Road test of YamahaTDM 900 2002 The Final Edition ?

the mission: 1,500 km in 36 hours, including 1,250 km of freeway and 250 km of small roads!
The candidate has to be a versatile, comfortable motorcycle that plays well on small roads, has a good range and can carry a tent and luggage ...

the Final Edition ? by Olivier Quinten - Motoplanete Exclusive

after a lot of research, the chosen one is the TDM 900; an "old" acquaintance with which I covered over 150,000 kilometers with two of the 850s from the first two phases.

what was the TDM "concept"?

coming out of the great Enduro Paris-Dakar wave, the brand with the three tuning forks had hit the headlines with the Super Ténéré, a tall and imposing 70 hp/din twin-cylinder mega trail bike. It took a certain amount of experience and, above all, long legs to ride this kind of beast.
Certain of the engine's merits, and listening to its customers, Yamaha brought out the spectacular TDM 850 at the 1991 Paris Motor Show.
Featuring a look never seen before, it was also packed with innovative technical solutions. A clever blend of the 850 cc engine used in the Dakar prototypes, the chassis and brakes of an FZR 600 and, of course, the 5-valves-per-cylinder technology so dear to the brand.
But what's the point of testing a model that's visually over 16 years old?
Well, because the engineers have, little by little and without touching the original lines, evolved the machine.

and the 2007 model I received gives the impression of being particularly accomplished. The forks have been enlarged from 41 to 43 mm for greater stability, the tires have been enlarged by 10 mm each (for looks?), the 6-speed gearbox offers incredible fuel economy on the freeway (less than 5l at 150 km/h) and above all, the engine, which has gained almost 9 hp/din by going up 48 cm³. The limit of the red zone in sixth gear gives a top speed of 221 km/h on the speedometer,
When I get on the bike, apart from the familiar riding position, I feel like I'm discovering a new motorcycle. The dashboard is in keeping with the latest fashion, with a central rev counter accompanied, to its left, by a digital unit containing meters, 2 trip meters and the fuel gauge, and, to its right, an engine temperature gauge. All this is underlined by a row of warning lights (blinker, ABS, oil, neutral, etc.).
Practical but not particularly sexy, the cockpit can't hide the years of evolution and still looks "old school".

contact

the sound emitted by the two long exhausts has not changed profoundlythe sound emitted by the two long exhausts hasn't changed much, and revs, although helped by the extra 50cc, aren't very lively. At the same time, we're not asking a TDM to be a monster of power, but rather to be a luxury "utilitarian". And it's true that, in this respect, it fulfils its role wonderfully!
A host of details make the road easier:
-an outstretched-arm position, with the torso upright, protected by the bubble and "pressed" into the bike
-practical pot holders that allow you to rest your boot on two fixed points, an incredibly comfortable detail on the freeway,
-a smooth, precise 6-speed gearbox (the first one creaks a little)
-well-thought-out passenger comfort thanks to a comfortable seat and low footrests.

however, all these positive points only succeed in masking an aging look, especially at the rear. And that's despite Yamaha's efforts to offer some nice colors in the 2007 catalog.
I imagine that Yamaha already has, somewhere in its research offices, a machine capable of giving the TDM a well-deserved retirement. But why change a concept that works? A machine so perfect that all you want to do is ride, ride, ride!
And this week at its handlebars has allowed me to eat some milestones! Nearly 3,000 km!
The more elastic and torquey engine no longer forces you to drop a gear when overtaking, but I found the power distributed evenly and not very demonstratively in the second half of the rev counter (between 5.000 and 9,000 rpm) which, if you're not careful, can lead to solid forays into the red zone.

it's always the same dilemma when I have to conclude an article on a bike that's too "politically correct"... What can I say?
Well, that I've reserved a TDM for next season!

A+

Oli the Belgian