XT225 and TW200, high maintenance?

Decided to add a KLR to the stable and threw up the "I want it for 4300 plus TTL"... after 10 minutes my saleslady came back and said no. Which I think was a good thing.. While she was gone, I was eyeing the bikes mentioned above and this evening I've been researching the bikes but I can't find any info on valve inspection / adjustment intervals and oil change intervals.

Read a sweet review here on the tw and I love the front and rear racks, would make a sweet commuter bike. Realistically it looks like the xt would be better for me but both have peaked my interest.

THANKS in advance for any info on these lil bastards.

You can't go wrong with either of those bikes, and maintaining them is much simpler than maintaining a KLR. They're both just completely undemanding, pure fun and utility.

One more question or I promise to start a "KLR650 or DR650 or XR650?" thread!!

I know everything is subjective but if you semi-routinely did a 500 mile weekend round trip on secondary roads (55mph-65mph), would someone hesitate to take this bike for the trip? Woud be a nice touch in addition to commuting and buzzing around town. thx

*EDIT finding some good info on ... guess what xt225.com

No, don't do that!

You'd probably want the KLR for the weekend trips. The XT225 would be a little buzzy in the handlebar. If you had said weekend 500 mile trips at 45-55 mph on cowtrails, gravel, and secondary roads, I'd say go for the XT225. It would really put smiles on your face.

I don't know, Klay. My wife's XT is smoother than my KLR at 60 IMHO. Not much power, say, for passing, but we are at over 7,000'- probably better at lower elevation.

Is it? I know both my brother's KLR's are a lot buzzier than my DR650. One of my brothers has an XT225, and I thought it was buzzier.

I'm always inclined to go for the smaller bikes...more smiles to the gallon.

By the way, my DR200 runs great at those altitudes...it's jetted a little lean so it comes into it's own above 5,000 feet.

The 225 is a fun bike. It would do the weekend trips pretty good, I think.

Not a ton of power at speed, but overall, not a whole lot of discomfort, either. Just a fun bike that makes you want to ride more.

My wife has an 06' XT225, easy maintenance, gets about 72mpg with stock setup. She bought a Corbin seat to widen out the narrow seating. Can replace the stock 15 tooth front sprocket with a 16 tooth to smooth out the vibes at highway speeds. Most performance mods can be done with no out of pocket expense to correct the lean carb settings. I rode it alot before I bought my new 06' DR650 a few days ago. Very fun bike to ride in the twisties.
Also easier to find wide array of tires for the XT.

Someone recently posted a Ride Report where they (or a friend?) took a TW200 on a multi-day trip and it worked just fine for them. Check for it...

Ease up with the death grip on the handlebars! I can't tell any buzz on mine.

For a 500-600 mile day on the XT, the thing that will annoy you is its fuel range. The 2.2 gallon tank is, well, small. Aside from that, it's a great bike. FYI, Clarke Manufacturing has agreed to make a 3+ gallon tank for the XT225 starting in July of '07.

You may want to look at a DR250SE or DR350SE, a bit more robust and capable, but still retains the super simple, highly reliable design. Fuel economy is as good or better than the XT too I belive (I get 75mpg on my DR250SE with most riding, gets down in the lower 60's if I really flog it).

Everybody and their brother makes 4+ gallon tanks for the DR's. I have a 4.25 gal acerbis on mine and like it quite well:)

thanks for all the posts, found this... just gotta do some work today and read later

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=191582

Here's another great TW200 story:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205682&highlight=states+days

GOOD LORD thanks for posting. Too bad no aftermarket tanks for these little guys. Great trip report

I would agree that the XT225 needs a larger front sprocket, that would help the highway situation plenty.
First gear is so low anyway, great for tractoring up hills and low speed dirt riding, but I'll bet another tooth wouldnt hurt first gear as much as it would help on the highway.

my .02

I found the maintenance intervals on the xt at xt225.com

3100 miles between valve inspections? WOW hard to do? I'm a non mechanic

I'm surprised the inspection interval is so short. But don't sweat it...adjusting the valve clearance is very simple on both the XT225 and TW200. Both of those bikes are so easy to maintain and so reliable, that they'll probably never see the inside of a mechanic's garage. You can do it all yourself really easy.


Edit: I guess the valve clearance inspection interval is 3,000 miles on my DR200, too. Maybe I was thinking of the DR650.

Just fwiw, maintenance is dirt simple on these bikes.

Adjusting the valves involves: Removal of 6 bolts to get the tank, side panels, and seat out of the way; removal of 2 plastic plugs on the flywheel side of the case to verify top dead center; removal of 5 allen bolts to remove the valve covers... adjustment only requires a 13mm (IIRC) wrench and feeler gauges... It honestly only takes 45 mins if you know what you are doing. Oil changes are 1 bolt to drop the skid plate, and the oil drain... The bike has zerks on the rear swing arm, which makes that easy to keep lubed. A few things to watch out for: the bike has non sealed wheel bearing, so it would be wise to replace em with sealed units if you plan on doing a lot of water/ mud riding; The rear drum dose not favor the mud either. Good luck with your choice.

Guys I think you just made up my mind for me. Looks like there is enough support that I can ask some silly questions about TDC and the valve inspection stuff when it comes time.

I really appreciate it