Tell me about the TW200

[ConPilot1]

Looks like a cool little beast.

Any general info would be highly appreciated, quirks, known issues, good bike??
What to look out for?? The good, the bad, the ugly??

 I know NOTHING about them at all and havn't had the time to research properly
or hang at the TW200 forums.



I'm looking at a VERY low mileage '88 on the cheap. Looks like a GREAT fun street legal little winter/trail bike...

Electric or kick starter on these older ones?? These are two-strokes right??

[Reddog*]

They are four stroke
88 should have both electric start and kick. It will also have drum brakes on both ends, gets a little scary when wet after a river crossing.
Changing the front sprocket means taking the case side off.
Other than that pretty bomb proof.

[ConPilot1]

Any idea on fair mkt value for an 88, good-to-great shape, everything functional, 1000 miles on the clock??

[Reddog*]

$1500 or less I would think. But they can be hard buggers to find used and in good shape. YMMV

[ConPilot1]

thanks much reddog.

Appreciate it.

[scottzilla]

Two more years and you're in the 1990's.  

[Snowbird]

What kind of riding experience do they provide?

Two-lane roads @55 mph?

In the dirt? Just a trail bike?

Two-up?

I'm considering options other than full-on sport-tourers for a bike to take on a cross-county RV trip.

[Cablebandit]

They are a two wheeled goat.  I'd say 800-1000 tops on an '88.  They are plentiful an relatively unchanged other than brakes / e-start through the years.  

[Reddog*]

What kind of riding experience do they provide?

Two-lane roads @55 mph?

In the dirt? Just a trail bike?

Two-up?

I'm considering options other than full-on sport-tourers for a bike to take on a cross-county RV trip.

65 is about tops for mine
Decent road manors. More like a atv on the trail than a dirt bike.

Two up 20-40 miles a day is enough for me.

[Snowbird]

65 is about tops for mine
Decent road manors. More like a atv on the trail than a dirt bike.

Two up 20-40 miles a day is enough for me.

Thanks.

[spd2918]

Be prepared for very low gearing.  They are nice little bikes to ride.

I met a couple that touring on a pair of them.  They had windshields and milk crates installed on the back.  "We only go on slow side roads."  They looked like they were having a blast.

I use them for braking demos during MSF classes.  They can pull nice stoppies.

[KenH]

Riding any distance on a TW requires ptience and a tough butt.

A TW200 will go anywhere. I've buried mine in mud to the point no kickstand was necessarry and ridden 1034 miles in one day. Many 400-700 mile days. Out in the desert 25 miles from the nearest pavement, no problem. Goat trails in the Ozarks are easy. Mine has carried me from Death valley to Pike's Peak, as far east as the Carolinas and as far west as Nevada and Arizona. I've also passed 52 harleys in one crossing of Tail of the Dragon and kept up with a 510 Husky over a couple miles of twisty dirt road in Big Bend National Park. Great fun to ride a slow bike fast enough that people on bigger bikes are surprised, and sometimes slightly embarassed.

A solid knowledge and ability to tweek the bike for expected riding conditions goes a long way on a 12hp bike. The engine is capable of WFO tank2tank about forever. The bike is way more willing than most riders. The question about what a TE can do really boils down to how hard core is the rider.

Stock chain is weak. Plan on an o-ring chain and new sprockets to reduce maintenance and increase longevity. Don't push the stock chain to hard--many smashed engine covers out there. Replace the countershaft seals (there are two due to an outboard support bearing) and the shifter seal while the case cover is off. Since countershaft sprocket changes are such a hassle you'll want to use a chain that lasts a long time.

A couple inch swingarm extension tames the overly stiff rear shock. The front forks can be greatly improved with adjusting oil levels, viscosity, and spacer lengths. Still, TWs ridden like typical dirt bikes will either pitch the rider, break the frame, or both. Ride them offroad like you would a fat cruiser on pavement--slow down and smell the road kill. TWs shine as back road cruisers.

Tdub has seen 84mph a couple times, downhill, tailwind, drafting a semi. Most people report mid-60s as a top end. With real gas and a perfect tune the bike will actually run 74mph flat and level, which is redline with stock sprockets.