The Yamaha TDM 850 is definitely an oddball…a well-rounded bike in a US market that seems to prefer hyper-specialization. Sold in the US for only two years (1992-1993), there aren’t very many of these bikes still around, but the TDM definitely has a cult following. Well suited for tall riders, Yamaha designed this bike to enjoy mountain roads and also be capable of handling surrounding fire roads.
With a long travel suspension and an engine derived from the XTZ 750 Super Tenere, the TDM is well suited for light off-road use – think of it as the Japanese predecessor to the Ducati Multistrada. It’s a ‘do-anything’ road bike that’s not going to break the bank or cause you to lose your license. They were somewhat underrated – not excellent at any one particular thing, but it does a lot of things well. It was years ahead of its time, and as we’ve seen plenty of times on this site, that can lead to commercial failure.
This example (VIN: JYA4DTE03NA000250) has 26,665 miles and the seller is letting it go to make room for a BMW GS. It was recently serviced with an oil change, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, fuel lines, and new tires. It’s also got a Corbin seat (stock included, as is a tank bra and tool kit). There are some cosmetic issues that suggest it’s been down on both sides – a crack in the tail, scratches in the fairing, a dent in the tank, and dents in the exhaust. The seller is forthcoming about everything and states that the mechanical performance is unaffected. This could easily be a cheap, quirky daily rider.
Find this TDM for sale in Woodland Hills, California with BIN of $2,800 here on eBay.