Trippin' Tm

TRIPPIN' TM

Gary Inman

European sportbike riders sick of paying high insurance premiums are looking for alternatives to their Suzuki GSX-Rs and Yamaha YZF-R1s-and finding it in the form of street-legal super-motards. KTM was quick to spot the potential of this niche and introduced the ground-breaking Duke in 1996. Now, other manufacturers are jumping on the band-

wagon. Italy’s TM, for one, has developed this outrageous prototype, codenamed GS400. It’s powered by the same liquidcooled, dohc, four-valve, 399cc Single found in the company’s 400E 4T enduro, but fitted with a rim brake, magnesium ^ wheels and a single-sided , aluminum swingarm. “The factory’s mentality is to build trick bikes,” a company — spokesman said, “so I wouldn’t be surprised if