TDM 900

It suits me better, do not get me wrong the Versys was and is a cracking bike but the Yamaha is just a bit more different, old school and left field

After 10 years of a new GSA every three years I am opting out of that money pit .

The 1250 gsa with its tft, keyless, dynamic esa ,gsap,sos,new cheapo looking gimmicky indicators and all the rest of the electronics plus the £6000 it costs to change are doing nothing for me.

I will keep the 2018 gsa for touring and most likely this TDM for UK use and save the depreciation money to pay for holidays abroad
 
It suits me better, do not get me wrong the Versys was and is a cracking bike but the Yamaha is just a bit more different, old school and left field

After 10 years of a new GSA every three years I am opting out of that money pit .

The 1250 gsa with its tft, keyless, dynamic esa ,gsap,sos,new cheapo looking gimmicky indicators and all the rest of the electronics plus the £6000 it costs to change are doing nothing for me.

I will keep the 2018 gsa for touring and most likely this TDM for UK use and save the depreciation money to pay for holidays abroad

I'am enjoying this thread; a couple of mates had the 850s years ago and loved them; just out of interest; how much lower is the seat height compared to the Versy?
 
I would say it is a good couple of inches lower, I have a 33" inside leg measurement and at rest I have both feet flat on the floir with bent knees.
Easier to get on and off as the rear seat is lower yet still loads of legroom
 
Glad you're liking the TDM Neil, but I'm not really surprised as I'm an admin/member over on the TDM forum. :) http://www.carpe-tdm.net/ipb/

They are imho a very underrated bike and the motor is a peach, some members on Carpe have over 100,000 miles without needing any major repairs. Look after the maintenance (I'm sure you will) and it will serve you well. Handling improves if you drop the yokes 10-20mm and front suspension can be improved upon by fitting cartridge emulators if you're wanting it. USD forks have been fitted to some 9'ers, the Greek TDM guys do lots of mods to their 9'ers including turbo's lol
Only things to keep an eye on are the rear suspension pivot shaft, it can sieze if not maintained, and the first couple of Valve clearance checks. If you need any help/info just give us a shout over on Carpe.

Looks like you've got a great looking bike in good condition...enjoy. :cool:
 
Glad you're liking the TDM Neil, but I'm not really surprised as I'm an admin/member over on the TDM forum. :) http://www.carpe-tdm.net/ipb/

They are imho a very underrated bike and the motor is a peach, some members on Carpe have over 100,000 miles without needing any major repairs. Look after the maintenance (I'm sure you will) and it will serve you well. Handling improves if you drop the yokes 10-20mm and front suspension can be improved upon by fitting cartridge emulators if you're wanting it. USD forks have been fitted to some 9'ers, the Greek TDM guys do lots of mods to their 9'ers including turbo's lol
Only things to keep an eye on are the rear suspension pivot shaft, it can sieze if not maintained, and the first couple of Valve clearance checks. If you need any help/info just give us a shout over on Carpe.

Looks like you've got a great looking bike in good condition...enjoy. :cool:

I am going to strip the rear linkage and regrease it in the next few weeks plus carry out a full service, I am impressed with the handling , and the front brakes are in particular excellent
 
Picked up a set of shorter dog bones for less than £20 and fitted them today, at the same time regreasing all of the linkages . It has raised the rear end by about 35mm on the standard settings and hasn't affected the handling
 

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Had some Goodridge Buildaline kit lying around from previous projects so decided to use them on the TDM with s/steel lines , banjo fittings and bolts.

The Blue spot calipers with 15 year old standard rubber lines were good with the new lines they are absolutely superb.

They put the Brembo's and my 800 and 1200 to shame and having ridden a couple of 1250's with the Hayes calipers they are not a patch on the 15 year old Blue Spots
 

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Handling on the tdm since changing the tyres has been superb BUT the left fork stanchion did have corrosion right at the top of the fork travel.
Got hold of a pair of hard chrome aftermarket legs which I fitted at the weekend along with seals and new fluid, small issue of the pattern stanchions having a thicker wall ,however, easily sorted especially as I was fitting new linear uprated springs which had a very slightly smaller diameter.
The left fork was full with the correct amount (547ml) of bright red ATF, but the right leg contained at most 250 ml of grey stinky sludge.
Anyhow, once reassembled the bike handles even better, however, the real kicker is on checking the old stanchions to see if they were worth having hard chromed is the bend in right leg, wonder what caused that ?

Pics taken on a flat topped glass table
 

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been missing the temp gauge and voltmeter that the BMW's have so got this little gizmo from Louis in Germany for the grand total of £16 , weather proof and three wires to sort it out
 

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also re purposed the Denali lights off the old 1200 and made up brackets to increase the visibility of the bike
 

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Hi Neil - Now the proud owner of a TDM 900.
Done the air box mod.
Replaced the rear brake disc with new pads.
Now have a comfort seat and replacement new screen.
Fixed the low rpm on choke.
Removed the white wheel tape and painted the wheels with Satin black hammerite - came up well.
Ordered a voltmeter and temp gauge just like yours - thanks for the tip.
Stripped and clean both front calipers and replaced brake fluid.

The front brake lines are original (non abs) and the brakes are ok. People talk about them being brilliant. Did your replacement brake lines really improve the front brakes?
 
Brakes were easily as good as the BMW R1200/1250 GSA / KTM 1090 Brembo Radial calipers even with the old rubber hoses , however , once the goodridge hoses were fitted they are even better .

You can easily stand the bike on its nose using two finger braking
 
Hello Neil.

Found you're posts very interesting as I'm looking to buy a TDM around September time.

Do you still have the bike and enjoy it?

Also do you know if the ABS systems are reliable or any good as I was toying with the idea of looking for one with ABS.

I don't think yours was an ABS model?

Mick
 


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