[MotoManic]

So I'm going to have a first look at a 1992 TW tomorrow, and was wondering if anyone had an advice as to what to check?



The usual statements have been made by the buyer in his ad: "Has been sitting, needs battery, oil change and rear tire, runs ok but probably needs tune-up."



I love bikes that run like a dream from first turn of the key, but this one is $800 bucks (firm), so I don't know what I'm into...



Alex



(The bike I'm on in my profile photo is a Yamaha XT250, not a TW!)

 

[lonedave]

Among other things, I'd definitely look into the tank for rust if it's been sitting for a long length of time.



Dave

 

[MotoManic]

Thanks Dave, will peer into it -- will also bring a flashlight.



Are the 1992 models drum brakes on front? Any way to determine their condition?



Alex

 

[lizrdbrth]

'92's have drums, both ends.There are wear indicators cast into both backing plates. Apply the brakes and look at the pointer on the brake arm pivot.

 

[MotoManic]

'92's have drums, both ends.There are wear indicators cast into both backing plates. Apply the brakes and look at the pointer on the brake arm pivot.

I know from other bikes I've had that one can scope out the amount of adjustment remaining on the rear brake via the rod attached to the rear drum, but what does it have on the front?



Definitely a newbie on all this, thanks to everyone for the tips!



With luck I can get it started (I suppose a 92 would have a kick start as well as electric?), and see how it sounds.



Alex

 

[FortPayne]

For 800 bucks just about cant go wrong. Yes it has both kick and electric. Kick it over to make sure its not locked up but dont hold out too much hope of it cranking without going into the carb. Ask if it smoked before parked, of coarse he'll probably say no either way but when I was looking a couple of guys came clean and I steered clear of top end jobs. Good luck!

P.S. Take $750 cash with you. Firm, maybe but he wont let you leave over a matter of $50

 

[evan]

how many miles on it? try to look at in the daylight outside. for me anyway its hard to see little things at nite. $800 is a good price even if it needs some work. get the owner talking about it as much as possible and if the engine has been apart then probably best to steer clear of it.

 

[Olydog]

Check the chain and sprockets as these wear fast. Check the lights and blinkers, petcock, I am sure you are aware of all this but you can use it to talk the price down. Bikes vary by location but as an example I bought an 89 with 870 miles on it last weekend for $1100 and it is in great shape and came with a decent rear rack. Maybe post a wanted add on Craigslist. I had another guy call me with a 90 for $1200.00

 

[MotoManic]

So I've had a look at the bike, and here's what I found:



Forks and fork clamps, as well as head are from a Husqvarna, though the front brake is still a disc so I'm assuming the wheel is still stock (looks quite narrow though).



All Yamaha parts normally associated with the front of bike are gone, and in it's place is a small speedometer (not stock), headlight. No turn-signals either, and no key slot. The bike is just turned on to "run" and fired up.



Headlight was left on night before, so we couldn't use the electric start and had to kick-start it. It had been sitting all winter (did not drain gas from carb, as usually seen), yet actually it kickstarted just fine on the third kick. Kick-starter lever does not come back after each kick, you have to pull it back up with your toe. That said, I was pleased that it started so easily. I was very easy to push down on the kick-start lever *** Does this mean that compression is so low that there is very little resistance to turning over the engine?? Or is the engine so tiny that it's just easy to kick it over?



Once it was running, it ran loud and smooth. But I couldn't push in choke and let it idle Pilot jet likely clogged and needs replacing?



Rear tire worn down smooth (but this was stated already).



The young guy had only used it on the back-roads up island, and was straight up about it. He had bought it from a welder, so that may explain why the new head stock was welded on so well (see photos), making it super strong with the extra plates. Question: Is this the way the head stock looks like on all the TW200s?

 

[MotoManic]

Picture of the head stock. Any idea if this is the way the registration number is normally displayed and located? There is a short number on the raised bump seen below that cable wrap that goes across the stock. I'm wondering if that's the original Yamaha vin number, or if it's a welded-on piece from the Husqvarna donor bike.

And another close up of the head stock (if that's the right word), showing the welding: original? I'm looking for the original VIN number, as this bike is not registered and will have to go through the bureaucratic process of doing so (a bit of a hassle).

The front wheel and drum brake:

Maybe Husqvarna handlebars too:

Actually the bike over-all is not as beat-up as some I've seen. Even the thin bash-plate was not crumpled at the front and under the engine, which is amazing.

View of Husqvarna forks, handlebars and head. The tank is very dented, but very clean inside (no rust):

Side of engine:

Left side of bike:



http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff278/dharmalex/1992 Yamaha TW200/IMG_0842.jpg



Heck, here's the whole album: as seen on Photobucket, maybe a little easier to peruse.



Any and all opinions welcomed!



Alex

 

[TW-Brian]

Hi Alex,



This appears to be T-Husky-W Frankenbike.



A TW with an older Husky front end grafted on. This could have been done because the original TW frame/steering head was damaged. Or it could have done to remove the original TW VIN number which is stamped on the steering head. Either way, you may have difficulty registering this bike without a legible, unadulterated VIN number.



It depends upon what you would be using this bike for, but to me it looks like about a $300.00 parts bike. It may be worth more to you if you don't need it to be registered and street legal.



Hope this helps.



Brian

 

[MotoManic]

Hi Brian,



Ya, despite the engine running well enough (on the main jet more than likely, as it stalled at idle), the registration issue is stumbling block.



Anyone know how the VIN numbers normally present on the steering head? I'm trying to figure out if the head itself is Husky, or if it's Yamaha. Surely if the fork clamps assembly is Husky, it's not going to fit right onto the TW head, right? Which would mean that the head is a new welded unit. The welding is so perfect to the frame that I thought it was done by a machine, but the previous owner was a professional welder, so...



All the same, this was a great exercise in going out to look at bikes, spring is here!



Alex

 

[lizrdbrth]

The weld locations are factory TW.



Serial # should begin with JY.



Raised serial numbers could be doctored. They aren't raised on any Yamaha I've ever seen. Could be a Canuck thing, could be a Husky thing.

 

[xdac]

From what i see thats not the stock exhaust either. I bet the front fork travel has greatly improved with that but he must be hiding something with that vin...



the choke is an easy fix..so is all that carb stuff.



He made a side cover for the fuse panels on the right of the bike under the seat



Missing airbox cover..



Look like stock handlebars but mount very differently to the front triple tree..



Rear sprocket isnt stock. Check and see if the chain is worn and the sprocket.



Check the rubber boots between the engine and carb, then the carb to airbox. Those are pricey..60ish



Id probably offer him 4-500 bucks. Its not the most appealing bike and your stuck with a goofy front end that only allows you to use a 21inch rim and small front tire. You'll need a new 120 dollar rear tire, plus misc parts....id say by the end of it youll have a good 1100 into it

 

[n2o2diver]

I'd just look for another bike! Plenty of good used TW's. That thing looks like more trouble than anything. Does it have a title?

 

[qwerty]

Run fast. Run far. More trouble than it's worth even at scrap metal pricing.

 

[TW-Brian]

Here's what the stock steering head looks like:

Here's where the VIN number should be and what it looks like:

 

[jontow]

I'm with pretty much everyone else that's replied so far: lowball the crap out of him if it's even partially usable for your needs, maybe he'll bite, maybe he won't. Otherwise, run and find another "slightly loved" TW in much better shape for similar cash.



As a data point, my brother (on the board here as 'operose') bought a 91 in much better shape but still with plenty wrong with it for the same price ($800 cash), with a good clean title.



Pics of his bike the day we went to get it: http://bd.zenbsd.net/~jontow/phone/lep-tw200/thumbs.html (for condition comparison)



Started easily and ran great, but needed an oil change and a tune up. Had at least the following wrong with it: badly needed new front tire, chain/sprockets, handlebars cracked, both fork seals blown out, speedometer/cluster mount busted and zip-tied back on, bash plate missing, junk battery, seat not bolted or pinned down, missing mirrors, and some other miscellaneous things: but the brakes worked, it ran good, and shifted smooth. He took the bait, and put some money into it and has a really nicely ridable bike, although the CDI died on him later in his first season. You can find his trials/epic saga on this board

EDIT: The way the front of this bike is (quite a bit taller than stock), it'd be a crapload of fun to swap a blaster shock into it and have a long-travel TW for offroad use only..

That headstock looks original (it appears like the VIN reads JY.... and the welds look pretty original) so I'm going to guess that the Husky triples/stem happened to work with a new set of bearings/races. Even the funny lock-ring-nut-thing looks like the TW one. Speedometer looks stock, too, but the light-cluster is obviously gone?

 

[FortPayne]

I agree, pass on it. Title trouble is a major pain. For the record, if you want to know if that vin is a tw run it on a website like This

And it will tell u the make/model for free.

 

[MotoManic]

Eesh. I think after pondering what could be ahead with something like this, I'm far better off spending a little more to begin with, and getting something with title and in better shape, like this: TW200 on Flickr



I can clearly see that there is a lot of work to be done on that bike just to get it road-worthy, although bikes of this type are rare around here. In fact, most bikes in the 200 to 250cc range get snapped up fast here, and are listed for a lot ($2500+). Such is life on Vancouver Island, which is like living in New Zealand. Everything is raised in price as if we live on the end of the earth.



I might be better off driving a pickup down to Arizona and picking up a deal on a bike much newer there!



Thank you all for the excellent advice!



Alex