[dcbus]

I'm seeking some feedback and suggestions on additional mods for my t-dub. From seat design, to exhaust set-up, and anything else. Just moved from the midwest to NYC, so I stripped an off-road king down and made a city bike with a ton of gas space.



My '89 TW before

My '89 TW after:



- AF F-16 gunship gray paint match

- 3" swingarm stretch

- Bridgestone TW201 / TW202 tires

- Custom battery tray (not pictured)

- R1 Shock + custom mounting

- Pro-Taper handlebars w/ mounts

- 1972 Suzuki GT750 "Water Buffalo" tank

- Custom front fender cut from scrape yard find (70s style - bike unknown)

- Custom rear fender mod from a scrape yard find (70s style - bike unknown - not pictured)

I customized a single point headlight mount and have a 7" chrome headlight needing to be installed.

 

[PJungnitsch]

Cool!

 

[lizrdbrth]

Somewhere there's a Buff restorer who wants you dead. lol. There can't be very many of those tanks left.



If it were me, I'd go with a pseudo-cafe look seat, with the rear "hump" upholstered, either in white with gray piping, or a close match to the gray. Something more ssubstantial than the typical cafe seat, but the same idea.

 

[catamount]

That tank looks AWESOME! Was it hard to get it to mount on there? I'm assuming that you had to do some fabrication?



I also like the color and can't wait to see where you go with this thing. Please keep us updated.

 

[Shawn.Fitz]

Can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[Shawn.Fitz]

I wonder what other larger tanks are compatible with the tw200.



And I don't mean the huge adventure long range plastic tanks but other metal tanks.



I'm looking into getting a TW for my first bike and one of the only drawbacks "I" see is the small capacity tank.

 

[dcbus]

The Water Buffalo tank is clean, came with the original cap, and was cheap ($10). There's a great jap. bike scrap yard in Columbus, OH called Rice Paddy (http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com/). They have a bins of tanks, fenders, and such ripe for mods.



It was also a breeze to make fit to the frame (minus the TW seat).

1. Trim some of the rubber on the front TW mounts.

2. Cut approx. 1/2" off the top of the rear bolt mount where the TW tank was bolted to.

3. Make 2 simple brackets to hold the rear part of the tank down to the frame.

4. Drilled 2 small holes in metal on the underside of the tank to attach the brackets to.



The more complex, but not too challenging part will be making a seat to fit nicely.



TW's have such a short tank, it's tough to find a good tank to mod to the frame. Here's some other tank ideas I sampled:



70's Yamaha RD350 or RD400 tank

mid-70's Honda CL360 tank (this tank was too nice to mod, so I sold it)

'82-'83 Yamaha XZ550 tank

I even tried an early 70s Hodaka dirtbike tank & a late '67 Wards Riverside tank but the tunnels were too small.

 

[abyssdncr]

I'm totally digging the XJ tank, but I'm tall enough to actually sit that far back...

 

[Shawn.Fitz]

*Patiently waiting for more pics*

 

[dcbus]

Sadly, more pics will have to wait until after the holidays. I'll post as soon as I can.

 

[Gerry]

Looks like you are well on your way to having a very nice looking rig...... That tank will look super, and should compliment the extended swing-arm nicely. I would say as well, your set-up begs for a round headlite. Gerry

 

[srs713]

I don't think my bladder would survive this mod.

How many gallons is this?!? How many miles between fuel stops?

 

[dcbus]

XZ550 tank = 4.5 gallons capacity * 78 mpg TW200 average = 351 mile range per fill-up



TW200 tank = 1.5 gallon capacity * 78 mpg TW200 average = 117 mile range per fill-up



The Water Buffalo tank holds 3.75 gallons...that's still a 292.5 mile range for my TW mod!