[Zooming Jim]

I ride my TW mostly on the road, I'll take it off road when the situation permits. I treat it a lot like a Jeep or 4x4 Truck.

Occasionally I wish the TW had a 6th gear. Going over 55 mph in 5th gear can feel a little rattly--I think this is due to the high RPMs, more than the high speed, but I could be wrong. I think of those few times I could have used a 6th gear to get the bike to 65--70 mphs and stay at that speed; everything running smoothly--the engine at a moderate RPM.

Do you think the high vibrations are due to the RPMs alone: The High Speed alone: or a combination?

** Something Else to Consider:

I recently talked to another biker who rides a Ninja 650, and he told me that riding a bike of that size, with the gear ratios set for racing speeds, wasn't much fun in city traffic.

I asked him why, as his bike can accelerate quickly, etc..., and he told me that it had to do with shifting.

The way bikes like that are geared, he rarely gets above 2nd gear in city driving, and half the fun of riding is shifting, down-shifting, etc.... He said 1st gear gets him to ~35, 2nd gear, up to 50 mph. Unless he's on a state hwy or the interstate, 4th, 5th and 6th gear are rarely used.

Riding a bike like the TW, one is going through ALL THE GEARS, even going just 35--45 mph (common city driving speeds).

Maybe its something I've always taken for granted, but it really IS FUN clunking through all 5 gears AND choosing the right gear to be in after decelerating for a turn, or whatever. If I had bought a larger bike (like I thought about doing), I might be missing out on all the clutching & shifting action I get with the TW.

Imagine spending most of your time in 2nd gear and using ONLY the throttle to control your speed. Doesn't seem like it would be as much fun.

For those of you who own(ed) several types & sizes of bikes, do you agree with this, or is there something else I'm not considering (like pulling 8-Gs when the light turns GREEN!)

 

[Purple]

I have two bikes – a TW200, and a TW225 – both have 5 gears

One of the main differences with the TW225 is that you don’t have be in “exactly” the right gear for uphill bends etc, the torque will take you through

Whereas with the TW200 - you snooze, you loose ……

I’ve spent most of my life on two wheels, and being in the correct gear is second nature to me - but then, so is adapting to the bike I’m on.

Sure – in the rough, I like the idea of close gears – but when I’m cruisin’, torque is king ……..

 

[Fred]

“Occasionally I wish the TW had a 6th gear” -You and me too, Bro! You’re not the first, nor will be the last, to have pointed that out.
Welcome!
Ride more, post more and go have fun with some of those killer Gs.

 

[ronnydog]

The conversion to a 6 speed trans could be done without the top end mods- you could certainly have a 200cc 6 speed. Study the threads hard- Qwerty posts some great gearing info in RD's thread.

How-some-ever, it's not a matter of removing the side covers to get at the transmission. You must dismantle the entire motor, pull top end, split cases. For clarification's sake, the modification is to the TW output shaft, not a TTR shaft. (I'm using the term "output shaft" instead of "countershaft") You'll then need the entire transmission including the shift barrel & related parts out of either an XT225 or a TTR225. The TTR230 didn't have the wide range 6.

A question, for clarification's sake: Does your TW200 slow down on hills at highway speeds? Mine most certainly did. A long highway grade would slow the bike down below safe traffic speeds- 40 mph or so on a really bad one. Eventually you downshifted, but the engine was so wound out you didn't speed up much. That means it won't have enough power for 6th gear to make much difference. You could tinker with final (chain drive) gearing and improve that a little bit.

The 230 6 in Orbit is very happy at 60 mph and has the power to pull it, even with the Duro tire, up quite a grade. So great to be doing 50 mph in 5th gear- and have another gear to go. The bike will go 65...70, not really. That's with 14/50 gearing. I'm considering 14/49, a kind of half step, but this is pretty ideal. A lighter weight rider (I'm 200 lbs) or less gear (usually 20- 50 lbs) will increase performance.

There are a few ways to get the engine mods:
1) get a TW output shaft (perhaps from your present engine) and have someone machine it. Then get an entire 6 speed trani from one of the above bikes and assemble it into your good TW case. Result is a TW200 6 speed, may or may not be worth the effort.

2) get a TW output shaft and machine it. Get an entire XT or TTR225 engine, dismantle it completely and install the shaft. Now you have a TW225. This comes with a couple other nice things such as a much better 6 disc clutch. This is the best option we have. If the XT/TTR engine is in good running condition, it's the least amount of work.

3) go to Japan and somehow wangle a factory TW225 engine.

No easy way out.

R.

 

[10697]

6th gear would definitely be pointless without modifications to increase power.

I had 2 bikes [Buell Lightning and CBR 600] that would do the 80 mph speed limit in second gear. The 1000+ cc sportbikes will do that in first. Personally I would get up to whatever speed I would be travelling at and then shift up to fourth, or fifth if the speed wasn't too low. It makes for better fuel mileage that way but you have to downshift immediately if you need to accelerate in any way. Keeping the revs down on that Buell was ideal anyway because it was extremely loud.

 

[nerdrock]

A quote i've heard : "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than to ride a fast bike slow". This holds true for me at least in city riding. Once the road calls for 45+ MPH, I find myself accidentally searching for nonexistant 6th ALL the time.

Feeling like you're thrashing the TW just to keep up with traffic is satisfying in town.
My 1125r gives you two options at 30-35 mph in the city... 1) make too much noise in first gear, or 2) have it buck and surge at low RPM in 2nd gear.
My softail is perfect in town. less fun than the TW, but 3rd gear at 30-35 is smooth as butter.

 

[SportsterDoc]

My 2012 Triumph Bonneville 865cc came with a 5 speed.
I was constantly trying to shift to a non-existent 6th gear.
However, when about a year old and 7,000 miles, I installed a new rear tire, which was taller.
So tall, that the tire would not spin in the center stand.
I did not like its affect on acceleration.

6th speed on a TW would be beneficial, but not pulling a grade.

My 2016 Moto Guzzi 744cc, has 6 speeds.
It will do 110 MPH (indicated) at 6800 RPM in 6th gear, but acceleration is much better in 5th, even at 80 MPH.

Just my 2 cents.

My TW exploring was on rough rocky roads, not trails and I found factory gearing to be fine...for me.
Yes, a 6th gear at speeds above ~ 55 MPH on the level would be beneficial, but not if pulling a grade.
Factory gearing would allow 55 MPH up a 6+% grade at 7,000 to 8,000 feet altitude with a stock carb (other than pilot jet adjustment).

 

[Freon12]

I've got a 2006 Yamaha XT225 , it's got 6 gears. I do miss that 6th when I'm on the TW200 but it's still a great bike none the less.