A Widow's Ride

A couple of months ago, I mentioned that I purchased a 2014 Yamaha TW200 with only 97 miles on it from Ed Tamayo of 2wheelridersschool.   After a long consideration, I decided to name her as “P2” since she is the second generation of the original Purple People Eater.  Plus, her new vinyl wrap will contain both Pink and Purple in it which also hence the “P2” name concept as well.  So after several months, I’m finally finished with the transformation.

Here’s the low down of what changes I have made on it and why.

Footrest

The first thing I change are the foot pegs.  The stock one are soooo skinny which make it uncomfortable when you riding standing up.  So I ordered the fat peg from Amazon.  Look at the size difference in the picture below.

 

Tips: The foot pegs are offset from one side to the other. There are foot pegs on the market to make them even. Just be aware that they tend to be a little bit more expensive.

 

Vinyl Wrap

The very first thing I did was ordered some vinyl wrap for my bike. Now some can say this is mainly for cosmetic looks but living in the high desert, it is the best thing you can do to protect the plastic from drying out. Plus, since I’m know to be crash prone on my bike, it has saved the bike from being scratched too badly.  Actually, from all of the crashed I have done on Purple, it has never ripped.  So naturally first I went to Metrostyling.com which is where I got the wrap for Purple.  It has the best bang for your buck.  However, I couldn’t find another purple theme that I liked on their website for P2.  So I did a google search for other purple theme and came across the Muddy Girl design.  It has more Pink than I care for (I’m not a girly girl) but it was the best design I liked so far.

Gas Tank

The stock tank on a TW200 is only 1.8 gallon which is fine if you’re only doing short trip since the fuel economy on this bike is 78 mpg.  However, I love doing long trips and needed a bigger tank so I don’t have to gas up so much.  I went with the Clarke Tank which is 2.7 gallon. (FYI – if you wish to purchase one, just contact me since now I’m a dealer for Clarke Tank)

 Seat

The stock seat is not the most comfortable thing to ride on for a long time.  I have tried several things to make them more comfortable but nothing really last.  One time, I borrowed a friend’s TW which had the Seat Concept seat on it.  It is really comfortable but it added an inch to the height of the bike.  Since I’m vertically challenge, the added height made it more difficult to handle the bike.  So I thought I would give Seat Concept a call to see if they can make a custom seat for me.  They were more than happy to and since they’re a local company they suggested that I ride the bike down and they will build it while I’m there.  Before I headed down there, they asked for my height, weight and inseam to get it started and if needed to they can shave it down some more.  To my amazement, it nailed it on the first shot and didn’t need to any shaving to it.

 

The other modification I made to the seat was added Mule Hitch seat clips to them.  The idea was originally created by a fellow T-dub rider, Jeff Bowman.  Originally, the seat is bolted down by screws.  The Mule Hitch seat clips help make it easier to access to the battery.

Turn Signals

As I sit here and write about why I changed the front and back turn signals, it instantly bring back memories from my first group ride I ever did back in 2009.  I just started learning how to ride a motorcycle again and Russ took me on a group ride with other fellow T-Dubbers out in Joshua Tree, CA.  It was my first serious off road ride and man I crashed more times than I can count (at least 30 times).  So of course with any crash, things tend to break. So naturally, the first thing that break are the turn signals because they stick out like sore thumbs.  On this ride, I broke all four of them!  Therefore, I needed a solution where they were less likely to break if I ever crashed the bike again.

So with this transformation, I decided to go with which I purchased at Cycle Gear for just $20 buckaroo a set.

Handlebar

I have made several modification to my handlebar.  One of them is adding riser to the handlebar.  At the normal state, when I stand up, I feel like I’m leaning over.  So by adding risers allows me to stand up straight.  This allows to control the bike better out in the sands. On Purple, I originally had the fat bars which allowed me to use the ProTaper riser with it.   However, on P2, I did not purchase a fat bars and bought the BikeMaster Aluminum Bar Risers from Cycle Gear.  This allows to choose the height that fits me.

The other thing I change are the grips.  Having Osteoporosis and Arthritis, I need to minimize the vibration on the handlebar.  I really love the Pillow Top grips but the problem with those are that they tend to wear down fast and become sticky.  So the next best thing that seems to help me are the ProGrip 714 Dual Sport Motorcycle Grips.

The last thing I add on the handlebar are the brush guards.  Just like the turn signals, on my very first ride in Joshua Tree, I also broke the throttle sleeve.

Having the brush guard protect the levers and the throttle sleeves.  It also help to keep the wind off of your hands as well.  Not much but every little bit helps when it is cold out.

TCI Skid Plate

Okay, I’m not the most fluid rider and have crashed several times out riding in the desert.  You may remember in my previous blog post “Flying Nun”, I was traveling up a bolder waterfall and suddenly made a left turn and head over the side of the hill.  That crash could have destroyed my bike.  However, with the TCI skid plate, the crash did not damage my bike at all.  This is the most expensive aftermarket product on my bike but I would definitely recommend it.  There are other cheaper aftermarket skid plate out there.  I would suggest replacing the stock one which it doesn’t do much to protect the bike.

Tires

I also changed the front tire to Shinko 241 Trial tire.  When I first did it on Purple, I noticed that it handled the sand and turn so much nicer than the stock tire.  However, it wasn’t I borrowed a friend bike while Purple was being worked on.  I took his bike to the Overland Expo and it was an uncomfortable ride due to the stock tire.  It was then I noticed how much nicer is the Shinko 241 tire is and will always replace the front tire on all of my TW200 in the garage.

Windshield

Last but not least is the Trailway Café Shield.  Some say it does help and some say it doesn’t.  For me, it does make a difference.  Plus, I think the TW200 looks naked without it.  The Trailway Café Shield was designed by a fellow T-dub rider, Jim Carter, and he make it in Neon Yellow, Blue, Smoke and Clear. (He does not have a website, so if you wish to order one, just send him an email at trailwaycafe@cox.net)

Conclusion

All of these modifications above were done to meet the performance, aesthetic and comfort of my needs.  I would recommend riding your TW200 for a while before making any modification to it.  After a while, you will decide which part of the bike you would like to upgrade to meet your needs.