Chairmen of the Politically Incorrect

[OldWin]

Haha I'll let her know buddy!
Sadly, while she had been on the mend, she kind of had a relapse yesterday. She seems a little better today, so hopefully she will continue to improve. Of course, we are dog sitting this weekend, so there are 2 extra. A golden retriever and an English bulldog.
Our middle son wound up having bronchitis, but got some mess and should be doing better now.

Got the snow cleaned up last night and this morning. More on the way Saturday night, and supposedly a big one coming next week. Long as it stays cold, I don't care.

[gamekeeper]

Congratulations for winning 283
I hope your wife and son make a complete recovery real soon ...no fun all being ill except for the hot toddies, I don't think they cure but if you have enough they can make you forget why you're drinking them...

Down to about 37 F here grey and dismal.

[Walt]

Man, I would have a tough time getting used to winter temps like you're experiencing on a regular basis; -10 and -20 degrees. In the early 70s we had about a 10 day period when it never got up to zero degrees and it essentially shut this area down. Obviously houses in your area are built differently. During that cold spell here thousands of people moved into hotels because their pipes had frozen and their heating systems couldn't keep up with the cold. In exchange your area has lakes, streams and beautiful green forests. We do have nice forests in the mountains but not much water.

[gamekeeper]

I have stated this before that I was born and grew up in a pre fabricated house from Michigan USA it even had central heating which was almost unknown in Britain at the time so hard winters were quite bearable back then, my present abode was built in the 1700s and seems to stand up well to bad weather.

[Old Savage]

New England has houses from the 1700s.

[Walt]

NM has houses built in the 1700s as well as lots of old churches. Adobe was used as the principal building material. There are a number of ruins of old Spanish mission churches around the state that have walls five feet thick, mostly as a defensive measure, dating back to the 1600s and before.

[OldWin]

You'd struggle at first, but I guarantee you'd adjust and be just fine. People are supremely adaptable, that's why there are so many of us.
I struggle more with heat. I find it easier to stay warm. I can just add or adjust clothing. If it's hot, I can only take off so much, or have to stay where there is A/C.
If you get a day in October that is 30 degrees, it feels really cold. Its in the high 20s today, and feels like spring. That always amuses me.
Like my grandfather used to say, once you get into February, the snow melts every day the sun is out. It's very miniscule, and some days it's too cold, but it's generally true. The sun's angle is getting higher.
Of course, we have snow coming tonight, a bunch more Thursday, and supposedly a BIG ONE next weekend.

[gamekeeper]

I have always preferred a cold day to a hot day for the same reason, there's no limit to what you can put on but there is a limit to what you can take off

I see on the general forum that the Doc is getting worried about Sixguns absence, I think most of us feel the same, Six has always been a big part of Leverguns and I for one have greatly appreciated the friendship he has shown me over the years so I really miss his input both technical and humour. I hope he returns but I understand that sometimes life has to change and we find ourselves taking up new things and dropping others. This forum has been something I have followed since the beginning and I have benefited from all the collective knowledge and also seeing other shooters points of view on just about every subject known to man but there have been times when I thought enough is enough I should find something else to occupy my spare time, however the friendships I have made over the years far out way any such thoughts. So whatever you're doing Six enjoy life and keep yer powder dry.

[OldWin]

Yeah, I don't know.
I've attempted to reach out with PMs but they never send. I sent one on the Colt forum also. I see he's posted there since I sent it, so I can only assume he doesn't wish to answer. I hope I haven't done or said something to upset him. I count him a friend.
As you said, if he just wants a change, I understand. I just hope all is well with he and his family.

Headed to camp today. I have to clean off the sheds before we get more snow. Going to run the sled in and run that a little. Maybe split a little wood if it isn't too buried. It was supposed to be warm today so I planned to start the tractor and plow the dooryard. However, I see it's 7 below right now so it's going to have to really warm up.

[Old Savage]

Gk, anything familiar?

[gamekeeper]

OS I ain't even heard of most of them but Lancashire is my favourite at the moment

[OldWin]

Had a good day at camp yesterday. The old JD started so I cleaned up the dooryard a little bit. Ran the sled around some. It's been sitting on the trailer since last winter, so I put 10 miles or so on it.
It was cold when we got there so I kicked the stove in the butt and it was toasty in no time. The shed roofs weren't bad at all. It's been cold this winter, so the snow must have blown mostly off. There was more on the camp. We shot dad's old High Standard Sentinel some. Here's a few pictures. Of course, I missed the best one. We were sitting at the table eating lunch when something caught my eye out the window. A fox came sauntering through the yard. He looked the tractor and sled all over, then down the road a bit and off into the woods up the hill. Like an idiot, I never thought to get a picture. He was a big one. I went outside and could hear him barking. I started whistling and heard another one behind the camp. I caught a glimpse of him about 50 yards away through the trees.

[Walt]

Very nice place, Jay! Thanks for the pictures.

We haven't had a significant amount of snow on the ground since a storm before Thanksgiving.

[gamekeeper]

Paradise...... I'm glad you and your Dad are enjoying it.
Only had one week of snow so far but a lot of grey cold damp days which tend to keep me by the fireside instead of huntin' Squirrels.

[OldWin]

Thanks guys!
We are actually way behind on snow this winter. Even way up north. It's just been cold and dry. We are supposed to get a bunch between tonight and this weekend, however.

[Old Savage]

Nice pictures all the more interesting because we saw that whole cabin being built.

[OldWin]

Thank you OS.
It's been a fun project. Mostly cause my dad has had a real good time with it all. It's been relatively inexpensive also.

[Walt]

Jay, I rode my DR-Z very little last summer because last time I dumped it I couldn't pick it up again by myself. I was in town yesterday and decided to see what kinds of shorter, lighter bikes were available. My first stop was at a Honda store and the lightest dual sport they had that could be licensed was a little 150cc. The next bigger one was a 300cc that was about the same weight and seat height as my DR-Z. I went to another store that sells Suzukis and Yamahas and I was shocked to see that they still sell TW200s like yours. They weigh about 40# less than my Suzuki but the most attractive feature is the low seat height. They want $5K for a new one. I'm giving it some thought.

[OldWin]

Hey Walt!
I love my TW! And yes, they are incredibly easy to ride. I rode an XR600R for years and I still have a blast with the TW. An added bonus is they are so simple and easy to maintain. A huge aftermarket helps too. I saw an article recently where they made the top ten list if the most dependable bikes ever made.

I'm thinking again of selling my Harley and getting a 2nd dual sport. I have been going back and forth for a couple years now. I usually convince myself to sell it and then ride it and change my mind.

[gamekeeper]

Walt's experience of not being able to pick up his DR-Z reminded me of coming off a very lightweight 175cc on black ice the bike wasn't heavy but the highway was so slippy I couldn't get enough grip to pick it up made me look foolish falling off and not being able to get back on again

We had snow today but it didn't stick.. colder tomorrow

[OldWin]

Back when I had my trials bike, I used to ride it on the ice. With no studs, no less. Once in a while, traction and my balance would fail me, and I'd be on my face. Even with something as light as a trials bike, it could be tough getting back up and on it. I've got a picture somewhere...

[Walt]

I had a Bultaco Sherpa T trials bike for years and when I had a high level of enthusiasm I used to ride to a cluster of cabins 6 miles up a narrow canyon. There were 21 creek crossings and in the winter it required a jump from the creek to the snow-covered road ahead. About halfway up there was a small spring that flowed across the road and it left a very slippery sheet of ice that angled downhill. It was so slick that I had to slide my boots along the ice like outriggers to avoid dumping the bike. Stopping was not an option because the rear tire would just spin trying to get moving again. A forest fire destroyed the houses and closed the road years later and I suspect the forest service will never allow opening it again.

[OldWin]

I had a Yamaha TY250. I didn't compete or anything with it. I got it from a relative for cheap and figured it would be fun to work on my balance around the house. You could play all day on a couple acres of ground. I use to put all kinds of obstacles out on the lawn and go over or through them.
Back at work. Think I'm going to take Sunday off. Supposed to get a good sized storm and I don't feel like driving a 100 miles round trip.

[Walt]

Jay, you mentioned aftermarket accessories, what kind of stuff have you put on yours, if any? Are you worried about running out of gas with that small tank? Do you have a different rack on yours? Some people apparently complain about the front tire being prone to washing out. Waddaya thinK? At my riding elevation of 7000 to 8000' do you think I'll be short on power (I'm sure I'll need to put a smaller jet in it) riding like a geezer?

[OldWin]

Jay, you mentioned aftermarket accessories, what kind of stuff have you put on yours, if any? Are you worried about running out of gas with that small tank? Do you have a different rack on yours? Some people apparently complain about the front tire being prone to washing out. Waddaya thinK? At my riding elevation of 7000 to 8000' do you think I'll be short on power (I'm sure I'll need to put a smaller jet in it) riding like a geezer?

I just spent a half hour answering all this and lost it before I could post.
When I regain my composure, I'll do it again.

[OldWin]

Ok, let's try again.

Aftermarket goodies that were on mine when I bought it.

DG exhaust:
more of a weight savings than power increases IMO. I added a quiet baffle.

K&N air filter:
More flow but I don't care for them in dusty conditions. I swapped to a Uni filter.

Ricochet skid plate:
This is an absolute must and should your first purchase. Stock is useless.

IMS folding shifter:
This is nice to have but depends more on where and how you ride.

IMS footpegs:
The stock pegs are very small. Depends on how much you stand and what you wear for boots as to how much you need them.

Amazon special handguards (my guess):
These are ok and I left them. If I were buying handguards, it would have been Tusk D-sport.

High front fender and mount:
This looks good but swapped back to the stock fender and added a flap. Keeps the engine and me cleaner.

Rear tail tidy with LED tail light:
This is nice, and saves snags on the trail. You could cut the stock unit down but would still have the more vulnerable stock tail light.

LED headlight bulb:
It's nice, but unless you ride at night a lot it's not worth it. You aren't going down the highway at 80mph.

Rear mini turn signals:
These are nice and almost invulnerable to crashes and snags.

O-ring chain:
This is a must have also. Hard to believe it doesn't come with one but they don't. Stock stretches like crazy. It's a cheap fix and well worth it. He had a 45 tooth Rear sprocket for the road. It gained about 5mph but I went back to the stock 50 for the trail.

Amazon Rear rack:
It's ok, but these are limited by the subframe. They mount to the signal brackets and lower subframe holes. Not strong enough for usable loads. I will change it soon.

This is what I added:

As mentioned above, I put in a quiet baffle and a Uni filter. I also purchased a jet kit from Pro Cycle so I could fine tune it. Jetting had already been changed.

Front set of matching turn signals:
Why they didn't do this I don't know. They are only 18 bucks a pair.

Bar risers:
For anyone over about 5'9", the bars are too low for standing. Instead of changing bars, I installed a set of Tusk 30mm risers. I'm 6' and it's not perfect, but much better.

Amazon shorty levers:
These were only 35 bucks and are quite good. Even have adjustable reach. The clutch is very easy on these bikes and running with one finger is no problem.

Bradley Performance trailer hitch:
I got this to drag deer and haul stuff around my property. Very good quality. I remove it in the summer when I'm trail riding. There's no real need to, but it's weight I don't need and it drags a little if I do wheelies.

[OldWin]

Ok, now for your questions.

Gas tank:
Yup, it's small, but you're talking about a bike that gets 80mpg. I've gotten as much as 84. Most importantly, it's small size makes this bike very slim and allows you to tuck your knees in tight. There is little weight up high also. If I feel I need more fuel, I just bring a small fuel bottle. I never need it, but I realize you probably have greater distances out there.

Jetting:
My best guess is at your elevation, the stock jetting is going to be very close. It's pretty lean lower down. Maybe pull the cover off the air/fuel mixture screw and back it out a little will be all you'll need.

Tires:
IMO opinion, the whole "Death Wing" myth is over rated. Don't get me wrong, it ain't a great tire. I wouldn't buy another one, but you're not going to die in the first 10 miles.
First, this is a bike that's popular with people with zero to little experience. Second; there's a sticker on the front fender listing "recommended tire pressure". It's ludicrous to anyone with an hour of dirt experience. The front is like 18-21psi. I run 8 . Another contributing factor is the forks are sprung too light. When you combine all these factors, a legend is born. Luckily, it's an 18x2.75 wheel. Any dirt bike rear tire will fit. The possibilities are endless. Many run the Shinko 241. It's an old school trials tire like us old guys ran plenty of. I suspect it would work good for you out there. Me, not so much. I'm going to run a full knob 4.00x18 for my conditions.
The rear used to be limited to stock, cause it's a 180/80x14. Now we have options. Some guys shoehorned UTV tires on with varying degrees of success. Bradley Performance now has an ATV wheel conversion that let's you go tubeless and use a wide range of ATV tires. This is the monster traction king, but is about 500 bucks complete. Now there is a third option. Bradley Performance has teamed with an OEM tire manufacturer to make a more aggressive DOT option for the stock wheel. This is what I'm going with. Mostly cause I still use mine on the road right now. If that changes, I'll do the ATV conversion.

[OldWin]

Now what I plan to do. I already mentioned my tire plans above.

The forks:
Last year I read that one of the issues is that the forks come from the factory with low oil volume. I figured mine needed to be changed anyway, so I upped the volume a little and rode it last season. It maybe helped a little, but nowhere near enough. There are 2 ready available options from both ProCycle and Bradley. They offer a 20% or 50% increase. I will do the 50%. I weigh between 195 and 200lbs. The rear suspension I can actually live with. It's a direct connect, no linkage shock. Kinda like the old ATK setup, so it's very simple. There are grease fittings on the swing arm too.

The rear rack:
The 2 best options IMO is Tusk and Cycleracks. If you're a motocamper or adventure rider, the Cycleracks is friggen huge. Too big for me. I like the Tusk. Both these racks have bars that run down and connect with the rear footpeg mounds. Very sturdy, and can be used with panniers.
There also front racks available for the TW. There are over or under the headlight. The over light ones are superior IMO.

There is an excellent source of information in the TW200 forum. You can even download the factory shop manual from there. Lots of knowledge there. I belong to it.

Aftermarket sources geared to the TW are ProCycle and Bradley Performance Products (incredible stuff, and a great guy). Rocky Mountain ATV also has a lot of stuff.

If there is anything else I missed let me know. If you want some pics or more info. I can PM you my number if you don't want to type.

[Walt]

Thanks a bunch, Jay.

I haven't bought the bike yet. The dealers are all closed here on Mondays but I think I'll go in on Tuesday and buy one. With the motorcycle dealers being rather slow in the winter, it's probably a good time to buy one and I'll sell the DR-Z when the weather warms up. Thanks for the offer - I'll probably have all kinds of questions later.

[Old Savage]

Only thing I did with this one was drop it in a drainage ditch, underwater

[OldWin]

No problem Walt! Anytime.
They are a fun little bike. No power in the classic dirt bike sense, but it will tractor anywhere and is so easy to handle. Maintenance is a joy, also. Has a little 2 valve head with super easy valve adjustment. Holds exactly 1qt of oil and has a mesh oil filter that is reusable. Just squirt it with carb cleaner and put it back in.

Wish I was closer. I'd check that DRZ out!

Let me know if you have any questions or I can help with something.



OS,
That old Honda is fairly collectible now. You should have kept it.
Of course, I had a few I should have kept too.

[Walt]

I bought it new in 2005. Geezer ridden; I've dropped it a few times, all low speed dumps. Less than 10K miles. Well maintained. Too many toys in my garage. Running out of room for my truck.

[OldWin]

Haha I hear you! As I type this my Gladiator is sitting out beside the garage covered in today's snow. I just got in from a preliminary clean up. I will have more to do tomorrow. Been snowing all day.

Thats a smokin DRZ Walt! Those are nice bikes. They freakin run forever and have excellent suspension for a dual sport. It's my opinion that they ruined it when they changed them for 2025. As much as I love the XR650L, I think I'm getting a little long in the tooth for that much weight. It's a porker. For new bikes, I actually like the KLX300.
I'm again tossing around selling the Harley and getting something like that. I just can't outgrow dirt bikes. I have a buddy that's the same way haha!

[Walt]

My garage is more cluttered than ever now. Oh well....

[OldWin]

Awesome! Good for you Walt. Welcome to the the T-dub club! I hope you have as much fun with it as I do with mine.

Oh!
I see nothing wrong with that garage at all!

[gamekeeper]

Congratulations Walt I'm sure you will get your money's worth of fun riding your new dirt bike

Reading the last few posts has made me realise how much I've been missing When I first started riding motorcycles it was 1963 and it opened up a whole new world of freedom to me back then.
Perhaps I need to get the smell of two-stroke back in my nostrils again and buy an old classic two wheeler....

[OldWin]

There you go GK!
My first bike was a 1973 Yamaha DT250. I got it around 1980. It was pretty rough, so I not only learned to ride, but to wrench too.

[gamekeeper]

My first bike was an ancient BSA Bantam 125 that not only taught me to ride but also an awful lot about keeping it running my second bike was a BSA C15 250 and that really gave me a lesson in mechanics

[OldWin]

Haha cool! I can't remember the last time I saw a BSA here. It's been a long time though. The English bikes had a great look back in the day. I know they could be a little "fussy", but no different than the Harleys of the day. The Japanese bikes are really responsible for changing this. In their early days, it was all they really had besides being inexpensive. They were no more than scooters really. Their dependability was fantastic for the time, however.

[Walt]

My first bike was a '67 BSA 650 Hornet. It was just like the one below except that a previous owner had put on a headlight and a tail light. It's hard to believe that even at that time the motor vehicle department actually allowed it to be licensed for the street. It had no mufflers, no headlight dimmer switch, no brake light switch, no horn, no turn signals.

[Walt]

GK, I know you have different words for the bike parts I'm talking about and that you spell license differently, but......

[OldWin]

That's friggen cool Walt!
The sketchiest thing I had on the road was my old 92 XR600R. My buddy and I did a pair of them. We used the original headlights and tail lights, we just cobbled in high/low beams and a brake light. They were pretty nasty on the street, but at least 50-60 pounds lighter than a comparable factory dualsport. This is mine as road legal.

[jdad]

You guys play with bikes.....I play with trains.

[OldWin]

Nice! Both I and my son did that too. We did HO. I had about 3 4x8 tables in my parents attic.

Getting ready today to play with the sled tomorrow. Supposed to go riding with a buddy.

[Walt]

The only time I rode an XR600, a friend and I were headed to the mountains and we hadn't reached dirt yet, had ridden about 50 miles on pavement when I had a flat tire on my 86 KLR 600 (the 650 came out the following year) My friend had an XR600 and I rode it home to get my pickup truck. You're right, that XR600 felt mighty light for riding on pavement.

[OldWin]

Haha oh yeah! I don't know if your buddy had done anything to it or not, but it's unbelievable the power gains you get when you uncorked those old XR600R's.
I had a Supertrapp exhaust with a filter and opened air box. It sucked so much air I had a pair of air filters and would change them after every couple weekends of riding. At 50mph you could easily wick it on the back wheel. Thing was a tractor.

[Walt]

This was my old '86 KLR on the right. My riding buddy was on the XR650L which was a whole lot more dirt-capable than my bike although I had mine in some places it was never meant to be. It was like an 80% street, 20% off road bike. He and I were on our way to an old gold mining ghost town and didn't know whether one of the property owners was there so we kinda sneaked in from the back side. The next couple of miles to the town site were strictly a hiking proposition. That was in the mid 90s and we sure had some good times riding in the mountains.

[OldWin]

Cool pic Walt! My son has a KLR650 in Alaska. He runs his in a few spots it shouldn't be in too. They are a bulletproof bike though. Well proven and very well traveled all o er the globe.

[Walt]

Yeah, KLRs are kinda like the TW200. The KLR650 has been around, essentially unmodified since 1987, the same year the TW200 came out. Sure says a lot about their quality.

[OldWin]

That's true! I hadn't thought of that before. My son stole his. His is a 2018 with a tail trunk and panier mounts. It had 3k miles and he paid 1500 bucks for it. He through in another 300 bucks and the guy gave him an almost new snowblower.
Gotta love transfer season......