[DrkPnd_]

I may get ridiculed for saying this, but after being told by many dirt bike riders that the TW may not be best suited for me since I want to do more off roading, I was introduced to the XT250. Still Yamaha, but very different build. I’m on the fence on which to purchase, but ready to pull the trigger on one. Any opinions, anyone who has gone from a TW to an XT? Anyone who’s done the opposite? Anyone who has both and can speak on which might suit what rider type better?

 

[Ken]

The TW is more like a tractor. It will get you there and you'll have a blast. It tops out at around 70mph with special encouragement but that's really pushing it. 2nd gear is pretty much the off road power gear. It is not a fast bike.
I can't really speak for the XT but I believe it is more like the motocross bike for some jumping and quicker off roading.
Many on this site have settled for the fun of low and slow while enjoying the views as they go through their adventure ride on the TW.

 

[Loghousenut]

I've never been a dirt biker, and am too old to learn how to stand on the pegs and grab the throttle.

The TW allows me to catty a pretty stiff load, drag my feet, and fall at the slowest possible speeds. Add to that, the low seat height.

But in your case, I'm wondering why you would not want both. Trust me you'll ride them both. After a year or two you can always change your tack and upgrade one or the other.

When Noah wrote those 10 Commandments, there was no "Thou Shalt Not" mentioned about number of motorcycles.

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

 

[Black Hills TDub]

Boy, it's an apple's too orange's kind of question. I like both, but both are entirely different rides. The TW is so nice and solid, low to the ground, and just so dang cute. Absolutely anyone can ride a TW - and will be having fun.
The XT is more of a standard bike in handling and its ergonomics and looks and rides like a mellow dirt bike.
Both are excellent machines. It really just comes down to what you want to do with either of them. They both will get it done just differently. The XT, is a better high-speed bike on the road, with better suspension, off-road, easier to dump off-road with the higher stance and larger front tire. The TW, in my opinion, is not a very good road ride other than just putting down to the store or around the neighborhood type of thing. People talk of buzzing down the road on their TW's 60-ish mph - Not me, the thing feels like it is not happy at much over 50-ish mph. XT, easily runs down the road at the same 60ish and is much happier. I have a CRF450 - it has not been out since I got my TW. The TW on the trails is just so easy to have fun putting along and taking it all in. My 450, which is leaps and bounds above a XT's abilities - is all balls out and serious. TW, slow and enjoy the scenery.
So that long-winded lack of an answer is -Both are a kick, but different.

 

[Ski Pro 3]

Think about it like quads; there are the tractor/farm/hunting type that will get you and your gear into and out of areas where there are no roads, and there are quads that will carry you over a double jump and slide around berms and corners. Each is fun in it's own way. Same with comparing the TW with the XT. Each is a fun tool designed for quite different personalities of off roading. The TW is a crawler of the off-road 2-wheel world, the XT is a hybred leaning towards the on-road and dirt road 2-wheel world.

 

[Bodi]

I'd consider what machines your buddies that you will be riding with have. TWs are great when riding with Utility ATVs or other TWs. If your buddies have 250cc and larger Enduro or Dirtbikes then I'd lean toward the XT

 

[YZ250 too]

Two of the guys I ride with regularly have XT's. I bought a TW. We've all ridden each others' bikes. They like taller bikes, though not more than a hair, but I wanted something to handle Florida sand without much modding. They flounder and flail in the sand. I don't. XT feels a little stronger in power, but on a tight second gear trail, there's a distinct TW advantage. Get what you are comfortable with.

 

[paelo man]

The xt is fuel infected - mine previously owned xt didn’t like 7500’ plus elevation in Colorado backfire when you let off throttle-it would also wash out in loose river sand and destroy the chain in process-the tw you can set jetting for elevation-the tw fat tires will get you across river sand and is more forgiving on the trails-
“Just remember there are 2 type of bikers”
Those who have been down and those who are going down……

 

[martianone]

I have/had both TW and XT, got the TW first as I had been eyeing one for years. My riding consisted of primarily commuting to work - 5 miles of dirt/travel road and 5 miles of mostly, but poorly paved road - about a mile in town.
Plus some log trails and cow pastures. TW is good in a greasy soft pasture [however with a different than stock front tire], due to the light front tire loading - not always most sure footed on a gravel road. XT is better on gravel and faster in traffic. TW wasn't happy in cool [40F] mornings. XT is fuel injected and a disc brake. BOTH have been 100% reliable.
XT - overall is probably a little more versatile. TW - has more "soul" and funner (sic) to ride. My partner claims it.

 

[Fred]

With the TW at least you can get a sense of community and usually non judgmental support offered here.
No fuel injection, little power & little suspension but lots of commiseration from a cult-like following has it's merits.

If the plan to to ride frequently with friends on bigger bikes then perhaps get bike with similar capabilities to fit in, or just get different friends with TWs.

I've had open class riding buddies where the shared experiences didn't last that long. I would tend to lead them into slow tight woods and they would rather lead me into higher speed more open country routes.

I think the TW can be more versatile and perhaps more forgiving to a new rider. Slow crashes often hurt less than faster get-offs at higher terminal velocities. Have enjoyed several off-road TW group rides with 2-up riders that didn't result in divorces. Slower, lower TWs seem to be succesfully used to combine interests like fishing, hiking, wildlife photography as well as hauling mtn bikes and surfboards.
I'm a 95% off-roader and enjoy exploring with frequent stops to enjoy the outdoors, relax, eat, drink and wave the camera around just as much as the racing around of my youth.]

EDIT: What got me initially interested in the TW over more conventional offerings was seeing a pair of hunters packing big horn rams out of Idaho back country on TWs with what I assumed were Cycleracks. This big load hauling may be hard to replicate in an XT250. In leu of a rack a buddy uses Giant Loop bags on his XT250 and WR250 for multiple day outings.
Here he is in a few cameo shots on the WR with Giant Loop loaded for a 3 day ride some 200 + miles from home. With a TW I would have to haul the bike on freeways but he would ride the XT and WR from home. Something to be said for that.

 

[MoeDub]

I may get ridiculed for saying this, but after being told by many dirt bike riders that the TW may not be best suited for me since I want to do more off roading, I was introduced to the XT250. Still Yamaha, but very different build. I’m on the fence on which to purchase, but ready to pull the trigger on one. Any opinions, anyone who has gone from a TW to an XT? Anyone who’s done the opposite? Anyone who has both and can speak on which might suit what rider type better?

The XT isn’t a better off road bike except for having a bit more plush suspension but just like the TW it’s no jumper for sure. It is a lot better on road than the TW but since you stated you would be primarily off road and as long as you aren’t always riding a long way to trail heads you will be happier with the TW community 🤙🏼

 

[Dark Sol]

Think about it like quads; there are the tractor/farm/hunting type that will get you and your gear into and out of areas where there are no roads, and there are quads that will carry you over a double jump and slide around berms and corners. Each is fun in it's own way. Same with comparing the TW with the XT. Each is a fun tool designed for quite different personalities of off roading. The TW is a crawler of the off-road 2-wheel world, the XT is a hybred leaning towards the on-road and dirt road 2-wheel world.

This is well put. I never did buy an XT250 but I've rode the TW for 15k miles and a CRF230L for 22k miles and I felt this difference as described. I didn't feel a big power difference between the two (might of only been 1-2HP difference between them at best) with probably near identical 0-50 mph times, but the CRF was lighter, much more flickable with the smaller wheels. The big advantage was the overdrive 6th gear which ran 60 mph at 5,700 versus a little over 7,000 on the TW. Great highway gearing and the long-stroke engine made significantly more low-end power than the TW's shorter stroke engine which allowed it to pull that tall gearing extremely well. (The extra cc's helped too)

As stated I would not use either bike for big jumps or heavy off-roading. There's a tremendous difference between a $5,000 all-purpose bike and a $10,000 motocross bike. You'll break something sooner rather than later.

 

[bartruff]

I have never ridden a XT 250.......I am old and not interested in performance....don't care about fuel injection or disc brakes ......never go over 45 mph....I just want to get to where I am going with as little trouble as possible.....want to be able to put my foot on the ground.....want to go as slow as possible....want torque ....grunt....

The kids I ride with on occasion have no respect for the TW...it is a old man's bike...

The old people I ride with will often trade their XT 225's for a TW.....

Like everything in life..... it depends.......no.......not that Depends...at least not yet....

 

[Westieterrier]

I've never been a dirt biker, and am too old to learn how to stand on the pegs and grab the throttle.

The TW allows me to catty a pretty stiff load, drag my feet, and fall at the slowest possible speeds. Add to that, the low seat height.

But in your case, I'm wondering why you would not want both. Trust me you'll ride them both. After a year or two you can always change your tack and upgrade one or the other.

When Noah wrote those 10 Commandments, there was no "Thou Shalt Not" mentioned about number of motorcycles.

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

Ron, it was Moses and he didn’t write them. They were presented to him by a Higher Authority.

 

[Loghousenut]

Ron, it was Moses and he didn’t write them. They were presented to him by a Higher Authority.

Well, maybe.... But don't try to convince me there was no flood that drowneded the burning bushes on Mount Aristotle. Just because I can't quote chapter and verse doesn't mean I don't have a handle on the basics of it all.

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

 

[JustPassinThru]

I have never ridden a XT 250.......I am old and not interested in performance....don't care about fuel injection or disc brakes ......never go over 45 mph....I just want to get to where I am going with as little trouble as possible.....want to be able to put my foot on the ground.....want to go as slow as possible....want torque ....grunt....

The kids I ride with on occasion have no respect for the TW...it is a old man's bike...

The old people I ride with will often trade their XT 225's for a TW.....

Like everything in life..... it depends.......no.......not that Depends...at least not yet....

I have owned both.

The XT is a more-conventional bike, of course. Feels like any small motorcycle - nimble, but no real jump when you twist it. The engine runs well and is unobtrusive.

But it's no speed demon. I had mine up to a displayed 92 but that was not smooth, comfortable, or tolerably quiet. I remember a trailhead I wanted to ride...it involved 60 miles of highway, heavily traveled, to get to. Really, keeping the XT at the 70-mph limit sounded like I was destroying it.

And as with any naked bike, wind buffeting is an issue over 60 mph.

It does go faster. It does start easier. The suspension on two-track fire trails is IMHO fine - but a bit marshmallowy on potholed urban streets. Better than the Versys X-300 I had had before, which frequently bottomed out. With only me on it.

Since neither bike is set up for speed runs, and the XT is about a thousand dollars more...but fully conventional...even with the better gas mileage FI offers...it's hard to justify having both and hard to make a case for the XT over the TW, in the end.