[imlost]

I picked-up this 2005 a couple weeks ago for $500. I haven't done anything custom to it since the purchase. The ad said "not running", and when I questioned the seller, he said, "It just stopped running, and I don't know what's wrong with it." He did all of the customization himself, so I figured it was going to have some electrical issues, since all of the lights are custom. I'll get back to that, but first, some pictures.

I didn't ask too many questions, but probed enough to find out he just had too many projects and was done with this one. So, I opened my wallet, handed him some cash, and he handed me the title. I then trailered it it back to my workshop to take a better look. It's about a 40 minute drive, so I'm thinking... himm... I can always part it out if I can't figure out the problem(s).

So, I have a system of checking things out, and I usually start with making sure it will turn over, and that it has decent compression. Since the seller demonstrated this for me, that part was done. The bike has 4700 miles on it, so jugdging by the look of the OEM tires, I figured it was pretty accurate.

Next in my exploration, is the fuel. I don't like running ancient gas through a carb, so I popped the cap off and took a look. No rust... good! Then I took a whiff... YUK! Ancient fuel. The tags on the licence plate are a couple years expired, so figured this was around the time it stopped running - though my nose told me it was a bit longer than that. So, first thing: Clean that crap out of the tank!. After that was complete, and I cycled and dumped a couple sacrificial shots of E-0 gas through the tank, I filled it up completely with non-ethanol. I had already ran the fresh gas through the petcock, so I knew it was all good up to the carb.

The next thing I did (after charging the battery) was check for spark. I really expected to find nothing, but much to my surprise, the sparkplug had a nice, strong spark! Holy crap!!!

Fuel to carb... ✔
Spark... ✔

OK, let's try the carb... turn on the petcock, crank it over... nothing. This tells me it either, 1. Isn't getting fuel, or 2. possibly something wrong with the ignition timing. So, the next step: Pull the sparkplug, squirt a little gas in the cylinder, reinstall the plug and give it a go. If it runs and dies in a few seconds, we know the carb is not delivering fuel, which is exactly what it did.

Now, I'd just like to pause this story for a second, and talk a bit about the feeling you get when you buy a bike for $500, and know that it doesn't have major problems. It's a mixture of "Holy crap! I got it running!", and "Holy crap! Why would anyone sell this bike?!". So, this was the point that I knew this bike was going to be a simple fix, and that even though I'm not a super mechanic, that I'd be able to handle getting this going.

Runs... ✔
Woo Hoo!!! ✔

On to the carburetor, which I'll get to in the next post.

 

[TW-Brian]

Congrats, great score on 2005 - one of the best color schemes!

 

[imlost]

The thing you learn from working on carburetors, is that 99% of the time, the problem can be traced to bad fuel. Or more exactly, leaving non-ethanol in the carb for an extended period of time without cycling it through. The previous owner had installed an inline fuel filter between the tank and carb, and the filter looked really new, so I knew it was good, filtered gas to that point.

Good fuel supply... ✔

Onward. Drain the float bowl.
I put a clear, plastic water bottle at the end of the drain tube and opened the screw... At first, brown crap came out, followed by bright yellow syrup. Really, there was nothing that came out of the bowl that you would have guessed was fuel. After I took off the float bowl, here's what I saw:

...more yellow liquid, and some balls of green crap that looked like something you'd cough-up when you have bronchitis. Ew.
So I cleaned it up and continued.

I forgot to mention that I'm working on this carburetor with it still installed on the bike. The next picture has a clue of what the problem is...

If you look carefully, you'll see the float bowl is in the "up" position. Normally (without gas floating it), it should hang down a bit on the left side. Knowing this, I grabbed ahold of it and gave it some gentle downward pressure. ...It didn't budge. So from this, I know the needle valve must be stuck in the tube it travels in. I worked at this for about 10 minutes - Spray carb cleaner - Let it sit - Try again... nothing. With some carbs, you can get the needle valve out without removing the float first, but this is not the case with the TW. The only way to remove the float is by pulling the pivot pin. For those who haven't done this before: The pin removes directionally - one way out, and the opposite way in. If you do this in the wrong direction, you can easily break-off the mounting post; rendering your carb garbage. If you're working on the carb while it is still on the bike, in the case of the 2001-present CV carbs, the pin should be pushed away from the left side of the bike, toward the right side.

Pivot pin out... ✔

Then the float and pin can be pryed down, which is what I did... gently. This is what I saw:

The picture is a little out-of-focus, but the green crap on the side of the float needle, is the same green crap that was in the float bowl. I took my time and cleaned this off, and also cleaned out the port that it slides in... Small screwdriver / clean rag / lots of carb cleaner. Reassembled the pin and float.

The great thing about doing this on the bike, is that after you have everything cleaned up, with the float bowl still off, you can re-connect the fuel line and give it a test. With the float bowl in the up position, it cuts off the flow of gas. With the float bowl in the down position, gas should flow freely.

Float and needle valve working well... ✔

Next: Check pilot jet. ...clogged solid. ...No light visible through the orifice. Switched it out for a new pilot jet with a larger oriface.

Pilot jet... ✔

Reinstall float bowl, reconnect throttle cables, tighten manifold clamps... moment of truth...

Petcock on. Key on. Kill switch on. Kickstand up. Deep breath... ✔

Ignition... VROOOM!!!

Repeat (outloud this time): "I can't believe I bought this bike for $500!".

 

[imlost]

Now, some info on the customizations.

The first thing I asked the seller: "Do you have the take-off parts from before you customized it?". Answer: "Nope."
Whatever. I really like it like it is.

The customizations includes bullet-style turn signals. These have incandescent bulbs, which was a huge relief in one way, because I didn't have to track down typical electrical gremlins that happen when people try to use LED turn signals without adding diodes. The downside: None of the turn signals worked when I first got it. All of the bulbs were burned-out, and it happens they are also very hard to find. After visiting 5 local auto parts stores, I gave up and found them on a website that specializes in bike customizations. After replacing the bulbs, everything works great.

The headlight is kind of cool, but it's not very bright. I like the round headlight / minimalist look, so I'll probably keep it. I'm not used to having no front cowl. Everything is just hanging out there. I like the simplicity, but everything is vulnerable in the likely event of a crash.

The rear fender is gone, as is most of the subframe. It was chopped-off, welded closed, and repainted.

The swingarm is custom. It appears to be about 6" longer than stock. With this, is a nice, longer chain.

Rear tail light and license plate position: Love this.

DG Exhaust - I like it more than I though I would.

Folding mirrors. Meh.

Pros: I could easily convert this bike back to stock. None of the frame has been modified.
Cons: I'm not sure I fully like this customization without taking it further. Your opinions are appreciated.

 

[Smelly Sock Puppet]

What a steal! Love the look of the bike, reminds me of those stretched out Honda Ruckus' you see all over. Doesn't look like it would be too happy off-roard anymore though!

Seems to be a very clean bike all around (as in not beat to shit)

 

[imlost]

What a steal! Love the look of the bike, reminds me of those stretched out Honda Ruckus' you see all over. Doesn't look like it would be too happy off-roard anymore though!

Seems to be a very clean bike all around (as in not beat to shit)

That's part of the problem with taking the customization further. It's in great condition. I almost wish it was more beat-up - My decision to customize would be much easier.

This bike's destiny is to be a street rat. No dirt. No rain. It's good that I have other bikes!

 

[Ski Pro 3]

Now that you got it running and it's a 2nd TW200 in the barn, have you considered what it's worth and selling it?

 

[Loghousenut]

That's what I was thinking. Quick profit.

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

 

[imlost]

Ha! I had to double-check to make sure my wife didn't start an account here! ...I certainly don't need another TW, but I'm infatuated with this street queen at the moment. I'd certainly let it go.

One of the big plusses of this bike, is that it hasn't been permanently modified. It would be pretty easy to convert it back to an offroad bike with a few common parts.

What I really need is a dualsport that can handle highway speed, but is also capable offroad - An adventure bike, but not a really heavy one. I'd like to be able to make some long distance trips & get in to backcountry a little. I just haven't decided on the right bike for that, yet.

 

[Ski Pro 3]

What I really need is a dualsport that can handle highway speed, but is also capable offroad

Then a 225 motor swap is what seems to work best. More power and a wider range of gears with a 6 speed.

 

[Xracer]

There you go! If anything this forum is great on helping people spend money.😁

 

[jbfla]

Excellent work trouble shooting the TW.

It looks like the gasket on the float bowl is upside down.

There is usually a ridge on the gasket when facing up.

jb

 

[imlost]

Excellent work trouble shooting the TW.

It looks like the gasket on the float bowl is upside down.

There is usually a ridge on the gasket when facing up.

jb

It sure appears that way. Good eye!
It's not currently leaking, so I'll leave it alone for now.

I haven't taken it on a long ride yet, and may learn more when I do. It's pretty safe to assume the previous owner wasn't a carb guy, and if he installed the DG exhaust, it could need additional tweaking.

 

[reddave]

I believe that is the "BEAMS" extended swingarm that is custom-made in Japan. It alone is worth almost what you paid for the entire bike. Good score, Bro!

 

[imlost]

I believe that is the "BEAMS" extended swingarm that is custom-made in Japan. It alone is worth almost what you paid for the entire bike. Good score, Bro!

Thanks, Dave!
I think you're right on with that guess on the swingarm. Looks identical to me.

 

[Ski Pro 3]

With that much extension on the swingarm, I'd expect the shock needed to be modified to lower the back end of the bike to balance it. Can you see if the shock has any work done to it?

Oh, and I'd put a possum scraper on it since there is no rear fender. Otherwise, you'll be wearing all sorts of 'things' on the back of your helmet and jacket. Ha!

 

[NorthernSpy]

Sweet deal. I imagine deals on motorcycles are few and far between in Whitehorse, which makes it even more special.

 

[Fred]

I think bike would look and perform better with a stock swing arm for a compact rather than a somewhat goofy extended appearance. Good score though.

 

[imlost]

I think bike would look and perform better with a stock swing arm for a compact rather than a somewhat goofy extended appearance. Good score though.

Apparently it's a "thing" these days, at least overseas. C'mon, Fred! Just think of the hills you could climb!

 

[imlost]

With that much extension on the swingarm, I'd expect the shock needed to be modified to lower the back end of the bike to balance it. Can you see if the shock has any work done to it?

Oh, and I'd put a possum scraper on it since there is no rear fender. Otherwise, you'll be wearing all sorts of 'things' on the back of your helmet and jacket. Ha!

"Possum scraper"

I'll look at the rear shock and take some measurements, later.