[Texasnielsen]

....but here I am still lurking around on TW200 Forum. But not buying another one!

Sent from my LG-TP260 using Tapatalk

Never say never! Given the number of years the TWs have been around you I feel like they (like a good dog, etc.) are always missed when absent. Okay, maybe a good spouse also. One day a neglected T-DUB will come around the house, sniffing out the (your) old loves of yore and rekindle the desire for you to become a caretaker once more. 😉

 

[Texasnielsen]

We must have gone to the same school of high finance.

Same here!

 

[Fred]

My dealer did the typical bait-and-switch advertising a nice used TW at good price so I went for a look.
" Nice bike, I'll buy it" say I. "Sorry, won't be available for a few months, needs to go through our safety certification program first. But lets go to the showroom where I have a nice new one for you".
So he sold me on idea of buying a new TW, just not from him.
My motto is that bad behavior should not be rewarded.
So I purchased a better priced new one from a known California dealer, removed mirrors and stuffed in back of Hi-Luz pick up's camper shell and had a scenic trans-Sierra drive home.
Same local dealership has been flaky since they accused me of buying my first motorcycle from them 50 years ago with counterfeit currency. Treasury agents who interviewed me at the time said Dealership had a bad history.

 

[Snow Fox]

Thank you for this excellent forum topic.

Back in my misspent youth, I zoomed around on street bikes, quads, and snowmobiles. When I retired I decided I wanted to ride again. The Indian Scout was like a mythological siren calling out my name. Other than selling my hermit haven hideaway in the mountains and moving to town, I couldn't figure how to make it work. The unmaintained roads out here are pitted, dirt, and mainly gravel. What to do?

One day while obsessively scrolling through bike dealer websites, I came across the TW. It caught my imagination right away. Shortly afterwards I discovered this forum and read everything I could about the Dubs, pros and cons. I drove to a bike dealer in Albuquerque and the sales guy recommended a 250 Honda and also a 125cc Yamaha dirt bike. Reluctantly he dragged out a beat up demo TW. Clearly he wasn't a fan. The Dubs was strangely compelling and I instantly fell in love and needed to have it. I sat on every bike in the showroom, but the Dubs felt...just...right. I whipped out my checkbook and pre-purchased one from the next delivery. The salesman rolled his eyes and looked defeated, not unlike the "teacher" in the 'How Not to be Like Your Parents' TV commercial.

Even though it's been less than 2 months that I've owned the bike, I've searched this forum several times when encountering glitches during the break-in period. You guys and ladies are so helpful....and fun!

 

[admiral]

My first TW. I think I've told this story before but can't remember.
I was getting deployed for Iraq in 2004. My plan was to save up my money and buy a BMW Z4 Sports Car. James Bond had something to do with this. Well, things didn't quite turn out the way I planned. I ended up busting my knee before making it to Iraq thus the "deployment savings account" was insufficient for buying the BMW. So, what did I do...I went to the Yamaha dealer and bought a TW instead with cash, no financing.
This was in 2005 and I still couldn't walk very well because of the busted knee but I could ride...easy rides! I think I won!

 

[SpeedyTide]

Thank you for this excellent forum topic.

You're welcome, and thank you and everyone for sharing their TW purchase stories. I find them interesting, cool, and fun!! I know mine was!

 

[JJBSilvia]

My story begins with a Rokon... Yeah, that cool 2wd billy goat motorcycle. It's sort of a New England classic and I saw one for sale for $4000, which was a decent price for the time 3 years ago. I started imagining using it to maintain some acreage, save my back, show off at off-road events, cure cancer, deliver world peace and any other thing that would help me justify the purchase.

After months of chewing on it and learning all I could, I realized the bike was really a 2WD quad with top speed of 20 mph and since it could not be tagged for the street, I would be stubbed to "tractor use only". Sort of a bummer since that is a bit of cash for a toy that could not give me the versatility I really wanted. The price was too high for what amounted to 1/2 of a quad.

3 weeks afterward, I was going down some rabbit hole of research and I stumbled on a thumper talk forum post basically praising the TW200 as the king of the slow-roll and a torque-master. "Point and shoot" they said. "climb hills with a granny gear" they said. "best in class at being 'ok at everything' across all aspects" they praised. I even saw a "when the EMP comes from the Russians, you can bug out at 70 mpg and syphon fuel from lawn mowers while fleeing from zombies".

Like the eye of Sauron, I turned my energy and focus to learning about this mythical creature. Within a week I was 100% sure this was the bike I really wanted. I decided I would not pay a penny over $3000 and I would be patient. Anyone who remembers what the market did starting 3 years ago knows that each passing week put my budget further from reality.

I spoke about my mission to everyone I knew in the M/C community. I had 3 near misses of someone getting a "mint 2015 TW200 from a little old lady in exchange for helping move wood" and other tales of fury. One day right around Christmas 2021, I told a friend in the Buy-Sell auto world what I was up to. Not 2 weeks later he tells me a TW200 was up for sale just 5 miles from my house! Sure enough it was true, but I was out of town for 5 days and was sure this was yet another miss... It wasn't. Bike was a 2005 with 1400 miles in a stable of other pampered dual sports. "wife bike" street use only because that is what the training class used and she liked it. She upgraded to a metric cruiser and they wanted a quick cash sale. I made my best offer, got it and even got a box of parts/filters. Super folks to deal with actually.

$900 in farkles, maintenance, armor and ergo later, I got my perfect fit and stayed below $4K cash invested. Can't say I don't think about the Rokon at times, but it's hard to want to trade when I pull off a 55 mph run, turn into a dirt road and then bushwack through the woods a 1/4 mile only to pop out on pavement and go find more trouble.

This bike is not for everyone, but it can be set up for anyone.

 

[SpeedyTide]

when I pull off a 55 mph run, turn into a dirt road and then bushwack through the woods a 1/4 mile only to pop out on pavement and go find more trouble.

You're my kind of people!! 😁

 

[littletommy]

My dealer did the typical bait-and-switch advertising a nice used TW at good price so I went for a look.
" Nice bike, I'll buy it" say I. "Sorry, won't be available for a few months, needs to go through our safety certification program first. But lets go to the showroom where I have a nice new one for you".
So he sold me on idea of buying a new TW, just not from him.
My motto is that bad behavior should not be rewarded.
So I purchased a better priced new one from a known California dealer, removed mirrors and stuffed in back of Hi-Luz pick up's camper shell and had a scenic trans-Sierra drive home.
Same local dealership has been flaky since they accused me of buying my first motorcycle from them 50 years ago with counterfeit currency. Treasury agents who interviewed me at the time said Dealership had a bad history.

OK, forget all that other stuff. I want to know did you really buy a bike with counterfeit money? ha ha ha ha 🤣

 

[littletommy]

And do you have any left you can loan me?

 

[M3b]

My first dual sport was, and it is, an XR650L. I love the BRP, but even lowered, the bike has always been somewhat intimidating. Over the several years that I’ve owned it I’ve definitely become a better off-road rider. But I’ve paid for my improvements with a lot of anxiety and sometimes flat out fear trying to pilot a 350 pound bike over baby heads.

About the same time I purchased my XR my riding buddy purchased a TW 200 for his wife and kid to drive around. When I was taking my rider safety course I actually rode this bike trying to improve my skills. After years of threatening that I would ride the TW out on the trails, “someday…, just to see what it was like,” I finally made good and got into the dirt last summer. I drove it down the same trails that had freaked me out not two weeks before while I was riding the XR. It was a bit of a revelation. I finally “Got” what folks were talking about when they went on about how much fun they had off-road.

With his son headed off to college this fall, he decided to sell the TW. He asked me if I was interested. Hell yes I was. Sealed the deal in five minutes.

 

[littletommy]

My first dual sport was, and it is, an XR650L. I love the BRP, but even lowered, the bike has always been somewhat intimidating. Over the several years that I’ve owned it I’ve definitely become a better off-road rider. But I’ve paid for my improvements with a lot of anxiety and sometimes flat out fear trying to pilot a 350 pound bike over baby heads.

About the same time I purchased my XR my riding buddy purchased a TW 200 for his wife and kid to drive around. When I was taking my rider safety course I actually rode this bike trying to improve my skills. After years of threatening that I would ride the TW, “someday…, just to see what it was like,” I finally made good and gave it a try last summer. I drove it down the same trails that had freaked me out not two weeks before while I was riding the XR. It was a bit of a revelation. I finally “Got” what folks were talking about when they went on about how much fun they had off-road.

With his son headed off to college this fall, he decided to sell the TW. He asked me if I was interested. Hell yes I was. Sealed the deal in five minutes.

Sweet bro!!

 

[Gruff54]

My search began maybe 5 years ago? A Trail 90 was my farm bike. Used it instead of walking when I didn't need the hauling capacity of something larger with 4 wheels. Plus it gave me a chance to ride. At 6' 3" I was cramped on the 90 and was looking for something with more room while still able to go slow comfortably. My first bike was a '70 DT-1 250 Enduro so been riding dirt my whole life. I like the newer bikes but they were too high strung and I missed being able to easily flatfoot. I saw Bartruff here post about his TW over on PlanetIsuzoo. (1st gen Troopers are another vice). Can't believe I've been into bikes my whole life and had never heard of the TW til then. I did some research, found this forum, and decided it
should be the perfect replacement for my Trail 90. Started looking for a used one. From there my purchase was a lot like Fire Up's above. I looked for quite a while, finding nothing. Finally found one 2 hrs away, so here we go. Seller was a flipper, would buy a project, ride it a while then sell it. Bike had previously been owned by a kid and had been abused, even though it only had 1000 miles on it. It still needed work, but at least it ran. My gut told me to walk away and find something better, but it was the ONLY deal I could find on a TW after a lot of looking. Talked him down to $1500, I think. The rest is history. Brought it home and built it to suit my needs, which it does to perfection. She's a diamond in the rough. If I couldn't find another, there's no way it would ever leave my place. Anyway, Thanks Bart!!

Mike

 

[Trailmaster]

Thank you for this excellent forum topic.

Back in my misspent youth, I zoomed around on street bikes, quads, and snowmobiles. When I retired I decided I wanted to ride again. The Indian Scout was like a mythological siren calling out my name. Other than selling my hermit haven hideaway in the mountains and moving to town, I couldn't figure how to make it work. The unmaintained roads out here are pitted, dirt, and mainly gravel. What to do?

One day while obsessively scrolling through bike dealer websites, I came across the TW. It caught my imagination right away. Shortly afterwards I discovered this forum and read everything I could about the Dubs, pros and cons. I drove to a bike dealer in Albuquerque and the sales guy recommended a 250 Honda and also a 125cc Yamaha dirt bike. Reluctantly he dragged out a beat up demo TW. Clearly he wasn't a fan. The Dubs was strangely compelling and I instantly fell in love and needed to have it. I sat on every bike in the showroom, but the Dubs felt...just...right. I whipped out my checkbook and pre-purchased one from the next delivery. The salesman rolled his eyes and looked defeated, not unlike the "teacher" in the 'How Not to be Like Your Parents' TV commercial.

Even though it's been less than 2 months that I've owned the bike, I've searched this forum several times when encountering glitches during the break-in period. You guys and ladies are so helpful....and fun!

You know the saying, there's an ass for every seat, we've got a great bunch of asses here willing to help and share knowledge with everyone! Welcome to the crazy! Chris

 

[Trailmaster]

My story begins with a Rokon... Yeah, that cool 2wd billy goat motorcycle. It's sort of a New England classic and I saw one for sale for $4000, which was a decent price for the time 3 years ago. I started imagining using it to maintain some acreage, save my back, show off at off-road events, cure cancer, deliver world peace and any other thing that would help me justify the purchase.

After months of chewing on it and learning all I could, I realized the bike was really a 2WD quad with top speed of 20 mph and since it could not be tagged for the street, I would be stubbed to "tractor use only". Sort of a bummer since that is a bit of cash for a toy that could not give me the versatility I really wanted. The price was too high for what amounted to 1/2 of a quad.

3 weeks afterward, I was going down some rabbit hole of research and I stumbled on a thumper talk forum post basically praising the TW200 as the king of the slow-roll and a torque-master. "Point and shoot" they said. "climb hills with a granny gear" they said. "best in class at being 'ok at everything' across all aspects" they praised. I even saw a "when the EMP comes from the Russians, you can bug out at 70 mpg and syphon fuel from lawn mowers while fleeing from zombies".

Like the eye of Sauron, I turned my energy and focus to learning about this mythical creature. Within a week I was 100% sure this was the bike I really wanted. I decided I would not pay a penny over $3000 and I would be patient. Anyone who remembers what the market did starting 3 years ago knows that each passing week put my budget further from reality.

I spoke about my mission to everyone I knew in the M/C community. I had 3 near misses of someone getting a "mint 2015 TW200 from a little old lady in exchange for helping move wood" and other tales of fury. One day right around Christmas 2021, I told a friend in the Buy-Sell auto world what I was up to. Not 2 weeks later he tells me a TW200 was up for sale just 5 miles from my house! Sure enough it was true, but I was out of town for 5 days and was sure this was yet another miss... It wasn't. Bike was a 2005 with 1400 miles in a stable of other pampered dual sports. "wife bike" street use only because that is what the training class used and she liked it. She upgraded to a metric cruiser and they wanted a quick cash sale. I made my best offer, got it and even got a box of parts/filters. Super folks to deal with actually.

$900 in farkles, maintenance, armor and ergo later, I got my perfect fit and stayed below $4K cash invested. Can't say I don't think about the Rokon at times, but it's hard to want to trade when I pull off a 55 mph run, turn into a dirt road and then bushwack through the woods a 1/4 mile only to pop out on pavement and go find more trouble.

This bike is not for everyone, but it can be set up for anyone.

The only real thing you did miss out on was the chance to take a drink from yummy water carried in the Rokon wheels, hard to pass on something like that but you chose wisely, welcome to the crazy. Chris

 

[Loghousenut]

The only real thing you did miss out on was the chance to take a drink from yummy water carried in the Rokon wheels, hard to pass on something like that but you chose wisely, welcome to the crazy. Chris

Those of us who have ever sold tires for a living might appreciate aging whiskey in those Rokon rotating casks.

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

 

[TWBigBlake]

My first TW. I think I've told this story before but can't remember.
I was getting deployed for Iraq in 2004. My plan was to save up my money and buy a BMW Z4 Sports Car. James Bond had something to do with this. Well, things didn't quite turn out the way I planned. I ended up busting my knee before making it to Iraq thus the "deployment savings account" was insufficient for buying the BMW. So, what did I do...I went to the Yamaha dealer and bought a TW instead with cash, no financing.
This was in 2005 and I still couldn't walk very well because of the busted knee but I could ride...easy rides! I think I won!

You weren't with 1st Cav, were you?

 

[Motor7]

I started out on a used Honda SL100 I bought from the son of the place we boarded our horse....it was uhmmm, 197omthing. The engine blew up in short order and the next bike was a Suzy TS185 which I rode back and forth to HS. I never got a 'real' motocross background, but I would ride the TS across the Mississippi River Huey P long bridge to practice at a MX track that was open on the weekdays for free...I sucked at it, but it was fun.

Then it was off to street bikes for many years, but I always hankered for something dirt oriented. Something about the fat tire ...moth....flame. After a DR350, a DRZ, and my current DL650 I was at a dirt moto school in Cloud croft NM last Oct. One of the fellow students had trailer-ed a TW and a KTM 360 to the school but could not get the TW to run right. I bought it on the last day after he had it loaded on his trailer. Shoved it into the back of my van and ....Now it's mine!!!

 

[admiral]

You weren't with 1st Cav, were you?

Not on this particular deployment. I was temporarily attached to an MI unit in the 1st Cav Div in the early 1990s out of Ft. Hood. I even have a "CAV Coin" awarded to me somewhere in my memorabilia collection in a box somewhere in the shop. Of all the coins I had been given (awarded) over the years, I did carry the Cav Coin in my wallet for many many years.

 

[Snow Fox]

Not on this particular deployment. I was temporarily attached to an MI unit in the 1st Cav Div in the early 1990s out of Ft. Hood. I even have a "CAV Coin" awarded to me somewhere in my memorabilia collection in a box somewhere in the shop. Of all the coins I had been given (awarded) over the years, I did carry the Cav Coin in my wallet for many many years.

Thank you for your service! ❤