[Proud Highway]

Adv bike.

 

[lizrdbrth]

I built mine with just such trips in mind. It will creep over and through things that you have to blast into with a "normal" dirtbike or dualsport. For solo travel where preserving your own carcass and arriving in one piece SHOULD take priority over speed I consider them far superior. Not sure why I put up with 350+ pound, overpowered and thirsty pigs or pure dirtbikes for as long as I did.



Wrong tools for the job.

 

[r80rt]

Yeah, what lizrdbrth said.

 

[lizrdbrth]

Besides, we wanna see you do it.

Unless I'm missing something I can't see anything in "The T1 Manifesto" that a TW can't handle.

 

[r80rt]

We wanna go with you

 

[lizrdbrth]

We wanna go with you

On CT90's

 

[r80rt]

Oh yeah, that would be perfect

 

[joeband]

hey now, no knocking ct90's, they are tough bikes in their own right!

sounds like a great trip!

 

[r80rt]

Not knocking them, I love'em, If I were to do an around the world ride, a CT90 would be the only bike I'd consider.

 

[lizrdbrth]

We ain't joking. Not one bit.



Not to minimize the nature of the Idaho ride. Any trail which requires 1400 miles of travel over what amounts to less than 600 "as the crow flies" miles is nothing to sneeze at and is bound to be chock full of challenges. The recomended 7 days would indicate that you should choose your mount wisely.



For my part the only offroad situation in which I've ever wished for longer legs has been in realy steep "waterfall" or "stairstep" type terrain, where its short wheelbase and limited suspension travel put it at a definite disadvantage. For everything else you either slow down and alter your riding style or roll right through it as if it weren't there. Including fuel stops.



I'd do it in a heartbeat, but it takes some real seat time on one of these things before you either dismiss it entirely or agree that it's just the ticket. I understand both philosophies, and on a ride like this you don't wanna be wrong cuz you may not get the chance to do it twice.

 

[darnold87]

Congrats on getting a TW200. My group in Salem rides about as nasty of trails as Oregon puts out. An my TW holds its own very well. It's amazing what these bikes will do!

 

[admiral]

I've been considering an attempt at a ride/event know as the Tour of Idaho.



This is a 1400 mile ride that bisects Idaho from Utah to BC, Canada. It is, expressly, described as a undertaking for street legal dirt bikes and not dual sports.



I'm the new owner of leftover 2010 TW200 and I'm curious as to your opinions of its off road capabilities (hill climbing, sand, rocks) compared to a conventional dirt bike (i.e. CRF450x). The obvious things like weight, suspension and power I am aware of, but I keep reading accounts of the TW's off road prowess and I wonder if it my be a dark horse choice for a ride like the Tour of Idaho with some routine modifications.



I've owned several "light" dirt bikes and none of them feel as light or easy to manhandle as the TW despite its stated weight. On this type of ride durability,reliability and mpg are paramount and while I've never been left stranded by my dirt bikes I'm a little weary of the tightly wound 4 strokes and EFI. The one limitation I'm concerned about is the 10.5" ground clearance whereas conventional dirt bikes are usually ~13.5" I'm wondering if this limitation might be negated somewhat by the the fat tires, short wheel base and low seat height that could be used to "coax" the TW over the occasional obstacle.



At any rate, I appreciate all the info here and would welcome your input.

Well, hats off to you for considering the T1 on a TW. I've thought about this ride for a few years, but have dismissed the T1 mainly because of my abilities or lack thereof, with the technical single track described for the route. Somewhere on Advrider, I've read accounts of riders who've had some difficulties on the technical parts of the single track route. Plus, the FAQ's seem to discourage DS bikes, so I'll take this as a hint. Someday I'll like to do T2 and T3, which I think are well within my capabilities.



My single track experience is limited, but have done some. So, from a novice point of view I'll share some of my thoughts of questions your asking.



I'm curious as to your opinions of its off road capabilities (hill climbing, sand, rocks) compared to a conventional dirt bike (i.e. CRF450x). Hills: In my opinion from my own experience, the TW lacks the power for the steepest hills, worse if you add loose dirt, sand, and rocks, though this can be improved by changing gearing. This winter I added a 55T sprocket to the stock 50T (stayed with 14T front), and this has improved general trail riding as well as hills. Maybe would be even better with a larger rear sprocket. Stock tire, while adequate, doesn't have quite the bite of a dirt bike tire, but you will usually run out of power before running out of tire, though I have spun out going uphill, so it's not always a lack of power! Sand: Generally does ok, but not necessarily better than a dirt bike. I do much better with my son's KX250F in the sand than the TW, but that may be because the KX has so much more power than the TW. My opinion is the TW feels heavier in the sand, but manageable. Rocks: Does fairly well, but sometimes ground clearance can be an issue unless you put a better skid plate on. And watch your feet!



The one limitation I'm concerned about is the 10.5" ground clearance whereas conventional dirt bikes are usually ~13.5" I'm wondering if this limitation might be negated somewhat by the the fat tires. Ground Clearance. Only times the ground clearance has been a problem for me has been on deep groved single track and some rough rocky area's. My pegs and feet easily rub/touch the sides of the single track and well, negociating rocks is tough no matter what, but sometimes I wish I had a little extra ground clearance. On the plus side, and for me this is a big plus, with lower ground clearance I can easily put my feet down if I need to balance myself. Fat Tire: Not really sure this has helped one way or the other, but it looks cool.



Good luck. Love to see a ride report when completed, especially if you do it on a TW.

 

[mrbracket]

Wow! That looks like an amazing ride! I'm jealous!!! I own a TW and two other very nice plated dirtbikes. I'm sure I would complete the event faster on my other bikes. However, if anything were to go wrong with my bike during the trip, I'd rather be on my TW... The TW is very basic and easy to work on. In my opinion, the TW can take whatever you dish at it, it's just not going to do it fast. I don't think 200 miles a day on a TW is out of the question! You might want to take extra jets for your carb so you can lean it out at the higher elevations.



If you do it, please take A LOT of pictures so we can live vicariously through you!!!

 

[bbagwell]

Congrats on getting a TW200. My group in Salem rides about as nasty of trails as Oregon puts out. An my TW holds its own very well. It's amazing what these bikes will do!

They proved themselves pretty good in Moab too! That KTM rider ate sh*t where you crossed the crack on your T-dub!

 

[small's]

Put on a good skid plate and go. These little bikes will amaze you. They will go easy in places that you would be clutching a big heavy pig around. Now if the hills are long and really steep, like you need a big bike and a 3rd gear run wide open to make it then no a tw wont cut it. But any other situation besides that and i prefer the little trail goat. A friend and i just got back from Moab. I turned him on to a real good deal on a tw a few years ago. After riding in Moab he sAid he has a new found respect for the little bike. He said that he couldnt believe how easy it is to ride it slow and just crawl over ruff technical stuff. He said it would have been alot harder on his kx250. Wish i could go with you!!