Yamaha TDM 900: review, technical specifications and reviews

Short description

Yamaha TDM 900 was released in 2002. This version began to be produced immediately after the TDM 850. It is believed that “TDM 900” is a new generation of the 850 version. But similarity in design does not mean anything, because the TDM 900 has undergone many changes:

• the steel frame was replaced with aluminum, which became 20 percent lighter, adding handling and driving dynamics;
• engine volume increased and weight decreased;
• the power system is now controlled by an injector rather than a carburetor;
• six-speed gearbox (TDM 850 has a five-speed gearbox);
• new brakes borrowed from the R1;
• new modification with the prefix “A”;
• wheel weight has been reduced;
• curb weight was reduced by 11 kilograms.

But this is not the most important thing. In the new version, all the problem areas of the TDM 850 were removed and corrected, namely: the rear caliper was replaced with a higher quality one, the carburetor was replaced with an injector, stronger and lighter materials were used, both in the frame and in the engine.

There are two versions of this motorcycle: the standard version “TDM 900” and the version “TDM 900A” (externally it differs from the standard version only in the color of the frame).

Preface

As it turned out, in the summer there are a sufficient number of promotions of different dealers and brands, since this is the most fertile time for recruiting new customers. In this case, the promotion was carried out by the Dutch dealer network MotoPort, which invited everyone to the so-called “opstapdag” (something like a “trial day”), where you can either try to ride a motorcycle without having a license at all, or (which for me was much more interesting), try “something different”. So, armed with review data and narrowing the choice to two models, namely, the Yamaha TDM 900 and Honda CBF1000, I decided to take the plunge and try what they eat with.

Specifications

The technical characteristics of the Yamaha TDM 900 are far from the R1. But this vehicle does not claim to be the most powerful due to its versatility.

Peculiarities

The basis of the new version of the Yamaha TDM 900 is a 2-cylinder engine with a volume of 900 cm³ and a power of 87 horsepower. The crankshaft of the new engine has not changed - still the same 270 degrees. Thanks to the crankshaft, the fuel ignites asymmetrically, thereby making this engine similar to a V-shaped one.

Another important feature is the aluminum frame, which made the motorcycle lighter by 11 kilograms.

Production of the Yamaha TDM 900 officially ended in 2012. This series was not released as new models. But in 2015 they released a motorcycle similar to it - the Yamaha MT-09 Tracer, although this is a completely different motorcycle.

The features of the Yamaha TDM 900, judging by the reviews, are as follows:

• excellent motor with large volume;
• comfortable fit, one of the best in the Yamaha lineup;
• good technical characteristics;
• design.

The frame and suspension are made of aluminum. The suspension can be adjusted depending on the driving pace and load. On older models, according to the owners, the motorcycle lost its stability at speeds exceeding the permitted speed. Now there is no such problem thanks to the improved suspension.

Wind protection on the Yamaha TDM 900 is excellent. Thanks to the streamlined body and low seating position, the driver does not feel the wind at all. A headwind is not a problem, but side winds are a problem.

Each element on the instrument panel is clearly visible and easy to read. Despite the fact that this motorcycle belongs to the road class, it has a large display that indicates engine speed, speed, fuel and oil levels, as well as other indications.

The brakes modified after TDM 850 now work flawlessly. The brakes on the front wheel are the same as on the Yamaha P1. Nothing special for a weight over 400 kilograms. This won't hurt at all, and in some cases it will even help. Since all the mass is located on the front axle, powerful brakes on the rear axle will not be as effective as on the front axle.

Review of the Yamaha TDM 900 motorcycle

I am 57 years old. Over 40 years of motorcycle driving experience, I've ridden everything from a macaque. I bought TDM by accident. At the end of last year I went to Yamaha, saw it and bought it. I was attracted to TDM by its unusual appearance and ease of fit. But this is not the main thing. The main thing in TDM is the motor. The motor is amazing in every way. Dry sump.

Ten-valve head. All this, together with the crankshaft in which the axles are set at 90 and 270 degrees, gives such a V-shaped effect that just hold on! Gains a hundred in less than 4 seconds, and 150 in 7 seconds. The performance is amazing. Both the rear and front shock absorbers are very good. There are a ton of settings for any load, any road, any driving mode. It should also be noted that TDM is the easiest among classmates and this is important. Very comfortable seating position for both driver and passenger.

Although I would place my hands higher on the steering wheel. You can travel 300-350 km in one breath without stopping with a ridiculous fuel consumption of only 4.9-5.6 l/100 km.

I drove 6000 km during the season. Raid to Crimea for the Sevastopol rally and out-of-town gatherings. It’s difficult to drive around the city. There is no traction at the bottom, which is due to its racing past, and it’s big and very tall. Outside the city, at 120-130 km/h, my head wobbles.

But at 150-170, an air bag appears behind the fairing and you press in silence. 200 goes calmly, but the situation on the road does not allow me to maintain this speed for a long time. The rear brake is very tricky. If without a passenger, then with light pressure it drifts to the south. The front brake is atrocious. The main thing is to keep the TDM away from the stand on the front wheel, because the weight distribution of the TDM is all on the front wheel - you can lie down.

In general, the motorcycle is reliable, amazing, but strict and definitely not for beginners.

The maximum speed I tested in the tdm 900 was 210 km/h. I didn't notice it at all because it was burning oil. The motor produces the most ideal torque between 3500 and 8000 rpm. I am especially pleased with the comfort of the wide seat and the driving sound of the engine. At the same time - amazing efficiency - at the level of 5-6 liters per hundred kilometers. Clear gear shifting also contributes to this.

I immediately advise you to replace the original glass with a higher one if you want to maintain comfort on the highway at breakneck speeds. But with sliders, I would think about whether it’s worth it. In my opinion, arches are much better – safer for the motor and frame.

I added xenon to my device, since the factory light is not enough. I changed the oil in the front fork to 10W synthetic and it started working differently.

I’ve already been away for three seasons, and I don’t see a worthy replacement on the horizon yet, I’m ready to argue about it if anyone has the desire and time.

The Tydym 900 is a dual-use motorcycle, firstly an excellent tourist, and secondly a good road worker. It has a small base, in the city it squeezes between cars perfectly, the engine is high-torque. The seating position is comfortable, upright, you can ride for a long time, and visibility is good. I would also like to note the smoothness of the ride - 5! On our roads especially, potholes and cracks go through everything with a bang. This is the opinion.

I got the motor when it was two years old, but with only a little over eight thousand kilometers on it. The price was so attractive that I bought it without hesitation, especially since before that I had ridden the previous version with the “850” engine for two years and managed to “get attached” to this motorcycle. What attracted me so much to him? Its incredible versatility! I need a motorcycle, as they say, “for every day,” but I also love to travel, and not only abroad, but also in Ukraine, I travel a lot, but we don’t have roads - only directions. TDM is excellent in this regard - it is light in itself, quite narrow in body, has a high steering wheel that passes over the mirrors of cars and is easy to steer even at a speed of 5 km/h. These advantages are very valuable for a city with its dense traffic. Many, seeing the pipes passing directly under the engine, believe that TDM is not capable of overcoming the edges. This is wrong. When avoiding traffic jams, I storm standard low curbs without any problems, I just do it carefully.

The engine, although not very powerful by modern standards, is very high-torque and has a certain sporty “zing” - it spins easily and cheerfully, and, as they say, “all the way.” But he doesn’t like low revs at all: the motorcycle starts to move at least somehow only after the 2500 rpm mark.

Now the odometer shows a little more than 45 thousand kilometers, more than two-thirds of which I covered on various long-distance trips. The last one, in September, more than ten thousand kilometers long, went to Portugal. The handling of the “900” is good in gentle turns of low mountains, although it goes steadily on the autobahns, but the wind protection is weak: after 160 you need to hide behind... the highest tuning “windbreaker” (which I installed immediately instead of the standard visor). A comfortable cruising speed is 120-140 km/h, but if you drive for a very long time, the “fifth point” becomes stiff on a narrow seat, then you can get up and ride standing, holding the tank with your knees. The headlights are strong enough to move around in the dark, although I would put xenon in the “low” headlight.

Go to Yamaha TDM 900

Check out the test drives:

• Yamaha TDM900: Comparative test drive with BMW F800ST
• Yamaha TDM900: Test drive from Motorreview (Vladimir Zdorov)
• Yamaha TDM900: Test drive from Motorreview (Leonid Yushkin)
• Yamaha TDM900: Test drive from Motorreview (Andrey Trifonov)
• Yamaha TDM900: Test drive from MotoDrive (Valera Drive)
• Yamaha TDM900: Test drive from MotoDrive (Vladislav Sofonov)

Engine

Previously, during the production of the first models, the engine was designed for off-road driving, and not at all on a flat highway. It has become more voluminous, reaching 900 cubic meters, but this is not the limit. It also now has a fuel injection system, the engine has become more manageable at low speeds. The exhaust sound is very similar to the exhaust of a V-twin engine. The response to turning the throttle, according to reviews, has become much smoother, even if the gear was selected incorrectly. There is also a slight vibration, but it does not interfere as much as it did before; even the appearance in the mirrors does not change its quality.

A chain support system was installed, which reduced noise and vibration levels.

The gearbox has also undergone changes, becoming six-speed. Compared to the old version, the initial gear has become more playful, and even in it you can accelerate to hundreds, the remaining gears have become “closer” to each other.

Reviews of Yamaha TDM Rating: 4.1 out of 5 8 reviews found

12.04.2013
I decided to sell my TDM 850 from 1992, and of course I posted an ad for sale on this site. I started typing a description about the motorcycle I was selling, but I got so carried away that I ended up with a lot of characters that didn’t fit into the description block, I had to cut it down a lot. Of course this not a specific review, but still, you never know who will be interested in reading, maybe they will deduct something useful for themselves. I have owned TDM for the second season, before that I had a Baltmotor Classic 200 - Russian-Chinese nonsense that disassembles parts into parts while driving, but because... this was my first motorcycle, I was basically happy with the choice, then I bought a TDM and then my motorcycle life took off, I started riding serious long-distance trips, etc. So, here’s what I tried to cram into the 2000 characters allocated for explanations: ————————- The '92 Yamaha TDM 850 is looking for a new owner who understands that the year of manufacture for motorcycles is not as significant as for cars, and that the TDM is a large road enduro, which means small scratches on plastic and other parts are normal. But since this is also a road motorcycle, it feels good on the highway, and the new owner will be able to reach high speeds, and will not be blown off the motorcycle due to the plastic fairing (like a sports one), and will be able to cross the 100 km/h mark in 4 seconds, still 850 cubes is a good volume. In general, they say correctly, it would be good to have an enduro, sports and road bike in the garage - but you can buy one TDM motorcycle that will have all these qualities. Now to the point: The motorcycle served me the entire last 2012 season, and this 2013 season I’m on it too opened it. I rode around the city and intercity almost every day. I also made two long-distance trips on it, the first to the shores of the Arctic Ocean, the second long-distance trip to the Caspian and Black Sea. Of course, I drove mostly on asphalt Russian roads, but also I did not deny myself the pleasure of turning off the road, and further from the road, with fords, sands, bushes, hills and holes. The motorcycle showed its best side in all respects on different road surfaces, and made a discovery for me that you can ride wherever you want and however you want, and I consider the TDM to be the best all-terrain motorcycle. I filled it with 92 gasoline, probably of dubious quality, but on This did not affect engine performance in any way. No way at all, I think you can add a little 80 mixed in and the bike will run. In short, it is omnivorous, and also relatively economical - consumption on average is 5.5 liters at an average speed of 130-150, and the tank volume of 18 liters allows you to pass by frequent gas stations on the road and refuel every 300 km or more, and not waste time on questions from the gas station attendants: “How fast is it rushing? How much is he eating? How much is it worth? "In September last season I changed the rear tires, on which I drove only 4000 km, so everything is OK, the front Metzeler cylinder is in good condition - it will serve for another season without problems. At the same time I changed the front brake pads, I didn’t touch the rear ones — they are not particularly worn, the discs are in order. The mufflers are stock, normal, do not fart and do not emit blue smoke, because the engine is in excellent condition, I’ll explain why later. The TDM is a very oil-guzzling beast, up to a liter of oil per 1000 km. This is true for many, but this particular motorcycle had its piston parts (cylinders, rings, pistons) changed a week ago. The valve stem seals were also changed and the spark plugs were replaced with new ones. Compression after the manipulations showed 12.5 points in each pot, which indicates its excellent condition, and the motorcycle will serve the new owner for a long time, and it will not require oil addition for a long time . After the repair, I drove about 600 km and the oil consumption was not detected at all, not like before :) Well, since the piston was replaced, I also had to change the Agip oil with an oil filter, and a new VARTA gel battery (I have a receipt). Front and the rear sprocket is in new condition, i.e. no wear. The gold-plated chain is in excellent condition and does not stretch at all, which surprised me a little. Well, I lubricated it every 300 km with white MOTUL lubricant. The motorcycle is universal, the seating is comfortable, the legs and arms do not become numb, the wind protection is better due to the enlarged touring glass . Once I drove from Gelendzhik to Ryazan (1400 km) in one day (I was surprised). If anyone wants to get the status of “iron ass” with a badge, then TDM is quite suitable for this purpose. For those who like to drive on a grader, a durable aluminum engine protection is installed, and in the event of a collapse of the Iron arc, they will protect the sides from expensive plastic repairs. Moreover, this The motorcycle has heated handles, which is also important in the off-season. There are arches installed for installing side panniers or for textile trunks to hang normally (I won’t give you a central pannier in addition, I need it on the new TDM 900). For lovers of night rides, the installed ones will be very useful bi-xenon headlights, with which the road at night is visible as during the day, but at the same time drivers of oncoming cars do not go blind, and besides, the electrical load on the generator is less than that of conventional light bulbs. For my long-distance trips, I used a navigator that charges immediately from a 12-volt socket in the dashboard panel, this cigarette lighter will be very useful for the new owner :) ——————————————-By the way, dear reader, the offer for sale is relevant. It is on the TDM list, for 130,000 rubles. Ryazan.

Reviews

Owner reviews of the Yamaha TDM 900 are very positive, considering the fact that the motorcycle has gone through many tests, becoming an almost flawless unit for many motorcycle enthusiasts. I loved it primarily for its versatility. And all the owners talk about it.

Reviews about "Yamaha TDM 900". can be divided into positive and those containing criticism. Here are the advantages:

• lightweight, durable frame that adds handling and dynamics;
• design, namely the elements that make it both a road bike and an off-road bike;
• an ideal motorcycle for driving around Russia;
• low fuel consumption;
• comfort;
• comfortable fit;
• inexpensive motorcycle maintenance;
• nimble gearbox;
• reliability;
• permeability;
• visibility.

Minuses:

• lack of a central footrest;
• standard windshield;
• A typical front fork for a motorcycle of this class.