I am thinking about buying a TW200 and customize it. I know it is somewhat of a cult bike in Japan and that lots of accessories are available. Anyone has customized theirs in the US? How do you guys like your bike? Some info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. The pic I attached is just one example of what I am looking for.
The first manual clutch bike I rode was an '87 tw200. It was a friend's bike and I actually bought it from him a few years ago because it was sitting in a barn rotting...and had some nostalgic value to both of us. I began the process of restoring (actually just making it rideable again) the bike and found that there isn't an aftermarket in the US for this bike...at all. The parts you see on that custom are just that...custom. Don't expect to find Supermoto wheels or disks or aftermarket exhaust or anything for that matter. That said, the bike was fun when we were kids and didn't know any better. I was disappointed when I got it running because it was nothing like what I remember (after years of experience on dirtbikes). It's slow and handles "oddly" to say the least. It's a fine learner bike or maybe a ranch bike (in my case) for checking fences etc....but otherwise, I'd look at the xt225 or one of the other small dualsports.
Yeah, the japanese do all sorts of crazy stuff to these bikes... they must be bored. I use mine for riding trails with the kids... slow, low and cheap. I bought it for my wife, but she thinks it's too fast, too heavy and is afraid of scratching it... I can think of about (as many bikes as are out there) bikes that I would rather customize... that old school one looks nice though, but you can tell it will ride like a tw
Well there is a 2003 for sale on ebay. It has an aftermarket exhaust. I emailed the guy to ask him where he got it but he told me he bought the bike like that. Anyone else? I know this is not a very common bike but I can't be the only one on this forum to be looking at that bike.
That is a neat little bike. Go for it, you can always get the stuff from overseas. Have you searched for any TW forums?
I had a TW200 for about a year. Bought it because of the MSF classes. Absolutely loved it but would have liked a little more power, 1 more gallon of gas and maybe 2" more suspension travel. I'd have kept it if there was a big bore kit for it or something. There was also the issue of the tire sizes. Can't find a street tire. But the tire tire size is actually what drew me to it. It's great in the sand and rails in the berms. I like the look of that dirt track rear end in the pic. The exhaust setup sucks IMO. I guess it will never see the dirt tho.
Hey gore-tx, check out w.w.w.torquewiz.com. This guy goes to japan on a regular basis. One of his requirements is to contact him 1st before you order anything. There are some free mods you can do to the TW like uncorking and rejeting. You can also install an aftermarket exhaust for a tt-r225. Google 'TW200 forums' and join our group!! Rman....
Check out: http://tw200forum.com/forums/ I've got a TW200 for the wife. I ride it about 95% of the time :) This is a fun bike to mess around on and amazingly reliable.
They are fun to ride. My dad bought one to ride with me when I ride my four wheeler. Now I'm going to trade the four wheeler in on a bike. I'll probably going to get a bigger bike. I am taking dads on a ride Sunday to see how I like it.
This French Webpage is full of TW Suff... http://www.bigwheels.fr/ Also try.. http://www.aventure125.blogspot.com/ http://www.tw125.com/ Kitaco Parts.. http://66.218.71.231/language/translation/translatedPage.php?lp=ja_en&text=http%3a%2f%2fwww.kitaco.co.jp%2fjp%2fcatalog02_05.htm Takegawa Parts.. http://www.takegawa.co.jp/0info/tw200/tw200.html Karl
All german site... the guy speaks english, we emailed about a :eek1 BIG:eek1 bore kit... 225cc http://www.tw-parts.com/
The bigger tire serves as extra suspension as well as treading lightly off road due to more surface area to spread the weight of the bike versus a smaller tire. Maybe why they call it trail wing because it barely leaves a mark on the ground it touches, like flying! Certainly not flying like it has great speed!
The big rear tyre is a fall back onto the 70's sand bikes often fitted with balloon tyres. In Japan they often lace a 14" rear rim onto a front hub and have 180/80/14 tyres front and rear
Build your own custom TW with genuine Yamaha parts on this Japanese site.... http://www.yamaha-motor.jp/mc/lineup/sportsbike/tw225/custom/index.html Karl
This bike is cracking me up. Gotta admit I'm tempted just on account of it's odd coolness. Looks like you can get the "motard" tires in the US: http://www.amazon.com/s/103-5694671-5481464?ie=UTF8&search-alias=automotive&field-brandtextbin=Bridgestone%2FFirestone
