Yamaha TDM 900: review, technical specifications and reviews

Bike features

Here are the main features of the machine:

• good motor performance;
• comfortable seat;
• wonderful driving characteristics.

The latter is perhaps what 850 and 900 enthusiasts value most, along with versatility. Both motorcycles can perform well, not only on a smooth highway, but also on a rather rough road. Of course, the Yamaha TDM 900 is not an SUV, but it definitely shares some of the features of such motorcycles.

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)

Dimensions and weight

The bike has medium dimensions and reaches a length of 2180 mm, a width of 800 mm, and a height of 1290 mm. The wheelbase size here is 1485 mm, and the saddle height is 825 mm. The weight of the car without fuel is 190 kg, but with it it is already 221 kg. It's all about the large 20 liter gas tank. However, gasoline consumption here is very small, and on average it will take no more than 4.5 liters per hundred kilometers.

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.

Chassis and brakes

Frame TDM 900 – Deltabox made of aluminum. Graceful and elegant, it will definitely please those who are not indifferent to the appearance of the iron satellite. The wheels are alloy, and the steering wheel is nothing particularly remarkable.

The rear suspension of the TDM 900 is a pendulum version with a monoshock absorber, and at the front it is a 43 mm telescopic fork. The rear brakes are a 245 mm disc with a single-piston caliper, and the front brakes are a pair of 298 mm discs with four-piston calipers.

Yamaha MT -09 Tracer (2014 – present, RUB 765,000)

Yamaha MT-09 Tracer is a modern SUV. It combines a very attractive appearance, a complete lack of off-road “skills”, a torquey engine and a significant set of electronic assistants. When moving from the basic naked to the Tracer version, there were no changes to the chassis or brakes.

Engine

In-line 12-valve three with liquid cooling, displacement 847 cm3, peak power 115 hp. With. at 10,000 rpm and a six-speed gearbox it’s “lucky” and sounds like a modern motorcycle should. There is a slight hint of itchy vibrations. The engine is really not bad, but the picture is somewhat spoiled by the complexity of dosing the amount of mixture using an electronically controlled throttle valve. Customizable engine power output modes do not help. The motorcycle simply cannot ride calmly and without jerking during transitional conditions. An erratic jerking rhythm leads to accelerated wear of the drive chain.

Another well-known and repeatedly tested trick is the location of the drain plug in the crankcase pan below the level of the exhaust manifolds. Accordingly, you can forget about off-roading. Any careless crossing of the curb will lead to a puddle of oil on the asphalt and a trip to the tow truck for service. Occasionally, after 1500–2000 km, owners of new motorcycles out of the box experience warranty problems with the timing chain tensioner.

Transmission

The six-speed gearbox of the Yamaha MT-09 Tracer is completely devoid of “childhood diseases” and other artifacts. The gears switch smoothly and predictably. In the case of a particularly greyhound driving style, the drive chain turns into a fleeting consumable.

Frame and body kit

The frame of the entire Yamaha MT -09 family is hidden very deeply in the engine. To damage it, you need to hit the motorcycle with your forehead against a stationary object. All the little plastic is concentrated in the upper part of the motorcycle. You shouldn't expect any special strength from it. The purpose of the branched burdocks, designed to protect the controls and the driver’s hands, is extremely unclear. In fact, they significantly interfere with driving in traffic jams and seriously increase the cost of repairs in case of minor falls on the spot. Wind protection is already at a decent level as standard. Mainly thanks to the adjustable windshield.

Brakes

The brakes were almost completely transferred to the MT-09 Tracer from premium Yamaha sports models. However, despite the presence of ABS, to increase efficiency it would not hurt to install reinforced hoses on all circuits.

Pendants

An inverted telescope with a pipe diameter of 41 mm and a monoshock absorber with progressive rods require very precise adjustment to a specific driver (fortunately, everything for this is there). Standard settings from the factory are far from ideal, which can mislead owners. In terms of the nature of the suspension, Tracer is a 100% road bike. Soil is contraindicated for him!

Comfort

Comfort in the case of the Yamaha MT-09 Tracer is not only a comfortable fit and good wind protection. Pleasure and convenience, not least of all, depend on the anti-lock braking system, traction control, heated steering wheel grips, preparation for installing side cases and an engine operating mode selection system present in the basic equipment.

Modifications

There are no modifications except for differences in colors depending on the year of manufacture and the availability of a standard catalog of accessories.

conclusions

Either the TDM is so unsuccessful, or the Honda is so adequate, but doubts disappeared in the first hundred meters riding the Honda. Having calculated the cost for an estimate, I realized that for the price of a new TMD, by giving away a “cat” in addition, you can get a new Honda CBF1000 and enjoy it endlessly (or at least another ten years). But whether I’m ready to “splurge” on a new moneymaker is a separate conversation ;).

ps

The last “painful” question is color! I really didn’t think that everything could be so bad, but besides red (baby, a relic of the past ;)), gray (well, no good!) and black and white there is nothing else! Horrible! The black is quite neutral, but the scratches on it are too visible (why isn’t there a matte black like on the CB1000R??). The V-Strom looked stylish (yes, unlike many journalists, I always liked the appearance of the V-Strom), but the CBF... and so it’s a sheep, and then there’s also a black one ;). It is difficult to say how “visible” it will be on the road. And white... until recently was considered “unsaleable”, but somehow a couple of years ago the opinion changed and it became quite “quotable”. And for such a “liner at heart” as the CBF1000, I would say it’s far from the worst option!

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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.

Lyrical absence or agony of choice

After trying Goose, I was clearly struck by the fact that nothing suited me and I began intensively scouring the Internet for alternative options for a good motorcycle for every day.
At some point, a crazy thought drove me towards the nakeds, after which, with the effort of the remnants of rational thinking, the gray mass between the ears was inclined towards the CB1000R, but, as happens in this life, chance put everything in its place. After another day at work, I drove along an unfamiliar road, and then in the evening I replayed the same route in my head on the “cool naked” CB1000R and realized that one thing doesn’t fit with the other. This kind of waste makes you “light up for no reason” and confidently “tear everyone one by one and together into rags,” but in fact you want to calmly, without proving anything to anyone and without throwing yourself under the wheels of another teenager in a retuned Golf, get to your destination with a sufficient reserve of power and (which is important) stroke (CB1000R for a long time without nipples... can’t withstand gas pumps). In general, we pull ourselves together, grow up and think about more “serious” spendthrifts. And then the thought smoothly flowed to where we actually started... namely, the road workers.

Due to Yamaha’s “commitment to the brand,” until now, the solid TDM that has remained unchanged for years has been chosen as a candidate. The rest is either too off-road (and you need to look for this here, and in 10 years I’ve only gotten out of the asphalt once (!)) or sporty (spare your arms and back) or the price (I’m not yet ready to pay [much] more for the bike than for a car). As a logical continuation of the 4-cylinder road family, the Honda CBF1000 was chosen, with a semi-fairing, locomotive (according to reviews) thrust throughout the entire range (“the cat” until you spin it won’t do any good, but driving at 8 thousand rpm in the city... oops, “countryside” , somehow awkward).