An in-depth look at the modifications we made to our TW 200s for Search and Rescue. Ep. 34

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Published 2023-07-15
The Yamaha TW 200 is a remarkable motorcycle extremely well suited for Search and Rescue operations in the coastal Oregon mountains. Lance and Joe both have T-Dubs and have modified them just a bit to suit their needs.

SAR Guys talk about all the modifications they made on their Yamaha TW200s for Search and Rescue.

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Seat Concepts motorcycle seat: seatconcepts.com/products/yamaha-1987-08-tw200?psa…

All Comments (21)
  • @Skidderoperator
    Put an LED bulb in your Neutral indicator. Then you can see it in full sun. More aggressive dual sport front tire is a must.
  • @jameswerner503
    Terrific video, very informative and well explained. You guys obviously work well as a team. Thanks for your service in doing search and rescue work!
  • @jeffhamel2449
    What a great video. I don’t own this bike but I’m getting super interested in getting one and do some exploring. Keep up the good work. I’ll be using this video for some modifications you did.
  • @JacobAnawalt
    I love the idea for using these for SAR, and that you two work together as a team. Thanks for sharing!
  • @paulanderson388
    Ditto on the Double Take mirrors. They are much better than stock. So nice to see old guys on their TW-200's having fun.
  • Good job on the rig rundown! I am on board with you guys now. Keep it coming. Ride smart.
  • Hi, nice video. I have a 2023 TW with almost all those mods, except the skip plate. San Juan, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
  • Handguards are a must. Nothing sucks more than being in the middle of nowhere and having a broken clutch lever.
  • @davidsgrobler
    Hi Im David from South Africa I have 2 Tdubs A 2008 and a 2010 Me and the wife love them Ceep up the good work
  • @Nonsensenoalph
    I put big wheel 350 forks and triple tree 2 inches more travel and stiffer spring, TW rear rim and tire narrowing the hub1 inch, a little brake lever cable bracket manufacturing and a Banshee rear shock need to shorten top mount but the adjustable gas shock makes a world of difference
  • @clvrswine
    Bar risers are more for riding standing up on the pegs. If you stand up, you won't need a seat replacement, so you save on that! Replacing those goofy (and easy to get into the wrong position) OEM mirrors with Double Take Adventure mirrors may be your next mod.
  • @classCexplosive
    I bought my tdub from a search and rescue group in Montana a few years ago. It was totally stock, but only had 300 miles on it. Apparently they preferred using ATVs.
  • @jackswisher3171
    At 2:25 the gas cap appears to be upside down. I found the vented hole needs to be UP (forward), or it gets gummed up with lacquer and this has killed the engine on two occasions because the gas tank developed a small vacuum when the vent was gummed up. Easy fix: take the gas cap apart, clean out the vent hole gunk, install the cap with vent UP (forward). I marked the vent location on my gas cap, so it is easy to see and install correctly.
  • @BillySBC
    I like all the mods you've made, except for one... the Seat Concepts seat. I have a TW200 and a Suzuki DR650, I bought the Seat Concepts seat kit for my DR650 and it is far and away the hardest foam of any seat other than the original Suzuki seat (which is about as hard as the original TW200 seat). Seat Concepts did a stellar job on the actual seat cover, I have the carbon fiber look type, but they get a solid "F" for the seat foam, absolutely terrible, sorry but it is. As far as the Maddog seat pad goes, the best thing to do with that is to cut the center portion of it out in a rectangular strip so that when you sit on it only your butt cheeks make contact with it and the center section does not. What makes most seats uncomfortable for most riders is where the tail bone of the spine contacts the seat and gets compressed... this then compresses the nerves at the tail bone and gives pain and numbness, by cutting out the center section of the pad ( about 1 1/2 inch wide by 8 inches long) you are suspending the tail bone over the seat so it either never makes contact or only lightly makes contact. The butt cheeks is not where the discomfort comes from, its the area in the center where the nerves are that causes it. What I did with my Seat Concepts seat is I cut a 1 1/2 inch wide by 10 inch long by 1 inch deep rectangle out of the center of the foam they sent me and replaced it with much softer foam I get from the fabric store. This has made the seat somewhat comfortable to use now. I'm somewhat disappointed that a company that makes seat kits doesn't know this and sends out kits that are just as hard as the original seat. In any case, great mods to your bikes and great video once again guys. Thanks for posting it.
  • With my tw,,1st i ditch smog ,then bigger pegs ,then handlebar risers,,then the rack,,then fited a seat off a maseuse chair,,its like horse saddle ,very comfy ,and fited 3.4 gal tank,,what else would i like on a TW ?,another 100 CCs,,dual range gear box,,,and fuel injection
  • @MrBeefsnorkel
    what front and rear tires on the bike with the orange pack? i need different and more knobby tires. im gonna ride the continental divide trail by myself and the stock trailwings are notoriously terrible
  • @xzouix
    Hello, these are awesome motorcycles! I am still keeping an eye on the marketplace to see if someone puts one up on sale (TW200s are not available in EU anymore). That foam between the engine and a skid plate is a great idea! What material is it? Thanks!
  • @pinkiewerewolf
    Great walk through on your gear. Which Baofang radio are you guys using?