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[Navigator1946]

I agree with Kelpie. A great place to be!

[Studley Ramrod]

Hi and welcome Jim.

[Sphere]

On a whim, after liking them for years, I've acquired a tidy 2003 TDM. It's only done just over 20k miles and has been quite well cared for and not messed about with too much, despite several owners.

 

Been reading the info here avidly, while making an ever growing list of little (and slightly larger) jobs to do to the bike over the winter to get it tip top ready for the spring. I'm a fair weather rider these days, but I do somehow still manage about 5k miles a year. This is one comfy bike for covering some miles on. The credit card's getting a bashing accumulating all the bits required before I get stuck into it.

 

Here she is.

 

 

[attachment=o13873]

 

 

 

[dapleb]

Hello dare and welcoming. boike looks noice.

[Gdog]

Very nice, she’ll scrub up fine, enjoy

[drewpy]

lovely, welcome in  :welcome:

[Snowbird]

That looks tidy Sphere, welcome to the asylum.

Hope you like cake!

[Studley Ramrod]

Hi and welcome.  Bike looks near mint. :good:

[alanfavell]

Greetings

[Sphere]

Thanks for the welcome guys. I do think I've found a good un.

 

Apart from a few subtle upgrades the main work I'm planning is overhauling and lubricating all the chassis bearings so forks and swing arm out. Service history shows motor's been well cared for, so just an oil change and fresh air filter (have receipt for plugs and oil filter changed 1000 miles ago)

 

Snowbird - I lurve a nice bit o cake 

[dablik]

Oh my fluttering heart,reminds me of my departed sweetheart, lovely bike Shphere and welcome.

[Phatman]

Evening all,

glad to be here. I have been the happy’ish owner of a 2000 TDM since last August after 11.5 years of unforgettable  VFR750 companionship, which I had to part with due to hip arthritis. The TDM is much comfier and causes me no pain. And when it rides as it should, it runs like a dream. 



I’m hoping to spend even longer with my TDM than with my VFR if I can get used to it’s funny mood swings. So far it appears to have a healthy thirst for oil and a cough and splutter every time I use full choke, as if running on one cylinder for 15 minutes before it goes back to normal. I’ve had it looked at in a repair garage, he cleaned the carbs, reset float heights etc. but the problem persists. We’ll see how we get on.

 

Cheers.

[alanfavell]

Greetings - 4tx is a great ride  :good:

[Studley Ramrod]

Hello and welcome to the club Phatman.  Some use a fair bit of oil, some don't. As for the splutter on full choke, it may be that the carbs need the pilot screws adjusting and/or the carbs need balancing.  Is your bike a genuine 2000 model ?  Does it have a temp gauge or a fuel gauge ?

[Phatman]

Greetings - 4tx is a great ride  :good:

Cheers. Indeed, it pulls like a train below 6000rpm compared with the VFR.

 

Hello and welcome to the club Phatman.  Some use a fair bit of oil, some don't. As for the splutter on full choke, it may be that the carbs need the pilot screws adjusting and/or the carbs need balancing.  Is your bike a genuine 2000 model ?  Does it have a temp gauge or a fuel gauge ?

Thanks mate. 

 

It has a fuel gauge. Does that make it a 2000? Is that what they call a 4TX?

My mechanic said he pulled the carbs apart, cleaned them, reset the float heights and lowered the idle speed to 1000 rpm. He also said the spark plugs were near black but I don’t know if that has anything to do with it. When I took it back to him a week later he said he had done all he could and didn’t know what else to do.

For now I’ll manage by opening the choke maybe a quarter of the way, which seems to start it up normally. Compared to the VFR the TDM doesn’t require much choke, in warm weather it doesn’t need it at all funnily enough. 

 

[Studley Ramrod]

Yep, yours is a genuine 2000 model aka the mk2a.  '96 to '98 are mk2.  Both are 4TX.  Carbs are different for mk2 and mk2a, mk2a also has a leccy fuel pump.  Reason I asked was that if it were a mk2 I'd be suggesting you look at the choke plungers and the emulsion tubes as both do wear over time.  Your mk2a has different carbs to the mk2 so shouldn't be an issue.

I don't need to use choke in warmer weather, most TDM's are like that.

 

I tend to pull choke on and start it up without moving the throttle, and once it's fired then just blip the throttle.

[Rallyist]

Cheers. Indeed, it pulls like a train below 6000rpm compared with the VFR.

 

Thanks mate. 

 

It has a fuel gauge. Does that make it a 2000? Is that what they call a 4TX?

My mechanic said he pulled the carbs apart, cleaned them, reset the float heights and lowere
<span style="font-family:'-apple-system', BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol';font-size:15px;">d the idle speed to 1000 rpm</span>. He also said the spark plugs were near black but I don’t know if that has anything to do with it. When I took it back to him a week later he said he had done all he could and didn’t know what else to do.

For now I’ll manage by opening the choke maybe a quarter of the way, which seems to start it up normally. Compared to the VFR the TDM doesn’t require much choke, in warm weather it doesn’t need it at all funnily enough. 

 

Tickover set to low should be at least 1250rpm

[alanfavell]

+1 for tickover  @1250rpm :good:

[Phatman]

Yep, yours is a genuine 2000 model aka the mk2a.  '96 to '98 are mk2.  Both are 4TX.  Carbs are different for mk2 and mk2a, mk2a also has a leccy fuel pump.  Reason I asked was that if it were a mk2 I'd be suggesting you look at the choke plungers and the emulsion tubes as both do wear over time.  Your mk2a has different carbs to the mk2 so shouldn't be an issue.

I don't need to use choke in warmer weather, most TDM's are like that.

 

I tend to pull choke on and start it up without moving the throttle, and once it's fired then just blip the throttle.

Thanks for the info. So I’m a 4TX MK2A. Sounds like cracking the enigma code. 

Yes I don’t use throttle either; if the choke is set correctly it should start at the click of a button. Like Rallyist and Favs pointed out though maybe I should increase the idle speed a little now that the mechanic showed me where to do it. 

I should also start buying some oil for top-ups. Do you use mineral oils? That’s what I have in mine; my mechanic doesn’t believe in synthetics.

 

[alanfavell]

It'll burn any variety of M/C oil. Just be sure to check the oil level properly (I'd check mine every 2nd tankful used even though mine wasn't a guzzler).