Yamaha TRX850

I bought my first TRX 7 years ago with only 1500 miles on the clock. It suited me with its comfy riding position (but hard seat) and useable power. I did the standard mods - braided cables on the front (NOT needed on the back), Blue-spot callipers, Art cans, PD Oiler for the chain, Pirelli tyres, heated grips, hugger, paddock bobbins, & crash bungs.

I loved it, but after 5 years I thought perhaps I'd have a change. I got an Aprilia Falco, but it was horrible - lumpy, heavy and uncomfortable. I tried a Ducati ST4, but wasn't that taken. I even bought a BMW R1100S, but that, while beautifully made felt heavy and gutless. Fortunately, throughout I'd kept the TRX, and I've since covered 36,000 miles.

I've just sold it and bought a younger TRX. Whereas the first one suited me, the suspension on the new ne was a bit bouncy. I took it to PDQ in Tallow for a fork rebuild: new, springs, seals, bushes and race Tech emulators. It cost a lot,but the mors are very much better The fork yokes had been dropped, but I put them back to standard as it suited both my riding and my comfort - I'm 65 with a bad back.

It's a shame Yamaha didn't give it a better spec in the first place (better forks, brakes, cans, power) because it might still be in production alongside the TDM. I hope to keep riding my "new" TRX for some years - for me nothing else has the same combination of economy, reliability, nimbleness and real-world power output. I love my TRX!

Had to have one. Purchased cheap, bit unloved. Spent lots of time polishing alloy parts and a lick of paint. Few more shiny bits. Looks better than a duke and has a awesome note care of Aussie made megacycle cans. All the usual brake mods. Would never consider selling.....

I'm on my second TRX. Say no more! The old girl really benefits from a BMC Air Filter (their part number 598-08) which produced four horsepower more than stock to over 86hp at the rear wheel with a set of Staintunes with their baffles removed. Fitting Yamaha blue spot calipers and a 19RCS Brembo master cylinder with braided lines sorts the braking, and as mentioned above, dropping the legs through the triple clamps by up to 25mm when fitted with a 120/70 front tyre sharpens up the steering and gives better grip and compliance through bumpy bends. A further improvement is to fit Racetech Gold Valve emulators and revalve the standard shock. Best gearing is 17/41 for road use.

If your reading this your probably looking for an excuse to buy one. To justify your decision. I'm suggesting you buy it. The Trixie is one of those bikes that is a hard to explain bike. It really shouldn't be as good as it is ; but it is. It's the sort of bike that can only be appreciated by owning one. You can live with it ,it's affordable. It does what it's mean't to,and it does it well. It loves to be ridden with purpose as if your in some 24hr endurance race, where you get into your zone and do your thing, and in that lies the true joy of motorcycling. This is why ,amongst many other reasons they have such a dedicated following. The TDM has a similar effect but more in the long distance all purpose catagory. By now youv'e probably read all there is to know about the TRX , and like many ,sit there humming and ha'ing as to whether it will do the job. The Thruxtons ,Guzzi 7's and Beemer 800's are all nice bikes; very nice bikes .The only thing they do better than the TRX is massage your ego and empty your wallet. Now do your self a favour and buy one ,and with the spare cash buy yourself a second bike or take a holiday .

great fun,cheap speed for £1300.pulls like a train.

I purchased the bike 2 months ago it had a worn big end assy, I have repaired this rebuilt the motor & have travelled 1500klm in the past couple of weeks, the bike is great to ride, light & nimble with that OLD BIKE sound, after my first ride on it I instantly put my Ducati Pantah up for sale & it went to a new owner very quickly, I did not tell him about the TRX till after money exchanged hands otherwise he would have seen how good it was

The bike has R1 calipers Staintune exhaust & a few other extras, all I want to do is ride it, I have lifted the bars up a bit to make life easier if it gets to hard to ride with std bars I will look at fitting risers & one piece bars, but I cant see me selling it, by the way I am 63 years old I still have some of my cafe racer genes in my blood. Buy one & feel the thrill !!!!

Being over 50, I went looking for a bike to enjoy , was practical , reliable, easy to maintain , and had that classic look without sacrificing the advantages of modern technology.

I didn't shine to the yamaha V twin layout. The design in itself was impractical in it's layout as with the length of the motor,and spread mass, extra tooling costs, and the diffuclty of tuning, and that rear pot overheating, as opposed to the sensible twin layout. And besides, every man and his dogs got a V twin.

And those four's are psycho . Well at least the race replicas. They positively exceed what's needed for the road, and dare I say would cost a fortune to repair and maintain.

Enduro 1200 paris /dakars? You don't buy a bike for once a year holidays now do you? Or Gold wing arm chair specials.Good for the pillion, shame about the rider. They build a thing called cars if you want that.I already have a couple of them and I don't have to wear a helmet(lotus 7 copy)

Enter the TRX 850.

This bike does most things very well whilst delivering a classic simple look , and an exhaust note bar none. Yes, I have carbon cans on my bike.

Comfort; A lambs wool cover solved any niggles. To make the bike positively comfortable for my 90kg, 5'11" frame, I'd like to raise the bars an inch, and I'd be quite content for most distances.

Pillions, who cares?, but the thought did cross my mind to re allocate the pegs to attempt to make it more comfortable for them. But, the reality is , you don't by a trixie if you plan on carting the very person you plan on escaping from do you?

I've ridden the bike for a good 3 to 4 hours solid in all kinds of traffic, both metro and country, only to give my back a good crack when I pull up to the lights. Considering I'm 52,and to be solved with raising the bars an inch, it's not exactly a crisis is it.

For me, the handling is quite good. Compared to the other bikes I've owned, it's nimble and forgiving. It feels alot smaller than an 850,and doesn't get flinched when the roads get a little rough.I'm not out to break the speed records or to wear the pegs to oblivion, but to be able to enjoy a stable and sweet ride in that 'zone' where your life is not in the balance, but still extracting that irrepressible grin to be expected a bike such as the TRX.

Sure, for you younger fellows, a tweak here and there will provide superior handling characteristics for those who are out to touch the limits, and it's nice to know it's there if you wish, but for every day riding and a squirt down the coast or in the hills, it does me fine.

I have no quams touring with it either Given the lightnes of the bike and with the afore mentioned mods, I'm sure I'd come out the other end no worse for wear than with other bikes.Whilst sporty, It's not extreme as is some others that they like to compare with the TRX.

Most of the bike is well put together from a complete amateurs perspective as my self.

The welds look good, the switch gear falls into the hand well,it doesn't leak oil, and for me the looks over all,.. 'click'. It may not be a Duke, but it's still got that home built cafe bike flavour. Minding you, this is coming from a person who thinks the 1972 SFC 750 Laverda is the ultimate art form of motorcycles.

Now , compare the TRX to the 96 half faired laverda 750, cross it with a trellissed Duke, add Japanese reliability and sensibility, and say TRX with a smile.

The brakes are ok, and do the job required at 'my speeds', which for the most is at the speed limit, with a sneak here and there when no one's looking(I never lie lol). They do however have a wooden feel to them, and if any thing could be improved upon , it would be the brakes. It will be something I'll endeavour to improve upon when the time comes for an upgrade. In the meantime , they'll suffice, and all in all, do the job, but in no way brilliant.

The motor is one of the bikes truimphs, (pardon the pun). It's as reliable as a rock. It pulls well from about 3000 revs, and has good usable power. Over taking at 100kph is a twist away, and due to the 270 degree crank layout, the bike powers out of corners well.Given my age, whilst being fit and healthy, I'm not searching to put a wheel skyward, or to be snaking that rear wheel when I exit some sweeper, but in the right hands and with a tweak here and there, I'm sure it would be acheived with ease.

It uses a bit oil, which from what I've read , is a trait of thr TRX. It fires up first pop with a touch of the choke,and doesn't do any thing to suggest that indicates unrelaibility. 45 to 50 mpg is the ball park figure petrol wise. The motor lives up to everything that is said about it which makes this bike very ridable.

I have found a few nuetrals in the gearbox, but again,nothing serious.It's more me being too light with the lever I'd say. 99% of the time it snicks cleanly into gear, remembering, I'm not hammering it as would others

I hope that covers it for those who intend to purchase one of these bikes.

I consider them a classic. They have the looks , the sound, the reliability, the handling. They are sensibly designed, are not too exotic where by your frightened to personalise them, and above all fun to ride.

The 1100 Duke rider pays $20,000+ to get his bum burn't from the exhaust pipes in peak hour traffic only to realise that when he get's on the open road, the road is not like a race track and he hasn't got the talent(or balls) to truly give he Duke justice.

Welcome to the TRX. A Consummate bike, for the average Joe

The Yamaha TRX850 has good looks (in my opinion). Ducati style trellis frame and grunty parallel twin engine. cheap to buy and good reliability. Don't follow the supersport crowd. Narrow, nimble and reasonably fast. Bad points are comfort and brakes only ok.

What a great bike....ton of fun, cheap and still looks and sounds great after 10 years. That's gotta be good........and has a nice pulse!

The handling is spot on and has been said before very confidence inspiring ..... i have owned 3 Yamaha TRXs one of them has a hand made alloy frame and ohlins suspension and frankly the standard bike is more fun on the road...

you can pick up really tidy bikes for pennies but they are getting rare now. Change the front tyre to a 120/70/17 from a 120/60/17 and drop the forks 10 -20mm and change the fork oil and you have a "top 10" handling bike for thye price of an expensive set of leathers...

Steve, Swindon...