My TDM build

MarcFJ60

Adventurer
Since these motorcycle pages don't seem to be getting much traffic lately, I figured I would post my modifications to my 1993 Yamaha TDM 850. Although there are several people over on ADVRider that have taken their TDMs to some pretty crazy places, mine was destined for street duty as my sport tourer. If you live in the US and haven't heard of a TDM, it isn't surprising as they were only sold here in 1992 and 1993. In Europe it was actually the second best selling large bike from 1991-2001. They had great reviews when they hit the US, but they were very expensive and didn't really fit into am existing niche and few were sold here. It was essentially a Multistrada 10 years before there was a Multistrada. Here's a stock pic:
9300_0_2_3_tdm%20850_Submitted%20by%20anonymous%20user..jpg


I've always been intrigued by the TDM ever since seeing one in a local craigslist ad several years ago. They are dirt cheap (rare doesn't always mean wanted or valuable!) and owners generally seem to love them. I missed out on the original TDM I saw, but I continued to be fascinated with them. During this time, I also went through several bikes trying to find a comfortable sport tourer to compliment my thumper. I loved my VFR, but the ergos were too sporty for me. My DL1000 was very comfortable, but lacking in the sport department. I started to think street oriented adventure bikes bikes like a Multistrada, Tiger 1050, or Buell Ulysses had the right combination of comfort and performance. But I really couldn't justify spending much money on a second bike - I have a hard enough time justifying one!

Earlier this year, I was engaging in my ill-advised vice of browsing craigslist motorcycle ads and came upon an ad for a 1993 Yamaha TDM 850. It had a decent quality, but awful colored, paintjob and was selling nearby for just under $2000. That's about market value for it, but too much for me to spend on a 20 year old bike to have as a secondary bike. Then a few weeks later the ad is back and it is listed for $1000 and says it is having carb problems. Hmmmm, $1000 for a bike I've lusted after? So it came home looking like this:
Original%2520color.jpg


The seller was good guy with good mechanical skills, but he had lots of projects and was about to move. It was clear the bike had been taken care of, but it sat too much. The carbs on these bikes are a pain to access (removing body work, fuel tank, and airbox). But I had time and space for a cool project.

No I didn't, but reality wasn't going to stop me.
 
Last edited:

MarcFJ60

Adventurer
There was life in the tires, but they were old and had a flat profile from too many straight roads. With motorcycles, I don't really skimp on tires, so a new set of Pilot Road 3s went on. I thought I could live with the paint. It was a decent quality paint job, but it looked like bloody rootbeer. The picture above doesn't really do it justice. In the pic above it sort of looks like a wine color, but in real life it is much browner. I started looking at vinyl wraps as I didn't was to spend a lot on my $1000 project. I also always thought some motorcycles would look good in a Landcruiser desert tan color. As I researching vinyl wraps, I recalled a friend who restored cars and I wondered if he would paint a motorcycle. Turns out he actually had a side business painting motorcycles I was unaware of. After getting the "buddy price" my bike now looked like this:
Tan%2520Bike%25203.jpg


I left it decal free for awhile. I generally don't like decals. I also liked that I had a bike that very few people knew what it actually was. So keeping it label free just added to the "what the He** is that" appeal for me. I moved on to other maintenance and improvements.

The big issue was the carbs. I hate carbs. Really, I despise them. I know all the luddites love the fix-it-anywhere appeal of carbs, but I would take EFI anytime. Yes, you can keep carbs running - but keeping them running well is a lot tougher. Add to that how difficult it is to access the carbs on these bikes, and my hatred only grew :mad:. On this bike, you can't even adjust the pilot screws without the tank and bodywork coming off! But this was a project, so I worked on it when I had time and would walk away when I got frustrated. I'm happy to report, my carbs are just about perfect now. Let's hope they stay that way for a long time.

The beauty of this bike was that the more I worked on it and rode it, the more I realized what a truly great bike it is. It really was ahead of its time. So as my appreciation grew, so did the resources ($$$) I threw at it. I knew it was going to be a keeper. Basic maintenance was done (fork oil, brakes, bearings, coolant, valve adjust) and improvements were added like new bars, grip guards (from a Super Tenere), exhaust, and heated grips. Like many 90's era Japanese bikes, the electrical system needed improvement. A modern MOSFET R/R was swapped in as well as LED bulbs.

A sport tourer needs luggage. The problem is when you buy a bike that was only sold for 2 years - 20 years ago - parts availability becomes an issue. Sure, Givi used to make a luggage rack for them. Good luck finding one now. But since this bike sold well in Europe, Ebay in Europe and foreign dealers are a good source of parts. But finding racks for my bike was still tough. So I took a flyer and bought a pair of used racks that fit the next generation of TDMs (the "Mk2"). Not a direct fit, but close enough I could adapt them:
CIMG1191.JPG

CIMG1188.JPG


They bolted up fine at the top, but where they bolted to the rear pegs was a bit off. I was worried about bending the bars to fit, so I simply welded tabs onto them and it was a done deal:
CIMG1192.JPG


I was also happy to learn that Givi had come out with a new hardbag, the E22 (right), as a more modern appearing update to their E21 (left) bags:
DSC_0429-XL.jpg
 
Last edited:

MarcFJ60

Adventurer
With respect to the paint, I decided it was too monotone and needed to be broken up a bit. I added some decals and pinstriping:
leftwobags.jpg


It still has the original shock which I will likely replace over the next few months. But my wallet needs a break. But even with a 20 year old shock, the bike is exactly what I was looking for. It has the power to match my old VFR and DL1000, but it combines the comfort of the big V-Strom with the sportiness of the VFR. And although I have put way more money into than I should have, I still have less into it than I had into either the VFR or the DL1000. Here is how it sits today:

Left%2520Front.jpg


Now that I don't need much time to work on it, maybe I'll have some time to actually ride it. :sombrero:
 
Last edited:

Cabrito

I come in Peace
What a beauty! I love the TDM850's - There's one for sale near be that I've been wanting to check out.
 

MarcFJ60

Adventurer
I guess I can update the thread a little bit . . .

I still have the TDM and am still very pleased with it. I wish it was EFI, , but other than that no real complaints. I got tired of looking at the old seat but didn't really have an issue with the comfort. Like many things for the TDM, European Ebay is my friend. Got this cover from a vendor in Poland:
Smallseat1.jpg


I added some cheap LED driving lights and replaced the stock bulbs with LED versions to save power and add light. I noticed my last post (12/2014) stated I would probably get a new shock in a few months. Well, a few months apparently means 20 months! Hyperpro USA was having a sale, so . . .
tdm%2Bshock.jpg


The 24 year old/40K mile original shock isn't half bad, but it is clearly tired and seems to have lost more steam lately. I will likely put the rear shock on tomorrow (basic emulsion type). The fork springs will have to wait a while. I replaced the fork oil within the last year and I'm not in a hurry to tackle that messy job again. That said, the fork oil looked awful and I'm sure another oil swap will be beneficial, as will proper springs.
 

MarcFJ60

Adventurer
Got the rear shock and fork springs in. Not as drastic of a change as I may have hoped, but a definite improvement in comfort and handling. But then again, it was already a very comfortable and good handling bike.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,534
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top