Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 1:30 pm
Hey Gio! And welcome! Your situation is one of the few that I am qualified to offer input on. I'm new to street bikes, myself.
I can wholeheartedly recommend the Yamaha TW200 as a very reliable, agile, lightweight machine. I bought a well used (and abused) 1986 TW200 from (my wife's) brother-in-law in '92. My son,(when I wasn't looking) most certainly showed the machine no mercy. In other words, TLC was lacking, I'll promise you. Weather, not mileage, should have done this bike in. It had been relegated to the graveyard.
The fuel tank had rusted through, the seat was shot, and it was given up for dead when I rescued it. Put some fresh gas in the carb, attached jumper cables, hit the starter, and she fired right up.
That having been said, just how much on-road use do you plan to give it? There is no tach, and the speedometer registers (operating from dim memory) 70 or 80 MPH. BUT, you will notice, there is a RED LINE on the speedo. from 55 until the max. Just because you CAN run this bike at 70mph does not mean that you SHOULD.
As previously noted, how tall are you? If you cannot sit flat-footed on the ground, you may have a problem. And if I may ask, where in S.F. can you use a offroad bike? I just might have to come check that out myself!
Good luck, and be careful out there.
PKB
I can wholeheartedly recommend the Yamaha TW200 as a very reliable, agile, lightweight machine. I bought a well used (and abused) 1986 TW200 from (my wife's) brother-in-law in '92. My son,(when I wasn't looking) most certainly showed the machine no mercy. In other words, TLC was lacking, I'll promise you. Weather, not mileage, should have done this bike in. It had been relegated to the graveyard.
The fuel tank had rusted through, the seat was shot, and it was given up for dead when I rescued it. Put some fresh gas in the carb, attached jumper cables, hit the starter, and she fired right up.
That having been said, just how much on-road use do you plan to give it? There is no tach, and the speedometer registers (operating from dim memory) 70 or 80 MPH. BUT, you will notice, there is a RED LINE on the speedo. from 55 until the max. Just because you CAN run this bike at 70mph does not mean that you SHOULD.
As previously noted, how tall are you? If you cannot sit flat-footed on the ground, you may have a problem. And if I may ask, where in S.F. can you use a offroad bike? I just might have to come check that out myself!
Good luck, and be careful out there.
PKB