TW200

2006 TW200

It has quite a few additions that are just as I would have done. A small fairing, battery tender, rack, short lights and 1" bar risers.

It should make a nice commuter bike and trail bike too.

I love the huge tires and 60+ mpg on 10% ethanol is nice.

Yes, a genuine "thumper".

It is electric start and only electric start. 2001 still had a kick starter and the electric start. That ended in 2002 as I understand it. 2001 was also the first year for the front disk brake. A huge improvement from what I have read.

The TW200 has been built basically the same since the '80's. Small changes made, but basically the same. It is bullet proof and lasts forever. Parts are everywhere. The TW200 is still in production and very popular overseas too.

They are very capable and impossible to stop. That huge rear tire can not get stuck in mud.

http://tw200forum.com/ has been a great resource.

This is light enough to carry on the hitch. It should make a nice addition and make exploring around camp pretty fun. Not a bad back up plan either.

I have a big bike if I want to take a long ride. This fills a void for the short little trips and as a trail bike and one that "L" is comfortable riding.

I waited almost 24 hours before the mods began.

I took the 130/90W bulb out of my flashlight and installed it in the headlamp. A huge improvement over the stock bulb!

The cut off on the low beam is very nice. I added a projector fog lamp to improve the visibility to the sides while trail riding, and a switch to turn off the headlamp to conserve power should the need arise.

The new handlebars arrived and they are much better 2" higher than stock. I filled them with lead shot to help with the vibrations of a thumper. To them I added Emgo hand guards. The GPS mount I ordered was suited more to a bicycle than a motorcycle, so there it went and I modified the spare for the truck to work on the crossbar.

Reading an article , I made some T-bolts for the seat screws so tool free removal is possible.

They work great.

I pulled the seal that prevents adjusting the carburetor and turned it out a little to compensate for freeing up the airflow with the removal of the stock snorkel. I had to make a special screw driver for adjustment on the road and added it to the tool kit. Now that the intake can breathe, I opened up the exhaust a little and added a larger mesh screen to quiet it a little too. I had a pair of exhaust valves left over from a Level A hazmat suit. Those are now airbox vents.

The stock shifter has been replaced by a MSR forged aluminum folder. It sits forward and fits my foot much better. Wider pegs were installed too. The seat got one of the Stearns ATV seat covers, a Wallyworld bargain.

I added a power port to the side cover for charging a cell phone, or Ipod.

Today the SOLAS reflective tape arrived. The trailing arms front shocks and a few other pieces received some to improve visibility from all sides.

I ordered a taillight modulator to improve the visibility from the rear too.

I found an old style Kolpin fuel can and bracket on ebay. That is mounted behind the trunk to extend my range.

I modified the front shocks for air, adjusted the rear spring to firm it up a little, installed a taillight modulator and twin tube 'tool or whatever" storage. The chain has been cleaned and soaks in lube for now. The sprockets cleaned up and look good too. After some commuting I swapped to a 47 tooth rear sprocket. This lowered the rpm on the highway and made first gear usable. It still has the power and crawl speed for trail riding. A good combination for the riding that we do.

The bike needs little protection as the stock tin skid plate will just not be sufficient. A Ricochet skid takes its place. I will feel much better with 1/4" aluminum shielding for the engine case.

I have done as much as I can to reduce vibration transference. Aluminum bars filled with lead shot. Cushy grips. Padded gloves. Much of these tips have been gleaned from guys who are riding them long distances.

I went the less expensive route for a trunk and u-bolted a Rubbermaid Action Packer on the back. The stock Crew Cab rear carpet floor mats fit perfectly in the bottom Living in a high desert climate, I installed an engine oil cooler to help keep it cool during those scorching summer temps.

What I used:

http://www.motobike.jp/ [Item]: POSH An Exit Of The Oil For Oil Coolers Type1 (COLOR: Black)[924029-(03 : 06)] Merchandise 8,400Yen / Delivery Charge 2,400Yen / Total 10,800Yen (exchange rate at the time $109 US dollars)

http://www.summitracing.com [Item]: SUM-220687 -06 90 HOSE END SWIVEL (2) $28.85 [Item]: SUM-230606 S.S. HOSE -6 6FT $28.90

http://www.napaonline.com [Item]: Thermo Sleeve Heat Barrier Part# BK 7353967 $24.99

Power steering cooler from mid to late nineties Dodge 2500 fullsize truck. Local salvage yard $10

O-rings for adapter from local hydraulic shop $1

Add to that parts I had on hand: Two screw type hose clamps, a few nylon zip-ties, a line clamp, a few inches of heat shrink tubing, a metric self tapping screw to mount the cooler, a foot of self sealing silicone tape and a straight metric threaded -6AN 90 degree fitting.

The new larger Clarke 2.7 gallon tank for the TW200 arrived.

Here is a comparison photo.

The bolt at the front is the mount. It does not rely upon the rubber mounts for the stock tank. Instead it bolts through the hole on the frame. Two spacers allow the long bolt to tighten and the grommets isolate it.

It does not feel bigger, but it definitely is bigger. The full stock tank of fuel left the level down about four inches.

I think they really did a pretty good job. Turning the bars lock to lock, they took advantage of every bit of space. There is reasonable clearance. Well engineered. The stock petcock required opening the holes for the fuel tubes slightly. I used a 11/32" bit to pull the hole out slightly. This allowed the raised portion at the base of the screens to clear for installation. A rubber gasket and new bolts are provided.

I added our BLT Offroad decals to finish it off.