Anybody here have a TW200?

I'm still throwing around the idea of getting into adventure riding. Now that I live somewhere that has lots of trails/dirt roads, I'm seriously considering getting a dual sport type bike when I get back from deployment.

I really want a Kawasaki Super Sherpa because of the low weight, low seat height (for a dual sport) and a 6 speed transmission but they seem hard to find (at least when I have money haha). A KLR650 is the easy button since there are a dozen or so on CL at any given time. But I think it's kinda porky for offroad work. And the seat is a little high.

I have heard good things about the TW200 though. I have a coworker that uses his to buzz around town and take it on some local two-track. How livable are they to ride daily? One small problem is the road going to work is 65mph. I need something that has enough legs to keep up with traffic but be manageable offroad. I'm also a bike newb outside of the XR80 I rode for a few years in my adolescence.

I should also add that I'm 5'9" and weigh about 200lbs.

Halp!

KLR's are tall. I tested a KLR 650 when looking at bikes, I'm only 2" taller than you but those things are super tall. As in throwing your leg over = awkward tall.

XR80 is Honda? FYI they also made an XR650 which is a DS bike. I assume that would handle all that you throw at it.

Idk the TW200, but a road around her that is 65mph speed limit = a road that is doing 70-75mph in the slow lane. I'd be afraid a 200 of any sort wouldn't keep up with traffic... Even more so for a 200 DS bike.

With that said, I find the fun thing about motorbikes is finding alternate routes. Who cares if it is 4-5-10 miles longer? My motorbike gets 50-57mpg. My Jeep Wrangler gets 16mpg no matter how I drive it.

Remember getting to the location is the end goal, the route you take to get there is the fun...

Yeah, the XR80 was a Honda (an old one - 1979 haha). I grew out of my Yamaha PW50 and my little sister took it over.

I wish I had an alternate route to work but the 65mph highway leaves the city and ends at the base's front gate. I'd totally take a different way if there was one.

I know you can get lowering links for most DSs but the KLR650 weighs something like 430lbs. I'm sure a bigger bike would be better to commute on but I'm worried that it might be too heavy to comfortably ride for a newb like me. And by that I mean to pick up after I fall off haha.

Motorcycles are new territory for me. I feel like a teenager that knows nothing about cars when some one starts talking about bikes. I guess I'll learn pretty quick

Yeah, I had an xt250 and wasn't comfortable doing 65 on it. It would happily do it but I didn't enjoy it. A dr350 is the smallest I would suggest for that kind of work. Also, careful what dirt bikes you look at because the more aggressive ones will me a mess to ride at higher speeds. My 450 Husky is a nightmare above 50 mph.

I have a DR650SE, and its acceptable at 65 - a bit high revving, but I don't feel horrible doing 65 for an hour at a time. I wish it had a sixth gear as that would help. Definitely a bit porky for serious trail work, but I don't find myself doing much singletrack anyway. In my area I could get a better deal on a DR than a KLR650, its also a little shorter than a KLR (which is kind of a negative for me but hey, the price was good!)

Lowering links drop the tail of the KLR. Cutting the seat down helps also. But all this reduces ground clearance as well.

How serious about off-road abilities do you need? And how do they balance with your road needs?

A 650 vs a 200, there is almost no comparison. Any 650 will be bigger, heavier and much more highway capable than a 200. Conversely, any 200 will be much more nimble and easier to drag out of the ditches when you fall in them.

How long is the stretch of highway you have to ride? A TW200 would probably be about flat out to maintain that speed and the motor would not be happy if it had to hold that for more than 5 miles.

KLR 250?

In reply to foxtrapper:

As far as offroad, just some trails and dirt roads. It is especially rocky here. It's mostly cinder (lava rock) and there is a lot of sand too.

I want something I can use to commute everday and still be decent off the pavement. The highway is 11 of the 14 miles to work. It's 65mph and goes west, right into the constant wind. The wind is another factor. It only stops to change direction

I guess my biggest reservation about a 650 is size/weight. Maybe something like a Suzuki DRZ400 would be a "better" compromise?

Besides weight, seat height is a big factor as well. That's why I am leaning towards a smaller bike. I know I can get lowering links for most of the more popular dual sports and change the seat/do a foamectomy too.

I guess bikes are like shopping for jeans; you don't really know how they fit until you try them on.

In reply to Woody:

The KLR 250 seems like it would work. It looks like the KLX205S' predecessor. The seat height isn't too bad and it seems pretty light. The 6 speed is a plus as well.

I had a DRZ400. It was great on dirt roads, but too tall and heavy on the trails.

I owned a KLR650. Loved it, but it had several shortcomings. While it will do 70 mph you won't really enjoy the experience (buzzy, gets blown around). It was wonderful on gravel roads but on slow stuff it was a bit ponderous. KLRs are really tall...even lowering tricks don't do much to solve it.

I don't think a TW200 is the answer for you. You'll hate it on the highway pretty quickly.

If your roads are like this:

any bike will do. Dual sport tires make more difference than the kind of machine you are on. If your roads are more like this: then you'll want something with decent ground clearance and better suspension.

In reply to Woody:

A friend of mine has a DRZ400 that I keep threatening to buy (she hasn't run it in years, so I can get it for a fair amount under market value), but I've essentially heard similar comments from friends with DS bikes. One guy I know did a ton of mods to his to make it better off-road, but eventually gave up and bought a KTM (it's technically tagged & street legal, but he never rides on the street). Another friend said the DRZ would not be that great on-road either.

So with both comments in mind, my take is it will be perfect for my initial beginner-rider needs. My thought/plan is to limit mods to getting a second set of wheels to keep different tires on as well as maybe putting a taller rear sprocket on the street wheel for better hwy cruising. If the OR/trail bug really bites me, I'll get a KTM and maybe a proper 600cc street bike or larger AV-bike.

In reply to ddavidv:

Most of the roads are like the bottom pic that you posted (minus any trees or grass for that matter haha). There are a lot of atv trails that crisscross some of the areas down here. Oh and rocks. Lots of rocks.

I'm finding Suzuki DR650s for less than KLRs. They are pretty close in specifications. How about a DR350? That seems to split right between the 250 and 650 class. Ugh, so many choices. This will be my first bike (as an adult, er bigger kid) so I'm worried that whatever I buy, I won't be happy with. I don't have a lot of disposable income so I'll have to stick with whatever I buy for a bit.

When I was shopping for my first dual sport the DRs were more expensive than the KLRs I were finding. The DR is a great bike.

stanger_missle wrote: As far as offroad, just some trails and dirt roads. It is especially rocky here. It's mostly cinder (lava rock) and there is a lot of sand too. I want something I can use to commute everday and still be decent off the pavement. The highway is 11 of the 14 miles to work. It's 65mph and goes west, right into the constant wind. The wind is another factor. It only stops to change direction I guess my biggest reservation about a 650 is size/weight. Maybe something like a Suzuki DRZ400 would be a "better" compromise?

While I generically don't disagree with what Dwight wrote with regards to his pictures below, be sure to ask him where he's seen me ride my Harley Road King. Big heavy street bikes can be ridden quite inappropriately. The lower the center of gravity, the easier it is to ride them there. Tall top heavy bikes, regardless of style, are real interesting in slow rough stuff.

Anyhow, I'd suggest you might be happiest with a mid sized street type bike with semi universal type tires. Hot rod type tires don't do well in gravel, but generic type tires tend to do perfectly fine.

Look at bikes that you can put your feet solidly down to the ground on, and that you can comfortably rock and lean. That sort of bike is one you can ride Dwights picture #1 with ease, and even picture #2 with relative ease.

Can you borrow your friend's TW200 for a day to try it out? Then you'll know without internet hearsay. Guys have ridden the TW200 to Alaska and back, just not fast. My GF has a DR200 and it will do 65 alright with just a rear sprocket change. With a pipe and jetting they really wake up, or so I'm told. She hasn't sprung for the power mods and I have 5 bikes of my own to spend money on. Almost any bike can ride down a dirt or gravel road. My buddy just rode an 84 Goldwing out to the Alvord desert and said it was just fine. I'd suggest an XR650L or a DR650 for you. DR350 would also be fine. DR-Z 400 isn't that bad but for the loss in power over a 650, the loss in weight just isn't that significant. I've ridden my KLX650c all over the damn place on all manner of highway and gnarly dirt bushwacking, with and without a passenger. A factory street legal 650 is tough to beat if you want a do it all bike. I wanted something more hardcore (more power and suspension with less weight) so I bought a plated 2007 XR650R. Now I can wheelie in any gear, go at stupid fast speed through the desert and even do endurance off road races on it.