Yamaha TRX850 (1996 - 2000) review

Quirky parallel twin, the TRX850 wins a lot of friends.
It's always going to be an odd-ball but the TRX850 has character too.

It was an attempt to cash in on the success of European-style sports twins; introduced to Europe in 1996 the TRX850 sold steadily.

The TRX850 used a new version of the TDM850 engine in a steel-tube trellis frame with sportsbike suspension and half-fairing. The parallel twin engine received an altered firing order, with a new 270° crankshaft intended to give the TRX the syncopated sound and character of a V-twin design. It is not a massively powerful motor, producing just 59kW (79bhp), but is sufficient for a middleweight sports twin. The chassis is rather low-tech in places though, and doesn't have the class of the Italian designs it echoes.

It was an attempt to cash in on the success of European-style sports twins; introduced to Europe in 1996 the TRX850 sold steadily.

The TRX850 used a new version of the TDM850 engine in a steel-tube trellis frame with sportsbike suspension and half-fairing. The parallel twin engine received an altered firing order, with a new 270° crankshaft intended to give the TRX the syncopated sound and character of a V-twin design. It is not a massively powerful motor, producing just 59kW (79bhp), but is sufficient for a middleweight sports twin. The chassis is rather low-tech in places though, and doesn't have the class of the Italian designs it echoes.