The BEST Budget Motorcycle! Yamaha TDM 850 Review

I explain why the Yamaha TDM 850 is the best budget motorcycle you can buy right now. After having owned and lived with it for 5.000 kilometers, doing a trackday and taking it on a spirited riding trip abroad. I talk about, price, reliability, the upsides and downsides.

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[casparbosch]

My dad used to have the 900, spent so many meaningfull km's on the back of it as a kid. love it.

[greasy]

i have a 1996 tdm 850, owned it for a year or so. i love it, he sounds great and has loads of torque and the engine feels so powerful. the saddle is like sitting on a horse saddle, and i just love the flowing smooth 90s curves on it...
i love him so much...!

[Phidarus]

Nice Video!
About the oil consumption: You really need to follow the instructions for checking the oil level, as otherwise it might deceive you to believe it is too low. If you peep at the level before you cold start it, the level will certainly seem to be too low. If you look strait after a couple of minutes ride, it will be too high. So make sure to follow the instructions, otherwise you might overfill it. My TDM doesn't really consume oil (Maybe 200ml after 5000 Km).
As for the Battery location: I put a new gel-battery some five years and 9000 Km ago and never needed to look at it again. How often do you guys change your batteries, that you make such an issue out of it?
Another thing to consider: The variety of tires available for these dimensions, especially the rather exotic 18" front tire, is becomming a little narrow nowadays. But you can still find very good combinations. Like I newly got Pirelli Angel GT II for the rear, combined with Angel GT for the front. It may be not the state of the art tires (Pirelli has Angel 4 or even 5 now), but it is still much better than what was available in 1999, when the bike was built. The Bike feels very stable and gives you great confidence on the twisty roads, when the tires are good (well, what a surprise 😀).
All in all it is a very simple motorcycle. The only thing electronic about it is the Ignition. Like you, i don't even have a clock, not to mension a digital odometer (which came with the 1999 model update). All that makes it quite easy to maintain youself.
At the sum of its characteristics, it is an excellent, very comfortable, very confidence inspirint and very potent bike for real world traffic in every day life.
My TDM has 79000 Km on the clock now, and I have no intentions to replace it.

[janmullner]

My dad lets me drive his tdm 850 its a real honor for me we call her Oma (grandma) because shes quite an old bike but god i love riding it

[Kreisverkehrdrifter]

i got rammed away on dads TDM 850 from a car. So i bought him the TDM 900. Best decision i´ve ever done. love the TDM. The engine feels much stronger than 86hp

[camty]

Hé Rick, I'm recently the same situation. I've owned a 1998 TDM 850 for the last five years, with the same oil consumption. And now I'm ready for something new. I drove some new bikes like the triumph scrambler and the BMW F800 but these bikes have barely any soul with al the computers holding your hand. Thats why I'm looking at buying a BMW airhead from the late 70's. It's not for everybody but these bikes have character in abundance. And with a few upgrades you get enough hp and torque for the modern roads. Anyway, I loved the video. it's a great format. Greetings from Limburg

[vengpkertje]

Great video, informative and nice to see some love for the older bikes. Keep it up!

[fibonnacisq]

Had my 2001 TDM for 16 years. Did 65000 miles on it including huge European tours. Absolutely the best bike I've ever had - by far. It does everything, touring, cruising and scratching perfectly. It's three bikes in one and the engine and grunt is sublime, especially with a Devil end can.
So sad i no longer have it.
Two things: If yours seems to be using a lot of oil, whip off the front sprocket cover and see if it's wet. If so, it'll be the oil seal behind the sprocket. Remove the sprocket and put out the seal with pliers. A new one just pushes in and is only £10.
The battery: Sure it's buried and seems like a hassle to remove. But it isn't. You can undo the plastic box it comes in and slide the whole thing out between frame and swingarm. Someone's posted a vid one YouTube showing how to do it.

[NBP]

I have my TDM 850 for about 12 years now, and will never part with it. It has a superbike steering handle, new rear shock with raised rear suspension, extended (welded) side stand, a full stainless 2 in 1 exhaust system, new front fork legs, upgraded "flame" brake rotors, R1 brake calipers and pump, CNC mirrors, heated grips, Upgraded front suspension, gold coated rims, heightened screen, LED indicators with running lights, LED headlights and rear lights, quickshifter, LED spotlights, new upgraded seat, upgraded CNC footrests, 7" Android Carplay navigation, etc. The engine has been completely restored, and all rubber O-rings, gaskets, choke and needles/tubes in the carbs have been replaced. All this was DIY. This bike does it all. It's totally neutral in corners, even under heavy braking. It pulls like a John Deere. It sounds amazing. It has a very high MPG, I can drive 500km / 300 miles on one single tank of 98 fuel. The suspension is top class, the steering is phenomenal. And the power, ohhh the power. And the brakes can pop your eyeballs out.

[stefaanvandeloo]

I had the 98 for a long time, put 175k on it without any real problems apart from obvious wear. Best bike I ever had. Reliable and ready for anything, more than enough power on the street and a perfect bike for twisty roads, amazing handling. Push it to the limit, it won't disappoint.

[JustMDan]

I have a 2001 TDM 850, awesome bike with plenty of torque and power and good sound (aftermarket exhaust). Only downside for me is the low rpm roughness.

[TheDavidzgz]

I have the 850 3VD 1991 (the first one) and I have just bought the 900 5ps 2008. Sound and power sensation is for 850. The 900 is the best for long trips and every day

[Tarabass]

Two years ago I bought an abandoned TDM 900 2003 with 75k on it. It was the most stupid buy I could ever make. I didn't know the bike and that's why I was naive.

The plan was to refresh the bike and flip it to make some money. But after some trips I fell in love with it. I took it completely apart, did all maintenance, replaced and restored almost anything, new tyres, brought it back to almost brand new.

And now I'm making memories with it. The first bike where I took my 8 years old daughter for some trips. She loves it. Magical feelings.

I drive it every day, summer and winter, and I drive a lot. The bike is light, easy, steady, powerful and reliable. Something tells me I will never sell this bike.

So be careful for what you wish for 😮

[Dooke]

Just to cerrect the informatioan regarding fuel gauge, I own TDM 850 and in later production the dash was reworked and it has fuel gauge :)

[TDM]

Well done Rick, as a long time owner I thought that was an excellent overview! The 900 is better in many ways but it doesn't scratch as well as the 850.
I live in NZ where we have the death penalty for speeding but all the roads where I live are twisty or twisty gravel, it's the perfect bike. 3rd gear from 20kmh - 100kmh. Twist and go. Oh, the 850 is bizarrely good on gravel.

[christiaang]

Hé Rick, thanks for this video. It's great to see video's about bikes that aren't new. I'm looking for a first bike to buy, here in the Netherlands. Are you planning to sell the bike by yourself?

[Corné-oh]

Het origineel was een stuk sexier om te zien, als je het daar over wilt hebben. Relatief begrip, maar deze had klassieke lijnen. Daar dit een wat meer ge-shaped model is. Gekuntseld zou je het ook kunnen noemen. Maar een prima fiets. Wat ik jammer vind is dat ze nooit wat meer de adventure kant op zijn gegaan, en dat ze nooit een blok ontwikkeld hebben met cardan. Dat zou dit model het extra hebben gegeven wat het nodig had om voort te kunnen blijven bestaan als je het mij vraagt. Voor adventure moet je echt bij de T7 zijn, die je overigens echt een grijns op je gezicht tovert. Voor mij persoonlijk is die te duur omdat ik een fiets wil om af en toe te rijden daar ik lichamelijk beperkt ben. Overigens geworden door een motorongeval. Probeer dat te voorkomen kan ik je aanraden. Die trekker, dat was een gelukkig momentje ;)
Maar bij mij kruipt het bloed waar het niet gaan kan. En ik denk toch dat ik voor de paar half uurtjes per maand weer iets wil hebben staan om even op weg te gaan. Dus kijk ik naar budget motoren en motoren die weinig moeite kosten om te rijden en te onderhouden. Het liefst kocht ik de Moto Guzzi Mandello of Yamaha T7, dat vind ik persoonlijk de mooiste, de leukste en mogelijk de beste motoren voor mij. Maar zoals gezegd voor de paar half uurtjes ga ik niet uitgaven van 10k of meer doen. Succes met de verkoop en het kiezen vd volgende fiets. Ik denk dat je er een heldere kijk op hebt wat belangrijk is. Dat iets sexy is of niet is relatief en eigenlijk niet relevant voor jouw rij ervaring.

[casparbosch]

It's like a early bird Tracer, just a little heavier.

[Broën]

J'ai une TDM 850 4tx de 1999, 65000 kilomètres, elle consomme 4 litres au 100 à 110 kms/heure 3500 trs/mn, et très peu d'huile.
Jamais eu un seul problême en 4 ans.

[ivanbaldacchino]

The TDM engine is a proper beast and is made to last and with a very nice sound for a parallel twin. The bike in general is made to last, but putting the battery behind the swingarm is a big design flaw. you have to dismantle half a bike just to change the battery.