Yamaha TDM Riders

Bloody 'Roos...

Excellent write up thank you. I'll be looking into it.

Cheers Steve

Ya, i tend to believe it. The previous owner has a whole garage full of motorcycles and this one was the bastard child in the corner. Its in pretty good shape but has a few flaws. Im working most of them out.

I have to say, i've only been able to put 100 miles or so on it since i bought it, but this is one of the smoothest riding bikes ive ever been on. At 60mph its like riding on glass. Really amazing for a twin and ive owned a lot of twins to compare it to!

here is a topic about my TDM. last pics are from a photo shoot for the local magazine "Motociclismo".

http://www.motociclism.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=501392

Enjoy!

Great work. Thanks for sharing

soo i'll add the pictures from accident and the repair process. still waiting for insurance money to start. 20 day past an nothing yet...

My TDM knocked over 40,000 ks last saturday. 40,000 in 30 months.

Very Happy

Hey Gateman, weren't you running Distanzias front and rear? You must do some long trips to clock up those k's, how have you found them?

I'm about to place an order for a Distanzia front/Tourance rear as I read the Tourance wears a bit better... intending on a trip to Cameron's corner - do you think these tyres are up to the tracks up north?

G'Day HerrMnnn.
How's your ride going? I've seen some of your pics, good to see your out and about. Have you a bash plate yet?

I put new Distanzia's on the bike at 17,358 kilometers according to my records and learned about what pressure to use for what surface on a ride out to the hill with Lentil last year. The front is still on and very healthy. I replaced the rear due to it squaring off (My Fault) at the 36,200th kilometer.
Thats 18,842 k's on the original rear and 22,701k's current on the original front. (40,059total now).

Someone on here gave me a little grieff about my choice of tyre pressure once. My way seems to be doing ok.

If i am going to be on dirt for an extended period i drop the pressure to around 20psi f/r. It could go lower for sand with no rock. As PhilFong, Lentil & Brotown can tell you it gets me to all our destinations without any trouble.

More of my miles are on the blacktop and may be in the alpine area or up the coast or in the far west of QLD/NSWS/SA a fair variation.
The thing I like the most is I can take to a track or long stretch of dirt on a FarRide and its no problem.

I can only speak from personal experience in regard how a tyre will go. I have no doubt that they are up to a trip out west. Just remember that even with a full blown dirt tyre, correct pressure is everything.
Would I buy them again? Yes.

My `92 turned over 30K Mi. yesterday. 22.5K of those are mine...

If I ever wear out this Distanzia on the front I may go back to more of a sport touring tire... It seems to me that the slightly (negligible) better traction I get in gravel and such is not worth the squirmiyness I get on the street. Further testing is of course required.

From the spring tune up ride...^
Here is one more from a recent tagging expedition.

Thanks for that feedback Gateman and SlipChip - sounds like the Distanzia's wear very well!

My riding involves a fair amount of long straight blacktop in between gravel then some hardpack and sand, so I need a good wearing allround tyre. Also the occasional alpine trip, Grampians, Adelaide Hills - so I'm thinking I'll go with a set of Distanzias for now then put TKC's on when I have a purely back roads ride planned. Heidenau "may" have their K60 rear in 150/70-17 available in December in Aus, if so I'll go with them as my 50:50 tyre.

No bashplate as yet - still waiting for the engine guards to come in - 3 months backorder for Givi bars :huh. Once I mount the Givi's I have a plan in mind as to how to use the engine guards as mounts for the bashplate, so I'll have to wait until then to start prototyping.

Just put Renthal bars (Raptor YFZ660 - 6071S), Barkbusters (Storm S4), and a 15 tooth front sprocket on it. Went for a ride on the weekend and it's a different bike, lower gearing makes a huge difference to rideability in the dirt, and the riding position is more like a dirtbike (bars are flatter, with less sweep, and slightly higher) which leads to a more aggressive attitude on the bike. Of course this led to a few moments where I forgot I had road tyres on, which almost ended in tears a couple of times ... 220kg bike, back wheel locked up, crossed up sideways on the gravel heading for a large hole in the road....

I put a wide low bar with rox riser on. Made for more leverage with that big front tyre. I like the result and no discomfort after 7/800 k day.
I have engine bars out of the yamaha catndog. they are tab mounted to the bike. from that I made up my plate. this is all tabd back to the bars and covers all the pipes, senders and frontal exposures yet will yeald a little with a big hit without braking castings. I have a few air holes and about 8mm clearence off the pipes. It needs to get wider as the pipes spread just after the junction/balance pipe. I did'nt do this and I noticed a couple of scratches and a divit on mine. Its a work in progress and I will do this and bring the bash plate further round and higher up the motor. I added to the engine gaurds with 1.6mm ssteel tube to give protection to the casing both sides of the crank.
Those high speed moments make for maxed out blood flow hey..


15 tooth ............

ahhh, bashplate for the TDM9, the one thing that is really lacking in the market.... (c'mon B&B, you make one for the Vstrom.....)

I've been eying off a row of 3 threaded holes in the frame just behind the exhaust mount point (maybe for centrestand?) This looks like a good spot to bolt a rear bashplate mount to... then some brackets off the front of the Givi bars... I reckon I'll hack one up out of thin sheet metal then get a local aluminium fabricator I know to copy it in aluminium plate (he owes me a favour ).

It'd be great to see some pics of your setup Gateman?

Don't worry about B&B. Come see me I build all sort's of bike parts and its not rubbish.
The holes at the back are for the stand and engine bars. The holes in the alloy block are the ones for the bars. I used grade 360 bis for the bash plate and its only 2.5mm thick. I like steel, I dont like weight. I use the same principle on my competition Carriages and they are winning across the world. Most time I have had contact on the bash plate has been crossing the berm left behind a grader as I'v re entered a road or had to get off in a hurry. That CO sender is vulnerable so that needs extra attention.
One day Ill find my smugmug ac and get some pics up.
If you look in North West NSW rider sign in in the aussie forum you'll find pics of our rides, my TDM is in that.

ref: The Metamorphosis is Nearing Completion

"Legendary TDM" status is now apparently restored
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Our first real 300km ride for over 3 months was enjoyed last weekend for the ol' rebuilt Bee-arch & me and we had a ball. Risk taking was out of the question as the thumb is still healing ..... and the bike was still so shiny ...... riding sweep was the order of the day & I must say it was actually a pleasure not having to be so alert for the usual animal terrorists.

Here are some pics of the country-side we have at our doorstep if you are interested, none of the TDM though.

So Mr Masterbrewer, you will no longer be subscribing to the old Aussie saying "well, stick mne thumb up a kangaroo's bum?"

Well done on the rebuild and you beat me to it again - although there is nothing wrong with my perfect TDM, it's the rider who is shyte.

Hay your going again..