1997 Yamaha TRX850H - opinions please

[nigelp]

Ok, found a bike I kind of like the look of, its as titled, a TRX850. I have only just rencently got my full, and have ridden 250 2T and 4T road and off road bikes.

Would the upgrade to a TRX850 be too big a step up? I have my eye mainly on dual sport bikes, but thought a road bike and dedicated off road bike could be the go! The bike I am looking at has high kms (77km) but is relatively cheap (under $5k).

Also, what are they like 2up? The Mrs has said that my next bike must be able to accomodate her!

Are there any inherent pitfalls with these bikes, or things that I should keep an eye out for?

Thanks

[98tls]

Ive been searching high and low but cant find the bloody magazine.........its here somewhere.......Two Wheels magazine voted it there bike of the year in 97 or 98 and raved about it.........will have another look for it over the weekend.........by all accounts a good bike.

[98tls]

Found it................Bike of the year 2006 actually........they did mention it wasnt to pillon friendly........hey it cant be worse than my TLS.........

[nigelp]

Interesting that the first reply was from someone in Oamaru and that is where the bike is, small world! Would be good if you found that article, could be an interesting read! Is 77,000 kms too many for a 850 bike?

[98tls]

As posted i have found it.........if you like i can send it up to you as long as you send it back as its got one of the first articles on TL1000s and i kind of collect em........pm me your addy if you like..can send it friday........havent seen the bike around here........

[James Deuce]

I could rave for hours.

2 Things you HAVE to do (if it hasn't already been done). Fork Springs and Gold Valve cartridge fork emulators. The front end is setup for 42kg midgets.

2 Things you must do on an ongoing basis: Make sure there is no slack in throttle cable. Keep an eye on Chain adjustment.

1 Thing that is nice to do: Ohlins rear shock.

1 Thing you really should do: After Market mufflers or gut the stock ones. Undo the 4 allen head bolts and take the end cap off. Hacksaw the weld that is revealed. Remove the last section of baffles. Put the end cap back on.

The Frame does not do front end impacts. There are four frame tubes that emnate from the Headstock. There are two smaller diameter tubes that link those four frame tubes diagonally. If these two tubes are bent, the bike is a write off.

TRXs do not like being lugged around under 3500rpm.

Apart from that they are brilliant bikes, equally adept at sporty fun and sports touring road munching.

That's my old one in the middle. I had a tank bag on that trip as well. That was a mid winter blast to the top of the South Island and the TRX didn't put a foot wrong.

[What?]

77K is no big deal provided it has been regularly serviced. Melbourne is crawling with TRX's, and plenty of them have done over double that mileage.
There have been reports of a few bikes doing in the big-ends, but seems to be high mileage/low service/hard life syndrome.
As you would expect from the new price, suspension was not flash, so if it's original at 77K, you will need to be budgeting for a new shock and fork spreings & valves.
Trixies are FUN, but a comfortable 2-up tourer? Maybe if your Mrs is an S&M fan... I find them utterly uncomfortable to ride at anything less than 140Km/h. But Jim has a different opinion...

[Fryin Finn]

I owned a TRX from 96 to 04. It went 56,000 km without any problems except when a fuel feed line was kinked after a Dyno test. It's a very easy bike to ride (and ride fast too) It was economical on runs regularly getting over 60mpg. I rated it more comfortable to ride and better handling than the later model VTR's and TL's but lacking their ultimate power.
It's not a great bike for pillions though unless your pillion is very small - I have taken a couple of friends for rides on the back and they were decidedly uncomfortable.
The plastics on it was a bit fragile - expect a broken rather than scratched fairing if you bin it. The forks are prone to a bit of hydraulic lock on stutter bumps but the bike could handle it ok.
If I hadn't written it off in a bin I would still own it today and probably look at it's first valve clearance check at 100,000 km.

[James Deuce]

Trixies are FUN, but a comfortable 2-up tourer? Maybe if your Mrs is an S&M fan... I find them utterly uncomfortable to ride at anything less than 140Km/h. But Jim has a different opinion...

Oh yeah, I probably should have said that I don't rate pillion comfort as a reason to buy a bike

What Finn said. If I hadn't killed it, I'd still have it.

[Dooly]

Great bikes, ridden a few. Neat sound with pipes and a good small alrounder with a bit of grunt.

[nigelp]

Oh yeah, I probably should have said that I don't rate pillion comfort as a reason to buy a bike

What Finn said. If I hadn't killed it, I'd still have it.

I really want something that I can take a pillion on comfortably.

For anyone that is interested here is a link to the auction

[James Deuce]

In which case, don't buy a TRX unless you plan to send the pillion pad to McDonald Motor Trimmers for a recover. Looking at the auction won't make the pillion seat any more comfortable.

[nigelp]

In which case, don't buy a TRX unless you plan to send the pillion pad to McDonald Motor Trimmers for a recover. Looking at the auction won't make the pillion seat any more comfortable.

What can they do for the seat? Can they make it comfortable enough for a decent ride (3hrs in the saddle)? The Mrs isnt exactly small either, at 5'10 and 70kgs.

[scracha]

Like the TDM, they're dry sump so make sure you check the oil when it's warm. That's one of the most common causes of @#4cked engines on them....idiot owners.

[James Deuce]

What can they do for the seat? Can they make it comfortable enough for a decent ride (3hrs in the saddle)? The Mrs isnt exactly small either, at 5'10 and 70kgs.

Yes. www.trimit.co.nz I believe. They do really good stuff. The seat pad base itself is reasonably large by sportsbike standards too. Quite a bit of storage under there as well.