TM

80 Enduro - 1988

The special world of micro-enduro

Enduro racing is a complex discipline, with rules which lay down as many categories as there are engine displacements. And if, as in the past, the European Championship included a 1000cc category, at the other end of the scale you find minuscule 80cc machines. In the late 1980s, the king of these "micro-enduros" was the Italian TM.

Hand-Made Masterpieces

TM is a tiny company also famed as a maker of Kart engines, which is based in Pesaro, not far from the Adriatic port of Rimini. Behind the typically Italian manner of these dedicated wizards is concealed the awesome world of the 80 and 125cc enduro racers. These truly outstanding machines, each individually hand-made from the finest materials, use only the very best components, and are built with astonishing attention to detail. Each TM is a work of art, and these exceptional machines, with their breathtaking performance, just keep on winning.

Life on the Limit

An engine developing some 20 hp at 14-15,000 rpm, with practically non-existent torque, is all very confusing, and calls for a very specialized riding technique: It has to be kept constantly at full throttle, playing tunes on the gearbox to ensure that it never falls off the power curve. Weighing in at a featherweight 187 lb, it's staggeringly effective, and its needle-sharp reactions just unbelievable. A sports bike that just begs to be ridden at the limit, the TM 80 has a magnetic attraction for really skilled riders. It's exciting!

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 80cc (47x47mm) water-cooled single-cylinder

Power Rating: 20 hp @ 15,000 rpm

Valves: two-stroke; automatic intake valves in the crankcase, valve on the exhaust

Fuel System: carburetor

Transmission: 6-speed, chain final drive

Suspension: telescopic forks (front); swing arm with single damper (rear); travel front/rear 11.8 inch/ 11.8 inch

Brakes: disc (front & rear)

Wheels: wire (front & rear)

Weight: 187 lb

A stunning view of Gian Marco Rossi in the 1988 ISDE event, with the rear suspension of his TM 90 flattened by the bike's acceleration.