the yamaha TDM 850 - what you recon ?

anyone got any experience with these ?
there a paralell twin producing 80bhp. . . what you think ?

any probs to look out for when buying ?

more imortantly . . . anyone know any performance stats for it ?

cheers in advance

Just bought one of these after 6 years of the sv.
I was not finding the sv comfortable enough in my old age on longer journeys. Scoured ebay, auto trader, loot etc for several weeks, keeping an eye on prices. Eventually sold my sv for £1900 and the next day bought a 2000 (X plate) TDM 850 in silver, FSH, touring Scottoiler, 2 into 1 CCC can,taller screen, new c+s etc etc for £2,050. There are some bargains to be had out there.
For the 1st couple of days I wasn't sure I'd made the right decision, felt a bit gutless in 4th and 5th, fuel economy wasn't as good as the sv. Now I love it. Much more comfortable, can throw it around like the sv, goes like stink when using the right gears, costs around £40 a year more to insure and fuel consumption isn't actually that much down on the sv after all. Around 130mph top end.
For me it was a good move. An hour's test ride will not necessarily tell you whether you'll like it or not, you really need to use one for a couple of days.
Have a look here http://www.carpe-tdm.net/tdmforum/
There was a major update in 1999 so a 1999 onward model is your best bet. Changed to 900cc in 2003.Apparently the brakes can bind if not used/looked after regularly. There's NO storage space under the seat.

HTH

i had a trx 850 same engine i think? was very lumpy at low revs but i think the tdm is smoother, its a good bike by all accounts

A friend of mines got one he likes it.

Loads of people have got 'em; OFuk, amarko5, Fubar (to name but a few...)

Amarko loves his... Drop him a PM, he'll tell you all about it

Originally Posted by Cloggsy

... Amarko loves his... Drop him a PM, he'll tell you all about it

Yes, ALL about it...

Mitch

aren't they a parallel twin with a 270° crank? and have the same engine characteristics as a 90° vee

[northwind]

I really like 'em. Not the sort of bike I'd buy at this point in time, but they've got a lot going for them. I really like the looks (for some reason) and they've got a real substance about them.

Cronos 2, can't stress enough to watch yourself if you're ever using Carrick Yamaha for anything other than parts ordering, terrible shop. My experiences with their workshop were bad enough that I probably wouldn't even buy a used bike with a Carrick stamp in, since I've got no faith that they'd even have done the work, let alone done it to an adequate degree. I could've been killed the last time I let them work on my 125...

Originally Posted by Cloggsy

Loads of people have got 'em; OFuk, amarko5, Fubar (to name but a few...)

Amarko loves his... Drop him a PM, he'll tell you all about it

Yes but Amarko5's and Fubar's are the newer 900's, not the 850 like mine.