20 replies to this topic

[pabroon74]

Hey folks.

First post here so please bare with me. I've had my TDM for just over a month now and for the most part I really like it. Unfortunately the guy I bought it of was somewhat less than forth-coming with information. I've got the yellow and silver 96 model which is apt because its turned out to be a bit of a lemon.

I do all my own mechanics which is fortunate as had I put it into a garage to have everything thats cropped up fixed, I'd be thousands down. Heres a wee list so far:

Rear axle jammed in RHS swing arm/chain tensioner
Chain tensioner on RHS since snapped
Fork seal went (took 6 hours to replace one fork seal, it was welded in...)
Chain seems to need tightened every fortnight, not sure if its me or something else.
Don't have hot grips I have a hot grip :-) Not the bike's fault, the previous owner neglected to mention this.
Speedo stopped working on day 3 of ownership (Since fixed)
Interesting knocking noise coming from the engine every now and again (suspect valve clearance needs done)
Sounds really tapety (checked the oil just after buying, needed 2 litres put in, again previous owner was a nutball.)
Still sounds tapety, is this normal??
Finally, went to start this morning and the battery has gone flat.

Which brings me to the main thrust of this post: Where is the battery exactly? Other thing is, not sure that its performing as it should, top speed is maybe 105mph reliably, it goes up to 115mph if I'm heading down hill with a tail wind, is this normal? Its also flat as a pancake below 5k revs, I mean totally dead, van-like performance...

I'm in Edinburgh, if theres anyone near by I'd be gratefull for a second opinion on this bike. I do like it, makes a great noise (Micron can) and looks really good. Sadly, scratch the surface and you see the true colours, its crap, heh!

Any info (specifically on the battery location) would be much appreciated.

Thanks folks.

[GIBBO]

Welcome, welcome, others will be along with greater spannering experience than I, but for what it's worth... if it's in the same place as a 98. It's under the seat in front of the rear susp strut, You should be able to see the smooth black exterior of the battery box behind the strut.

I found the quickest way to it was to drop the back wheel out drop the susp strut. You'll then see the nice little bugger.

Word of warning. Reading your list the bike seems a bit of mess so be very careful with the strut, you may find the bottom bolt is a bassard to get out. The reason for that is there a hole in the hugger and all the crap that gets thru lands on this bolt.

When I first took this out, I sprayed wd40 onto for two evenings, then when ready to tackle it on Sat morning sprayed it again, went and had me full english brekki and a mug o tea. And the Bassard was still hard to get out.

Like I say there'll be others along.... Good luck

[Hawmaw]

You finally found your way here then PaBroon. Welcome. There's a few guys from Edinburgh on here. Maybe one of them will be able to call round for a look at yer bike.

[pabroon74]

I found the quickest way to it was to drop the back wheel out drop the susp strut. You'll then see the nice little bugger.

Word of warning. Reading your list the bike seems a bit of mess so be very careful with the strut, you may find the bottom bolt is a bassard to get out. The reason for that is there a hole in the hugger and all the crap that gets thru lands on this bolt.

Thanks for the welcome.

I thought the battery might be awkward to get at but not as bad as that. That's a pretty serious job for something so small, also, not sure if it is the battery, might not be charging, could be something else. To clarify, the starter motor turns then the starter relay (under the seat) just clicks really fast. On my last bike, (only a 125) this signified a flat battery. (On that bike the battery was under the seat in plain view.)

As you also say, with this bike, nothing is easy. I snapped one of the drive chain tensioners just trying to tighten the chain a notch.

I suspect this is going to be a bit of a bastard to sort out...

Thanks again.
:-)

[TonyDevil]

the starter solenoids do have a habit of only lasting a few years, i'm on my 3rd
wicky has stripped a couple and cleaned them up with good results
a bit to fiddley for me, i bought a new one from wemoto instead

[pabroon74]

You finally found your way here then PaBroon. Welcome. There's a few guys from Edinburgh on here. Maybe one of them will be able to call round for a look at yer bike.

Hey there haw :-)

Yeah finally managed to register, I had tried before but I had an attack of the sausage fingers and it didn't work.

As you can see, my TDM saga lives on as above. :-) I wouldn't actually mind, I quite like a challenge, but getting the bus is torture. I have a bus phobia, I hate them, they keep stopping and starting, old people (young people) unwashed people all standing to close. *shudders*

Anyway, I think I'll need to actually spend some money on the bike, I'm really quite curious as to how it would perform when properly set up. This is my first bike bike, only other bike I've ridden was a varadero 1000, (My pal has one, were going touring at the end of the month.) I wonder how it'll compare...

Cheers.

[Galilee]

Hey folks.

First post here so please bare with me. I've had my TDM for just over a month now and for the most part I really like it. Unfortunately the guy I bought it of was somewhat less than forth-coming with information. I've got the yellow and silver 96 model which is apt because its turned out to be a bit of a lemon.

Congrats on the TDM, best colour scheme and all. And sorry you're not happy with it.

I do all my own mechanics which is fortunate as had I put it into a garage to have everything thats cropped up fixed, I'd be thousands down. Heres a wee list so far:

Rear axle jammed in RHS swing arm/chain tensioner
Chain tensioner on RHS since snapped

should be able to get parts for this quite cheap

Fork seal went (took 6 hours to replace one fork seal, it was welded in...)
Chain seems to need tightened every fortnight, not sure if its me or something else.

Make sure you use the right torque when tightening the wheel bolt. It needs a surprising amount of force (over 100Nm if i remember correct)

Don't have hot grips I have a hot grip :-) Not the bike's fault, the previous owner neglected to mention this.
Speedo stopped working on day 3 of ownership (Since fixed)
Interesting knocking noise coming from the engine every now and again (suspect valve clearance needs done)
Sounds really tapety (checked the oil just after buying, needed 2 litres put in, again previous owner was a nutball.)
Still sounds tapety, is this normal??
Finally, went to start this morning and the battery has gone flat.

Which brings me to the main thrust of this post: Where is the battery exactly?

For charging and measuring, these wires connect directly to the battery:


Other thing is, not sure that its performing as it should, top speed is maybe 105mph reliably, it goes up to 115mph if I'm heading down hill with a tail wind, is this normal? Its also flat as a pancake below 5k revs, I mean totally dead, van-like performance...

I'm in Edinburgh, if theres anyone near by I'd be gratefull for a second opinion on this bike. I do like it, makes a great noise (Micron can) and looks really good. Sadly, scratch the surface and you see the true colours, its crap, heh!

Any info (specifically on the battery location) would be much appreciated.

Thanks folks.

First of all, get the factory repair manual from JBX's page in the 'downloads' section. This should also give you a step by step on how to remove the battery if necessary. If you plan on doing any serious work, have it printed.

From the sound of it your engine doesn't sound very healthy. But I have no idea if this is because of damage or just maladjustment. It should pull strongly from 2500rpm, and really take off at 4000rpm.

If you know what to look for, that factory repair manual should give you all the specifications for adjusting everything correctly. There is also a description on this forum on how to make your own tool for balancing the carbs.

[pabroon74]

Congrats on the TDM, best colour scheme and all. And sorry you're not happy with it.
First of all, get the factory repair manual from JBX's page in the 'downloads' section. This should also give you a step by step on how to remove the battery if necessary. If you plan on doing any serious work, have it printed.

From the sound of it your engine doesn't sound very healthy. But I have no idea if this is because of damage or just maladjustment. It should pull strongly from 2500rpm, and really take off at 4000rpm.

If you know what to look for, that factory repair manual should give you all the specifications for adjusting everything correctly. There is also a description on this forum on how to make your own tool for balancing the carbs.

Excellent post Galilee.

Thanks for this, I'm at work so cannot download the workshop manuals; I'll get those tonight. I was going to say at least I can charge the battery but that's not strictly true, my flat is on the third floor, I used to just sling my 125 in the back of a van I have access to, can't really do that with the TDM :-)

I'll probably jump start it first, run it for a bit & see if it charges the battery, if not we'll know something's gone a stray. Swap battery in the first instance and take it from there.

The link you supplied is going to be invaluable I think for this particular bike ;-) Its not that I'm not happy with it, I do like it, I just wish it was more reliable, you can't really blame that on the bike though, it just hasn't been maintained properly. I'm sure if it had been looked after properly none of these (really) annoying faults would have developed.

Cheers

[dandywarhol]

Hi Pa

Battery is fiddly but you don't need the back wheel out! You unbolt the battery cage and lift it up from under the seat - done 2 that way.

Performance - almost certainly the 2:1 Micron.....any 2:1 I've tried tend to give a bit sharper midrange but stiffle the top end - usually need a fair bit of carb setting up to get them right with that exhaust setup - others might come along with more info on that.

Edited by dandywarhol, 13 June 2008 - 01:45 pm.

[pabroon74]

Hi Pa

Battery is fiddly but you don't need the back wheel out! You unbolt the battery cage and lift it up from under the seat - done 2 that way.

Performance - almost certainly the 2:1 Micron.....any 2:1 I've tried tend to give a bit sharper midrange but stiffle the top end - usually need a fair bit of carb setting up to get them right with that exhaust setup - others might come along with more info on that.

Oh that sounds much easier...

You're correct, it is a 2:1 Micron set up. I know absolutely nothing about this aspect of biking. I never thought I'd be interested in travelling at warp speeds, but strangely, after having been on a bigger bike; I am.

And I'm just really curious to see what the bike will actually do, people keep saying it'll keep up with sportsbikes (up to a point.) Currently, I have a job getting away from lights its so dead low down in the rev range, once it get past 5k, it does pick up, I don't imagine for a minute you could wheely it though (for example.)

Cheers

[TonyDevil]

i find keeping the front down to be the main issue when gassing it from the lights
sounds like you need a carb service

check out the knowledge base for emulsion tube/needle jet replacement how-to topic

[tdm850rider]

Hi Pa

Battery is fiddly but you don't need the back wheel out! You unbolt the battery cage and lift it up from under the seat - done 2 that way.

Performance - almost certainly the 2:1 Micron.....any 2:1 I've tried tend to give a bit sharper midrange but stiffle the top end - usually need a fair bit of carb setting up to get them right with that exhaust setup - others might come along with more info on that.

Possibly one of the other Edinburgh members has an oem exhaust? Slap that on and see what happens.
It may allow you to isolate the cause of some of the problems.

[pabroon74]

Hey folks.

Not sure what went wrong, but I jump started it, ran it around for a wee while and its now fine. Possibly maybe when turning on the steering lock I went a click to far. Its doubtful as the barrel is really stiff, when starting up, its probably quicker to hot wire it.

I think though, and I'm really going to have to restrain myself from going on an out and out rant, but the bike has to be the biggest lemon in Scotland. I get the battery issue sorted which is fine, I need to replace one of the drive chain tensioners as the threaded rod part snapped. I knew the rear axle was pretty much welded to the tensioners so it was going to be a bit of a job.

5 hours later after having bought a new spindle (just in case I ruin the original, which I did) I get the old on out. Blood has been spilt and curses have been uttered. You can imagine my mood when I discovered the new spindle the gimp at Carrick gave me was not for a TDM850 but for a FZS1000.

So the bike is properly off the road, no way the old one will go back on, I had to hammer it out. I'm going to back to Carrick tomorrow to see if they have the right bit, I'll hit the roof if they say "D'uh, ahll haf tae ordur it like." I also threaded the nut, got one ordered (as per usual) from Carrick (we-don't-keep-anything-in-stock) Yamaha, it'll be wednesday, they claimed to have the spindle, but not the nut & nothing else that would fit. I went up to BMW Motorad in Dalkeith, they just gave me a nut for it.

Anyway, does anyone have any inside lines on where I could procure/get my hands on the right axle on a Sunday? I can't be without my bike for during the week, I'll go mad in the crazy Edinburgh maze of roadworks.

Thanks.

[Hawmaw]

Yer not having much luck. Don't know where you'll get a spindle on a Sunday. When you need more parts order them from Fowlers down south. I don't waste my time with Yamaha dealers anymore.

[Galilee]

Anyway, does anyone have any inside lines on where I could procure/get my hands on the right axle on a Sunday? I can't be without my bike for during the week, I'll go mad in the crazy Edinburgh maze of roadworks.

Private seller on e-bay?

[ChrisG]

Won't help you on a Sunday but Fowlers generally manage to get stuff to me the next day (if I order in the morning), or the day after, and I've never yet managed to orders something that don't have in stock.

[TDMTAM]

just tried the breakers in Glasgow but dont look like they are open ( not answering the phone). Try Fowlers like Hawmaw said they are usually very quick with there delivery.
Could you not drill out the broken thread in the chain adjuster & replace it with some new m8 threaded bar.

TAM

Edited by TDMTAM, 15 June 2008 - 10:35 am.

[pabroon74]

Hey folks.

Thanks for all the help, as predicted I took the "rear axle" back today to find they didn't have a TDM one in stock. Just downloaded the parts list and service manual, turns out, not only was it the wrong part for the bike, it was the wrong part completely, it was a swing arm pivot for an FZS1000.

Normally I'm quite easy going about these things, they do happen, but when I took the part back and told them it was the wrong bit the guy just laughed and looked down his nose at me, the look he gave me basically said "What the hell do YOU know??" He sighed and tutted when I dared to ask for my money back, I mean, the bare faced cheek of me. Anyway, not impressed with them, arrogant and the service, ummm, well it wasn't service really, just a fat man being moody behind a counter.

Anyway, I have the part number (which I believe you need to oder from Fowlers) so will sort it out tomorrow. It's a pain because the bike is off the road, I was following an aquaintance (from BCF) who is really helpful to a scrap dealer, he was on his bike and for the first time I missed not being on two wheels, being stuck in a sluggish transit van is no fun at all.

Thanks again folks.

[robelst]

Hi Pa

Battery is fiddly but you don't need the back wheel out! You unbolt the battery cage and lift it up from under the seat - done 2 that way.

Just done that on my '01 MK22a, here's the empty battery holder:


I removed seat, tank, airbox (probably not needed but doing headstock as well at the moment), disconnected all cables in this area (good opportunity to give it all a nice squirt or WD40) and unbolted the battery holder. A little tip: the holder-bolts nicely fit the connectors which make great handles (like in "four candles") to lift the battery out:


It still seems like a needlessly depressing job but that's Japanese bikes for you .

I just ordered a new WestCo battery for £39 + P&P from 2ndbite.com. Probably not quite as good as Yuasa but supposed to be OK and £20 cheaper (I don't intend to keep the TDM much longer anyway). Anyone else ever tried WestCo?