[SCARE!]

Hi there, great little forum, I have been having a good read..

There's not too many TW's in New Zealand, so I don't know too much about em, and have never worked on one.

This one is local, and seem to be a great price, bidding starts at around (exchange rates) US$1600..

I am going for a look and a ride tonight, any things I should be looking out for in particular?

If I can go and make an offer tonight, I can get it for cheaper, rather than go to auction..

so it's all a bit rush rush!



Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated!

Deus-style custom. Road legal, warranted til March, rego expires October 2012.



A lot of time has been spent on this bike - looks very cool and sounds amazing.



Sad to see it go, but have too many children, and not enough time to ride it.



Personalised plate NOT included, sorry.



Low seat height and giant rear tyre make it very easy for offroad riding, especially in sand. Will comfortably do 100 kph on the motorway.



This custom has been built from two TW200 ag bikes and is fully VIN'd and certified. New speedo reads 1,247km but actual is around 26,000km.

 

[Mad Mac]

If it runs as good as it looks, seems like a fair price.

 

[peruano]

We might not be able to educate you before you need the education, but check out the resurrecting an old bike thread under Technical Subsection and the service / repair manual section too. The bike you're looking at may have all of the necessary work done, but you need to eventually determine what it needs either before or after you buy it. Good luck. Tom

 

[SCARE!]

You are right, If it runs sweet, then that's that..

I was a tad worried about it being a pieced together build, but I have the know-how to fix any issues, or check everything and maybe give it a quick strip, clean and rebuild..



See how we go, I'll read that thread now thanks.

 

[SCARE!]

what sort of comfortable top speed should i be expecting?



also can this be easily increased with a sprocket change?



i will be using it really as just a weekend runabout around the streets, not highway riding..

 

[Mad Mac]

Oh boy. As the Sprocket Turns: The Never Ending Thread.



Short version. You will be fine around town.



Longer version. You may notice that the speedometer is red-lined at 55 mph, at least my 2001 is. A popular mod is to change the stock drive sprocket from a 14 to a 15 tooth sprocket or the rear from the stock 50 tooth to a 45 or 47. Since your prospect is already heavily modified, ride it, count your teeth, then flavor to your taste.



But I'm a new guy around here. Others with far more experience will jump in. Look at it this way. It's not like getting into a bad marriage. You can always sell her if you can't live with her. For $1600, what's the downside?

 

[SCARE!]

No downside, I just sold my Yamaha XV bobber, and I kind of want something that will go every weekend (for half the price I sold my bobber)..

I have plenty of other bikes to work on in the workshop..



Should be the goods I think. Just hope I can work out a deal and avoid having to bid on the online auction..

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

This is just MY OPINION!



Pros- Looks clean and well taken care of

Cons- Incorrect odometer and the exhaust running underneath the bike.



Looks like a good deal if you plan to only ride street get a 45t or 47t sprocket. I can comfortable cruise 55-60 mph with no problems. Make sure to ask for any leftovers he may have from the build i.e. plastics, muffler, airbox, etc. You may be able to make some of your money back by selling these or keeping them if you wanted to convert it back to an off-roader.



Good luck to you and hope you can get it!

 

[SCARE!]

I GOT IT!



shes a bit rough around the edges, clutch and brakes need a little attention, nothing major though, tidy up some parts.. should be for some good fun!

ill take some better pics when i pick it up tomorrow.

cheers for the initial fast tracked help!

 

[Rainman]

Good for you! Let the fun begin!

 

[Stromper]

If you have to go off the highway that exhaust has to go



Hopefully he still has the stock UP exhaust

 

[qwerty]

Your bike looks like an excellent urban commuter. Might want to give it a complete service stem to stern. At the same time, take a close look at the workmanship and correct any shoddiness you find. this will give you a zero baseline for maintenance scheduling and help insure you are not stranded by unexpected breakdowns relatd to the modifications.



Due to a TW's mild state of tune and wide powerband, small changes in sprocket ratio will have no effect on top end or cruising speed 99% of the time, but can provide significant positives and negatives in rideability. Positives include better rollout from a stop in 1st gear, and less engine noise and vibration. Negatives include excess rpm drop shifting 3rd-4th and 4th-5th on uphills and/or with headwinds (the bike will maintain a faster speed in the lower gear than in the taller gear), low oil pressure resulting in a prematurely worn top end, and low alternator output resulting in a dead battery.



I suggest acclimating one's ears to a TW buzzing along at 9000rpm. The engine is so mildly tuned (less than 1/2 the output of dependable modded engines of the same family) even at full throttle engine loads are like running other engines in the family at 1/2 throttle. If I was building a bike like yours for commuter duty, and staying with 200cc, I'd jones for a 14/47 or 15/49 (no common factors for longer wear) sprocket set for better 1st gear rollout, o-ring chain for low maintenance, and take advantage of the free-flowing pod filter and exhaust with a mild cam and a careful carb tune. I'd mount up TW203/204 tires for their quieter and smoother ride. I'd then expect the bike to be able to better maintain 105kph under more adverse conditions of slope and wind.



This assumes 87 octane fuel calculated by the (R+M)/2 method with no ethanol. If you are condemned to run fuel tainted with ethanol, reduce expected cruising speed by 1kph per 1% alcohol content and increase the sprocket ratio a like percentage.

 

[SCARE!]

Thanks for all that!



Yeah, it will be getting the once over when I get it.



Will be a rolling rebuild, I don't need the bike for commuting, so any issues will be welcome (more time in the workshop drinkin beer)..

 

[srs713]

You may notice that the speedometer is red-lined at 55 mph, at least my 2001 is.

That red line in the U.S.A. market speedometer is due to a miserable failure that was the "National 55 MPH Speed Limit" laws that we finally got rid of. It has nothing to do with the engines "red line".



It's a speedometer, not a tachometer.

 

[Mad Mac]

That red line in the U.S.A. market speedometer is due to a miserable failure that was the "National 55 MPH Speed Limit" laws that we finally got rid of. It has nothing to do with the engines "red line". It's a speedometer, not a tachometer.

Okay, but the National Maximum Speed Law was from 1973 to 1995. The 85 mph speedometer with 55 high-lighted was imposed in 1979 and repealed in 1989. Are new 2012 TWs still made with an 85 mph speedometer? Hard to believe that Yamaha has not bothered to change the face of the speedometer 23 years later.



If there was a tach, wouldn't the red line correspond with about 55 mph in fifth with stock sprockets? Maybe in the interests of safety and fuel economy we will once again have a 55 mph national speed limit. Then our TWs could keep up with traffic !

 

[srs713]

Okay, but the National Maximum Speed Law was from 1973 to 1995. The 85 mph speedometer with 55 high-lighted was imposed in 1979 and repealed in 1989. Are new 2012 TWs still made with an 85 mph speedometer? Hard to believe that Yamaha has not bothered to change the face of the speedometer 23 years later.



If there was a tach, wouldn't the red line correspond with about 55 mph in fifth with stock sprockets? Maybe in the interests of safety and fuel economy we will once again have a 55 mph national speed limit. Then our TWs could keep up with traffic !

With stock gearing, redline in 4th gear is 58, in 5th gear is 74.



Yes the Japanese are still making some speedometers with that stupid 55 reminder.



A large percentage of drivers will never slow down... it's like "Prohibition", people don't care if it's illegal, they're gonna do what they want.