Nice Rack!
I've done a lot to the TW to make it more reliable and comfortable, as well as squeezing just a bit more
oompfh out of it with the FMF Exhaust in the last mod post. But what about more practical? With the rack that Yamaha offers for the TW200, there's really not a lot more that one could carry, aside from a lunchbox and a pair of shoes... if that!
A few posts up, I posted a picture of a big white package...
Wrapped up neatly, under about 6 layers of protective plastic and foam was the holy grail of racks for the TW200- front and rear CycleRacks!
I was really stoked to receive these racks, as I've read a lot about them in my quest to put together the ultimate TW200 weekend adventurer. A couple of weeks ago, I got in touch with Marc at
CycleRacks.com up in Idaho, and he helped me figure out just what I needed for the 'dub... 2 days later, there was the package sitting on my doorstep! I'd love to go into deep detail of the installation, but it was so simple that it only took about 5 minutes for each the front and rear racks.
Tools used: 1/4" socket wrench w/ 10mm socket, 3/8 socket wrench w/ 12mm & 13mm socket, 6mm Allen wrench, 3/8" torque wrench. I also used some anti-seize for the bolts that mount the rear rack to the frame at all four points.
The front rack uses the existing hardware on the bike. It simply bolts up to the upper and lower triple clamps using the factory pinch bolts. Since I had everything all loose, I figured I'd give the forks a few good pumps to make sure everything was all straightened out on the front end. Note: only do this with a lightly loosened lower triple, not a totally loose upper and lower! mount up the rack, and tighten up the bolts. Tighten up the pinch bolts to their factory specs (my bike is 17 ft/lbs both upper and lower), and you're done.
The rear rack was about the same complexity to install as the front rack was. First, take off the seat, and if you have a Yamaha rack on the bike already, remove it. Next, remove the upper bolt from both of the passenger rearsets. With the CycleRacks, there came a couple of replacement bolts and lockwashers for the rearset mounts which are longer than the factory ones. If you keep your passenger rearsets, use these. If you got rid of the rearsets, you can reuse the factory bolt, but you'll need a washer or two to put between the rack and frame for proper fitment. Loosely bolt the rack up to the rearset mounts, as well as the under-seat mounts (where the front of the Yamaha rack bolts to), tighten everything up, re-install the seat, and that's that.
In 10 minutes the TW has gone from having little or no hauling ability, to being able to pack a weeks worth (or more!) of gear around.
One of the neat things that I noticed about the rear rack was that it no longer puts weight on the wimpy rear subframe of the TW, but instead transfers all of the weight to the mainframe. I like this, as I've read plenty of accounts of people bending up the rear sub's with what would seem like very little weight back there. Also, it looks like the infamous tool-tube will have a great mounting spot... more on that later. If one puts anything with bulk on the front rack, it'll cover up the headlight. However, it's still a great place to put a couple of spare tubes and a first aid kit if you don't want to block the headlight. Me, I'm not worried about it... after dark, I like to sit around campfires and jam on my uke with my campsite already all set up, not ride around with all my gear still on the bike looking for a place to camp.
All said and done, I give these racks two-thumbs-up. They're solid products with a nice finish and great fitment... not to mention that they increase the usefulness of the bike by leaps and bounds. In addition, the people at CycleRacks sure know how to treat a guy right, and it's nice to do business with a company that supports their community the way that Marc and Don do.
! which would be lower than the new Honda CRF250L (34.7") but still allow plenty of ground clearance. Considered the Yam TW 200 with it's low seat height (31.1") and the absolute love people display for this bike!...but was concerned about riding two up at highway speeds as well as carb performance at altitude. Have I overlooked anything? Not new to riding but it has been decades since I was involved. Your comments will be appreciated. Regards, Dean
