decent and good value option for those looking for a street trailie on a budget.
The Yamaha TDM850 handles better than you might expect - suspension and brakes are half decent (for a 90s bike). It rides more like a roadster than a trailie, the only down side is the slightly hard seat.
The TDM850 is powered by a liquid-cooled parallel twin. It's not the sexiest of engine configurations but it works - in recent years it's made a bit of a come back in bikes like the Kawasaki ER-6f and BMW F800 series models. Models from 1996 onwards got a 270 degree crank to make it feel more like a v-twin.
In terms of equipment, the TDM has decent clocks, effective fairing and useful pillion perch. When new there was a good extras catalogue which included luggage and heated grips.
Build quality is good - better than most Yamahas. So when buying just look for a full service history. The TDM has never been very popular here in the UK, which is good news if you're after a tall budget all-rounder, because prices are low.
|
MCN verdict |
|
Handling |
3/5 |
|
Engine |
4/5 |
|
Reliability |
4/5 |
|
Value |
4/5 |
|
OVERALL |
4/5 |
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