Suzuki's Answer to the TW200

R

redbirds_imp

Road warrior
Thread starter
Suzuki's new Van-Van has nearly identical specs to the Yamaha TW200. At $4600 I think it and the Yamaha are over priced. The seat on the Suzuki looks comfy compared to the Yamaha.

Suzuki Cycles
 
I like it. Yes, it's a copy of the now-30 year old TW, but it reminds me of the early-70's Suzuki Trailhopper 50 for some reason too. Maybe it's the blue. I'd buy one. The fact that it's fuel injected, not carbureted like the TW, would be a huge advantage to me.
 
"Suzuki's Answer to the TW200". Suzuki provided an answer to a question that to my knowledge wasn't asked. The TW200 has a sterling reputation in the reliability department. It's somewhat of a niche bike, filling a portion of the void that the contemporary Yamaha 350 BW left behind after it was discontinued while adding pavement capability. It's fans are loyal to a fault. Its detractors can only mention the desire for a larger tank and maybe a little more power. If there was an option for a TW350 it would already be sitting in my garage. The only real advancement I see is that the Zuk has fuel injection. With that in mind I see nothing the Zuk brings to the table that would pull appreciable numbers of TW riders off their mounts. At least the TW has a smattering of aftermarket parts available, one of which is a Clark 3.8 gallon aftermarket tank. Used they are plentiful around these parts (Utah) looking on a local sales site there are over a doz used available right now with the cheapest being a well presenting 1992 version with 3300 miles at $1500. I think the Zuk would have caused a lot of folks to look at it very hard if the tank was closer to 3+ gallons and bumped the motor to around 300 or even 350cc. I do like the retro look of the Zuk, it has more appeal to me than the plastic on the TW200.

This marketing spiel from their Corp Web site:

Introducing the 2017 VanVan 200; the bike that puts the FUN in FUNKY. With its distinctive retro look, this baby is classic cool and ready to groove whenever and wherever you are. Whether you’re looking to cruise down to the beach, bop around campus, venture outside of your campsite, or go anywhere else in between, unleash your funk in whatever way your heart desires with the VanVan 200.

They had me at "Funky" :biker:
 
Thread starter
Having ridden a TW200, I can attest to it's miserable excuse for a seat and note the VanVan seat looks better by far. Reliability I would expect to be at least equal to the TW200, also fuel injection at the same price as the carb mounted Yamaha is a plus. If I were in the market for a bike like this I would be leaning toward the Suzuki.

I wonder if the smaller tank capacity may have much to do with an in-tank mounted filter and fuel pump.
 
Kawasaki copied the Grom, and now Suzuki is copying the TW. Makes sense. Let the deep-pocket guys establish the market, and then come in and copy their design and hope to share a slice of it. Why not?
 
I can't imagine the sales numbers of the TW being significant enough for Suzuki to say we're rolling out a new platform to get a slice (of that slice) of the pie. Could be that the Zuk deludes the sales #'s of the TW to the point Yamaha says it's no longer worth it OR...due to the FUNKY vibe the VanVan puts off, it becomes a huge hit and attracts a whole new segment of yet untapped riders.....maybe a sub-class of Hipster students that weren't attracted to the GROM that want to "bop around campus, cruise down to the beach, or just generally need to unleash their funk" on a retro styled, 200cc big wheeled, internal combustion powered bike. Time will tell. Will be interesting how it fares. I'm kinda hoping it does OK and maybe pushes Yamaha to consider that 300 or 350cc option for the TW.
 
I imagine you're right. It looks like Suzuki has been selling a VanVan 125 overseas since 2003, so the model is only new to us. The 200 is virtually identical to the 125, so, like the TW, the R&D and machining was probably amortized years ago. Oh well, I still dig it -- perhaps more usable than a Grom.
 
Choice is almost always a good thing for the consumer. Now if Honda would just give the US consumer the opportunity to choose between a CB1100DLX, CB1100R or a cafe 1100.
 
Sat on one of these yesterday, and I really like it. While I am a big TU250X fan, no doubt the VanVan 200 has way better, more relaxed ergos for big and tall like me. The seat is like sitting in a lounge chair, the handlebars are nice and wide and the seat puts you further back than the TU. Very interested in one of these as a perfect hybrid between the TU250 and the TW200
 
If you want an air cooled trail bike with a low seat height, look at the Honda CRF230F for the same price. Better motor, better suspension, better wheels, better handling on the trails. The bike is bullet proof. The only thing that isn't better is the seat. That's an easy and relatively inexpensive fix.
 
No doubt a lovely bike, but at 34.6 inches the seat is hardly low, and looks like a vinyl covered 2x4. Adding extra padding to the seat will raise the seat even higher.

Most importantly though, that bike is not street legal.
 
Depending on rider weight, you've got 2-3 inches of sag in the suspension on a dirt bike. That lets most riders get at least one foot down, if not both. The shape of the seat facilitates moving around a lot. But it's not comfortable for sitting very long. The CRF (or any decent dirt bike) is so much better than the TW or the Vanvan on trails. Street legal kits are less than $300. I understand a full sized dirt bike isn't for everyone. I've ridden bikes from a Tote Goat, to a Trail 90, to a Ninja, to a fully dressed Indian Chieftain. I just don't get the appeal of a TW or a Vanvan. Unless you're going to ride in the sand. But that's what four wheelers are for ;) Street bikes are way more capable on the street. Dirt bikes (even standard sized dual sports) are way more capable on the trail. If someone could afford only one bike for both street and trails, then get a Kawasaki KLX250 (a truly excellent bike!)

The "fun factor" of bikes like the TW and the Vanvan is just marketing hype. Fun comes from the way you ride, not from an advertising department.
 
The TW200 is a lot of fun in the rough.
I put ~900 miles on a new one in about 8 weeks.
One trip was 160 miles in one day.
Seat comfort is a serious issue.
My riding was all solo in the desert and mountains around Las Vegas.
Did not drop it.
28 mm carb only needed mixture screw adjustment
278#, 13.7 HP @ 8,000 RPM, 11 ft # @ 7,000 RPM, 1.8 gallon tank, 78 MPG
Top speed just over 70 under level no wind conditions (I saw 77 MPH indicated)

The Yamaha XT250 is more comfortable (seat and suspension), goes a bit faster and has a larger fuel tank. Seat height is fraction of an inch higher than TW.
Dropped mine 3 times in 2 weeks out of 1300 miles in about 8 weeks.
All were low speed maneuvering, under similar riding conditions as the TW
Easy to pick up!...and nothing damaged.
Faultless fuel injection
293#, 16.2 HP @ 7,000 RPM, 13 ft # @ 6,500 RPM, 2.6 gallon tank, 76 MPG
Top speed over 80 MPH under level no wind conditions

Both are easy to adjust SOHC valves
 
SportsterDoc_imp said:
The TW200 is a lot of fun in the rough.
I put ~900 miles on a new one in about 8 weeks.
One trip was 160 miles in one day.
Seat comfort is a serious issue.
My riding was all solo in the desert and mountains around Las Vegas.
Did not drop it.
28 mm carb only needed mixture screw adjustment
278#, 13.7 HP @ 8,000 RPM, 11 ft # @ 7,000 RPM, 1.8 gallon tank, 78 MPG
Top speed just over 70 under level no wind conditions (I saw 77 MPH indicated)

The Yamaha XT250 is more comfortable (seat and suspension), goes a bit faster and has a larger fuel tank. Seat height is fraction of an inch higher than TW.
Dropped mine 3 times in 2 weeks out of 1300 miles in about 8 weeks.
All were low speed maneuvering, under similar riding conditions as the TW
Easy to pick up!...and nothing damaged.
Faultless fuel injection
293#, 16.2 HP @ 7,000 RPM, 13 ft # @ 6,500 RPM, 2.6 gallon tank, 76 MPG
Top speed over 80 MPH under level no wind conditions

Both are easy to adjust SOHC valves
Click to expand...

Thanks, SportsterDoc. I've been wondering about a real-world review of the XT250. It's definitely a better-looking bike than the others in its class.
 
Roper_imp said:
SportsterDoc_imp said:
The TW200 is a lot of fun in the rough.
I put ~900 miles on a new one in about 8 weeks.
One trip was 160 miles in one day.
Seat comfort is a serious issue.
My riding was all solo in the desert and mountains around Las Vegas.
Did not drop it.
28 mm carb only needed mixture screw adjustment
278#, 13.7 HP @ 8,000 RPM, 11 ft # @ 7,000 RPM, 1.8 gallon tank, 78 MPG
Top speed just over 70 under level no wind conditions (I saw 77 MPH indicated)

The Yamaha XT250 is more comfortable (seat and suspension), goes a bit faster and has a larger fuel tank. Seat height is fraction of an inch higher than TW.
Dropped mine 3 times in 2 weeks out of 1300 miles in about 8 weeks.
All were low speed maneuvering, under similar riding conditions as the TW
Easy to pick up!...and nothing damaged.
Faultless fuel injection
293#, 16.2 HP @ 7,000 RPM, 13 ft # @ 6,500 RPM, 2.6 gallon tank, 76 MPG
Top speed over 80 MPH under level no wind conditions

Both are easy to adjust SOHC valves
Click to expand...

Thanks, SportsterDoc. I've been wondering about a real-world review of the XT250. It's definitely a better-looking bike than the others in its class.
Click to expand...
You are welcome
The 2018 XT250 was a fun bike and did well on my frequent trips to Overton, via Lake Mead and side trips to Valley of Fire (160 + miles) , as well as running up to Mt. Charleston (100 miles, typical).

I was planning on taking the XT250 to my daughters in Arizona (as I did my Moto Guzzi) and it would have been fine for the Jeep trial to our ranch (for which I would NOT have taken the Moto Guzzi...once with the Triumph was enough!).

However, the Moto Guzzi came back on I40 at 80 MPH, which would not have been comfortable on the XT250. 65-70 MPH on Route 66 would have been fine.

The only negative, for me, was running tube type tires, which are not as easy to repair on the road.

I bought 4 new bikes within a year, settling in to retirement. I think the CB1100 is a keeper.
 
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