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:
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:
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.
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:
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.
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