Italian food and hand built bikes to test, that's what was on show at the launch of the 2024 TM Range in Italy and we were there!
Sorting flights to Italy with two weeks’ notice to attend the 2024 TM Range launch was a challenge. All the large airlines were full and the only flights left were the ones with an 18-hour stopover in Lithuania. Several hours on the phone and computer and a few trips to the travel agent and I managed to secure a flight to Rome with one quick stopover in Perth.
When I got to Rome I got a hire car that looked like a go-kart with a roof and started my three hour drive across the country to where I would be staying. Italy has some amazing countryside and I took the scenic route that had me go straight acrossthe country to the coast line. The beaches, towns and headlands I saw along the way were breath-takin. My hotel was a classic bed and breakfast.
It was operated by a lovely Italian family but their English was very poor and my Italian even worse so we had a fun time conversing until the eldest daughter pulled out Google translate. The youngest daughter kept laughing and calling me “grande uomo bianco” which I figured out later on translates to “big white man”. They were your typical Italian family, lovely people, Dad would sink a few Vino’s and sing in the afternoons, children played, Mum cooked and the Grandfather sat in an urn in the garden by the front gate. These are the kind of people who want for nothing and are just happy to enjoy life with their loved ones.
I had a few days to myself to explore the local Italian restaurants, sight-see and check out a few 2000 year old castles and amphitheatres and then it was down to business. It was over 35 degrees everyday so the launch took place in the afternoon as the sun set. We had all the models, both enduro and motocross, on display, before getting a short talk on the new models from Roberto Aloi, International Sales and Marketing Manager of TM.
Once the formalities were done it was time to let rip on the track which was now under lights! I had less than three hours to ride 14 models so I had my work cut out for me and was swapping bikes every ten minutes.
THE BIKES
There is nothing ground-breaking or overly new on the 2024 TM Range of motorcycles but each model has seen some slight updates. TM produce a 125cc, 144cc, 250cc and 300cc two-stoke motocross bike and a 250cc, 300cc and 450cc four-stroke motocrosser too. They then make the exact same capacity motorycles in enduro specifiction. The most noticeable are the new colour plastics with the grey-coloured rear guard and new graphics, new non-slip seat covers, Circuit carbon-look hand guards and soft Circuit grips. The TM’s are a very clean and exotic looking dirtbike that could quite easily pass as a table centre piece at a fine dining restaurant. They are more of a work of art and the closer you look the more exotic they become.
All models received updated suspension settings and ECU mapping for better performance as well as new frame forgings for added strength. The four-stroke models all received new electric start gear systems and a new subframe with a silent block in the exhaust fastening. All motocross and enduro four-stroke models got new exhaust systems to reduce noise decibels and the motocross models all got new Galfer brake discs.
The two-stroke models all got new improved two-stroke cylinder designs as well as improved crankshaft bearing lubrication on the 250 and 300 models. The two-stroke, fuel injected enduro models all got new TPPS cylinder sensors for more accurate automatic calibration and updated exhaust valve settings.
Every model is assembled by hand with 90% of the parts being made in house at the TM Factory. The TM frame is a work of art made up of several different forged and machined parts before being held together in a jig and hand welded. The welds are picture perfect and could not possibly be done any better.
Each engine is hand ported and assembled on a bench by a mechanic. The TM shock is made in house and is not only beautiful to look at but works exceptionally well on the track. The forks are bought in from KYB as are the Keihin fuel injectors but the throttle bodies are made completely in-house.
The most unique part to the four- stroke TM’s is that the airbox and fuel tank has been switched. The fuel tank is under the seat and is filled through a cap in the side number plate and the air box is accessed through a panel at the front of the seat, much like the Yamaha’s. The reason for this is to get the fuel lower in the frame so it has less of an impact on the handling of the bike but also to mount the throttle body higher so it has a direct down draft over the valves to increase the power of the engine.
The 250 and 300 engines are unique in that they have two exhaust systems, one out each side. This engine shares much of its design with the Moto3 engine that TM has developed for MotoGP. There are so many unique intricacies with this engine that seem to resemble no similarities with any other engine that I’ve seen before.
The two-stroke models come in both carby and fuel injection so if you are still one of those technology hating guys wearing your tin foil hat then they still have a model for you.
One of the coolest options I saw was the TM 85. It is a really trick looking machine with coated forks and an engine that produces more horsepower than any other production 85cc motocross bike to date. All the models come with a map switch to allow you to select between map switches except the 144 and 125cc bikes.
I think you’ll have a hard time finding anyone who’s ridden a TM that will honestly tell you the bike didn’t have enough power.
WHAT THEY’RE LIKE TO RIDE
Like I said earlier, I had 14 bikes to test, both motocross and enduro machines, so reviewing every single bike in detail in this feature is impossible. Instead, I have split the motocross and enduro models up into two seperate features to showcase over two seperate issues in loads of detail. But for now, I’ll give you an over-reveiw on the 2024 TM Range as a whole and how they perform.
I’ll start with the small bikes and the 125cc, 144cc and 250cc two-stroke and a 250cc four-stroke motocross machines are incredibly powerful, even for small-capacity bikes. They feel more powerful than almost anything else on the market. The smaller ones make excellent mid- to top-end power and it is sharp and
aggressive power. They feel light and nimble and steer but they also have a very stiff frame, they’re setup to go racing. As for the enduro machines in the smaller capacities, they’re a little softer off the throttle but it’s not drastic, they’re still incredibly racey. The suspension is setup well for an off-road racer. The shock they make inhouse is excellent. Across the board, bigger blokes like me, I weigh 93kg, could ride these smaller capactiy bikes with few issues, they’re that strong.
As for the mid-cap and bigger machines, the 300cc and 450cc four-stroke and 300cc two-stroke enduro and motocross bikes are incredibly torquey with loads of power. The 450cc machine in both enduro and motocross had similar power to the Yamaha 450cc motor.
With the bigger bikes, the powervalve opened a little late so the power came on super-aggressive. When it came into band, you knew about it!
Across the board, the bigger bikes felt similar to the smaller machines, firm, rigid and great for racing. The enduro machines were slightly softer than the motocross range and TM have done a good job at making the inital part of the stroke forgiving.
My pick of the bigger bikes was the 450cc motocross machine because it was such an animal but handled so well and the 300cc four-stroke enduro model. It has the perfect blend of power and handling for trailriding.
In my future articles, I will delve into why the frame and suspension work for racing and how the frame flexes where it needs to. And I’ll go into more detail regarding that power.
THAT’S A WRAP
The day after riding the 2024 TM Range I headed to the TM factory to see how the bikes are made. This was a unique experience and one I’ll never forget. As soon as I entered I could feel the passion and love for the brand that everyone has in the factory.
TM sports an extensive line up of models with many different options, even a carby or injection option for the two-stoke enduros. Each bike is handbuilt. They are not a mass produced motorcycle, you’re buying the exact same motorcycle that the professional TM riders race world championships on. They’re not designed to turn the highest profits, they’re designed to go racing and to win at the highest level.
With the investment TM are making to increase productivity, I’d suggest keeping an eye on TM. They’ve survived the last 50 years when many other brands have failed and they are building dirtbikes that can compete with the big manufacturers, all from a small factory in Pesaro, Italy. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
WORDS MAT BOYD || PHOTOS TM ITALY