NO LONGER FOR SALE: Lightweight Dual Sport Motorcycle to hang off your Sportsmobile

[scuba-ClassB]

Slightly off-topic, but I'm on a roll selling things on the forum, plus I looked far and wide to find this bike last year for its rare 238lb weight specifically to ride on my van's hitch receiver. :h7:

FOR SALE: 2000 Yamaha XT225
Miles: 742 (actual!)
Location: Dallas area
Asking: $5,000
Condition: Very close to new. Stock except the flush mount grey rack I put on the back, and an externally accessible charging lead.

These haven't been made since 2007, and the replacement (XT250) weighs 291lbs vs the XT225 weighing 238lbs... thus the price. It's also been climate-controlled kept for 20 years, and looks like new (besides a scratch or two-- I'm talking about the condition of the paint / powder coating / metal, etc.).

The perfect bike for cruising around when you don't want to lower your pop-top or break camp. The comparable bikes (TW200 and XT250 out weigh it by 40-50lbs).

 

[lmpetersen]

+1 on these wonderful machines. I own, and have owned, many motorcycles and this is a great bike. My wife currently has one of these and its a great trail bike. It should be noted that they stopped making them in 2007 BUT....they made them from 1984-2007 with very few changes so parts are easy to find. In countries other than the US they are called the Serow which is a mountain goat that is a very appropriate namesake.

 

[Orv-SMB]

Freeway-legal bikes don't come much lighter than that -- I've looked.

 

[scuba-ClassB]

Update: I've done a little more reading, and I think the 291 is "wet" for the XT250, and the 238lbs on the XT225 is "dry" which narrows the difference probably to ~30lbs, but still an awesome bike (I think it may have more gears). Wife has given me permission to keep, so will prob kill this thread. (I'm also learning more about carbs)

Thanks for corroborating @orv and Impeterson -- it's hard to know sometimes if I'm just hanging on to things irrationally.

 

[vandiesel]

Update: I've done a little more reading, and I think the 291 is "wet" for the XT250, and the 238lbs on the XT225 is "dry" which narrows the difference probably to ~30lbs, but still an awesome bike (I think it may have more gears). Wife has given me permission to keep, so will prob kill this thread. (I'm also learning more about carbs)

Thanks for corroborating @orv and Impeterson -- it's hard to know sometimes if I'm just hanging on to things irrationally.

Just rode yesterday out in Hood River on my 250. Small light bikes are so much fun. My 450 KTM buddies said my bike was making goat noises. Keeping for little exploring jaunts is a good idea IMHO. Van+bike = GOOD!

 

[Orv-SMB]

Even a GROM is 230 lbs wet, and that's only a 125cc. (Wet weights can be a bit misleading, though. Often they include only a bare minimum of fuel.)


I currently have two bikes, a CSC TT250 and an Elite 80. I've hung on to the Elite mostly because it's such a hoot around town. The small wheels, short wheelbase, and light weight make it really maneuverable. I use it for grocery runs and picking up takeout a lot.


BTW, if you ever want to find out what a bike really weighs, you can easily weigh bikes this size with a bathroom scale. Put the front wheel on the scale, then the back wheel, and add the results. (Kickstand up, of course.)

 

[shenrie]

We use pitster pit bikes. Size of a klx 110, but the motors are 160’s. They weight 150lbs each. Street legal so we can go get into all the campgrounds legally. Easy to lift over logs and other stuff you encounter on the single tracks. Not as powerful as a Honda or kawaski 160, but mine was geared to go 80mph when I got it. I’ve been 55mph on it and that was fast enough for me, lol.

We aren’t experienced riders. I originally bought a wr250 to see if we wanted to get into the motorbike club, but it was just too big. Not power wise, just big, heavy, tall, etc. just too big of a bike for us on single track. So I sold the yamaha and was able to buy both pitsters with the money. I was told to be prepared for the pitster to break down a lot cause it was a “china bike”. Bought mine in 2015. Commuted to work with it for 3 years and take it into the hills every time we camp. First issue I’ve had just reared it’s head 6 years later. It needs a new valve seal. Over all though, we love the little scoots. They are perfect for our needs.

 

[scuba-ClassB]

Cool bikes! I must have missed these in my research-- I got the same warning to stay away from "China bikes," but street legal, 150lbs, and a kickstarter... count me in for the next bike. Would be easier to convince the wife to get on something like this, too.

 

[Orv-SMB]

My TT250 is also a "China bike." It's basically the same bike as the Hawk 250 you sometimes see on ebay and the like, but with warranty and parts support from CSC (an importer here in CA.) CSC does all the usual dealer registration paperwork and ensures it's CARB legal. They also put together a better-than-average service manual for it. They shipped it to my door fully assembled and ready to ride, with a temporary plate already on it.

I've been very happy with it, especially now that it's had its post-break-in tuneup -- the valves were tight and readjusting them really woke up the motor. I've only found two build quality issues: The high/low beam switch was finicky, and one rear wheel dust seal was cut, probably during installation at the factory. I had no problem getting replacement parts under warranty. I think the only place I wish they'd spent a little more money is the carburetor. I find carbs finicky to start from cold and would have preferred fuel injection. The kick starter seemed silly until I had a dead battery last week and it saved me a AAA call.



I re-geared it with a smaller rear sprocket and it will travel two-up at highway speeds just fine, at least for as long as I want to go 60+ mph on a bike with no windscreen. If I'd planned on longer highway runs I'd probably have gone for one of their full-dress adventure bikes, like the RX3.

 

[scuba-ClassB]

Wow, just googled the RX3. It's amazing what you can get for your money these days with those kind of bikes. I came close to ordering a Hawk on amazon (!! amazon), but it looks like CSC is a good compromise between doing that and self-assembling vs. getting a traditional brand. Just need more time and places to take these things. Wish I lived out West.

 

[Orv-SMB]

CSC is a pretty interesting operation. They did the legwork to develop a relationship with Zongshen in China, and asked to have changes made that would make the bikes 50-state legal and more suitable for the US market. One of their people, Joe Berk, wrote a book called "5000 miles at 8000 rpm" about that process and about going on long promotional tours in the Baja with the new bikes.

The TT250 apparently originally came of them seeing a 150cc version and asking if Zongshen could put their 220cc motor in it. Zongshen is one of the biggest motorcycle manufacturers in the world, but most of their exports go to countries where a 250-class bike is considered a large motorcycle.

 

[shenrie]

Cool bikes! I must have missed these in my research-- I got the same warning to stay away from "China bikes," but street legal, 150lbs, and a kickstarter... count me in for the next bike. Would be easier to convince the wife to get on something like this, too.

Thanks, they are fun little things but still have enough power to either get you in trouble or get you up and over stuff. 4 stroke so you have low end grunt and don’t need to be wound up for trickier trails. Supposedly 14hp, but haven’t had one on a dyno yet to confirm.

I think the biggest issue with most China bikes is lack of support. Finding parts can be tricky. So I stuck with a brand I knew I could get parts for. I’m limited to where I can shop, but luckily we even have a local store that I’ve been able to find what I need at so far. Worst part is most shops won’t touch it. China bikes are taboo to any of the shops that sell the main brands. They won’t even try to entertain the thought of assisting you. Luckily they are super basic and easy to work on, even for someone like me with zero background.

Speaking of carbs being finicky, that is a part I replaced from stock. It had a molkt brand carb and it was just junk. I replaced it with a mikuni and once jetting was square I’ve had very little issues with it since. I do dislike carbs overall and if we could afford a better brand with fuel injection I most certainly would, but these little scoots work great for the meantime. Plus I was able to find a $400.00 option for the wife to see if it was something she was interested in. Once I knew she would ride with me I was able to sell her original and get her a street legal version like mine. The bikes are perfect for the way we camp and ride.

 

[bisonthecruiser]

Shenrie! What is that sweet bike rack you have on your rig?

 

[racer_rr]

Cool bike!

Fyi to other posters, the European brands like Beta, Ktm, Husqvarna all make modern light enduro street legal bikes. High quality brakes, suspension, etc bits. Basically street legal MX bikes.
Hum...or an ebike....

 

[bisonthecruiser]

What rack are you running? @shenrie

Thanks, they are fun little things but still have enough power to either get you in trouble or get you up and over stuff. 4 stroke so you have low end grunt and don’t need to be wound up for trickier trails. Supposedly 14hp, but haven’t had one on a dyno yet to confirm.

I think the biggest issue with most China bikes is lack of support. Finding parts can be tricky. So I stuck with a brand I knew I could get parts for. I’m limited to where I can shop, but luckily we even have a local store that I’ve been able to find what I need at so far. Worst part is most shops won’t touch it. China bikes are taboo to any of the shops that sell the main brands. They won’t even try to entertain the thought of assisting you. Luckily they are super basic and easy to work on, even for someone like me with zero background.

Speaking of carbs being finicky, that is a part I replaced from stock. It had a molkt brand carb and it was just junk. I replaced it with a mikuni and once jetting was square I’ve had very little issues with it since. I do dislike carbs overall and if we could afford a better brand with fuel injection I most certainly would, but these little scoots work great for the meantime. Plus I was able to find a $400.00 option for the wife to see if it was something she was interested in. Once I knew she would ride with me I was able to sell her original and get her a street legal version like mine. The bikes are perfect for the way we camp and ride.

 

[shenrie]

Shenrie! What is that sweet bike rack you have on your rig?

Started out as this one but tagged as a “tms” brand. Was $200.00 on eBay about 8-10 years ago.

https://www.titanramps.com/carriers...rc53hA_p3nHILCi49PG9sCTmpfZhPM7waAsl8EALw_wcB

It’s designed for a pickup so it didn’t work on the van without mods. It’s designed for the handlebars to rest above the bed of the pickup. So it’s not quite long enough to put 2 bikes on the van. I went to a metal supply shop and got some receiver stock to lengthen the center so the trays could move further back and it’s been a decent setup since.

 

[bisonthecruiser]

Awesome. Thank you so much, sir!

Started out as this one but tagged as a “tms” brand. Was $200.00 on eBay about 8-10 years ago.

https://www.titanramps.com/carriers...rc53hA_p3nHILCi49PG9sCTmpfZhPM7waAsl8EALw_wcB

It’s designed for a pickup so it didn’t work on the van without mods. It’s designed for the handlebars to rest above the bed of the pickup. So it’s not quite long enough to put 2 bikes on the van. I went to a metal supply shop and got some receiver stock to lengthen the center so the trays could move further back and it’s been a decent setup since.

 

[surferdave]

You can get a brand new one for that price some times almost a grand less when they are on sale.

https://www.cycleworld.com/story/buyers-guide/2020-yamaha-tw200/

20 year old bike value is prob around $2500

 

[scuba-ClassB]

SOLD.

(to myself)
I mentioned earlier in the thread I'm keeping the bike-- can't find a way to edit the subject line of the thread.

Maybe a Moderator can?