Top Marques

Published: 13th April 2007

Author: Carl Tilley

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-road machinery that you just have to give maximum respect. They produce a relatively small number of machines annually (around 2,500 in total) but being Italian, each machine is effectively hand-made with absolutely nothing allowed to impinge on quality.
They are also true manufacturers, designing and building their own two-stroke and four-stroke engines and providing their own Bling parts like the billet hubs, levers and triple clamps. And only top-quality proprietary parts are used in the production machines like Paioli 48mm forks, Ohlins shocks, Excel rims Keihin carb and HGS exhausts on the two-strokes and a trick downdraft pumper carb and Gianelli pipe on the 450 four-stroke. Engines and components are all attached to simple, light, steel tube perimeter frames for maximum strength and lightness with the whole topped off with those beautiful blue plastics that so make TM stand out in the crowd. All the established engines have been treated to a run through the development shop for the 2007 season where subtle mods  all-round make for improved real-world performance.
T+MX managed to drag CARL TILEY away from flogging shiny new Mercs for a hard day’s testing in his native south Wales - and with four cool blue 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 really throw 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 motor really does pull well from low-down although it obviously really comes into its own when you hit the top-end. A 125 is always going to produce top 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 goes for all the two-stroke models - that all you have to do is set-up the controls to your personal preference and go get those results. All the top quality kit is already fitted so you aren’t looking for, say, a better 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 the chassis just soaks up the punishment. With all my riding kit on I must weigh pushing 15 stone these days which I admit is a bit much for a 125, but you would never know once on the move.
The motor really is a gem and you can slice effortlessly through the six-speed box with ease thanks to the hydraulically operated clutch. It carburates pretty near perfectly, as 125s usually do.
And the brakes are little short of fantastic. A mix of Brembo and Nissin they offer mega power while also offering superb feel. The whole bike is all about feel actually, you feel part of it and can actually feel the rear tyre seeking grip. Back to the brakes - with a bit of practise you can impress your mates no-end with really controllable stoppies!
In short, the 125 is just great fun as well as being tremendously competitive in its class, riding it is so easy that it actually made me feel 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 250 and if the 125 made me smile then when I got off the 250 I must have been grinning from ear to ear!
The beautiful crisp bark of the engine through the pipe, the balance of the chassis, the supple suspension, powerful brakes and that smooth torquet two-stroke engine. This is a bike that suits me - as I’m not exactly a seven-stone weaking - down to the ground!
With the wide spread of power you can trickle round a tight corner in second gear and then just let rip right up the considerable rev range. Alternatively, you could almost chug round the corner in third and then use the bottom and mid-range grunt. The choice is yours. I have to say that the power of the 250 has been improved tremendously since I last rode one a couple of years ago. It is quite awesome.
Just like with the 125, the handling is really good and the chassis works 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, not on a straight. This was quite a little test for the bikes but all four models

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 a tight left-hand bend and then across a camber to a sharp lip onto a flat track. The nimble little 125 was absolutely perfect for this and to be honest I thought the 250 and especially the 300 would be a bit of a handful. Well, I’m pleased to say that both handled the tricky manoeuvre handsomely.
The 300 is, as you would expect, just like the 250 only more-so from the engine room. What it has got is extra grunt right from the word go and 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 no need to play tunes on the gearbox, the engine is so torquey.
I reckon that the 250/ 300 models are perfect for riders of all levels of ability. Both can be as docile as you like, playing in the lower rev range 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-stroke thing at all. Four-strokes are bigger and heavier than two-strokes and although the motors are powerful enough, surely everyone must concede that they just don’t handle the same - do they?
Sorry, I guess you can tell I am not a four-stroke fan but I have worked 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-strokes into 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 a hare and hounds event for a ‘normal’ rider but anyone who knows me knows that I only have one setting and that is to ride fast and aggressive (that’s true - Ed!).
For me, at 15 stone and hitting every bump hard, the suspension was set-up just too soft all-round, and particularly the front, which upset TM’s expected perfect handling. The soft forks made it understeer and that 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 engine and the suspension was set-up much stiffer and I really had a ball on this. However, I don’t think I would have lasted two hours in a hare and hounds at that pace!
So I accept that the EN450 is set-up softer than a hard-racer like me would ideally like. Having said that it was a doddle to start, just hit the electric start button and it burbled into life. What could be easier?
The chain-driven double overhead cam engine is mechanically quiet and it ought to be reliable and ran perfectly. As I say, it started well and carbureted perfectly through the downdraft carburettor.
The spread of power is good, it is actually a very useable all-round engine and again five gears is more than sufficient. And the e-start version sports a very, very quiet exhaust note, something that is very important these days if we are not to lose our off-road venues.
Naturally the 450 shares all the top-quality components that make owning 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 your four-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