Bike test - TM Enduro
By TMX Archives on 15th Dec 05
They're Italian, they're beautiful and they pack a powerful punch! Walker puts a trio of tasty TM enduro machines to the test and lives to tell the tale...
Most things Italian are designed with speed and style in mind - Ferraris, Ducatis, Valentino Rossi, the Fiat Panda... Sometimes they miss the target but generally they get pretty close.
The '06 TM two-stroke enduro range is definitely very close to reaching that particular target. These bikes look absolutely superb to me. TM have got the look just right for '06 - clean lines and some very high quality parts all help to make for a package which is pleasing to the eye.
The UK bikes are all coming with the black Paioli/Kayaba forks and this also helps with the look of the bikes in my opinion as the gold Ohlins (available as a special order) are a little bit too disco for my liking. The colour scheme works well and I think the simplicity of the design makes the bikes contenders for best looking machines of zero-six.
If the ride was going to compare to the look of the bikes I was in for a real treat around the all-new trail loop at Rushmead Race Park.
The 125 TM is a bike which has, in the past, had a reputation for being fast but a little bit unreliable. That was until the '05 season when the 125 motocross model tore up the tracks of the UK, taking wins and having a good go at the four-stroke two-fiddys. This reliability of the motocross model is due to a higher build quality and the evolution of the company as a whole. Of course, this helps with the enduro model as it's now a bike that's built on a reliable reputation.
When you first sit on the 125 TM you get a feeling of sitting on the bike and not in it. Some riders like this kind of seating position as it is quite aggressive. I don't mind this position and if I was six inches shorter it would be just about perfect.
The rubber-mounted bar clamps hold a set of oversized TM bars with a good comfortable sweep and the billet triple clamps are a touch of class. The controls are all light and comfortable.
The Nissin front brake master cylinder (as used by Honda) gives an added confidence before you ride and the hydraulic clutch feels smooth and effortless, just like the throttle action. Sometimes it's easy to forget the plus points of riding a little two-stroke and one of these is the easy and light feel to the throttle - it's simply great.
So with everything set-up to my liking and the motor warmed up it was off to work. The initial feel of the motor is pretty scary. This piece of Italian engineering loves to be revved. It reacts to being abused and this is quite a strange sensation in an enduro bike. The bike has got two sides to its motor. The low down power is adequate - nothing amazing but this is a 125 and that follows the rules. But then with a smooth transfer from the middle of the power curve it turns into a GP motocross bike!
The little TM is a bit Jekyll and Hyde and that is a fine quality. The engineers have built the bike to be light and fun and this is exactly what it is. The 125 TM is great fun to ride hard and it's light enough to tickle around in all the tight, technical going even without a massive amount of low down grunt.
The chassis will help you get up and over most obstacles on the trails. The Paioli/Kayaba forks work really well and give a good feeling through the bars. The action is smooth and only bottomed slightly when I turned a few laps on the motocross circuit at the end of the day.
The only initial problem with the chassis was a harsh feeling from the rear of the bike. Through the day the shock came better as the TM crew softened the setting quite a lot to allow the bike to work on all the different types of terrain. These small changes allowed the bike to enter and exit pretty much every type of turn at the test venue with ease.
To round up on the 125 I would have to say that the bike offers great fun and great speed. This bike will make you smile and have you hangin' it out like a legend.
All the fun of the tiddler with a lot of power - that's what the TM designers have gone for with the 250. The seating position seems a little more comfortable for me as a taller rider as I sat down into the bike a little more. This instantly gave me a confidence boost as the faster parts of the lap were able to be attacked harder.
With the same softer setting on the shock as we put on the 125 the overall balance of the chassis was good at high speed.
The motor on the 250 was, as I expected it to be, really strong. This bike is developed by some of the fastest racers in the WEC and Italian championships so it gives that 'pro' feeling without being too much for the average weekend rider's abilities.
TM make bikes to be ridden and raced. Their policy is such that you can buy the exact bike which is being ridden at the highest level and go have fun on it. This is definitely the case with this 250 and the motor enjoyed being ridden at all parts of the throttle opening.
The only small dip in the power was around a quarter throttle but a needle change would smooth this out. We had to leave the bike just a little rich on that part of the carb as it was a really heavy day which made for a great test.
I buried the bike to its nuts in ***t and water and it never missed a beat. The only thing missing a beat was Woody of TM UK's heart as he wasn't enjoying the abuse being handed out to his pride and joys!
The 250 goes beyond expectations for me as I was expecting a harsh and aggressive ride. The bike reacted well in all situations and really enjoyed the motocross track as well as the trail.
Things were really cooking by this point in the test and the 300 looked like a bike demanding a bit of respect - 300 cubes could get me into all kinds of shapes, none of them good!
The 300 feels exactly the same as the 250 when you first jump on. Again, all the controls are positive so with the bars set and the motor warm it was time to have some fun.
As soon as you pull away on the 300 the smile will begin to appear on your face. This is almost a guarantee as the feeling of roll-on, controllable power takes you on a trip. Maybe I can only speak for myself here but the way the power is delivered is really confidence-inspiring. TM have a reputation for making some serious fire-breathing two-stroke motors but with this motor they have really hit the jackpot.
The thing pulls like a train from absolute zero and just keeps on rollin'. You can put this bike into any situation and it will do a good part of the work. On the fast stuff the motor and chassis work really well - with a balanced feel - and in the technical going the bike is still light enough to allow you to attack any climbs, steps or obstacles that may be in your way. This puppy took me straight up an eight foot near vertical step and I was just along for the ride.
Shifting is typically European as with all of the range. You have to make sure of the shift until the gearbox is well run in but as the day went on the shifting became effortless.
With the little extra weight on the 300 the suspension worked well and felt pretty balanced although we did have to soften the rear shock again.
Turning, climbing, technical going, fast going, ease of ride, quality build - the TM 300 really is a great all-round bike for all levels of rider.
So there it is. The TM '06 E range is heading for the big time and good luck to them. The factory have stuck to their policy of giving the buyer a bike to go and race at any level without the need to go and buy any other go-faster parts.
Thanks to TM UK and especially Woody for the entertainment on the day - short legs and grassy hills are no good for man nor beast!
EN300
Capacity: 294cc
Bore and stroke: 72mm x 72mm
Transmission: Five-speed
Carburettor: Keihin PWK38
Front suspension: Kayaba/Paioli USD 48mm
Rear suspension: Sachs Boge shock
Front brake: 270mm disc
Rear brake: 245mm disc
EN250
Capacity: 249cc
Bore and stroke: 66.4mm x 72mm
Transmission: Five-speed
Carburettor: Keihin PWK38
Front suspension: Kayaba/Paioli USD 48mm
Rear suspension: Sachs Boge shock
Front brake: 270mm disc
Rear brake: 245mm disc
EN125
Capacity: 123.5cc
Bore and stroke: 54mm x 54.5mm
Transmission: Six-speed
Carburettor: Keihin PWK38
Front suspension: Kayaba/Paioli USD 48mm
Rear suspension: Sachs Boge shock
Front brake: 270mm disc
Rear brake: 245mm disc
Words by Geoff Walker Photos by Ray Chuss
The '06 TM two-stroke enduro range is definitely very close to reaching that particular target. These bikes look absolutely superb to me. TM have got the look just right for '06 - clean lines and some very high quality parts all help to make for a package which is pleasing to the eye.
The UK bikes are all coming with the black Paioli/Kayaba forks and this also helps with the look of the bikes in my opinion as the gold Ohlins (available as a special order) are a little bit too disco for my liking. The colour scheme works well and I think the simplicity of the design makes the bikes contenders for best looking machines of zero-six.
If the ride was going to compare to the look of the bikes I was in for a real treat around the all-new trail loop at Rushmead Race Park.
The 125 TM is a bike which has, in the past, had a reputation for being fast but a little bit unreliable. That was until the '05 season when the 125 motocross model tore up the tracks of the UK, taking wins and having a good go at the four-stroke two-fiddys. This reliability of the motocross model is due to a higher build quality and the evolution of the company as a whole. Of course, this helps with the enduro model as it's now a bike that's built on a reliable reputation.
When you first sit on the 125 TM you get a feeling of sitting on the bike and not in it. Some riders like this kind of seating position as it is quite aggressive. I don't mind this position and if I was six inches shorter it would be just about perfect.
The rubber-mounted bar clamps hold a set of oversized TM bars with a good comfortable sweep and the billet triple clamps are a touch of class. The controls are all light and comfortable.
The Nissin front brake master cylinder (as used by Honda) gives an added confidence before you ride and the hydraulic clutch feels smooth and effortless, just like the throttle action. Sometimes it's easy to forget the plus points of riding a little two-stroke and one of these is the easy and light feel to the throttle - it's simply great.
So with everything set-up to my liking and the motor warmed up it was off to work. The initial feel of the motor is pretty scary. This piece of Italian engineering loves to be revved. It reacts to being abused and this is quite a strange sensation in an enduro bike. The bike has got two sides to its motor. The low down power is adequate - nothing amazing but this is a 125 and that follows the rules. But then with a smooth transfer from the middle of the power curve it turns into a GP motocross bike!
The little TM is a bit Jekyll and Hyde and that is a fine quality. The engineers have built the bike to be light and fun and this is exactly what it is. The 125 TM is great fun to ride hard and it's light enough to tickle around in all the tight, technical going even without a massive amount of low down grunt.
The chassis will help you get up and over most obstacles on the trails. The Paioli/Kayaba forks work really well and give a good feeling through the bars. The action is smooth and only bottomed slightly when I turned a few laps on the motocross circuit at the end of the day.
The only initial problem with the chassis was a harsh feeling from the rear of the bike. Through the day the shock came better as the TM crew softened the setting quite a lot to allow the bike to work on all the different types of terrain. These small changes allowed the bike to enter and exit pretty much every type of turn at the test venue with ease.
To round up on the 125 I would have to say that the bike offers great fun and great speed. This bike will make you smile and have you hangin' it out like a legend.
All the fun of the tiddler with a lot of power - that's what the TM designers have gone for with the 250. The seating position seems a little more comfortable for me as a taller rider as I sat down into the bike a little more. This instantly gave me a confidence boost as the faster parts of the lap were able to be attacked harder.
With the same softer setting on the shock as we put on the 125 the overall balance of the chassis was good at high speed.
The motor on the 250 was, as I expected it to be, really strong. This bike is developed by some of the fastest racers in the WEC and Italian championships so it gives that 'pro' feeling without being too much for the average weekend rider's abilities.
TM make bikes to be ridden and raced. Their policy is such that you can buy the exact bike which is being ridden at the highest level and go have fun on it. This is definitely the case with this 250 and the motor enjoyed being ridden at all parts of the throttle opening.
The only small dip in the power was around a quarter throttle but a needle change would smooth this out. We had to leave the bike just a little rich on that part of the carb as it was a really heavy day which made for a great test.
I buried the bike to its nuts in ***t and water and it never missed a beat. The only thing missing a beat was Woody of TM UK's heart as he wasn't enjoying the abuse being handed out to his pride and joys!
The 250 goes beyond expectations for me as I was expecting a harsh and aggressive ride. The bike reacted well in all situations and really enjoyed the motocross track as well as the trail.
Things were really cooking by this point in the test and the 300 looked like a bike demanding a bit of respect - 300 cubes could get me into all kinds of shapes, none of them good!
The 300 feels exactly the same as the 250 when you first jump on. Again, all the controls are positive so with the bars set and the motor warm it was time to have some fun.
As soon as you pull away on the 300 the smile will begin to appear on your face. This is almost a guarantee as the feeling of roll-on, controllable power takes you on a trip. Maybe I can only speak for myself here but the way the power is delivered is really confidence-inspiring. TM have a reputation for making some serious fire-breathing two-stroke motors but with this motor they have really hit the jackpot.
The thing pulls like a train from absolute zero and just keeps on rollin'. You can put this bike into any situation and it will do a good part of the work. On the fast stuff the motor and chassis work really well - with a balanced feel - and in the technical going the bike is still light enough to allow you to attack any climbs, steps or obstacles that may be in your way. This puppy took me straight up an eight foot near vertical step and I was just along for the ride.
Shifting is typically European as with all of the range. You have to make sure of the shift until the gearbox is well run in but as the day went on the shifting became effortless.
With the little extra weight on the 300 the suspension worked well and felt pretty balanced although we did have to soften the rear shock again.
Turning, climbing, technical going, fast going, ease of ride, quality build - the TM 300 really is a great all-round bike for all levels of rider.
So there it is. The TM '06 E range is heading for the big time and good luck to them. The factory have stuck to their policy of giving the buyer a bike to go and race at any level without the need to go and buy any other go-faster parts.
Thanks to TM UK and especially Woody for the entertainment on the day - short legs and grassy hills are no good for man nor beast!
EN300
Capacity: 294cc
Bore and stroke: 72mm x 72mm
Transmission: Five-speed
Carburettor: Keihin PWK38
Front suspension: Kayaba/Paioli USD 48mm
Rear suspension: Sachs Boge shock
Front brake: 270mm disc
Rear brake: 245mm disc
EN250
Capacity: 249cc
Bore and stroke: 66.4mm x 72mm
Transmission: Five-speed
Carburettor: Keihin PWK38
Front suspension: Kayaba/Paioli USD 48mm
Rear suspension: Sachs Boge shock
Front brake: 270mm disc
Rear brake: 245mm disc
EN125
Capacity: 123.5cc
Bore and stroke: 54mm x 54.5mm
Transmission: Six-speed
Carburettor: Keihin PWK38
Front suspension: Kayaba/Paioli USD 48mm
Rear suspension: Sachs Boge shock
Front brake: 270mm disc
Rear brake: 245mm disc
Words by Geoff Walker Photos by Ray Chuss
15 December 2005