[him a layin]

another lovely day for a foray to the pond. heron, canada geese and something i think was a grebe. then down to my credit union atm, and up to the plaza to practice serpentines, which went well. some A.H. ran a stop sign but i managed to dodge him.

[NJ-Brett]

I had a Himalayan in the past and sold it as being too heavy for me in the sand around here.
When looking for this years bike I went to all the dealers around sitting on bikes, and one had the scrambler and Himalayan
next to each other along with the Classic 350 and all the other models.
The Scrambler felt MUCH lighter (less top heavy) then the Himalayan or even the Classic, the Hunter felt light.
Off road, its still over 400 pounds, but feels better then the Himalayan.
Looking at the bike, not a lot of weight can be removed without spending a lot of money.
Lighter silencer/exhaust, battery.
Lighter wheels/tires will cost a LOT.
The bike is sturdy, its got thick spokes, solid rims, steel frame and swingarm, 4 gallon gas tank and a heavy engine.
And its a big bike, not a little thing.
If you want light, this is not the bike for you off road.
It IS light for a street bike.

[zimmemr]

I had a Himalayan in the past and sold it as being too heavy for me in the sand around here.
When looking for this years bike I went to all the dealers around sitting on bikes, and one had the scrambler and Himalayan
next to each other along with the Classic 350 and all the other models.
The Scrambler felt MUCH lighter (less top heavy) then the Himalayan or even the Classic, the Hunter felt light.
Off road, its still over 400 pounds, but feels better then the Himalayan.
Looking at the bike, not a lot of weight can be removed without spending a lot of money.
Lighter silencer/exhaust, battery.
Lighter wheels/tires will cost a LOT.
The bike is sturdy, its got thick spokes, solid rims, steel frame and swingarm, 4 gallon gas tank and a heavy engine.
And its a big bike, not a little thing.
If you want light, this is not the bike for you off road.
It IS light for a street bike.

+1 I love my Himalayan and it's a fine bike for poking around on dirt roads, but it's no more of an off-road bike than my Interceptor. 

[him a layin]

i've dropped pokey twice now, once in slick clay and once on wet grass. no, it's not a dirt bike. and i've had bigger more powerful road bikes that weigh about the same, i think the real diff is the weight distribution. the himalayan (maybe all ADV bikes?) seems top-heavy.

the desire to strip off or swap out for less weight is strong, as is the desire to go big-bore or other performance improvements, but for now it's going to stay stock or nearly so. i'm 70 years old and this is my return to motorcycles after 35 years away, and as a re-learner bike i'm very satisfied, it gets me around to interesting places with less temptation to do stupid chit that could get me kilt. it still makes me nervous to go over 50 mph. at some point i may feel confident enough to get something with more giddy-up, i have a grail bike in mind, and the continental gt 650 is visually appealing.

[AzCal Retred]

These have always intrigued me. They really hold their price too, so people like them. Light and capable in dryer conditions, not snotty power sucking mud. The tires allow for excellent flotation in sand. The 18 or so ponies are enough for the weight. Nice package.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_TW200
https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/reviews/yamaha-tw200-review-2023/
https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/yamaha/yamaha_TW%20200%2018.htm

[zimmemr]

These have always intrigued me. They really hold their price too, so people like them. Light and capable in dryer conditions, not snotty power sucking mud. The tires allow for excellent flotation in sand. The 18 or so ponies are enough for the weight. Nice package.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_TW200
https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/reviews/yamaha-tw200-review-2023/
https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/yamaha/yamaha_TW%20200%2018.htm

A couple of guys in our off-road club have them and I'm always amazed at how competent they are. Really nice bikes, especially if you're not in a rush.

[NJ-Brett]

I have had three TW200's and may have another at some point.
They are great in the sand and mud, great at a lower pace off road, very comfortable and easy to ride off road.
Under 280 pounds, low seat, fat tires, replace the poor front tire with something better, the stock one is no good on street or dirt.
You can upgrade the suspension to go faster in the rough, air down the tires to 5 or 6 psi, change the very low gearing so it can hit 70 mph, get a big gas tank and many other goodies.
Its a reliable solid bike.

[him a layin]

at last, another lovely day. did my serpentines, noticed my fuel was low. 2.9 gallons, cashier let me slide on the 8 cents. then to the pond and down to the next town to visit.

[him a layin]

i really hate to say this.... as much as i love the ride...
a couple of days ago i hurt myself moving gravel around the house, and it put me in bed for two days and right now i've haematuria and abdominal twinges and frankly i'm afraid i might not be able to right the bike if i drop it. maybe it's nature's way of gently saying i'm too old for this born-to-be-wild nonsense. or maybe i need to sacrifice raw power and get something lighter, maybe a vespa (overpriced) or that yamaha 200 mentioned further up..do they still make enudro dual-purpose bikes? i'm not ready to panic and get out of riding, but i think i see writing on the wall up ahead...

[AzCal Retred]

The 260-280 pound TW200 is a hot property. Here's a 2023 test link. As NJ Brett sez the TW200s are flexible in application and parts are readily available. Ride the bike, don't let the bike ride you. Get your $1500 - $2500 in hand & go do some test rides. 120-140 pounds less pudge is a wonderful thing. Somehow the venerable 1976 XL250 Honda dual purpose enduro made 24HP & tipped the scales at a mere 300 pounds with turn signals. The TW200 simply follows in these footsteps, and the floaty tires are a bonus. Test rides are free...

https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/reviews/yamaha-tw200-review-2023/

https://www.moto-data.net/honda/xl-250-1976-1977

https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Honda/honda_xl250_76.html#google_vignette

[Deathwish]

While it takes longer and longer to recover from injury at our age, don't give up on the Himmy just yet. Give yourself plenty of time to heal and don't make any hasty decisions you may regret later. Once you've recovered and you're back on the road, you'll wonder how you ever thought of getting rid of her.

[jadofind]

I think there's a lesson here, it's better to ride on gravel than to move it around the house. Save the heavy lifting for the youngsters! I've never been too find of moving gravel myself, even at a mere 65 years of age.

[NJ-Brett]

I was out on the Scram a few days ago and went to an area I don't get to often as its far away and its 2 hours or more in the dirt and 50 miles or a 40 minute high speed street ride which I can do on the Scram.
Its very sandy in spots and the Scram just hates dry sand. I don't think it does as well as the Himalayan even with less weight up high, maybe because of the 19 inch front wheel, or maybe its just the weight, 400 pounds is just going to sink in thick sand.
You have two choices, get the weight back and give it gas, or go slow and paddle sometimes.
At 65 years old on a 400 pound bike, giving it gas is a good way to get air lifted out of the woods, I have had it happen twice so I paddle.
Tires seem to make very little difference in sand on a 400 pound bike.
With a better front tire on the TW, you can ignore sand and just go through it.
But I can't do 70 mph in traffic for an hour on the TW.
Wet sand is much better so I like going out during or after a good rain.

[him a layin]

you guys are awesome, thank you all.

[zimmemr]

i really hate to say this.... as much as i love the ride...
a couple of days ago i hurt myself moving gravel around the house, and it put me in bed for two days and right now i've haematuria and abdominal twinges and frankly i'm afraid i might not be able to right the bike if i drop it. maybe it's nature's way of gently saying i'm too old for this born-to-be-wild nonsense. or maybe i need to sacrifice raw power and get something lighter, maybe a vespa (overpriced) or that yamaha 200 mentioned further up..do they still make enudro dual-purpose bikes? i'm not ready to panic and get out of riding, but i think i see writing on the wall up ahead...

They make lot's dual/sport enduro bikes, the Suzuki DR400 is one of the best, mine is 20 years old, a veteran of several years of NETRA  competition and still looks and runs great, it's a DR400EZ the dedicated off-road version, so it's little lighter than the street legal ones. The problem is that all of the current "enduros" with the exception of the TW Yamaha are very tall due to their MX inspired suspension.

They, I'm thinking of the KTM, BETA  etc here, can also have some explosive power, which can get you in trouble until you get used to them. So consider carefully and try to get some seat time on one before you give up your Himi.