bulldogs2k

Hey guys,

As some of you may know, I'm still looking for a beater bike. I have come to a decision that all I really need is a bike for in town use and abuse! With that said, I want something small and can give me a good return on fuel. I have ridden the ex250, which I think are cool little bikes, but I want something different. I need something to offset my road bike or future Ducati . The bike I had in mind is the Trailway 200. Has anyone ridden or owned one before? If so, how was it? We had one for the MSF course but I didn't get the opportunity to ride the beast. I wanted to use the bike to run over the logs/obsticles during the MSF course. Anyways, looking forward to hear what some of you have to say. BTW I think they look cool as hell, in a Military rugged all terrair way!
A

3ngin33r1

isn't that a dual sport?

bulldogs2k

Yup, I would like to get into something different in hopes of hitting a trail or two.

hotredjohn

My experience with this bike is from the VRTP (MSF) range at Alexandria. I am a RiderCoach and I have riden it on the course.

First it is very loud, the exhaust note from this single hits the ears hard.

It is very nimble (noting its purpose as an off road machine). It has a pretty small gas tank but should get around 50 mpg.

If you plan on using this as an arount town bike it should be fine, I would not want to ride it on the highway though. And if you are thinking about taking it off road, well then it will be right in its element.

Good luck in your search.

John

bulldogs2k

Thanks John,

I took the MSF course in Alexandria, and is the place where I first saw the bike. One of the coaches wouldn't let me ride it because I was 'too short.'

replica

I think they're a cool quirky bike, too bad we don't get the JDM model TW225

bulldogs2k

tw22k would be cool to have. I heard that changing the sprocket will make it better for "highway speeds." I'm trying to get into dirt riding, plus my choices are limited with my short legs!

CT9A

Hey I'm also looking for a TW200. I've been looking on craigslist unfortunately the re-sale value on these suckers is really high. I fell in love with this bike the last time I was in Tokyo they were all over the place. Here is what I want my TW200 to look like after I'm done with it

http://www.kitaco.co.jp/jp/catalog02_05.htm

I actually have all the parts in my living room to make the conversion.....just need the actual bike......hahahaha


jjl

bulldogs2k

Yup, the bike as a cult following in Japan since it gets 80 mpg and bigger cc engine license are harder to attain. I've been wondering craigslist for a used one as well, but no joy! These bikes are loved by their owners, and it shows by the lack of resale. Also, the resale value is so high, your better off buying new. I found some supermoto wheels online, however, I like those tires pictured above a lot better. I will most likely keep mine stock besides a simple headlight conversion, custom made fuel tank(maybe, I may just ride with a 1.5 gal fuel container stuck to the back seat), and different rear sprocket for better cruising. I plan on doing some ADV riding once I get the bike, I will feel a whole lot better droping this bike instead of a BMW f650. I will also be painting mine flat black once I get it. How did you attain those parts? Plenty of guys at the tw200 forums would like to get their hands on some of that stuff.
A

CT9A

Although I go to Japan every other year I actually sourced all the parts domestically. The tires I actually bought from a vendor on Amazon. Go figure.

I would actually be willing to sell the parts........too many hobbies currently on the plate.

Let me know if your interested and we can take this offline...I'm in the Bay Area.


jjl