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Yamaha TDM Triple Imagined by Oberdan Bezzi

Oberdan Bezzi strikes again, with yet on more reinterpretation based on Yamaha’s new crossplane three-cylinder engine, but this time he is bringing back to life one exceptionally popular machine, the very one which laid the solid foundation of the current crossover segment: the mighty TDM.
Yamaha TDM Triple 1 photo
Photo: Oberdan Bezzi
Many people to whom I’ve showed his rendering said that Yamaha breathing new life into the old TDM design would be too good to be true. Unfortunately, I too believe that we will not live to see a new dawn for the TDM, even though a tiny faint flickering hope will remain forever deep inside my heart.

Some argued that a new triple-powered TDM would clash with the MT-09, but this is a rather unfounded fear. While it’s true that the latest TDM generation was more street-oriented, the earlier versions retained a very solid and convenient versatility which turned out to be extremely handy on rougher roads and mild trails.

With wire-spoked wheels and more compliant suspensions, the reborn TDM could become the “complementary brother” of the MT-09/FZ-09. With the MT obviously engineered for asphalt, the TDM could provide a very good alternative and a really useable choice for those riders who would leave paved roads behind every now and then. Not an off-road machine, nor a purely street one, the “Triple TDM” would also be a very useful touring bike for short vacations.

The current 115 horsepower engine will definitely be a most welcome upgrade over the last incarnation of the TDM power plant, while a smartly re-geared transmission would also put more low-end torque to good use for uphill strides on tougher ground. Add in the very affordable prices Yamaha’s new MT-09 and MT-07 bikes sell for and we might just be looking at a real winner. Adventure riding would definitely get more adepts with such a bike up for grabs.
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