The TDM850 is designed to be a genuine all-round motorbike. Yamaha claim that it is smooth and manoeuvrable around town, which I can support, comfortable for long distances, which I believe, and with performance comparable to a sports bike, on which I can't comment one way or the other. As far as its sporting claims are concerned, the reactions of motorcycle reviewers has ranged from qualified acceptance to outright disbelieve. Speaking for myself, my usual journeys are on roads as unlike a racetrack as any flat surface can be, so I don't care much one way or the other. Nevertheless, my first reaction on riding the TDM was that the engine was missing. Closer acquaintance has not entirely dispelled this feeling.
The engine is in fact a parallel-twin unit, but not with the 180-degree crank arrangement that might be expected. The TDM engine has a crank whose arms are offset by 90 degrees, an arrangement more common in V-twins. The argument over whether the V-twin arrangement leads to better performance than the parrallel twin is an old one which continues to provoke strong feelings, and I certainly don't intend to discuss it here. As far as the TDM is concerned, I don't know whether the modification has the effect intended, and I suspect that no-one else does. Probably the only way to find out would be to build two machines that were identical except the crank arrangement and compare them side-by-side.
The TDM850's appearance evoked mixed reactions from bikers; many were bemused by its weird, science-fiction styling, but some were able to appreciate its finer points. It was widely admired by non-bikers, although it did not generate the open-mouthed incredulity that first sight of the VMax engendered. I think it looks as though Yamaha have picked the best styling features of a number of different bikes and mixed them all together. The result is not an unqualified success. It's hard to explain, but the TDM has a sort of 'mass-produced' look, rather like a mid-priced family car. Adding to this slightly pretentious feel is the mock carbon fibre instrument panel. I hate this sort of thing for the same reason that I hate fake Rolex watches: they look fine from a distance, but closer inspection reveals the lack of resemblance to the original.
I also have mixed feelings about the new engine architecture: if the crank modifications really improve the performance, then they are to be welcomed. If they have no other function than to make the bike sound like a Ducati then it is pretentious. Don't get me wrong: I think motorcycles should sound good and the TDM jolly well does, especially at high revs; but they should sound good because they are high-performance, well-engineered machines, rather than because the men in suits have determined that sales can be improved by a nice sound without the concomitant expensive engineering.
There's no doubt that the TDM is a very capable machine. I suspect that you could ride it almost anywhere, over any distance, in comfort and with complete confidence. It is totally undemanding on congested urban roads, and the towering riding position gives incredible visibility over the rooves of cars. In the urban environment, the TDM was the fastest of the bikes described here, simply because it could get into gaps that the others couldn't. But in a way it was the least interesting to ride.
All things considered, I feel that a relatively new TDM is quite expensive for what it is. I think that many people
will consider buying one for urban use, but in this application it must surely be compared to other excellent bikes
like BMW's F650, which are at least £1000 cheaper.
©1994-2006 Kevin Boone, all rights reserved