Dream Weaver
DREAM WEAVER
TheNEW Standards SPECIAL SECTION
TM's decidely un-standard New Standard
L IVING NEAR THE BASE OF A TIGHTLY KNOTTED MOUNTAIN road can warp one's perspective. What other rational explanation could account for the purchase of an $11,000 single-cylinder streetbike? When you consider the wide range of multi-cylinder sportbikes that ring-in at or below this price point, it becomes evident that we're not referring to a run-of the-mill, weak `n' wheezing one lunger here. As its name suggests, TM's SMM 530 Black Dream is an exotic dream machine, and when viewed in this light, it represents quite a bargain.
Born of outside-the-box thinking, this Italian-built beauty was crafted by a small factory that places more stock in passion than appeasing mass-market appeal. TM Racing has a long history in off-road competition that includes several seasons participating in the European and World Supermoto Championships. Following in the wheel tracks of fellow Euro manufacturers such as KTM and Husqvarna, TM has grown its lineup to include no less than eight supermoto models ranging in displacement from 125cc up to a 660cc Unlimited class racer. While TM’s competition models utilize a conventional box-section swingarm and wire-spoke wheels, the Black Dream offers street-moto enthusiasts a flight of fancy and visual feast featuring a Ducati-inspired cast-aluminum single-sided swingarm, OZ Racing alloy wheels and a rim-mounted front brake rotor.
To date, TM’s U.S. importer, Motoman Distributing (www. tmracing-usa.com), has brought fewer than a dozen Black Dreams stateside. With no press demo bikes available, we begged to borrow a customer-owned machine. Our dareto-dream paid off with an invite to ride the personal bike of Terry Erdei, general manager of California Speedsports,
(www.speed-sports.com), a multi-line dealership located in Livermore, California. When asked what had possessed him to spring for the high-roller exotic, Erdei chuckles and says he convinced store owner Kregg Williams to become a TM____________________________ dealer so he could get one at cost. An enthusiast himself, Williams insists he got the better end of the deal, pointing out that he rides Erdei’s bike for free. Further proof that passion is infectious!
Parked on the sales floor amidst a range of new Aprilia and Moto Guzzi road bikes, the black-and-gold supermoto is a standout-if only for its 35-inch seat height. “Watch out for that self-retracting sidestand!” came a friendly warning from across the room as I swung a leg over the saddle. Ah, yes, the Italians do know how to increase sales of replacement plastic. The artfully sculpted gloss-black Acerbis bodywork is identical in form to other TM models that wear traditional TM Racing blue.
The seat is narrow and firmly padded like that of an MX bike and runs up the 2.2-gallon plastic tank nearly to the gas cap. My hands fell right in place when gripping the Reikon black-anodized tapered-aluminum bar mounted atop a beefy, golden-hued billet triple-clamp. The bike’s compact instrument pod is a clever design that incorporates a digital speedometer/odometer/tripmeter (borrowed from bicycling) into an outer housing that includes high-beam and turnsignal-indicator lights.
The handiest feature found on the bars is an electric-start button. I inquired about there being any tricks to kickstarting the 528cc four-stroke and learned the bike’s owner had never even tried. Hey, I’m with you there, Terry, having lost the lead and a full lap trying to relight a stalled four-stroke during a supermoto race! There is, however, a bar-mounted compression release and hot-start knob if you’re inclined to give your right leg a workout.
A couple twists of throttle to actuate the 41mm Mikuni carburetor’s accelerator pump facilitated a cold-engine start, then Erdei led the way to the hills on the outskirts of the city. The toughest aspect of riding this spirited Single in town is observing traffic laws, as its nimble chassis and torquey motor speak to you in a most mischievous manner. Another difficulty is making out images in the rearview mirror, as this motor truly rocks!
Finger-numbing power pulses coursing through the bars keep time with the snappy note exiting the aluminumskinned Gianelli silencer-the sensation is that of a raw racer. While this bike serves up few concessions for the street, it does have its refinements. A single-finger pull is all that's required when operating the feathery, hydraulically actuated clutch, and an equally light effort at the shifter clicks through the five-speed gearbox with ease. The Braking 420mm rim-mounted rotor and piston caliper not only look stun ning but offer enough retardation to stand the bike on its nose with a modest squeeze on the Brembo master cylinder lever. Slicing up a country road in the hills above Livermore is where the Black Dream made good on the check its motard styling wrote. Super agile yet exceptionally stable describes it best. Competitionquality Ohlins suspension and grippy Michelin Pilot Power radials allow full use of the abundant cornering clearance. The bike simply rails through corners without exhibiting tire chatter-the bane of supermoto fun. If you're a hardcore corner-craving enthusiast, this truly is the stuff dreams are made of. -Don Canet
