Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 6:04 pm
qwerty wrote:Get yourself a Yamaha TW200 to scratch that itch. Sure, it's a funny-looking little turd, but it handles snow, ice, and greasy wet roads with honors. As far as I know, a TW200 is the only bike ever ridden cross-country to the South Pole. When the weather clears, "summerize" it so it will be ready next year. I've ridden mine over 3,000 miles since the day before Thanksgiving.
I sold my 836 this afternoon. I've had that bike for over 30 years, but I'm older, fatter, and have no need for a 170+mph bike that hurts my back and has to have aviation or racing gas. I'll pick up another TW200 tomorrow ('05 model, 512 miles on it). I'll mod one for econo-commuting and the other for the Trans-American Trail. I have several bites on the Boss Hog, and when it goes I'll pick up a ZZR, FZ, ST, FJR, or some other Japanese sport-tourer, just haven't really developed mission objectives for the purchase or researched them all, yet.
Next winter I want to build a more powerful TW200-like bike, maybe a 350 to 450cc counterbalanced single. That's the plan, anyway. Any suggestions for a candidate engine?
I wish we could just get an appropriate bike. TW200s are all over the place here. Here the base shuts down the season, no one is allowed to ride. Though really, they can't stop us from riding since we live out in town. The only time we'd get in trouble for it is in the event of an accident. There'd be a line of duty investigation (for AD) or issues could arise in case medical care was required.
