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Yamaha TDM 900A

Yamaha's TDM900, launched in South Africa this week, is one of biking's oddballs; it's one of very few parallel twins left in a world of V-twins and transverse fours – and at 897cc by far the largest.

It's neither an English-style parallel twin like Triumph's Bonneville nor a 180-degree twin like the Kawasaki Versys. Instead, Yamaha has set the crankpins at 270 degrees to mimic the firing order and hence the sound of a V-twin, in an engine that's very nearly as compact as a big single, while twin balance shafts negate most of the vibration induced by this unusual layout.

It's derived from the long-running TDM850, bored out to a seriously oversquare 92 x 67 Yamaha has set the crankpins at 270 degrees to mimic the firing order of a V-twin.5mm and graced with electronic fuel-injection in place of the particularly nasty CV carbs of its predecessor.

The 38mm throttle bodies are as prone to jerking at small throttle openings yet even at its worst it's way better than the 850. Picking up the throttle gently and a little tentatively in traffic soon becomes second nature; once you've got the power on you can whack it with gusto.

Which also describes the result; 63kW at a modest 7500rpm is nothing to boast of but it pulls willingly from about 3500rpm to the redline at 8000 and never sounds like it's working hard - probably because it isn't.

Yet it accelerates as sharply as befits a Big Twin through the gears and genuinely seems to enjoy rumbling along with the rev-counter hovering around the torque peak at 6000rpm, which equates to about 180km/h – the bike's not slow The top three ratios are close enough that there's never a problem finding the right one.

There was no opportunity to try for a top speed run during the launch ride through the kwaZulu-Natal Midlands but I saw 190km/h (which came up pretty quickly) on a couple of deserted straights; the factory claims 220km/h and I've no reason to doubt it.

The transmission is a vast improvement on that of the 850; the clutch still lacks feel but takes up with a smoothness that makes stalling almost impossible – although after the first 10 minutes I didn't use it for upshifts.

The shift action is short, light and positive, if a little vocal on downshifts; the harder you ride the better it gets – normal on bikes bearing the Triple Tuning Fork – and the top three ratios are close enough that there's never a problem finding the right one, whether you're powering through a long sweeper or hauling down into a short, fast corner.

The long-travel suspension is adjustable at each end for compression and pre-load: the factory's middle settings allow a lot of nosedive under braking but the bike never wallows or shakes its head - except in mild reproof at clumsy full-bore upshifts.

R1-style rear suspension

Reducing the inclination of the cylinders to 30 degrees has allowed the engine to be moved further forward for near-perfect 49/51 percent weight distribution, and made space for an R1-style rear suspension linkage on the 570mm extruded-aluminium swing-arm, which plays a large part in the bike's reassuring stability in hard cornering.

The front brakes are Sumitomo's one-piece, four-pot units; a couple of years ago they were the state-of-the-art and they're still superbly capable; there's not a lot of initial bite but further pressure on the lever quickly hauls the bike down – in both senses of the word – as the immense power of the set-up becomes apparent.

The bike is very narrow, thanks to an engine which is remarkably compact for its size in every dimension except height, allowing excellent ground clearance without raising the footpegs up under the rider's bum.

The saddle is tall at 827mm, and rather narrow in front to enable vertically-challenged riders to reach the ground, but still very comfortable although the crisp edges seemed to catch my thighs after a couple of hours' riding.

Positively luxurious

The passenger accommodation, up a small step from the front seat, is positively luxurious – wide, flat and deeply padded.

The big analogue rev-counter is flanked by an apparently superfluous temperature gauge – it barely moved throughout a day's hard riding - and a straightforward LCD screen offering speed, distance, time and bar-graph fuel gauge, one of the most legible I've seen.

The insectoid front panel and screen do a fair job of keeping most of the slipstream off the rider's chest if not out of his face (a taller screen is available), while the upright riding position and wide bars make throwing the TDM around easier than you'd think.

Don't be fooled by the tall stance and soft suspension - the TDM is sportier than it looks; the steering is pleasantly quick and its handling one of its better features, especially on bumpy roads where its supple ride is an advantage.

Capable tourer

It's stable enough at low speeds (once you're used to the sensitive throttle) to thread its way through thick traffic without problems – while the tall seat helps you plan your moves a few cars ahead.

Yet Yamaha also offers a full set of top box and lockable, quickly detachable panniers that convert it into a capable tourer, complete with six bungee hooks for tying down extra luggage.

Its quirky styling takes some getting used to but behind that you'll find a bike that does everything well without standing out in any one discipline.

Its handling will surprise some of the crotch rocketeers on Sunday mornings while it's agile enough at low speeds to cope with the weekday traffic – and comfortable enough to take you and a friend across the country in big leaps made possible by the 20-litre tank, which gives a range of at least 320km.

It's a civilised all-rounder for the grown-up rider whose circumstances allow him to own only one motorcycle.

Source Motoring.co.za