Designed as something of a poor-man’s Ducati 916, with a trellis frame clearly intended to evoke that more exotic bike, the Yamaha TRX850 is a rare and odd duck in the US. It’s far from beautiful, but possesses a chunky charisma, and although it was never imported to North America, these aren’t particularly rare overseas. With the internet as your resource, parts should be pretty cheap and easy to obtain.
Built between model years 1995 and 1999 and powered by the same big, thudding 849cc engine that motivated the weird, jack-of-all-trades TDM, Yamaha’s unusual parallel twin utilized their signature five-valve head, with three inlet and two exhaust. The three smaller inlet valves allow for better breathing than would a two larger items, and this configuration featured on many Yamahas of the period. The engine also incorporated a “big-bang” 270° crankshaft that helped give the bike a character distinct from more common 360° designs. A five-speed gearbox may have been a bit lacking in ratios, but the torquey twin made that sixth gear superfluous.
From the original eBay listing: 2000 Yamaha TRX850 for Sale
This is a beautiful motorcycle in great mechanical shape. It has a NYS inspection sticker, the tires / brakes are 80% new battery less then a year old, very minor imperfections on fork tubes but very clean other wise. It has after market pipes / jet kit, trellis frame and matching red belly fairing. The crank is factory set at 270 degrees so it fires like a v-twin for gobs of torque!
I’m selling this motorcycle for a good friend. I’m a retired Ducati dealer and love to help get these rare models in the hands of folks that appreciate them. The TRX was never imported to the USA. This bike came from France and my friend bought it with a Michigan title. The speedometer is in kilometers but has been geared for MPH so were guessing at the real mileage. This bike may be the only one in US captivity.
Always a bit of a poor cousin to more exotic twins like Ducati’s 916, this parts-bin special was more than the sum of its parts, with a big midrange, very good handling, reliability, and character. Unfortunately, pricing in Europe was high compared to its more exotic competition, so it never sold well and was discontinued after just a few years.
Bidding is almost criminally low, considering the condition and capability of the bike being offered here. This is definitely a cult-bike in the making, although here in the US you might be looking at a cult of just one…
-tad
I remember these in Japan. Looks WAY better with a red frame.
Yes I am pretty sure that is not a stock paint job. Can anyone confirm that?
If you can’t find a Laverda 750 S (which would be the real deal when it comes to the TRX concept) or you are scared of the troubles you may have by owning a Laverda, the TRX maybe a smart and most of all, fun choice…
actually if you wanted a trellis frames laverda it would be the 650 ghost or possibly the 668 diamonte….both oil/air cooled though
marty/dallaslavowner
I like it , a refreshing change from the usual suspects. Smart looking simple bike . Color scheme is very nice . And as mentioned a more reliable alternative to a Laverda . Curious to see what it finally sells for……
Cool bike bit mostly due to it’s rarity. A good, more commonly found (relatively speaking) alternative would be an Aprilia Falco. You could find a real nice one for $5000.
“Build that funky bike, Yamaha boy” The thing I always liked about Yamaha is they were willing to push the manufacturer norm with bikes such as this one.