[roamineye]

Hi, folks - new member here! I'm leaning toward picking up a used TW200 that would be used for two purposes: 1) teaching my wife to ride, and 2) adventure/trail riding, potentially on multi-day rides (avoiding pavement). I chose this bike because it has a great reputation for easy handling and reliability and a low seat height. I've been riding for many years, and currently own an '07 ST1300 and '08 DR650. My wife has ridden with me, but has never tried to ride on her own. With most bikes, even those with a reputation for reliability, there are usually known weaknesses that are typically easy to correct before they become bigger problems if you know about them. The KLR650 has the do-hickey problem, the DR650 has the neutral switch problem, etc., etc. After reading a lot of stuff about the TW, the only thing I've seen is a tendancy for the cylinder base gasket to leak a little, and this doesnt seem to effect all of them. So, after all this wordy blabbering, the question I have is "What are the little quirks that the TW has and that should be watched for when buying one?" I plan to buy one that's no older than ~ 5-6 years, unless there are specific years in that time frame that should be avoided.



Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[peruano]

Roamineye, Welcome and congratulations on leaning toward the TW. Well there are years that have uglier color schemes than others, but how important is that. Weaknesses, I don't recall many. I feel that the kick starter is important to my remote riding, but not important enough to make me buy an older bike to get one. Its an easy add using new or used parts. Many of the bigger people (mostly men I'm sure), think the frame and bars are a bit close so they end up with risers, but that may not be an issue for most women. I suspect that the CDIs on the oldest bikes are more vulnerable to failure (perhaps more than just age), but I know of no major differences from 2001 forward that would influence what to buy except for price (you loose the kicker and gain a disc brake). Come on in, the water's fine. Tom

 

[sinophilia]

Women on T-Dubs rock!

It's probably the best bike ever to learn to ride, but it still have a peppery little engine if one wants to have fun.

 

[joedirt1970]

Anyone from a beginner to an advanced rider can have fun on this bike.



Some keep it stock, others do anything and everything to it...and the best part about it is you can do improvements for $5 or $500...but for the most part most upgrades are very reasonable.



In addition, there are so many things you can do to this bike and all of those things you can do are discussed in this forum. This forum MAKES having a TW.

 

[qwerty]

The stock chain is junk. Other than that the TW is a solid performer.

 

[roamineye]

Thanks, gentlemen, for your advice and support. It's exactly what I hoped to see. I'm pleased that the kick starter can be added to the later models - that might be my first mod. I'll keep on reading and shopping!

 

[srs713]

+1 on the stock chain being a weak link. (ok, that was at least a little phunny)



Carb is lean out of the dealership... other than those things... it just runs.



Everything else is a matter of personal preference.

 

[gottoaz]

I purchased my '05 in May of '09 for $2k with just under 2k miles. I have had no problems and no regrets. I work at a large industrial facility and commute so I park in with all the Harleys. Everyone has positive comments about the t dub. When i tell them I routinely get 70-80 mpg they really get interested. The wide tires give more visibility to motorists, and it is great fun off road. The only quirk I know is that it seems tricky to a novice to find neutral. Eventually it becomes second nature. At almost 8k miles I only wish my wife wanted to ride.

 

[805gregg]

I also have a 2006 ST 1300 what a perfect road bike, and the TW is a great small DS bike. Actually the ST works well offroad, the engine is low, luggage is low, I was riding to Bodie ghosttown and when the asphalt stopped and turned to dirt, I just stood up on the pegs and cruised about 25MPH, I passed 9 Harlies, 1 Jeep and 1 FJ cruiser, plus my buddie on his wee strom couldn't catch me.

 

[roamineye]

I also have a 2006 ST 1300 what a perfect road bike, and the TW is a great small DS bike. Actually the ST works well offroad, the engine is low, luggage is low, I was riding to Bodie ghosttown and when the asphalt stopped and turned to dirt, I just stood up on the pegs and cruised about 25MPH, I passed 9 Harlies, 1 Jeep and 1 FJ cruiser, plus my buddie on his wee strom couldn't catch me.

LOL - I've had mine off road and did OK, but wouldn't want to make a habit of it. It's just too heavy, and I'm too short. But on the road, the ST is in its element - a great bike. But since I bought the DR650, I've been riding it much more than the ST. Mainly 'cause I enjoy riding the dirt roads, trails, and creek beds more than asphalt.

 

[roamineye]

I purchased my '05 in May of '09 for $2k with just under 2k miles. I have had no problems and no regrets. I work at a large industrial facility and commute so I park in with all the Harleys. Everyone has positive comments about the t dub. When i tell them I routinely get 70-80 mpg they really get interested. The wide tires give more visibility to motorists, and it is great fun off road. The only quirk I know is that it seems tricky to a novice to find neutral. Eventually it becomes second nature. At almost 8k miles I only wish my wife wanted to ride.

I was quite surprised when my wife expressed in interest in it. But, I think she's jealous of the fun I have on my little adventure rides. So, we'll give it itry.....the worst that can happen is that I'll end up with a third really great motocycle!

 

[roamineye]

+1 on the stock chain being a weak link. (ok, that was at least a little phunny)



Carb is lean out of the dealership... other than those things... it just runs.



Everything else is a matter of personal preference.

I've located a '10 model with some farkles and a "sigma jet kit" installed. I'm assuming this is a carb mod similar to the one I did on my DR650 after opening up the air box. It came with an assortment of main jets, a new rod with optimized taper, etc. These kits usually provide some options for tweaking the mixture, so that would cure the "factory lean syndrome". I figure I'll run the chain until I see signs of wear, then replace it and both sprockets.

 

[roamineye]

Anyone from a beginner to an advanced rider can have fun on this bike.



Some keep it stock, others do anything and everything to it...and the best part about it is you can do improvements for $5 or $500...but for the most part most upgrades are very reasonable.



In addition, there are so many things you can do to this bike and all of those things you can do are discussed in this forum. This forum MAKES having a TW.

Hmmm, I like the looks of the high front fender in your picture. Is that a home-brewed mod, or one that you purchased?

 

[cdsdave]

I bought my tw brand new in 2008 thinking this would be the perfect beginner bike. After riding it for one year I stopped in at a kawi dealership and sat on a klx 140 and realized right away how much easier it would be to ride. When the salesman mentioned a price of 1900 dollars for a 2800 dollar bike I was sold. I made so much more progress riding that little bike compared to riding the much heavier tw. I believe your wife would have a much better chance of success if you started her off on a pit sized bike. In fact if she has never ridden a motorized bike then maybe starting on something without a clutch would be an even better idea.



Trying to learn balance skill while learning to deal with a clutch and brakes is a lot to ask, especially on heavier bigger bike. Every time I ride the 140 my skills improve and then I get on the tw and am able to transfer those new skills on to the tw. Those first few experiences on a motorcycle better be good ones otherwise that tw might be all yours to ride. As we all know learning to ride a motorcycle is a life long pursuit and takes a huge amount of dedication. Don't get me wrong I love my tw and will never sell it, but if what you want is to get your wife into riding you might want to think about what is the best bike to accomplish that goal.

 

[[email protected]]

Better buy two, your wife will soon get tired of your riding off on her TW all the time. You asked about raising the fender, here's a picture of what I did using longer bolts, clear tubing and springs. Not my original idea, I got it from someone else on the forum and then modified their idea by putting the tubing inside the springs. Rode with it modified in this way all summer, works well, doesn't shake, certainly helps with mud build up.

You can check out some of my other mods, also stolen from other forum members, here;



http://public.fotki.com/rjstock/tdub-yamaha-tw200/

 

[joedirt1970]

Hmmm, I like the looks of the high front fender in your picture. Is that a home-brewed mod, or one that you purchased?

Thank you. I bought it and my friend helped me build a brace for it. Here is the link.



http://www.motostrano.com/acsusufe.html

 

[roamineye]

Better buy two, your wife will soon get tired of your riding off on her TW all the time. You asked about raising the fender, here's a picture of what I did using longer bolts, clear tubing and springs. Not my original idea, I got it from someone else on the forum and then modified their idea by putting the tubing inside the springs. Rode with it modified in this way all summer, works well, doesn't shake, certainly helps with mud build up.



You can check out some of my other mods, also stolen from other forum members, here;



http://public.fotki....b-yamaha-tw200/

Thanks - looks like an easy mod. Probably be the second one after adding the kick starter.



If she gets cranky when I take off on the TW, then the plan has worked, and we'll soon be riding together - me on my DR650 and her on the TW! I hope it works out that way.....

 

[roamineye]

Thank you. I bought it and my friend helped me build a brace for it. Here is the link.



http://www.motostran...m/acsusufe.html

Thanks! Nice looking bike!

 

[slowpoke]

a lot of 2006 models develop oil leaks approx 3k miles. dont seem to bother the bike but mostly the owners trying to clean their garage floors and the skid plate on the bike with debris sticking to it. hope this helps.

 

[dhoenisch]

Just to add my two cents here...



I originally learned on a TW200 when I was taking the 20-hour motorcycle safety course (or whatever they call it). After that class, I purchased a 1982 Honda Silverwing, which has a 500cc engine, but that TW left a lasting impression on me. Oddly enough, on the Honda Siverwing site (run by the same person as this one), Chopper Charles mentioned that his TW was stolen. That revived the urge to buy a TW, so this past summer, the Yamaha dealership was trying to get rid of their 2009 models for $3,400, and I picked up the last one they had. Good timing too since my Silverwing decided to retire itself for most of the season. I am seriously considering parting out the Silverwing, and making this one my main bike, and though I wouldn't want to take this 200cc bike on the interstate, I can still do 2-lane local highways, which I prefer to ride on anyhow. I have not regretted this purchase, and am going to spend the winter saving up and purchasing upgrades/accessories for this bike, so come Spring, I'm ready to roll.



Dan