Serial__Thrilla
New Member
Whats up people? I can't believe it took me this long to find this awesome forum! I've been lurking ever since I came across this place and I must say there are TONS of killer builds on here! I'd love to share my build with you guys as I feel this is the proper community to appreciate it and I need a little bit of help...
I've owned many different motorcycles throughout my life but I've ALWAYS had a thing for the Yamaha TW200...ESPECIALLY after I saw how people in Japan were modding them. I know the TW is an "enduro" but I've always liked seeing different peoples take on street set ups for the T-Dub, and I've had a vision for years on the approach that I would take if I ever got my hands on one. I'd slam it, switch up the tank lights, rip off everything that doesn't need to be there, and turn it into the bad ass little Brat Style, Cafe Racer that I have pictured in my head. So I finally came across the perfect donor bike for this little project that I've always wanted to get into and had it shipped to my door, a 2008 with very low miles. Here's a picture of the bike in stock form a few days after I got her:
Then I started hunting for parts. I quickly learned that ALL the good stuff for the TW HAS to be sourced from Japan. It really is a shame that there are no companies over here in the US that carry all the kick ass parts you can get over in Japan for the TW200. So I finally bit the bullet and ordered a load of parts from Web Bike Japan, and it honestly wasn't as complicated of an experience as I thought it would be. I ordered everything from a full Nitro Heads exhaust, to a custom Tank, seat, grips, LED taillight/fender eliminator, the list goes on. Web Bike was the only place I could find such parts for the T-Dub. The one thing I didn't order which I decided not to last minute was an extended swingarm. I decided in order to achieve that compact look I'd leave it stock, but I do plan on having it along with a handful of other parts powder coated black. My only complaint with Web Bike Japan was how long it took for my parts to arrive, other than that it was smooth sailing.
So I finally received my parts from Japan, and a few go fast parts from different shops in America and it was time to get this little project under way. Here is a picture I took the day everything arrived, I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning:
The one thing I did do right away was highlight the lettering on the rear tire with a white tire marker, here's a pic of the tire with the aftermarket black rear sprocket:
Next, THE TANK. So yeah, in my mind one of the key parts I'd need in order to achieve the look I'm going for is a new Tank. I knew I wanted an aftermarket tank and I knew I wanted the Tank to be THE ONLY part on the bike to have color: GREEN, METAL FLAKE GREEN. I wanted a real heavy flake too, like 70's carnival ride green. And I've always had a thing for bikes where the majority of the bike was black or mechanical colors EXCEPT for the tank.
So I went with a Nitro Heads cafe looking tank from Japan, here it is raw out of the box:
As for painting it, I did some research on applying metal flake paint and there really seems to be a technique to it. I toyed with the idea of sanding it and painting it myself with those "Rattle Bomb" metal flake spray paints but I was afraid I'd screw it up and I didn't want it to come out looking crappy so I called my buddies Eric and Pete over at G&S Cycles in Queens, NY and they sent the tank out to a painter they recommended for me. I've worked with these guys in the past and they helped me build 2 other killer bikes over the years. They're a pleasure to do business with and really know their stuff. I built in my opinion THE SICKEST Yamaha Road Star Warrior I've ever seen with the help of these guys. For those of you that are curious:
GOD, I miss that bike...but I'm getting side tracked, here's a teaser shot of the tank for the TW with the first base coat and flake:
So a few days later we got the bike up on the lift so we could eyeball it and figure out how to achieve the stance:
We came to the conclusion that the only way to get that slammed look would be to hard tail the rear and push the front forks through the trees some. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little hesitant to hard tail the rear, but in all honesty I want this bike to be more style over function. I don't plan on driving the TW on the freeway or long distances, this thing is for pure fun, and to blast around the neighborhood or to the bar. After some back and forth my pal Eric had come up with a pretty cool idea that would allow us to achieve the look but not make it a complete spine buster. He said allot of guys back in the day used to run thick rubber on their hard tail set ups that would act like a bushing and give a slightly better ride than a pure hard tail. This sounded good to me, so we went with it, here's a quick mock up of the look:
The rubber bushing will go around the stock shock cartridge and we will powder coat the cartridge black. Also, in order to achieve that flat top look of those Brat Style reference bikes we decided that we would chop the rear section of the frame, make some adjustments, and re weld it. Also, the bottom of the front forks, the swing arm, the levers, and a few other bits and pieces will be powder coated black. I had originally wanted to powder coat the frame black too, but I didn't wanna go over budget, and Eric was a fan of the little sparkle in the stock paint on the frame in the sun so when we chop the frame and re weld we will re shoot the section that was welded with the factory paint so that everything looks clean. Lastly, there are a bunch of tabs on the frame and swing arm that will be shaved off to keep things as clean as possible.
Here's a shot of the tank all done:
Chopped the frame and re-welded it so we could get the seat to sit flatter:
Paint shoot, matched up:
Nitro Heads "Megaton" exhaust mounted/wiring nightmare:
After seeing it mounted I decided I definitely want to wrap the header...
Here's the new headlight mounted nice and low, and the new 140mph Drag Specialties speedo mounted...f*ck it, keep em' guessing...lol:
And now things are really starting to take shape 8):
And a few days later everything was all said and done:
All in all the build took about 2 months to complete AFTER I waited forever to get my parts from Japan, it's TONS of fun to ride! I'm really overall very pleased BUT after time I realized that I'm not completely happy with 2 main elements and it needs a change, this is where I'm hoping someone on the forum can help, but I'll get to that after I share some pictures of the bike:
And lastly here is a picture of the bike without any filters:
So now the 2 things that I'd like to change:
1. The rear suspension...even though it looks killer it rides pretty killer too if you know what I mean. I'd love a little more travel and an actual shock. The stock shock makes the bike sit WAYYYY too high and there are no aftermarket companies out there that make any suspension components for the TW. Anyone have any ideas of a shock that might work without raising the bike up to the sky high ride height?
2. The tank...it's too small. I need a larger tank that comes down closer to the top of the cylinder head and covers more of the neck of the frame in order to achieve that flat look between the tank and the seat that I'm looking for. After doing some research I'm thinking any CB360, CB550, or CB750 tank will do the trick. Does anyone have one for sale or know where I can get one or one like it? Also, is anyone interested in the green metal flake Nitro Heads tank I'm currently running? It really is a pretty little tank it's just not right for my bike in my eyes...
Thanks in advance, and thanks for checking out my build! I welcome all advice and comments...
Cheers!
I've owned many different motorcycles throughout my life but I've ALWAYS had a thing for the Yamaha TW200...ESPECIALLY after I saw how people in Japan were modding them. I know the TW is an "enduro" but I've always liked seeing different peoples take on street set ups for the T-Dub, and I've had a vision for years on the approach that I would take if I ever got my hands on one. I'd slam it, switch up the tank lights, rip off everything that doesn't need to be there, and turn it into the bad ass little Brat Style, Cafe Racer that I have pictured in my head. So I finally came across the perfect donor bike for this little project that I've always wanted to get into and had it shipped to my door, a 2008 with very low miles. Here's a picture of the bike in stock form a few days after I got her:
Then I started hunting for parts. I quickly learned that ALL the good stuff for the TW HAS to be sourced from Japan. It really is a shame that there are no companies over here in the US that carry all the kick ass parts you can get over in Japan for the TW200. So I finally bit the bullet and ordered a load of parts from Web Bike Japan, and it honestly wasn't as complicated of an experience as I thought it would be. I ordered everything from a full Nitro Heads exhaust, to a custom Tank, seat, grips, LED taillight/fender eliminator, the list goes on. Web Bike was the only place I could find such parts for the T-Dub. The one thing I didn't order which I decided not to last minute was an extended swingarm. I decided in order to achieve that compact look I'd leave it stock, but I do plan on having it along with a handful of other parts powder coated black. My only complaint with Web Bike Japan was how long it took for my parts to arrive, other than that it was smooth sailing.
So I finally received my parts from Japan, and a few go fast parts from different shops in America and it was time to get this little project under way. Here is a picture I took the day everything arrived, I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning:
The one thing I did do right away was highlight the lettering on the rear tire with a white tire marker, here's a pic of the tire with the aftermarket black rear sprocket:
Next, THE TANK. So yeah, in my mind one of the key parts I'd need in order to achieve the look I'm going for is a new Tank. I knew I wanted an aftermarket tank and I knew I wanted the Tank to be THE ONLY part on the bike to have color: GREEN, METAL FLAKE GREEN. I wanted a real heavy flake too, like 70's carnival ride green. And I've always had a thing for bikes where the majority of the bike was black or mechanical colors EXCEPT for the tank.
So I went with a Nitro Heads cafe looking tank from Japan, here it is raw out of the box:
As for painting it, I did some research on applying metal flake paint and there really seems to be a technique to it. I toyed with the idea of sanding it and painting it myself with those "Rattle Bomb" metal flake spray paints but I was afraid I'd screw it up and I didn't want it to come out looking crappy so I called my buddies Eric and Pete over at G&S Cycles in Queens, NY and they sent the tank out to a painter they recommended for me. I've worked with these guys in the past and they helped me build 2 other killer bikes over the years. They're a pleasure to do business with and really know their stuff. I built in my opinion THE SICKEST Yamaha Road Star Warrior I've ever seen with the help of these guys. For those of you that are curious:
GOD, I miss that bike...but I'm getting side tracked, here's a teaser shot of the tank for the TW with the first base coat and flake:
So a few days later we got the bike up on the lift so we could eyeball it and figure out how to achieve the stance:
We came to the conclusion that the only way to get that slammed look would be to hard tail the rear and push the front forks through the trees some. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little hesitant to hard tail the rear, but in all honesty I want this bike to be more style over function. I don't plan on driving the TW on the freeway or long distances, this thing is for pure fun, and to blast around the neighborhood or to the bar. After some back and forth my pal Eric had come up with a pretty cool idea that would allow us to achieve the look but not make it a complete spine buster. He said allot of guys back in the day used to run thick rubber on their hard tail set ups that would act like a bushing and give a slightly better ride than a pure hard tail. This sounded good to me, so we went with it, here's a quick mock up of the look:
The rubber bushing will go around the stock shock cartridge and we will powder coat the cartridge black. Also, in order to achieve that flat top look of those Brat Style reference bikes we decided that we would chop the rear section of the frame, make some adjustments, and re weld it. Also, the bottom of the front forks, the swing arm, the levers, and a few other bits and pieces will be powder coated black. I had originally wanted to powder coat the frame black too, but I didn't wanna go over budget, and Eric was a fan of the little sparkle in the stock paint on the frame in the sun so when we chop the frame and re weld we will re shoot the section that was welded with the factory paint so that everything looks clean. Lastly, there are a bunch of tabs on the frame and swing arm that will be shaved off to keep things as clean as possible.
Here's a shot of the tank all done:
Chopped the frame and re-welded it so we could get the seat to sit flatter:
Paint shoot, matched up:
Nitro Heads "Megaton" exhaust mounted/wiring nightmare:
After seeing it mounted I decided I definitely want to wrap the header...
Here's the new headlight mounted nice and low, and the new 140mph Drag Specialties speedo mounted...f*ck it, keep em' guessing...lol:
And now things are really starting to take shape 8):
And a few days later everything was all said and done:
All in all the build took about 2 months to complete AFTER I waited forever to get my parts from Japan, it's TONS of fun to ride! I'm really overall very pleased BUT after time I realized that I'm not completely happy with 2 main elements and it needs a change, this is where I'm hoping someone on the forum can help, but I'll get to that after I share some pictures of the bike:
And lastly here is a picture of the bike without any filters:
So now the 2 things that I'd like to change:
1. The rear suspension...even though it looks killer it rides pretty killer too if you know what I mean. I'd love a little more travel and an actual shock. The stock shock makes the bike sit WAYYYY too high and there are no aftermarket companies out there that make any suspension components for the TW. Anyone have any ideas of a shock that might work without raising the bike up to the sky high ride height?
2. The tank...it's too small. I need a larger tank that comes down closer to the top of the cylinder head and covers more of the neck of the frame in order to achieve that flat look between the tank and the seat that I'm looking for. After doing some research I'm thinking any CB360, CB550, or CB750 tank will do the trick. Does anyone have one for sale or know where I can get one or one like it? Also, is anyone interested in the green metal flake Nitro Heads tank I'm currently running? It really is a pretty little tank it's just not right for my bike in my eyes...
Thanks in advance, and thanks for checking out my build! I welcome all advice and comments...
Cheers!
