[Boret]

I finally got the bike.

I want to thank everyone that helped me over on the "Need advice getting a used TW" thread.



I bought a used 1990 Yamaha TW200 with 12,500 miles.



Here it is the first picture loaded in the utility trailer on its way to the new home:

With the bike I got a complete set of wheels with Bridgestone TW203 in the front and Bridgestone TW204 in the back. The tires seem to be in great shape. Plenty of thread and no cracks. The rims are so so, might be just dirt. We will see how they look after some elbow grease.

Considering the bridgestones are in great shape that is probably worth $300 to $400 (from what I see on eBay for TW200 rims)



The set of knobby tires on the bike is a weird (to me) Chinese brand: Cheng Shin Tire

Front tire is Cheng Shin Tire C-913-1, the rear tire is Cheng Shin Tire C-914-1



They have the front tire at Motorcycle Superstore for $44.99 and the rear at powersportsnetwork.com for $70.95



The back chassis of the bike is a bit twisted to the right. But it didn't affect ride-ability. Here is a pick from the back:

The bike comes with a complete Service Manual (274pgs)



A skid plate:

Acerbis hand guards (with the metal insert), a couple of storage nylon bags and pre-wired to connect the battery tender.



My first concern is the rear shock. In this picture you can see that it has moved all the way to the right in the top axle:

That's probably from when the bike fell. It is kind of weird that there is nothing to support the top of the shock from moving left to right.

Makes me think that it could be an after market shock.

Here it is a side picture of the rear shock.... does it look OEM? (I will get better pictures once I start removing plastic fairings)

It idles way low so first thing I might do is increase the idle speed a bit.

I am going to go over every bolt, cable, and part. Tight everything up, sand down and repaint where ever I find rust, and probably do an oil/air filter change.



The chain is not O-Ring.... that might be one of the first mods.



I am also thinking about running a can of SeaFoam on the first few tanks to clean up the carb.



Anything else I should look at?



B.

 

[srs713]

Check brake pad thickness & clean em up.



Nice to know it goes, now make sure it stops.

 

[uktw125]

The rear shock is supposed to be off set like that.



So unless you can see any obvious damage or any abnormal movement then it is correct.

 

[Boret]

Check brake pad thickness & clean em up.



Nice to know it goes, now make sure it stops.

He he he! It stops but the rear break seems very weak and the front needed a couple of turns on the front screws to tight up.

I will take them apart and check the drums and pads.

The rear shock is supposed to be off set like that.



So unless you can see any obvious damage or any abnormal movement then it is correct.

Thanks! I feel better knowing that it supposed to be offset like that.

 

[Boret]

So far I am enjoying the bike quite a bit.



I discovered that the previous owner replaced the chain and both front and rear sprockets, from its original 14/49 to 15/50. Top speed is fine, I have seen 70 in the speedo, but I want a bit more torque with the knobbies, so I am getting a 54/56 rear sprocket for the knobby tires and will use the 50 on the street tires.



I will also replace the chain with an o-ring one.



I am waiting on parts to do an oil change. I am also getting new front and rear Brake Shoes, a bunch of gaskets and orings, a set of ss screws to replace the rusted/old phillips heads currently on the bike and probably wheel bearings.



I might even go as far as getting new spokes and install them on the wheels. I have to get the spoke wrench. I have not done it in motorcycle wheels, only bicycles and long long time ago. I am going to follow Dan's instructions.



Some updated pictures.

 

[ATXthumper]

congratulations on the "new" bike!



was the rear rack beyond being salvaged? i noticed in the updated photos its gone. theres an oem style rack on the forum going for 50 bucks if you need a new one. heres the link. http://tw200forum.com/index.php?/topic/426-oem-carrier/



skinned shins (cheng shin) arent that bad but of course dunlops are way better. i am happy with the dunlop "street" tires even for short jogs offroad. i use skinned shins on all my scooters and have never had any trouble. ive also had chinese bikes that the tires outlasted the engines sooo...

 

[Boret]

Thanks ATXthumper.



The rack is in great shape, no nicks or rust.

I am just not planing on doing any long trips with the TW200 (yet) so I have no need for the rack. But it was great to get it with the bike. I don't need the extra weight and it takes about a minute to put it back on if I need it.



The tires did great today in loose gravel. Compare to the vstrom this thing is on rails on back dirt/gravel roads. They feel odd in paved roads. Not getting great feedback from the front, so I am sure I will replace the rubber fairly soon. Maybe it is just the way the front knobby it supposed to feel in turns on paved roads....



I want to try the bike with the street tires first. (It will be a while until I get those on) Going on a long trip fairly soon.



I also notice that, even though there aren't any broken spokes, they are a bit off. I tapped them and got a lot of "clank" sounds and very few that actually ringed.

The screw part of most of the spokes is rusted, so a new set will be a good mod.



A new set is $25 for the rear and $30 for the front I just don't know if that is all I need, but looks like it from the part diagram.

 

[Boret]

Another picture

 

[Boret]

It's been over 2 months already?? Whew, time flies.

Here are a few pictures with some of the upgrades I've done to the bike.



So far I have replaced the oil, spark plug, oil and air filter, front headlight, handlebar, pegs, turn signals, chain and rear sprocket.

I have also removed the rack as I have no plans on going on long trips with this motorcycle. It is still cool that I got it with the bike but I had no use for it. I also fitted a cheap JCWhitney Givi ripoff top case and I retrofitted two agri-supply tool tubes to it. Not 100% sure on the look of it...



I bought the pegs on eBay from CA seller. A bit more expensive than the Hong-Kong ones, but I got them in 2 days.



I replaced the square headlight with an 8" round one from fly'n'cycle. I also got the universal headlight holder and smaller turn signals from that site. I went for the short spear ones. They give it a completely different look from the back. But they get a bit washed out in the front with the new headlight. I might order slightly longer ones and put the short ones in my vstrom.



The new sprocket is a 54T for the knobby tire. With a 126 link chain and 15T in the front I am at 6 in the chain adjuster, but I can't use the 50T in the back. I have to remove a couple of links, make it a 124 chain, to be able to swap between knobbies and street tires. Hopefully I will be at 2/3 in the chain adjuster with the 54T and around 6/7 with the 50T.



In the pictures I have a front street tire and a knobby in the rear. Just haven't had the chance to shorten the chain.



I am waiting on a smoked spitfire windscreen from fly'n'cycle. The windscreen fits both 7 and 8" headlights. I think it might look better with a 7" headlight... the 8" is massive... but on the other hand I can see at night now!



I also bought a complete set of stainless steel hex head screws to replace the phillips head ones currently on the TW.



I had to replace the blinker relay to work with these turn signals. I just bought one at an auto parts store with the same two flat prong configuration. 12v 25Amp. Heavy duty. Go figure, it works!



The pictures:

 

[dalsco]

Looks great! I'm way jealous that you got 2 sets of tires with your bike! I really want to get a second set but it would cost way to much. Enjoy the great TW

 

[Boret]

The pic of the givi knock off and the agri-supply tool tubes.

 

[Boret]

I got the new Spitfire Windscreen.

I think I like the look better without it. But it is not hateful.

Still debating if I like such a big (8") headlight.

 

[Boret]

 

[Boret]

 

[Boret]

Busy weekend!



I got the tank painted, as well as the seat, chain guard, tank cap, exhaust heat shields and skid plate.

I also placed a few stickers. I know the black out theme is worn-out, but I still like it, but given my limited painting skills I am pretty happy with the results.



Here are the latests pictures:

Black Skid Plate

Heat shield

Tank cap

The Vinyl Spray Paint works great!

I also added the Stainless Steel Hex Head screws.

I am also trying the OEM Vstrom mirrors. They work better, less vibration, but I am not crazy about the look. Same with the windscreen. I moved it down a few inches and tilted it back. Slowly growing on me.

 

[Boret]

The result of the Heat resistant paint in the Heat Shields really makes me wonder if I could take the whole engine out and paint it. It looks a bit rough after 19 years. Looks like quite a bit of work. Might be beyond my skill level.

 

[sinophilia]

The old lady looks great! Yeah I would try and paint the engine, it's a bit out of place now that the rest of the bike is so shiny. I painted mine with a rubbery matte black paint and it came out okay, just make sure to degrease it as well as you can.

 

[admiral]

Nice work. You'll have to let us know how the vinyl paint turns out after some heavy use. I have played around with the idea of the possibility of vinyle paint versus spending more money to have the seat reupholstered. Thanks for your honesty on what you like and don't like from your changes.

 

[Boret]

The old lady looks great! Yeah I would try and paint the engine, it's a bit out of place now that the rest of the bike is so shiny. I painted mine with a rubbery matte black paint and it came out okay, just make sure to degrease it as well as you can.

You didn't use the heat resistant spray paint?

I am a bit afraid of disassembling everything and then putting it back together. But it will definitely be a learning experience. I feel the same way... with the engine painted it will look much better.

Nice work. You'll have to let us know how the vinyl paint turns out after some heavy use. I have played around with the idea of the possibility of vinyle paint versus spending more money to have the seat reupholstered. Thanks for your honesty on what you like and don't like from your changes.

The vinyl spray paint went in great. I took my time properly cleaning the seat, with a strong degreaser and then with alcohol.

It is very easy to apply, you don't need to go over the same spot several times like you do with other spray paints. It dries really fast and from the feel (pressing on the seat) it is flexible enough to withstand some use. Even if it doesn't last forever, it only takes a few minutes to apply.



The funny thing is that I looked for a piece of black vinyl fabric first and couldn't find it anywhere. WalMart had it dark blue and red, Joan's Fabrics closed down, and crafts stores didn't have it. I was ready to reupholster it, but didn't find the material.



I stopped by an Advance Auto Parts and found cans of Vinyl Spray in different colors! The brand is Dupli-Color "Vinyl and Fabric coating". Here it is a LINK to it from Advance Auto Parts.



I used the flat black, but they have a Gloss Black if you want more of a shine.



I wonder if I can use it on the Fork covers....

Thank you guys for the comments. I kept posting and no one was replying

But I am glad to see that you are all keeping an eye on my progress.

 

[sinophilia]

You didn't use the heat resistant spray paint?

I am a bit afraid of disassembling everything and then putting it back together. But it will definitely be a learning experience. I feel the same way... with the engine painted it will look much better.

Yes it was heat resistant. It's the kind of rough-looking engine paint that usually comes in red, grey or black.

Taking the engine down is very easy, I did it several times and I'm a girl

But you may also leave it there and just mask the chassis... if you're not a perfectionist.

I wonder if I can use it on the Fork covers....

You gave me a great idea... Of course they're flexible so I don't think it wll last long... but it's worth to give it a try.