Was thinking of selling my @!

[Knobblywobbly]

I´ve had a bit of a hankering lately for a Yamaha TDM850 to replace my trusty @. Now I´m not so sure. This is a posting I´ve just put on the TDM forum:

"Not a good day............................. it didn´t go well. Been down the pub for a couple of beers to settle my nerves, so please excuse any spelling/typing mistakes as I recount the days events:

I had hoped to see two 850´s today, but due to the events at the first one I didn´t have time to go to see the second one!

Me & my missus went up to Leicestershire to look at an X reg 850 with just under 46k miles. It supposedly had a full service history and would be supplied with a new MOT and 12 months warranty. It didn´t look too bad; rusty swinging arm, a couple of scratches & chips here and there but not too bad for a 10 year old bike. The bike was wheeled out of the shop & fired up; sounded OK if a little loud due to the unknown make short stainless silencer. Off it went to the workshop to have the tyre pressures, etc. checked before my test ride while I went and put on my bike jacket, helmet & gloves (normal pants & trainers).

It sounded a bit odd when it came back from the workshop, and seemed to be revving itself up occasionally, but I didn´t think too much about it. I jumped on and, with a suggested route given to me, off I went for a ride. Luckily my missus decided not to come!

All wasn´t well. I hit the dual carriageway and whacked open the throttle. I wasn´t impressed. Although it would rev up to the redline in the lower gears it wasn´t having any of it in 4th & 5th. At one point, in 5th gear and at 5500 revs, I opened the throttle fully & nothing happened. In other gears it seemed to be misfiring at around 6500-7000 revs and didn´t want to pull at all in top gear, which seemed like a very high-geared overdrive. Thinking this was maybe because the bike hadn´t had a good run for a while I went for another lap between the two roundabouts before heading back to the shop. I wish I hadn´t!

On my way back to the shop along the dual carriageway the bike lost power completely & died on me. I coasted to a halt, jumped off and had a quick look around. Nothing external seemed to be wrong so I got back on and it started again no problem. Off I headed back to the shop thinking "this isn´t the bike for me". About half a mile later all hell broke loose! I can only describe the sound as similar to when, many years ago, I fired up my Honda 175 with no exhaust headers attached. The bike lost power and I ground to a halt. I checked to see if the exhaust headers had fallen off but they were still there, so checked the idiot lights then fired it up again. I´d never heard an engine in death throws before and it´s not something I´d like to hear again. I tried to limp back to the shop with this poor bike rattling and barking like mad. Every half mile or so it would just die and stop, but 30 seconds later would start again and, with plenty of revs, would set off.

Concentrating on trying to keep this bike running to get back to the shop ( I was about 6 miles away and had no phone) I missed the exit on the roundabout so went up the hill and turned round in a layby. Got to the other side of the road and it died again. I waited a minute or so, fired it up again and set off. This time I got into 3rd gear at maybe 40ish mph then everything went quiet.

OK........... maybe quiet is the wrong word. Maybe I should say that the horrendous noise coming from the engine/exhaust stopped, and was replaced by the squealing of rubber as the back wheel came out to the right and tried to overtake the front wheel. I immediately pulled in the clutch but it made no difference - the squealing continued. When it realised it wasn´t having any joy on the right hand side, the back wheel then tried coming out to the left hand side instead. Then back to the right. Then back to the left. I lost count of how many times the rear wheel slewed from side to side. And all the time this was happening the only thought going through my head was "If I drop this I´m going to ruin my trousers, and I only bought them last week!".

Eventually the bike came to a halt and I was still on board. I dismounted and tried to push it to the side of the road with the clutch pulled in. I couldn´t; it was seized solid. I had to drag it off the carriageway and onto the verge. As I removed the keys and started walking in the general direction of the town I saw a few spots of oil on the ground underneath the bike. I looked back to see a skid mark that looked like a sine wave on the tarmac.

I´d walked about a mile when a good samaritan in a car stopped and asked if I needed a lift (what a star.......thank you, thank you, thank you). He´d seen the bike then me with a crash helmet and thought I´d run out of petrol. I explained what had happened and, although it wasn´t in the direction he was going, he took me the 4-5 miles back to the bike shop.

I´d been gone so long my wife was fairly convinced I´d had an accident, and the staff from the shop were just about to go out looking for me when I turned up, hands still trembling from the longest rear wheel slide I´ve ever done, and the thought that if it had seized 10 minutes earlier when I was "making good progress" along the dual carriageway I probably wouldn´t have made it back at all.

The staff had noticed a "couple of spots of oil" under the bike while it was in the shop but didn´t give it too much thought, and obviously when they took it to the workshop to check the tyre pressures before my test ride they didn´t think to check the oil level.

As you´ve probably guessed............................. I didn´t buy it!!!!!"

Maybe I should just stick with what I´ve got!!!!!

[paulc]

Glad you made it ,shaken but otherwise unscaithed.
Let that be a lesson, never ride something without a very good check and take your phone next time if there is a next time.
Good job you did'nt have your missus on there as that would only compounded the stress.
Whatever you decide,good luck and be carefull

[tonyk]

Was thinking of selling my @!

Insanity creping in,good job the gods smiled on ya,let ya off with a warning .

(confession)Have had the tdm thoughts,
Back on me meds now.

Have a Vara and an XR 400 now but still have the DADDY in the stable my trusty AT.

Glad to here you safe and sound

Take care,

Tony K.

Luck is on your side,

[doglegdon]

Having just sold my @ a month or so ago, I only have one word for you: - "Don't"(!)
I still miss my 'old girl', but am heartened by the fact that a fellow member of this forum bought her and is loving her the way she needs to be. (Good on ya Ariel!)

[Kymmy]

Forget about the 850, go for a 900, the engines don't tend to drink oil and by this time all the main little niggles are sorted..

Ask TonyDevil on CarpeTDM, he's got both (and a TRX) and is using the 900 as a reliable commuter..

Does though sound like the oils gone and it's seized

[StumpyFingers]

It sounds like you got off lightly, things could have been a lot worse.
I would question the competence of the shops workshop for not checking the oil before the test ride.
The @ gods got together and conspired to stop you straying.

[Pussyhorse]

The first time it died I'd have jumped off and rang the bike shop to collect me from the side of the road.

[StumpyFingers]

I hate Mobile phones but they come in handy, whenever I leave mine at home I need it for something. If only you had used a phone box and phoned them reverse charge to come and get the bike and you.

[marvinite]

You should name and shame the retailer it might save someones life in the future im afraid if it had been me i would have abandoned the bike in the gutter where it odviously belongs got a taxi and charged it to the shop..Glad to hear you came away unhurt. Regards Marv.

[shack]

Glad you and the 'better half' live to see another day.

On the TDM front, it might be an interesting poll to see how many of us have a secret desire to try a TDM.

I prefer the looks of the old 850's, but the 900's are a lot better on the road.