I’ve had dirt or adventure bikes most of my “adult” life, starting with a Yamaha DT1 back in the late 1960’s. From there, a Honda XL350, Yamaha XT500, BMW R100GS and perhaps the pinnacle, a 2005 KTM 950 Adventure.
I was 56 when I bought the KTM, but as the years progressed and I found that in my late 60’s it started to feel more and more intimidating. My strength, coordination and balance are not what they once were, and “A man’s got to know his limitations”. I figured something smaller, lighter, lower and less threatening would be more fun, and I sold the KTM in 2017 and bought a new Yamaha TW200.
No regrets. It’s a fun little bike to just putter around on. It’s the one I tend to jump on to just run errands or go for a short ride or whatever. 196cc and 16 hp is still enough to get some thrills even running it through Deal’s Gap.
It’s stone-axe simple, little changed since 1987*. Very little to go wrong compared with many of today’s offerings and lots of upgrades and modifications available.
But…
The fuel tank is tiny at 1.8 gals. 60 mpg is doable, but that still results in a range less than 100 miles. But the suspension is the biggest drawback. It’s perhaps not fair to judge it against the KTM, but where that bike would almost magically float over rough terrain, the TDub will jar you over even small imperfections. Here, I think something like a Yamaha XT250 or Kawasaki KLX300 is overall just a much better choice. BMW’s offerings are nice, but seem like overkill for what the OP is seeking. And KTM’s are marvelous machines, but in my experience not nearly as reliable as the Japanese offerings.
But if a TW200 seems appealing, and you can find yourself near Knoxville, feel free to try mine out!
*Main changes are the switch to a disc brake on the front (Yay!) and the elimination of the kick-starter (Boo!). Other than that, it’s still 1987!
