motu

Another Kiwi here.I couldn't get rear shocks for my TLR200 about 5 years ago when I rebuilt it,so sorted my own out.I got some cheap and nasty aftermarket shocks for a TT500 as they were the nearest I could find.They were 20mm longer,but that's pretty close enough for me.The springs were way too hard,but I still had the original springs....and with some advice from Warrick Merriman who used to ride a TLR250 - I cut the preload peg on the shock in half,one spot weld.Then I ground the preload ring down to the spring seat.....this got the spring preload spot on for my body weight.But now the damping was way too much - so I drilled a hole and drained the 30 weight out.I Silfosed a small nut to each shock and filled them with 5 weight and sealed with a screw. A bit more work than ringing up a supplier and ordering the real thing.....but half the fun of riding an old bike is overcoming obstacles.And it's always handy to have something not quite right with the bike to blame a bad performance on eh?

There seems to be a reluctance in this country now to go beyond what is offered as standard...in most things.We now have the sue mentality in customers.It appears I have an 11 tooth I got from Sprocket Specialties,that's the lowest they go,and comes with a circlip.We have agents for Talon,but they are only interested in the standard CR,YZ,KX bikes....to mention TLR200 causes a mental melt down,say it's for an XR200 and it almost rings a bell,but not quite.I see Talon has no online sales,that's a pity.

Where do you get 9 or 10 tooth sprockets from? Over here in NZ I can't get anything on that spline below 12 T,which annoys me as I know I went down that low with an XR200.I have been running 12 and 50 for a few years now,and it's pretty frustrating screaming around in 1st,I can only use 2nd on a long section like a hillclimb with an easy exit.

I got some off Malcolm at econohonda .co.nz last year no problem...give him a try,always the best bet for old Honda parts.

OK,so I tried it,and it certainly improved my brakes riding around my back yard - no stoppies,but it did stop! That's gotta be an improvment.Unfortunatly our trial was cancelled when the stream rose a metre from rain.

I weighed mine at 88kg with half a tank of fuel....and I suspect the scales are way out....judging by what they read when I'm on them I'd say they read 20kg heavy....

I presume you have drained the oil and will clean the strainer - but don't forget the centrifical filter on the end of the crank....you might find what became of the missing bits.

I got the TLR200 because it was cheap! Coming back to trials after 17 years,I rebuilt an old KT250 I had for playing on.I enjoyed myself coming back at Twinshock level,but didn't agree with the KT on some of the lines it chose - I was entering a section and reacting with what it threw at me,I needed a bike that would do what I told it to! I wanted a later twinshock,but they were expensive for what they were.One of our more experianced Expert riders rode a TLR250 in our combined trials,and would beat most other Experts on moderns....I figured it couldn't all be the rider - yeah,right! I found a beat up TLR200 that was used as a hunting bike,hauling up to 3 wild pigs out of the bush at a time.It was an easy rebuild,and I've spent the last 4 years ironing out bugs and learning how to ride a 4 stroke.I think the basic frame is pretty good,the lack of brakes not such a problem with a 4 stroke - but like Woody says,it has a tendancy to stall at the wrong time,and is very agressive off idle,which is impossible to control with the savage clutch.I have geared it 11/50,and ride nearly every section in 1st,being aggressive and keeping the throttle on as much as possible. I still enjoy it,and unless someone tosses a Fantic my way for $10 I'll probably stick with it.

I've looked in sprocket books,but it appears the 250 has finer splines - I'll give these Talon dudes a go.I'm running 11/50,I reckon 9/44 sounds just right - it's still too tall to use 2nd,I can only use 2nd in the longest sections,hill climbs and mud.I rode that 250,it certainly wasn't set up well,for me atleast - but it could do a downhill 180 and back up a bank in 2nd no worries,my 200 would make a mess of that no matter what gear I used. I don't follow the modern scene,but I don't think it's as strong as it used to be - bikes are just so expensive,and the skills so much more advanced,that some average rider can't just pick up a bike and have a go like they used to 20 yrs ago.We can still turn out some pretty good riders though.It hasn't been a good year for the Classic and Twinshock guys,kinda in disaray,but we get 20 to 30 bikes at a meeting,nice and low key,as it should be.Our last trial of the year is this sunday,I'll have to ride with no front guard - $150 and it only lasted 3 yrs,I'll come back with a new plan. A couple of shots of my TLR200,in trials setting.

Hello from New Zealand,finaly a site with the TLR being talked about! I've been using a TLR200 in our Twinshock class for 3 years,I really like it,but there are some ''issues'' with the 4 stroke motor! But I'm learning to take a more aggressive aproach and keep that throttle open as much as possible. I've ridden a TLR250,and power and gearing problems are solved,a nice bike to ride.The 250 uses different ratios and has a different sprocket spline....I hear talk of a 9 tooth sprocket,is this available for the 200,and if so where? The TLR200 was popular here,and quite a few turn up sometimes,and there is the odd 250 as well,I'll see if I can post an image here,a TLR250,and the one behind is a factory job with alloy tank and seat. I am also wondering what the steering head angle is for the TLR200?