TDM 850 mk2 (4tx)
If you’re going to buy used, now is the time to start looking. Play your cards right and you can sell on in the spring, covering the cost of the bike and running it over the winter, while sparing the other bike the indignities of climate and the council gritter. Check out The Bg 2019 Hack Directory for a few buying ideas.
This year Bg reversed the timetable and picked up our winter hack in the spring, simply because a sub 15k mile TDM 850 (mk 2) turned up locally for £1200. With its weird 90s styling and skinny rubber, it’s hard to imagine anything more antipathetical to hipsters and sportsbike riders alike – but even with a pillion on board it turned out to have an appetite for both, courtesy of (among other things) a horribly offensive straight through, the unholy relic of a traumatised past.
I’d seen an old TDM effortlessly sliding around corners in Crete back in the day and wanted one ever since (they were always loved by those within reach of the high passes, courtesy of those narrow sections and that deltabox frame). The dual component rear shock had been halved (previous owner’s height issue), but inspection of a box of ‘spares’ revealed the missing spring section, which was duly re-instaled, making the bike look less like an unexpected low rider.
Never spend too much on a hack – the whole point is turn over, and that means avoiding a project bike. The TDM’s main problem was chronic weight transfer, making life particularly difficult for anyone fancying a go on the passenger seat, and negating the bike’s natural cornering ability.Do the essentials only, no matter how many tempting plug and play options are available. Simply changing to a heavier fork oil and reducing the air gap made a massive difference to the bike and this mod alone would have sufficed. For anyone doing a lot of night work, a credible brand LED bulb replacement for the H1 and H3 halogens would be handy, if not essential. And that, along with an oil change, would have been that.
However, since the bike arrived in the spring, there was going to be a gap of at least a year before we could move it on. So we decided to go further than normal: the old Pirelli Angel GTs were looking past their best and were replaced by some brand new Metzeler Z8s, and since we actually had some R1 blue dot calipers in the shed (which are a direct replacement) we put them to good use. In fact, the TDM’s OE four pots aren’t that bad, but the blues are lighter and feel stronger under hard braking, even with the retention of the OE master cylinder. We hooked them up with some fresh HEL lines and EBC HH pads. Not night and day (like the LEDs) but still an improvement.
In order of practical significance, the fork oil adjustment and the Metzelers take top honours (although the LEDs may well make it a three way tie come winter). The Z8s just had more feel in corners and more security in the wet than the outgoing GTs – we’ve experience both brands on other bikes and always with the same result.
The TDM is an involving ride: a robust 270 degree twin capable of high miles with the potential for outstanding handling given its mass. The gearbox needs a sympathetic hearing while on the move and the deep dive suspension will need adjusting to taste. It is often cited as a precursor to the whole adventure bike sector and is actually more fun to ride than many of its bland successors. Watch this space.
Bg thanks to METZELER for the rubber and HEL for the lines.
Other low money laughs:
ZZR 600 (that motor)
ZX9 C model (that motor)
YAMAHA YZF 1000 THUNDERACE (reliable, fast, comfortable)
YAMAHA FZS 600 FAZER (as above, a bit lighter)
YAMAHA DIVERSION 900 (rock solid, shaft driven, air cooled mile muncher, handsome lump)
SUZUKI DR 650 (the 96 -04 is way lighter than its predecessor, genuine dual purpose)
See The Bg 2019 Hack Directory for further details on all the above. And more…