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Yamaha TDM

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The Yamaha TDM is a sport touring motorcycle built by Yamaha Motor Company between 1991 and 2011. Yamaha developed and released three generations of TDM ( TDM850 MK1, TDM850 MK2, and TDM900 ). They were sold largely in Europe with minor imports around the world.

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116-531: The TDM was intended as a comfortable yet maneuverable motorcycle. The TDM’s large size and heavy weight makes it unfavorable for serious off-road use, but its long-travel suspension is capable on gravel tracks. The TDM's engine was derived from the Paris-Dakar winning Yamaha XTZ 750 Super Tenere. The TDM motorcycle was engineered by Yamaha to be capable of handling European mountain roads and to cope with rougher road surfaces. The TDM's upright riding position

232-611: A crescent shaped geographic feature of central Europe that ranges in an 800 km (500 mi) arc (curved line) from east to west and is 200 km (120 mi) in width. The mean height of the mountain peaks is 2.5 km (1.6 mi). The range stretches from the Mediterranean Sea north above the Po basin, extending through France from Grenoble , and stretching eastward through mid and southern Switzerland. The range continues onward toward Vienna , Austria, and southeast to

348-423: A fuel gauge. The main differences between the previous model are: Product planner Hennes Fischer remembers: "It all started back in the beginning of the nineties, when we wanted to create a bike, which would be ultimate fun on bumpy small roads. Most of us loved touring trips using tiny alpine pass roads. But most bikes at that time either needed full concentration on these small roads or simply could not cope with

464-743: A major commercial and military road between Western Europe and Italy. The pass was crossed by many troops on their way to the Italian peninsula. From Constantine I , Pepin the Short and Charlemagne to Henry IV , Napoléon and more recently the German Gebirgsjägers during World War II . Now the pass has been supplanted by the Fréjus Highway Tunnel (opened 1980) and Rail Tunnel (opened 1871). The Saint Gotthard Pass crosses from Central Switzerland to Ticino ; in 1882

580-708: A man was in 1788; the first ascent by a woman was in 1808. By the mid-1850s Swiss mountaineers had ascended most of the peaks and were eagerly sought as mountain guides. Edward Whymper reached the top of the Matterhorn in 1865 (after seven attempts), and in 1938 the last of the six great north faces of the Alps was climbed with the first ascent of the Eiger Nordwand (north face of the Eiger). Important geological concepts were established as naturalists began studying

696-550: A particularly grueling event. Pierre Lartigue took Citroën's second win in acrimonious circumstances, as Mitsubishi's leading drivers were forced to withdraw from exhaustion after traversing some particularly demanding sand dunes in the Mauritanian desert that the Citroën crews had opted to skip. Peterhansel's did not compete due to a disagreement between Yamaha and the race organizers over the regulations. Edi Orioli claimed

812-399: A rule change paved the way for Mitsubishi to take a fourth victory. Japan's Kenjiro Shinozuka became the first non-European to win the event. Peterhansel equalled Neveu's record of five motorcycle category wins in 1997, before going one better in 1998 , when the event returned to its traditional Paris-Dakar route. 1998, Dakar veteran Jean-Pierre Fontenay posted another win for Mitsubishi in

928-409: A separate category in 1980, is made up of vehicles weighing more than 3,500 kg (7,716 lb). Trucks participating in the competition are subdivided into "Series Production" trucks (T4.1) and "Modified" trucks (T4.2), whilst Group T4.3 (formerly known as T5) trucks are rally support trucks – meaning they travel from bivouac to bivouac to support the competition vehicles. These were introduced to

1044-416: A testing ground and an opportunity to show off their vehicles' durability even though most vehicles are heavily modified from their production specification or purpose-built. For the 2005 rally regulations introduced a limit of 450cc for twin cylinder motorbikes. Single cylinder motorbikes were still open class with no capacity limit. As of 2011, the engine displacement limit for all motorbikes competing in

1160-564: A third title in the bikes category. The 1995 and 1996 events begin in the Spanish city of Granada , with Lartigue racking up wins for Citroën in both years. Peterhansel returned to take a fourth bikes category win in 1995, but lost to Orioli in 1996 because of refuelling problems. The 1997 rally ran exclusively in Africa for the first time, with the route running from Dakar to Agadez , Niger and back to Dakar. Citroën's withdrawal due to

1276-604: A tunnel 1.6 km (1 mi) long was built along the route of the pass in the mid-19th century. With a summit of 2,469 m (8,100 ft), the Great St Bernard Pass is one of the highest in the Alps, crossing the Italian-Swiss border east of the Pennine Alps along the flanks of Mont Blanc. The pass was used by Napoleon Bonaparte to cross 40,000 troops in 1800. The Mont Cenis pass has been

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1392-463: A twin engine. As a fan of big bikes, I had a burning desire to build this third generation TDM. The image we had in mind during our development was a machine perfected for pass roads when touring in the Alps or Pyrenees for example." Takuya Mochizuki, Product Planner adds: "I believe the new TDM represents the technological advantages and developments that have taken place over the last 10 years. Though

1508-646: Is sedimentary rock formed during mountain building. The Alpine orogeny occurred in ongoing cycles through to the Paleogene causing differences in folded structures, with a late-stage orogeny causing the development of the Jura Mountains . A series of tectonic events in the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods caused different paleogeographic regions. The Alps are subdivided by different lithology (rock composition) and nappe structures according to

1624-431: Is also an "Open" category catering for vehicles conforming to SCORE International regulations. Mini have been the most successful marque in the car category in recent years, thanks to the efforts of the non-factory X-raid team, with limited involvement currently coming from Toyota , Ford and Haval . Several constructors also produce bespoke buggies for the event, most notably SMG and Damen Jefferies. Mitsubishi

1740-434: Is amazing: when suddenly opening the throttle, the new 900 twin pulls stronger than ever without any hesitation. And with the help of the injection system even on high mountain roads (up to 3000 meters!) the fuel mixture is always adjusted properly. Riders who use their bike often on higher altitude, will fully understand and appreciate these benefits. A 3-way catalytic converter is standard and reduces emissions effectively in

1856-736: Is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation . Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris , France , to Dakar , Senegal . Security threats in Mauritania led to the cancellation of the 2008 rally , and events from 2009 to 2019 were held in South America . Since 2020, the rally has been held in Saudi Arabia . The event is open to amateur and professional entries, professionals typically making up about eighty percent of

1972-458: Is historically the most successful manufacturer in the car class, with Volkswagen , Citroën , Peugeot and Porsche having all tasted success in the past with factory teams. Jean-Louis Schlesser has also won the event twice with his Renault -supported buggies. Factory teams from Nissan and SEAT have also won stages, as has BMW , courtesy of the X-raid team. The Truck class, first run as

2088-465: Is many bikes in one: a sports bike on small roads, a tourer on longer trips and a powerful commuter in city traffic." Even completely new, the unmistakable face of the TDM remained In 1996 TDM saw major changes with a new engine and many chassis modification and a new face. The new styling attracted many new customers, and the bike became also very popular in the styling-sensitive Italian market. For 2002,

2204-586: Is not based on fastest time, but rather on regularity rally point scoring system. The class feature a reduced entry fee, yet the same rules and fees apply for the assistance. Source: Source: [REDACTED] Pablo Moreno Huete The rally is broadcast on television in more than 190 countries. A live feed of the event and a roundup of each day's race progress is made into a 26-minute programme. This has been commentated on by Toby Moody for ten years, and more recently by Neil Cole . The rally organizers and their television crews provide 20 edit stations along

2320-490: Is not progressive, the front suspension is a 41mm diameter cartridge fork. The braking is far more efficient than the XTZ, also having three disk-brakes. The front wheel has a 18' diameter, which is uncommon and limits tire choice. The 3VD - Mk1 was produced from 1991 until 1995 with the only change being the color pattern. The TDM was arguably the first road-oriented "Adventure Sports" motorcycle. The TDM's upright riding position

2436-503: Is of continental European origin, above which are stacked marine sediment nappes, topped off by nappes derived from the African plate. The Matterhorn is an example of the ongoing orogeny and shows evidence of great folding. The tip of the mountain consists of gneisses from the African plate; the base of the peak, below the glaciated area, consists of European basement rock. The sequence of Tethyan marine sediments and their oceanic basement

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2552-513: Is often called the category for the toughest of the tough, and one for the Dakar purists. KTM has dominated the motorcycle class in recent years, although Honda , Yamaha , Sherco , Husqvarna , and Gas Gas also compete currently. BMW and Cagiva have also enjoyed success in the past. Prior to 2009, Quads were a subdivision of the motorbike category, but they were granted their own separate classification in 2009 and are designated Group 3 in

2668-425: Is part of the TDM concept. The new body shape incorporates the rider in a slightly more forward position to give them a better direct control feeling of the front end. The designers however took great care at the same time to leave plenty of freedom for the rider to find the most suitable position for themselves. Even though the new bike has a complete new body shape, it still is a TDM. Takeshi Umemoto from GK Dynamics

2784-570: Is replete with such terrain, and documents the vehicle's endurance. 182 vehicles took the start of the inaugural rally in Paris , with 74 surviving the 10,000-kilometre (6,200 mi) trip to the Senegalese capital of Dakar . Cyril Neveu was the event's first winner, riding a Yamaha motorcycle. The event rapidly grew in popularity, with 216 vehicles taking the start in 1980 and 291 in 1981 . The privateer spirit of early racers tackling

2900-624: Is sandwiched between rock derived from the African and European plates. The core regions of the Alpine orogenic belt have been folded and fractured in such a manner that erosion produced the characteristic steep vertical peaks of the Swiss Alps that rise seemingly straight out of the foreland areas. Peaks such as Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, and high peaks in the Pennine Alps, the Briançonnais, and Hohe Tauern consist of layers of rock from

3016-643: The 2007 killing of four French tourists . Chile and Argentina offered to host subsequent events, which were later accepted by the ASO for the 2009 event . From a legal standpoint, the ASO held all entries for a rescheduled and relocated race, the Central Europe Rally , held in Hungary and Romania . It was intended to be part of a series known as the Dakar Series . The seven-stage rally-raid

3132-509: The 2012 rally , the X-raid team came to the fore, now using Minis in lieu of BMWs. Peterhansel had joined the team in 2010 after Mitsubishi's departure, but had been unable to challenge the Volkswagen drivers. Following Volkswagen's withdrawal, Peterhansel was able to secure his fourth win in the car category and his tenth in total, his main opposition coming from within his own team. Peterhansel successfully defended his title in 2013 as

3248-534: The Adriatic Sea and Slovenia . To the south it dips into northern Italy and to the north extends to the southern border of Bavaria in Germany. In areas like Chiasso , Switzerland, and Allgäu , Bavaria, the demarcation between the mountain range and the flatlands are clear; in other places such as Geneva , the demarcation is less clear. The Alps are found in the following countries: Austria (28.7% of

3364-657: The C-130 Hercules ) search plane spotted their white Peugeot 504 some 50 kilometres (31 mi) off course. Thatcher, Verney, and the mechanic were all unharmed. Alps The Alps ( / æ l p s / ) are one of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe , stretching approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco , France , Switzerland , Italy , Liechtenstein , Germany , Austria and Slovenia . The Alpine arch extends from Nice on

3480-915: The Colle della Maddalena , to the north. Upon reaching the Swiss border, the line of the main chain heads approximately east-northeast, a heading it follows until its end near Vienna. The northeast end of the Alpine arc, directly on the Danube , which flows into the Black Sea, is the Leopoldsberg near Vienna. In contrast, the southeastern part of the Alps ends on the Adriatic Sea in the area around Trieste towards Duino and Barcola . The Alps have been crossed for war and commerce, and by pilgrims, students and tourists. Crossing routes by road, train, or foot are known as passes , and usually consist of depressions in

3596-511: The Gotthard Base Tunnel , was opened, which connects Erstfeld in canton of Uri with Bodio in canton of Ticino by two single tubes of 57.1 km (35.5 mi). It is the first tunnel that traverses the Alps on a flat route. From 11 December 2016, it has been part of the regular railway timetable and used hourly as standard ride between Basel / Lucerne / Zürich and Bellinzona / Lugano / Milan . The highest pass in

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3712-607: The Oxford English Dictionary , the Latin Alpes might derive from a pre-Indo-European word * alb "hill"; "Albania" is a related derivation. Albania, a name not native to the region known as the country of Albania , has been used as a name for several mountainous areas across Europe. In Roman times , "Albania" was a name for the eastern Caucasus , while in the English languages "Albania" (or "Albany")

3828-764: The Pangaean supercontinent consisted of a single tectonic plate ; it broke into separate plates during the Mesozoic Era and the Tethys sea developed between Laurasia and Gondwana during the Jurassic Period. The Tethys was later squeezed between colliding plates causing the formation of mountain ranges called the Alpide belt , from Gibraltar through the Himalayas to Indonesia —a process that began at

3944-466: The Romanticists , followed by the golden age of alpinism as mountaineers began to ascend the peaks of the Alps. The Alpine region has a strong cultural identity. Traditional practices such as farming, cheesemaking, and woodworking still thrive in Alpine villages. However, the tourist industry began to grow early in the 20th century and expanded significantly after World War II, eventually becoming

4060-736: The Simplon Pass , and the Stelvio Pass . Crossing the Italian-Austrian border, the Brenner Pass separates the Ötztal Alps and Zillertal Alps and has been in use as a trading route since the 14th century. The lowest of the Alpine passes at 985 m (3,232 ft), the Semmering crosses from Lower Austria to Styria ; since the 12th century when a hospice was built there, it has seen continuous use. A railroad with

4176-505: The Yamaha Motor Company of Japan in 1991. The TDM has a pressed-steel frame and a dry sump engine with five valves per cylinder . The TDM850 MKI was released in 1991. The maximum bhp is 73.7, overall performance is high for a non sport motorcycle. The TDM850 has an hybrid chassis: there is a Delta box, perimetric steel frame, and mid-long travel suspension, supplying more trail-like characteristics. The rear suspension

4292-615: The 15 km-long (9.3 mi) Saint Gotthard Railway Tunnel was opened connecting Lucerne in Switzerland, with Milan in Italy. 98 years later followed Gotthard Road Tunnel (16.9 km (10.5 mi) long) connecting the A2 motorway in Göschenen on the north side with Airolo on the south side, exactly like the railway tunnel. On 1 June 2016 the world's longest railway tunnel,

4408-491: The 1990s. Hino , DAF , Perlini , and Mercedes-Benz have also been among the winners in the past. The utility task vehicle (UTV) category was introduced in 2017. Before this, UTVs ran under the car category as the T3 class. The class rapidly gained in popularity, and in 2021 the class was further subdivided into separate T3 light prototypes category, and T4 SSVs, which are based on production vehicles. A new Dakar Classic class

4524-664: The 20th century Robert Parker wrote a well-known work about the rock crystals of the Swiss Alps; at the same period a commission was established to control and standardize the naming of Alpine minerals. In the Miocene Epoch the mountains underwent severe erosion because of glaciation, which was noted in the mid-19th century by naturalist Louis Agassiz who presented a paper proclaiming the Alps were covered in ice at various intervals—a theory he formed when studying rocks near his Neuchâtel home which he believed originated to

4640-691: The 29 "four-thousanders" with at least 300 m (984 ft) of prominence. While Mont Blanc was first climbed in 1786 and the Jungfrau in 1811, most of the Alpine four-thousanders were climbed during the second half of the 19th century, notably Piz Bernina (1850), the Dom (1858), the Grand Combin (1859), the Weisshorn (1861) and the Barre des Écrins (1864); the ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 marked

4756-486: The Alpine region. The cinnabar deposits in Slovenia are a notable source of cinnabar pigments. Alpine crystals have been studied and collected for hundreds of years and began to be classified in the 18th century. Leonhard Euler studied the shapes of crystals, and by the 19th-century crystal hunting was common in Alpine regions. David Friedrich Wiser amassed a collection of 8000 crystals that he studied and documented. In

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4872-708: The Alps are difficult to quantify and likely to vary significantly in space and time. The Alps are a source of minerals that have been mined for thousands of years. In the 8th to 6th centuries, BC during the Hallstatt culture , Celtic tribes mined copper; later the Romans mined gold for coins in the Bad Gastein area. Erzberg in Styria furnishes high-quality iron ore for the steel industry. Crystals, such as cinnabar , amethyst , and quartz , are found throughout much of

4988-771: The Alps goes back to the Palaeolithic era. A mummified man ("Ötzi") , determined to be 5,000 years old, was discovered on a glacier at the Austrian–Italian border in 1991. By the 6th century BC, the Celtic La Tène culture was well established. Hannibal notably crossed the Alps with a herd of elephants, and the Romans had settlements in the region. In 1800, Napoleon crossed one of the mountain passes with an army of 40,000. The 18th and 19th centuries saw an influx of naturalists, writers, and artists, in particular,

5104-799: The Austroalpine peaks underwent an event in the Cretaceous Period, the two areas show distinct differences in nappe formations. Flysch deposits in the Southern Alps of Lombardy probably occurred in the Cretaceous or later. Peaks in France, Italy and Switzerland lie in the "Houillière zone", which consists of basement with sediments from the Mesozoic Era. High "massifs" with external sedimentary cover are more common in

5220-555: The Dakar Rally is 450cc. Engines may be either single or twin cylinder. Riders are divided into two groups, RallyGP and Rally2. A subcategory is the "Original by Motul " category (formerly named "Malle Moto" due to the only piece of luggage competitors were allowed to take with them was a "malle", a French term for box or trunk.), which refers to motorbikes and quads competing without any kind assistance. The organization provides assistance for this category with 4 people dedicated to

5336-476: The Dakar in 2025 due to declining manufacturer support. The car class is made up of vehicles weighing less than 3,500 kg (7,716 lb), which are subdivided into several categories. T1 is made up of "Improved Cross-Country Vehicles", subdivided according to engine type (petrol or diesel) and drive type (two-wheel or four-wheel drive), while T2 is made up of "Cross-Country Series Production Vehicles", which are subdivided into petrol and diesel categories. There

5452-522: The Damen Jefferies buggies of Sainz and Al-Attiyah failed to last the distance. Despres also racked up a further two wins for KTM in the bikes class in 2012 and 2013, bringing his tally to five, aided by Coma's absence due to injury in the latter year. Coma struck back on his return to the Dakar in 2014 , taking a comfortable fourth title and a 13th in succession for KTM, whilst Nani Roma emulated Auriol and Peterhansel by taking his maiden title in

5568-521: The Eastern and South-Western Alps. The underlying mechanisms that jointly drive the present-day uplift pattern are the isostatic rebound due to the melting of the last glacial maximum ice-cap or long-term erosion, detachment of the Western Alpine subducting slab, mantle convection as well as ongoing horizontal convergence between Africa and Europe, but their relative contributions to the uplift of

5684-702: The French–Italian border, and at 4,809 m (15,778 ft) is the highest mountain in the Alps. The Alpine region area contains 128 peaks higher than 4,000 m (13,000 ft) . The altitude and size of the range affect the climate in Europe; in the mountains, precipitation levels vary greatly and climatic conditions consist of distinct zones. Wildlife such as ibex live in the higher peaks to elevations of 3,400 m (11,155 ft), and plants such as edelweiss grow in rocky areas in lower elevations as well as in higher elevations. Evidence of human habitation in

5800-434: The German X-raid team proved thorns in the side of the big budget works teams. The 2004 route was from Clermont-Ferrand to Dakar, and was the year Peterhansel emulated Hubert Auriol's feat of winning the rally on both two wheels and four. The Frenchman defended his title in 2005, when the rally began for the first time in Barcelona . In the bikes category, KTM continued their success with Nani Roma in 2004, who switched to

5916-462: The Greek goddess Alphito , whose name is related to alphita , the "white flour"; alphos , a dull white leprosy; and finally the Proto-Indo-European word *albʰós . Similarly, the river god Alpheus is also supposed to derive from the Greek alphos and means whitish. In his commentary on the Aeneid of Virgil , the late fourth-century grammarian Maurus Servius Honoratus says that all high mountains are called Alpes by Celts. According to

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6032-452: The KTM works team rider, Australian Toby Price, take his first Dakar victory, winning his second title in 2019. Sam Sunderland and Matthias Walkner won the 2017 and 2018 edition also for the team from Mattighofen (18 overall victories as in 2019). Following ASO's increasingly deteriorating relationships with South American governments, which culminated in the controversial 2019 disqualification of Bolivian quad rider Juan Carlos Salvatierra,

6148-399: The MT-09 Tracer (FJ-09 in North America) developed from the MT-09 technology. Even when nobody at Yamaha mentioned the TDM during this project, many professionals and fans believed it is the direct successor. Dakar Rally The Dakar Rally or simply " The Dakar " ( French : Le Rallye Dakar ou Le Dakar ), formerly known as the " Paris–Dakar Rally " (French: Le Rallye Paris-Dakar ),

6264-436: The TDM is completely revised again. Sven Ermstrang, Product Planning manager in Yamaha Europe: "We want to take a long-term approach to our model development for the European market. That means sensible model changes, with real benefits for the customers: not changing for change's sake." He continues "That is why the TDM850, throughout its life, has remained essentially the same bike. It did have step-by-step improvements through

6380-481: The Western Alps and were affected by Neogene Period thin-skinned thrusting whereas the Eastern Alps have comparatively few high peaked massifs. Similarly the peaks in eastern Switzerland extending to western Austria (Helvetic nappes) consist of thin-skinned sedimentary folding that detached from former basement rock. In simple terms, the structure of the Alps consists of layers of rock of European, African, and oceanic (Tethyan) origin. The bottom nappe structure

6496-430: The Yamaha TDM850 was a sort of Multistrada 12 years before Ducati thought of it. MCN later said of the TDM900: "The Yamaha TDM900 is a street biking oddball that’s as brilliant beating congestion as it is swinging bends. The parallel twin motor is spunky enough for fun, while the wide bars really let you take charge and hustle. It’s such an easy motorcycle to ride you could do it with your eyes shut". In 1996, instead of

6612-525: The alps is the Col de l'Iseran in Savoy (France) at 2,770 m (9,088 ft), followed by the Stelvio Pass in northern Italy at 2,756 m (9,042 ft); the road was built in the 1820s. The Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA) has defined a list of 82 "official" Alpine summits that reach at least 4,000 m (13,123 ft). The list includes not only mountains, but also subpeaks with little prominence that are considered important mountaineering objectives. Below are listed

6728-412: The background. The new aluminum frame is 6 kg lighter and increased 40% in torsional stiffness. To improve the handling character, the engineers reduced weight in every possible area of the bike. The steel frame was replaced by a newly designed aluminum construction, which does not only have higher stiffness but also 6 kg of weight less at the same time. In combination with the rigid mounted new engine

6844-456: The bikes category since 1985. Schlesser and Sainct both successfully defended their titles in 2000 , traversing the route from Dakar to the Egyptian capital of Cairo . 2001 was the final time that the rally used the familiar Paris-Dakar route, and was notable for Mitsubishi's Jutta Kleinschmidt , as she was the first woman to win the rally – albeit only after Schlesser was penalised one hour for unsportsmanlike conduct. Fabrizio Meoni took

6960-451: The car category for Mitsubishi after a close contest with Alphand after the increasingly competitive Volkswagens retired with mechanical problems. In what would be the final African event of the Dakar, Despres took his second title in the bikes category, having conceded victory in 2006 to Marc Coma after suffering an injury. The 2008 event , due to start in Lisbon, was cancelled on 4 January 2008 amid fears of attacks in Mauritania following

7076-409: The car category the following year, and Cyril Despres in 2005. The 2006 event moved to Lisbon . Nissan pulled out having failed to provide effective opposition to Mitsubishi, who took a sixth consecutive victory, this time with former skiing champion Luc Alphand after Peterhansel committed a series of errors late in the rally. Peterhansel made amends in 2007 , however, taking his third title in

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7192-432: The car class went to the Marreau brothers, driving a privately entered Renault 20 . Auriol captured his second bikes class victory in 1983, the first year that Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi competed in the rally, beginning an association that would last until 2009. At the behest of 1983 car class winner Jacky Ickx, Porsche entered the Dakar in 1984 , with the total number of entries now at 427. The German marque won

7308-408: The car class. 1999 started in Granada and a maiden success for erstwhile Formula One and sports car driver Jean-Louis Schlesser , who had been constructing his own buggies since 1992. With the help of Renault backing, Schlesser overcame the works Mitsubishi and Nissan crews to win, whilst Peterhansel's decision to switch to the car category allowed Richard Sainct to take BMW's first title in

7424-400: The cars class a decade on from his victory on two wheels – albeit only after team orders by X-raid slowed Peterhansel. Peugeot returned for the 2015 event with an all-new, diesel-powered, two-wheel drive contender, but failed to make an impact as X-raid's Minis once more dominated. Al-Attiyah won the event in his second year for the team, while Coma racked up a fifth title in the bikes after

7540-744: The central and western portions. The variances in nomenclature in the region spanned by the Alps make classification of the mountains and subregions difficult, but a general classification is that of the Eastern Alps and Western Alps with the divide between the two occurring in eastern Switzerland according to geologist Stefan Schmid, near the Splügen Pass . The highest peaks of the Western Alps and Eastern Alps, respectively, are Mont Blanc, at 4,810 m (15,780 ft), and Piz Bernina , at 4,049 m (13,284 ft). The second-highest major peaks are Monte Rosa , at 4,634 m (15,203 ft), and Ortler , at 3,905 m (12,810 ft), respectively. A series of lower mountain ranges run parallel to

7656-453: The challenges of Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret in a Mitsubishi Pajero, who finished second by 2:01 after the seven stages. The 2009 event , the first held in South America with a respectable 501 competitors, saw Volkswagen take its first win in the Dakar as a works entrant courtesy of Giniel de Villiers . Initially, teammate and former WRC champion Carlos Sainz led the race comfortably until crashing out, but went on to win

7772-408: The concept is the same than 10 years ago, the TDM 900 is a completely new machine from tip to toe." The most obvious change is the increased displacement , resulting in more power 84.8 hp (63.2 kW)@ 7,500 rpm and torque 65.49 lb⋅ft (88.79 N⋅m) @ 7,500 rpm). In combination with fuel injection the new engine pulls TDM much stronger. It is a pleasure to accelerate out of tiny hairpin corners and feel

7888-451: The constantly changing surface properly. Something in between a big Enduro and a street bike seemed ideal for this purpose. "The answer was TDM 850 launched in 1992. The bike instantly hit the heart of the French bikers, who were already customizing their Endures with street tires and better brakes. In the years to come TDM convinced the motorcyclists all over Europe of its benefits. Yamaha product planners often hear sentences like : "TDM

8004-411: The contract with the country was only exclusive for the first year. However, the effects of COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2022 prevented such expansion from happening. The five competitive groups in the Dakar are the motorcycles , quads , the cars class (which ranges from buggies to small SUVs ), UTVs , and the trucks class. Many vehicle manufacturers use the rally's harsh environment as both

8120-476: The current regulations. They are divided into two subgroups – Group 3.1, which features two-wheel drive quads with a single cylinder engine with a maximum displacement of 750cc, and Group 3.2, which permits four-wheel drive quads with a maximum engine displacement of 900cc, in either single or twin cylinder layout. Yamaha went unbeaten in the Quad category as an official class, with their main opposition coming courtesy of Honda and Can-Am . Quads were dropped from

8236-496: The defection of long-time rival Despres to the car class and Peugeot. Peugeot did however see success in 2016 with Peterhansel behind the wheel, racking up his 6th win in the car category, and again in 2017 and 2018 until Peugeot decide to officially leave the competition. In 2019 , which was the first Dakar Rally to be held in just one country (Peru), Toyota won for the first time with Nasser Al-Attiyah (in his third victory with three different manufacturers). The bike category saw

8352-550: The desert would be a good location for a regular rally, on the lines of the 1974 London–Sahara–Munich World Cup Rally , the first automobile race to cross the Sahara Desert twice. In 1971, ex- Cream drummer Ginger Baker used the unproven Range Rover to drive from Algeria to Lagos, Nigeria to set up a recording studio and jam with Fela Kuti . Predating the Paris-Dakar Rally the subsequent documentary

8468-424: The dominant industry by the end of the century. The Winter Olympic Games have been hosted in the Swiss, French, Italian, Austrian and German Alps. As of 2010, the region is home to 14 million people and has 120 million annual visitors. The English word Alps comes from the Latin Alpes . The Latin word Alpes could possibly come from the adjective albus ("white"), or could possibly come from

8584-568: The end of the Mesozoic and continues into the present. The formation of the Alps was a segment of this orogenic process, caused by the collision between the African and the Eurasian plates that began in the late Cretaceous Period. Under extreme compressive stresses and pressure, marine sedimentary rocks were uplifted, forming characteristic recumbent folds , and thrust faults . As

8700-609: The end of the golden age of alpinism . Karl Blodig (1859–1956) was among the first to successfully climb all the major 4,000 m peaks. He completed his series of ascents in 1911. Many of the big Alpine three-thousanders were climbed in the early 19th century, notably the Grossglockner (1800) and the Ortler (1804), although some of them were climbed only much later, such at Mont Pelvoux (1848), Monte Viso (1861) and La Meije (1877). The first British Mont Blanc ascent by

8816-404: The event at their first attempt courtesy of René Metge , who had previously won in the car category in 1981, whilst Ickx finished sixth. Gaston Rahier meanwhile continued BMW's success in the motorcycle category with back-to-back wins in 1984 and 1985 , the year of Mitsubishi's first victory of 12 in the car category, Patrick Zaniroli taking the spoils. The 1986 event , won by Metge and Neveu,

8932-516: The event in 2010 . After a poor showing in 2009, Mitsubishi withdrew from the competition and left Volkswagen as the sole works entrant. The German marque won the race for a third time in 2011 , this time with Nasser Al-Attiyah , before they withdrew to focus on their upcoming WRC entry and leaving the Dakar with no factory participants in the car class. In the bikes, Despres and Coma stretched KTM's incredible unbroken run of success. Both tied on three victories apiece after Coma's third win in 2011. In

9048-427: The event with limited resources encouraged such entrants as Thierry de Montcorgé in a Rolls-Royce and Formula 1 driver Jacky Ickx with actor Claude Brasseur in a Citroën CX , in the 1981 race won by two-time winner Hubert Auriol . In 1982 , there were 382 racers, more than double the number that took the start in 1979. Neveu won the event for a third time, this time riding a Honda motorcycle, while victory in

9164-516: The event, victory instead going to compatriot and teammate Juha Kankkunen . Peugeot and Vatanen returned to winning ways in 1989 and 1990 , the latter marking Peugeot's final year of rally competition before switching to the World Sportscar Championship . Sister brand Citroën took Peugeot's place, Vatanen taking a third consecutive victory in 1991 . The 1991 event also saw Stéphane Peterhansel take his first title in

9280-437: The experience we gained in these past 10 years, not only by internal testing, but also through talking to many TDM owners and listening to their wishes and comments. After 20 years producing the TDM, Yamaha Motor Company stopped the production in 2011. In 2014 rumors and photos leaked on the internet showed a new design of sport touring motorcycle with many similarities between the TDM and this new machine. In 2015 Yamaha released

9396-499: The first Dakar win for Austrian manufacturer KTM , beginning a winning streak that lasted through 2019. The 2002 began in the French town of Arras and long-time Dakar participant Hiroshi Masuoka won the event for Mitsubishi (Masouka had led for much of the previous year's rally.) The 2003 rally featured an unorthodox route from Marseille to Sharm El Sheikh . Masuoka defend his title after teammate and long-time leader Peterhansel

9512-407: The front wheel. Project leader Etsuo Matsuki also utilized knowledge from development of super-sport machines. The longer rear swingarm with a YZF-R1 piggy-back rear suspension contributes to stability and accuracy. Yamaha's well known MOS 64 opposed piston one-piece callipers will withstand the toughest downhill pass road ride. even with a passenger on the back and a tank bag in front of you. Comfort

9628-429: The long suspension stroke and setting still ensures a pleasant absorption of bumps, making the bike a first choice for critical surface conditions. The increased steering accuracy is also a result of the improved weight distribution. The 30° mounting angle (instead of 40° on previous TDM) of engine and cylinders and other dimension changes enabled the engineers to achieve a favourable weight distribution of 47% to 49,8% on

9744-648: The main chain of the Alps, including the French Prealps in France and the Jura Mountains in Switzerland and France. The secondary chain of the Alps follows the watershed from the Mediterranean Sea to the Wienerwald , passing over many of the highest and most well-known peaks in the Alps. From the Colle di Cadibona to Col de Tende it runs westwards, before turning to the northwest and then, near

9860-404: The mighty twin's power resulting in forward propulsion. In the past TDM riders commented that the gearbox was a bit loud and harsh. That has been taken seriously and a totally new, 6 speed gearbox has been developed. It shifts smoothly and when in last gear, the bike runs on lower rpm and higher speed comfortably on highway sections. Innovation: adjustable air induct and fuel injection strengthen

9976-598: The motorcycle category with Yamaha, marking the beginning of an era of domination by the Frenchman. For the 1992 event , the finish line moved to Cape Town , South Africa in a bid to combat a declining number of competitors, where GPS technology was used for the first time. Auriol became the first person to win in multiple classes after taking Mitsubishi's second victory in the car class, while Peterhansel successfully defended his motorcycle category title. The 1993 rally entry list slumped to 153 competitors, around half of

10092-400: The motorcycle category, the former taking his fifth victory after Auriol was forced to drop out of the rally after breaking both ankles in a fall. The 1988 event reached its zenith in terms of entry numbers, with 603 starters. Vatanen's title defence was derailed when his Peugeot was stolen from the service area at Bamako . Though it was later found, Vatanen was subsequently disqualified from

10208-821: The mountains in which a valley leads from the plains and hilly pre-mountainous zones. In the medieval period hospices were established by religious orders at the summits of many of the main passes. The most important passes are the Col de l'Iseran (the highest), the Col Agnel , the Brenner Pass , the Mont-Cenis , the Great St. Bernard Pass , the Col de Tende , the Gotthard Pass , the Semmering Pass ,

10324-831: The orogenic events that affected them. The geological subdivision differentiates the Western, Eastern Alps, and Southern Alps: the Helveticum in the north, the Penninicum and Austroalpine system in the centre and, south of the Periadriatic Seam, the Southern Alpine system . According to geologist Stefan Schmid, because the Western Alps underwent a metamorphic event in the Cenozoic Era while

10440-410: The parallel twin character Etsuo Matsuki and his team developed another interesting feature to increase TDM engine torque and power: A variable intake duct effectively brings out the full potential of the new injection system. The air cleaner box will automatically adjust the air intake volume in accordance with engine rpm. Below 4000rpm the duct closes down about one-third of the intake area. The result

10556-689: The participants. The rally is an off-road endurance event. The terrain that the competitors traverse is much tougher than that used in conventional rallying , and the vehicles used are typically true off-road vehicles and motorcycles , rather than modified on-road vehicles. Most of the competitive special sections are off-road, crossing dunes, mud, camel grass , rocks, and erg among others. The distances of each stage covered vary from short distances up to 800–900 kilometres (500–560 mi) per day. The rough terrain, driver fatigue, and lack of skill usually results in accidents and serious injuries. The Mediterranean Rally (also known as Algiers-Cape Town Rally )

10672-448: The preceding year's figure and around a quarter of that of 1988. The event was the last to be organised by Gilbert Sabine and the Amaury Sport Organisation took over the following year. With the finish line now back in its traditional location of Dakar, Bruno Saby won a third title for Mitsubishi and Peterhansel took a third straight success in the motorcycle category. The 1994 event returned to Paris after reaching Dakar, resulting in

10788-578: The previous 360 engine, Yamaha released the Mk II TDM with updated bodywork and a 270° firing order engine that was shared with the TRX850 . They also shared the same transmission. This new engine was first seen in 1995, when Yamaha introduced its TRX850 in Japan. Although early models came with no fuel gauge and a reserve fuel tap, beginning in 1999, Yamaha replaced the temperature gauge on the dashboard with

10904-648: The rally has been held in Saudi Arabia since 2020. Since 2022, the rally has been the season-opening round of the World Rally-Raid Championship jointly sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme . The 2023 event ran from 31 December 2022 to 15 January 2023. The Dakar Rally was intended to also feature other Middle East countries starting from 2021, as

11020-474: The rally in 1998. The truck event was not run in 1989 after it was decided the vehicles, by this stage with twin engines generating in excess of 1000 horsepower, were too dangerous following the death of a DAF crew member in an accident during the 1988 rally. Kamaz has dominated the truck category since the turn of the century, although it has come under increasing pressure from rivals such as Iveco , MAN , Renault , and Tatra , which enjoyed much success in

11136-678: The range's area), Italy (27.2%), France (21.4%), Switzerland (13.2%), Germany (5.8%), Slovenia (3.6%), Liechtenstein (0.08%) and Monaco (0.001%). The highest portion of the range is divided by the glacial trough of the Rhône valley, from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa on the southern side, and the Bernese Alps on the northern. The peaks in the easterly portion of the range, in Austria and Slovenia, are smaller than those in

11252-413: The rising peaks underwent erosion, a layer of marine flysch sediments was deposited in the foreland basin , and the sediments became involved in younger folds as the orogeny progressed. Coarse sediments from the continual uplift and erosion were later deposited in foreland areas north of the Alps. These regions in Switzerland and Bavaria are well-developed, containing classic examples of flysch , which

11368-522: The rock formations of the Alps in the 18th century. In the mid-19th century, the now-defunct idea of geosynclines was used to explain the presence of "folded" mountain chains. This theory was replaced in the mid-20th century by the theory of plate tectonics . The formation of the Alps (the Alpine orogeny ) was an episodic process that began about 300 million years ago. In the Paleozoic Era

11484-460: The route for various countries to produce their own programmes about the rally. There are four TV helicopters, six stage cameras, and three bivouac crews to make over 1,000 hours of TV over the two-week period. A 2006 television documentary Race to Dakar described the experiences of a team, including the English actor Charley Boorman , in preparation for and entry into the 2006 Dakar Rally. it:Sport Mediaset In 1982, Mark Thatcher , son of

11600-752: The summer months and where huts and hay barns can be found, sometimes constituting tiny hamlets. Therefore, the term "the Alps", as a reference to the mountains, is a misnomer. The term for the mountain peaks varies by nation and language: words such as Horn , Kogel , Kopf , Gipfel , Spitze , Stock , and Berg are used in German-speaking regions; Mont , Pic , Tête , Pointe , Dent , Roche , and Aiguille in French-speaking regions; and Monte , Picco , Corno , Punta , Pizzo , or Cima in Italian-speaking regions. The Alps are

11716-424: The then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , along with his French co-driver Anne-Charlotte Verney and their mechanic, disappeared for six days. On 9 January, the trio became separated from a convoy of vehicles after they stopped to make repairs to a faulty steering arm . They were declared missing on 12 January. After a large-scale search was instigated, an Algerian military Lockheed L-100 (a version of

11832-407: The torsional stiffness increased by 40%. As a result, the new TDM 900 feels more like a street bike when it comes down to pointing a line around corners. In particular in fast corners at higher speed the bike shows increased precision in following the riders input through the handlebars, which is transmitted by wider radial tyres on both front and rear YZF-R6 lightweight wheels. On the other hand,

11948-423: The transportation of the competitors "malle" or boxes between bivouac sites plus any additional equipment or belongings. This includes: 1 trunk, 1 set of wheels, 1 sleeping tent, 1 travel bag, 1 set of tyres, free use of the generators, compressors and tool-boxes, and easy access to race information. Since these competitors are not allowed to receive any outside support, each rider must service their own vehicle. It

12064-539: The various orogenies including exposures of basement rock. Due to the ever-present geologic instability, earthquakes continue in the Alps to this day. Typically, the largest earthquakes in the alps have been between magnitude 6 and 7 on the Richter scale. Geodetic measurements show ongoing topographic uplift at rates of up to about 2.5 mm per year in the North, Western and Central Alps, and at ~1 mm per year in

12180-548: The west in the Bernese Oberland. Because of his work he came to be known as the "father of the ice-age concept" although other naturalists before him put forth similar ideas. Agassiz studied glacier movement in the 1840s at the Unteraar Glacier where he found the glacier moved 100 m (328 ft) per year, more rapidly in the middle than at the edges. His work was continued by other scientists and now

12296-548: The western Mediterranean to Trieste on the Adriatic and Vienna at the beginning of the Pannonian Basin . The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn . Mont Blanc spans

12412-445: The years, so that at 10 years of age, is still an excellent bike. It does not feel old since its function is very well up to date. Following our long-term vision, we wanted to make the new 900 version fit for the next 10 years by preserving all the good points and bring the bike to a higher level overall!" Etsuo Matsuki, Project Leader of the new TDM 900 says: "Personally I love riding on mountain roads and I also love machines powered by

12528-512: Was a trans-Africa rally run in 5 editions between 1951 and 1961. It evolved from the original mixed road and off-road rally to a fully off-road endurance event, during the pioneer years of trans-Africa rallies. The race originated in December 1977, a year after Thierry Sabine got lost in the Ténéré desert whilst competing in the 1975 "Rallye Côte-Côte" between Abidjan and Nice and decided that

12644-723: Was deemed radical for the time. The TDM was imported into the United States for two years, 1992 and 1993. It had low sales in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands at first, but sold in high numbers in other European countries, particularly in France, Germany and Greece. The TDM850 was received well in Europe by consumers and critics while having high sales. MCN said of the TDM850 Mk II: "Fairly revolutionary when launched and certainly years ahead of its time,

12760-475: Was introduced in 2021 for cars and trucks manufactured before 2000, or new vehicles built to original pre-2000 specification. For the fifth edition in 2025, rules allowed another five years where 2005 became the latest specification year for the class, effectively making the rule 20 years for classification as classics. These vehicles share the same bivouac and the organization but run in a parallel, yet different route, suitable for historic vehicles. The scoreboard

12876-508: Was legally the 2008 edition of the Dakar. David Casteu in a KTM won his first rally-raid race of his career while KTM swept the podium. He defeated Francisco Lopez by 2:58 for what technically was his first Dakar win. Volkswagen dominated the cars category, with Carlos Sainz, Sr. and Michel Périn winning the category in the Race Tourareg 2, and the marque sweeping all seven stages of the race. Despite that, Sainz still had to fend off

12992-442: Was marred by the death of event founder Sabine in a helicopter crash, his father Gilbert taking over organisation of the rally. The 1987 rally marked the start of an era of increased official factory participation in the car category, as French manufacturer Peugeot arrived and won the event with former World Rally champion Ari Vatanen . The 1987 event was also notable for a ferocious head-to-head duel between Neveu and Auriol in

13108-484: Was occasionally used as a name for Scotland , although it is more likely derived from the Latin word albus , the colour white. In modern languages the term alp , alm , albe or alpe refers to a grazing pastures in the alpine regions below the glaciers, not the peaks. An alp refers to a high mountain pasture, typically near or above the tree line , where cows and other livestock are taken to be grazed during

13224-415: Was plagued by mechanical problems in the penultimate stage. Sainct meanwhile took honours in the motorcycle category, the third title for both him and KTM. By 2004 , the entry list had increased to 595, up from 358 in 2001, with a record 688 competitors starting in 2005 . Alongside Mitsubishi and Nissan, Volkswagen now boasted a full factory effort, while Schlesser's Ford -powered buggies and BMWs of

13340-407: Was radical at the time. The TDM had low sales in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands at first, but sold in high numbers in other European countries, particularly in France, Germany and Greece. It was imported into the United States for two years, in 1992 and 1993. The Yamaha TDM is an 849 cc DOHC parallel-twin motorcycle in the " Sport touring " category. The TDM was first manufactured by

13456-432: Was responsible for the new looks and believes: "TDM is simply TDM; an entity in itself. We knew an important point would be to carry on that TDM identity. So during the development we attempted to create a design that introduced new creative forms within the basic context." In the past decade some 62.000 motorcyclists all across Europe have chosen a TDM 850 . The new bike now starts a new decade of TDM fun, incorporating all

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