1992 Yamaha TDM850
Despite their long-legged suspension, big side cases and rugged looks, most of today’s adventure bikes are ridden more often on the road than off. It took a while for riders to realize how good these bikes worked on pavement, but once they did, the segment took off.
Long before that epiphany, though, Yamaha came out with a bike that was as tough-looking and street-friendly as anything else you’ll find in the class today. Unfortunately the TDM850 made the mistake of showing up at the party too early and leaving before the fun started.
Preceding even the name “adventure bike”–Yamaha called it a “hybrid”–the TDM nevertheless had sterling ADV credentials. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, 849cc parallel-twin engine inspired by the one in the XTZ750 Super Ténéré that won the Paris-Dakar Rally. It churned out about 78 horsepower and 56 lb-ft of torque, and the cylinder head had five valves per cylinder like some of Yamaha’s sportbikes. The TDM850 graced the cover of our June 1992 issue.
The TDM might have been intended more as a new take on the standards of old than as an occasional off-roader. Its upright seating position anticipated the adventure bikes that came after it–with a wide handlebar and a 31-inch seat that made it an iffy proposition for shorter riders–which seemed to confuse prospective buyers even more.
Just about any street bike can be ridden off-road carefully, but the TDMR...