That air-cooled Honda 200cc engine? They have made that thing for greater than half a century now. Those things are bullet proof. You REALLY have to be spankin' em HARD to make 'em have any kind of issues. Trust me... I beat the over-lovin' snot outta the XL200R I had back in the day.
Thinking about getting a trail bike
- Thread starter Thess87
- Start date
Dust Rider
WKR
+1 for a Yamaha TTR 230 or similar. Regular tires = less expense and easier to ride on trails.
ID_Matt
WKR
Oh I am sure that is a great engine too. I am not saying the 230's are any better for longevity than the one you mentioned but they are known for being extremely reliable. More so saying that a 230 will be 40 pounds lighter and much easier to manage on the trail. Assuming we are talking single track.
Oh hey... IMPORTANT THING I just had a memory about that you need to know. If you end up going for a bike with a keyed ignition... you need to be able to study and know the schematic for the ignition switch wiring so that... just in case you end up having a fall way out in the boonies and it ends up bashing the ignition switch... you can hot-wire the ignition switch so you can get yourself back outta there.
Also, to trim down weight, if you have a bike with a keyed ignition and a battery, definitely look into getting a sweet little Enduro lithium replacement battery. Also stock exhaust silencers tend to be made out of riDONKulously heavy cheap metal materials.
Also, to trim down weight, if you have a bike with a keyed ignition and a battery, definitely look into getting a sweet little Enduro lithium replacement battery. Also stock exhaust silencers tend to be made out of riDONKulously heavy cheap metal materials.
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Start reading about all the setups and tech the Enduro guys use on their bikes. For example, some dudes instead of using an inner tube, will run this certain kinda Mousse foam replacement thing instead so they CAN'T get a flat. At the expense of a little weight. Research what a Rekkluse clutch is, see if that's for you.
If you go standard inner tubes (most likely) you'll need a good lightweight set of tire-changing spoons AND practice swapping out an inner tube under field conditions BEFORE you get your butt all stuck way in the hell back in the bush. If the bike doesn't come with Rim-locks on it... make sure you go out and GET some Rim-locks and put them on it. Otherwise you may end up occasionally having the valve-stem get cut/sheared when riding thru rougher sections.
If you go standard inner tubes (most likely) you'll need a good lightweight set of tire-changing spoons AND practice swapping out an inner tube under field conditions BEFORE you get your butt all stuck way in the hell back in the bush. If the bike doesn't come with Rim-locks on it... make sure you go out and GET some Rim-locks and put them on it. Otherwise you may end up occasionally having the valve-stem get cut/sheared when riding thru rougher sections.
Oh yeah... those Trail Wing's are nicknamed "Death-Wings". Because they don't hook-up for beans.
The new 230 is the same engine as the 200's I'm mentioning.
It’s cool you ride that beast of a two stroke but you would kill yourself on that riding the single tracks here in the mountains, that is unless you lug it to death
nice bike!Well Yeah... duh.. probably because it was programmed to pass Emissions no prob. Just get an ECU Programming changer/switcher. Then you have a profile with more gusto... (which won't be much on that bike, but still) then you switch it back to stock if you have to get it smogged. There's other things too like that uber quiet and very restrictive exhaust.
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For woods type riding dudes throw on a heavier flywheel and a Rekkluse clutch. Dude... lugging? And a KX500? That's the most beautiful thing about a KX500! They are very forgiving in terms of lugging it! If you really wanted to... you could fart around in 3rd gear all day and go lugging it all the way up to making your eyes tear up from wind speed!It’s cool you ride that beast of a two stroke but you would kill yourself on that riding the single tracks here in the mountains, that is unless you lug it to death
P.S. that's what the clutch is for!
Downeaster
WKR
They dont call that tire the death wing for nothing. I tried a trials looking front first (cant remember but wasnt the pirelli), and the front end still wanted to wash out on loose fire road turns. Finally went with the kenda and problem solved. Bonus point for making the bike look straight outta mad max. Handles damn well at top speed on roads as well. That was a real surprise too.
Absolutely do this. If you get a low tire or flat and have to keep riding until you can change it (like on a steep hill), You'll slip the tire without it. Aluminum tire spoons, a spare inner tube, and patch kit. Also a spare brake/clutch lever or two.
Jeremy
My tw 200 is dialed in for hunting. Low gears, big tires, big cromo rack, extra lighting.....its great.
With that said, coming from a moto style bike, the ergos SUCK. The bars are too low, and not far enough ahead, the seat is too wide and low. The power is anemic if you like speed and the suspension is poor.
But you'll be hard pressed to beat it for what it's setup to do. A full tank of gas is 3 bux and lasts 150 miles.
With that said, coming from a moto style bike, the ergos SUCK. The bars are too low, and not far enough ahead, the seat is too wide and low. The power is anemic if you like speed and the suspension is poor.
But you'll be hard pressed to beat it for what it's setup to do. A full tank of gas is 3 bux and lasts 150 miles.
Downeaster
WKR
Doest look like it, but did you have to do a rim swap to get that rear on? Did you have to trim knobs. Nice looking setup.
To the OP: wider pegs are a great inexpensive add on as well.
No. It fits stock rim and no trim. I'd do a different front next time as it washes a bit more than I like....but the rear is money.
Downeaster
WKR
I went with the rear K760 for the front, an absolute beast, but has not once washed out since the change (and ive tried). My only weak link now is the rear. Been off the TW forum for a while, is that a new tire? Few years ago, the best i could do was a rim swap, cut knobs, or extend the swing arm. If that's a plug and play option Id love a link if you could. Like i said, the only thing that needs to be fixed now (besides suspension , if i was gonna be picky) would be that absolute shit rear tire.
Thanks
Thanks
WHOA!!! That rack is Epicly Huge! For it's purpose, that's pretty sweet Man!
PS You'll notice the gentleman has bark-busters on the end of the handlebars to protect his knuckles. MAKE SURE you put a pair on yours as well! Even if you don't go in-between trees much, they are still very worth it!
They are a huge bonus on cold mornings too!
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