Top Marques
By TMX Archives on 13th Apr 07
OUR four-bike TM enduro test was carried out at Jeff Miles Moto Park, near Blackwood, in south Wales. T+MX joins tester Carl Tiley in thanking the team at the venue for supporting off-road sport.
TM is a small, enthusiastic, European manufacturer of off-roadmachinery that you just have to give maximum respect. They produce arelatively small number of machines annually (around 2,500 in total)but being Italian, each machine is effectively hand-made withabsolutely nothing allowed to impinge on quality.
They are also true manufacturers, designing and building their owntwo-stroke and four-stroke engines and providing their own Bling partslike the billet hubs, levers and triple clamps. And only top-qualityproprietary parts are used in the production machines like Paioli 48mmforks, Ohlins shocks, Excel rims Keihin carb and HGS exhausts on thetwo-strokes and a trick downdraft pumper carb and Gianelli pipe on the450 four-stroke. Engines and components are all attached to simple,light, steel tube perimeter frames for maximum strength and lightnesswith the whole topped off with those beautiful blue plastics that somake TM stand out in the crowd. All the established engines have beentreated to a run through the development shop for the 2007 season wheresubtle mods all-round make for improved real-world performance.
T+MX managed to drag CARL TILEY away from flogging shiny new Mercs fora hard day's testing in his native south Wales - and with four coolblue beauties to put through their paces he sure broke sweat...
TM EN125...
I LOVE riding a 125. They feel so light and nimble and you can reallythrow them around and make them do just what you want. And these days,125 engine tuning has moved on a tremendous amount and the TM motorreally does pull well from low-down although it obviously really comesinto its own when you hit the top-end. A 125 is always going to producetop power at peak revs, it is what they do best.
I reckon that the TM is so good straight out of the box - and that goesfor all the two-stroke models - that all you have to do is set-up thecontrols to your personal preference and go get those results. All thetop quality kit is already fitted so you aren't looking for, say, abetter quality rear shock.
The gem-like little motor is bolted into a steel-tube perimeter chassis that offers really nice, responsive handling.
The suspension too is beautifully progressive at both ends and thechassis just soaks up the punishment. With all my riding kit on I mustweigh pushing 15 stone these days which I admit is a bit much for a125, but you would never know once on the move.
The motor really is a gem and you can slice effortlessly through thesix-speed box with ease thanks to the hydraulically operated clutch. Itcarburates pretty near perfectly, as 125s usually do.
And the brakes are little short of fantastic. A mix of Brembo andNissin they offer mega power while also offering superb feel. The wholebike is all about feel actually, you feel part of it and can actuallyfeel the rear tyre seeking grip. Back to the brakes - with a bit ofpractise you can impress your mates no-end with really controllablestoppies!
In short, the 125 is just great fun as well as being tremendouslycompetitive in its class, riding it is so easy that it actually made mefeel quite fit again...
2007 TM EN125 SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Displacement: 123.5cc
Bore x Stroke: 54 x 54.5mm
Compression ratio: 1:16.7
Ignition: Kokusan CDI with variable advance
Carburettor: Keihin PWK 38
Clutch: Hydraulic multidisc in oil-bath
Transmisson: Six-speed
Starting: Primary kick
CHASSIS
Frame: Perimeter type with oval section Cr-Mo steel tubing
SUSPENSION
Front: Paioli 48mm twin-cartridge
Rear: Ohlins
WHEELS
Front: 90/90 X 21''
Rear: 120/90 X 18''
BRAKES
Front: 270mm disc brake with Nissin pump and dual piston Brembo caliper
Rear: 245mm Nissin with dual piston caliper
TM EN250...
AFTER thrashing the 125 and having a real blast I moved on to the 250and if the 125 made me smile then when I got off the 250 I must havebeen grinning from ear to ear!
The beautiful crisp bark of the engine through the pipe, the balance ofthe chassis, the supple suspension, powerful brakes and that smoothtorquet two-stroke engine. This is a bike that suits me - as I'm notexactly a seven-stone weaking - down to the ground!
With the wide spread of power you can trickle round a tight corner insecond gear and then just let rip right up the considerable rev range.Alternatively, you could almost chug round the corner in third and thenuse the bottom and mid-range grunt. The choice is yours. I have to saythat the power of the 250 has been improved tremendously since I lastrode one a couple of years ago. It is quite awesome.
Just like with the 125, the handling is really good and the chassisworks so well you can actually feel the rear tyre biting for grip.
We found a small table-top which was actually on a left-hand bend, noton a straight. This was quite a little test for the bikes but all fourmodels
2007 TM EN250 SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Displacement: 249cc
Bore x Stroke: 66.4 x 72mm
Compression ratio: 1:15.5
Ignition: Kokusan CDI with variable advance
Carburettor: Keihin PWK 38
Clutch: Hydraulic multidisc in oil-bath
Transmission: Five-speed
Starting: Primary kick
CHASSIS
Frame: Perimeter type with oval section Cr-Mo steel tubing
SUSPENSION
Front: Paioli 48mm twin-cartridge
Rear: Ohlins
WHEELS
Front tyre: 100 / 90 x 21''
Front tyre: 140 / 80 x 18''
BRAKES
Front: 270mm disc brake with Nissin pump and dual piston Brembo caliper
Rear: 245mm Nissin with dual piston caliper
TM EN300...
JUST when I thought it couldn't get any better along came the 300!
You might think that this might just be a bit too 'big' and not as nimble as the 125 or even the 250 but even I was impressed.
Something I was doing on the 125 was riding up a steep hill into atight left-hand bend and then across a camber to a sharp lip onto aflat track. The nimble little 125 was absolutely perfect for this andto be honest I thought the 250 and especially the 300 would be a bit ofa handful. Well, I'm pleased to say that both handled the trickymanoeuvre handsomely.
The 300 is, as you would expect, just like the 250 only more-so fromthe engine room. What it has got is extra grunt right from the word goand you can make this bike pull the extra gear just on the torque.
The five-speed box is more than enough for the 250 and 300 models against the six-speeder for the 125 screamer.
Basically, you could ride the 300 like an automatic as there is just noneed to play tunes on the gearbox, the engine is so torquey.
I reckon that the 250/ 300 models are perfect for riders of all levelsof ability. Both can be as docile as you like, playing in the lower revrange or, like me, you can just let rip and Yeee-Hah!
2007 TM EN300 Specifications
ENGINE
Displacement: 294cc
Borex Stroke: 72 x 72mm
Compression ratio: 1:15.5
Ignition: Kokusan CDI with variable advance
Carburettor: Keihin PWK 38
Clutch: Hydraulic multidisc in oil-bath
Transmission: Five-speed
Starting: Primary Kick
CHASSIS
Frame: Perimetr type with oval section Cr-Mo steel tubing
SUSPENSION
Front fork: Paioli 48mm twin-cartridge
Rear shock: Ohlins
WHEELS
Front: 100/ 90x21
Rear: 140/ 80x18
BRAKES
Front: 270mm disc barke with Nissin pump and Brembo caliper
Rear: 245mm disc brake with Nissin pump and caliper
TM EN450...
Here we go again, it must be me but I just don't get the four-strokething at all. Four-strokes are bigger and heavier than two-strokes andalthough the motors are powerful enough, surely everyone must concedethat they just don't handle the same - do they?
Sorry, I guess you can tell I am not a four-stroke fan but I haveworked out that you have got to find out the best way to ride them.Basically, I find that rather than letting the bike do the work itself,like on the sweet little 125, you really have to bully the four-strokesinto submission.
Firstly, the 450 four-stroke TM I had for testing was the 'soft'electric start version. This is probably a very good bike for say ahare and hounds event for a 'normal' rider but anyone who knows meknows that I only have one setting and that is to ride fast andaggressive (that's true - Ed!).
For me, at 15 stone and hitting every bump hard, the suspension wasset-up just too soft all-round, and particularly the front, which upsetTM's expected perfect handling. The soft forks made it understeer andthat meant I had to work hard to carve a tight bend.
Just to qualify that I also managed to blag a ride on a similar TM450,later in the day, set-up for motocross. This had a more fiery engineand the suspension was set-up much stiffer and I really had a ball onthis. However, I don't think I would have lasted two hours in a hareand hounds at that pace!
So I accept that the EN450 is set-up softer than a hard-racer like mewould ideally like. Having said that it was a doddle to start, just hitthe electric start button and it burbled into life. What could beeasier?
The chain-driven double overhead cam engine is mechanically quiet andit ought to be reliable and ran perfectly. As I say, it started welland carbureted perfectly through the downdraft carburettor.
The spread of power is good, it is actually a very useable all-roundengine and again five gears is more than sufficient. And the e-startversion sports a very, very quiet exhaust note, something that is veryimportant these days if we are not to lose our off-road venues.
Naturally the 450 shares all the top-quality components that makeowning a TM a pleasure - all those lovely billet bits and pieces.
It is not for me, I remain a stroker fan, but if you like yourfour-strokes the guys at TMUK can set one up just how you like it.
2007 TM EN450 Specifications
ENGINE
Displacement: 449.16cc
Bore x Stroke: 95X63.4mm
Compression ratio: NA
Timing system: DOHC, 4-valves
Lubrication: Dry sump with double rotor pump
Ignition: Kokusan CDI with variable advance
Carburettor: Mikuni TDMR 40mm
Clutch: Hydraulic multidisc in oil-bath
Transmission: Five-speed
Starting: Electric with kick start
CHASSIS
Frame: Perimeter type with oval section Cr-Mo steel tubing
SUSPENSION
Front: Paioli 48mm twin-cartridge
Rear: Ohlins
WHEELS
Front: 90/90X21
Rear: 140/80X18
BRAKES
Front: 270mm disc brake with Nissin pump and Brembo caliper
Rear: 245mm disc brake with Nissin pump and caliper
TM updates...
CHASSIS
* New frame geometery
* New 48mm Paioli forks
* New Ohlins rear-shock with revised linkage
* New rubber mounted triple-clamps
* New seat design
* New graphics
ENGINE
EN125
* New cylinder head
* Revised powervalve
EN250
* New crankshaft
* New cylinder head
* Revised powervave
* Revised clutch
EN300
* New crankshaft
* New cylinderhead
* Revised powervalve
* Revised clutch
EN450
* New crankshaft
* New cams
* New ignition
* Revised CDI settings
* Revised clutch
* New gear ratio between first, second, and third gears
* New exhaust system
Specification: