Kawasaki KLR650 vs Yamaha TW200 In Moab! Which Legendary Dual Sport Is Best?

Quit turning your head so fast when camera is on your chin/head..

Great comparison of two very capable bikes. Surprising how well the TW does. Easy to see why Yamaha hasn't changed it over the decades.

Moab is an awesome place. Great ATV town. Do it!

I always enjoy seeing the TW videos getting the love and respect that it deserves, only to be followed by the plethora of positive comments that accompany it. Long live the T-Dub !!

Ive had 3 KLR560's in my time and the LAST place I'd go with it is any kind of loose or sandy or rutted areas. It was a top heavy ill handling nightmare. Every time I see a video saying the KLR is a legend for off road I have to imagine the people making it have no clue. It;s ok on hard packed dirt roads and tails in VERY good shape but after that youd need to be stupid to take it in anything more challenging. It was especially impossible to manage in sand. However, I LOVED these bikes for the street, not hwy. Id put street rubber on them, not knobbies, and it was fantastic for bombing around town. Something else Id do is put stiffer fork springs in it for my weight... I was amazed how much this improved the handling. The stock suspension is some of the mushiest worst crap Ive every had on any bike. Ive also owned a dozen motocross bikes in the last 30 years and a slew of other street bikes and ride all the time so Im going to say I know what Im talking about. I'm not some cucked neutered father of 3 living in the burbs who fantasizes about a life of adventure because his manhood is in his wife's purse and goes out and buys a KLR because the internet told him it was the bike to get.

Yeah, how about putting the DR650 up against the KLR. But, I can see why you would want a bike with 3 timing less motor! 😉

🤣🤣have you guys ever even ridden bikes?

As a matter of first impression, the KLR should have the fat tires of the TW.

You can start a TW in gear just pull the clutch in and start it.

KLR ...."Kills little rabbits".........The Rabbit Killer

The TW is a bike for WTSHTF. Just make sure you have decent supply of gas in your shed. The Walking Dead should have had a dozen TW's.

As an owner of both bikes I agree with everything you guys say. My KLR 650 is a great around town bike. Sits up high and a comfortable riding position. Good on trails but you are always aware it could wash out underneath you in slippery conditions and it has. The KLR is a fast sob and in town I have taken sport bikes at the lights. The TW is more burrow like. Don't expect speed but you are low to the ground and feel like it can go in nasty places. One pet peeve is the TW's little engine can get hot. Really hot and you can feel it on your legs. Oh, yes, and the brakes are shit. But you are driving slow so that isn't as much of a concern. You are changing gears a lot on the TW as well. But they are both the best bang for your buck second to none. People love the little TW. It's ugly cute and everyone wants to have one. Must have something to do with our natural love for mini bikes. Two things that a normal growing boy in Canada always wanted, a mini bike and a bb gun. Well the TW is an adult's version of a mini bike.

TW will start in ANY gear as long as 1)kickstand is up, and 2) clutch is in. Peace.

Guy on the KLR needs some training, he got spooked and let off the throttle going through the wet......worse thing you can do.

I don't care about fuel gauges, ABS, blah blah blah. I like a simple, barebones bikes. That's why I love these bikes🎉

TW was the first bike I ever rode. I learned how to ride on it and took my M1 test on it too.

I have owned both
Both great bikes

Grew up on a TW200 got it in 4th grade and had it in high school! They where such a low tuned engine long as you kept oil in it thing would run for ever!

Hey my kly left several yard sale parts hhaha😅 I picked up what I could klr keeps shedding weight ever where she goes

Sorry, I’ve opened both of these bikes including the same year KLR you are riding and neither required them to be in neutral to be started. The TW was ok but the bigger tires actually caused more problems than they solved. Moved on to XT’s and they were much better

My money is on TW200

These are pretty dramatically different bikes to be comparing lol. Maybe next time the KLR vs a DR650 or even XR650l? Or the TW vs an XT250, KLX or CRF250/300?

TFLbike
Apples vs oranges...my dudes.

ITo make the KLR water crossing safe, google "KLR T Mod".
The current carb vent runs downwards, beneath the bike.
When you went into the water, you basically cut the carb's ability to breathe.
It's a well known issue.

If you wanna turn that bike into a world stomping beast, (that BMW owners look up to)
look up 'KLR farkles, or 'Eagle Mike''. It's a small 'to-do' list of things to make it truly 'unkillable'.

honda xr650l is king. fight me in the comments. i've got seat time.

klr650 has a vent tube that will cause a no start in deep water

I really wish I could buy a TW, but the few that come up for sale used are usually 10-15 years old, and not much less than new msrp. :(

I would ❤ to do the same trail you took on my 2014 CB500X !

I had an XT-225 for many years. The engine was totally reliable. If I had it to do over again, I'd get the TW-200 since we do a lot of RV'ing now. The TW is the perfect companion for that.

If I was doing a lot of road-riding, to get to a site, I'd definitely go with the KLR-650. My old XT had a hard time maintaining hwy speeds...seemed like it was at the upper-end of what it could do. I can imagine that the grippyier tires on the slightly smaller engine of the TW would be much worse for wear. The KLR could maintain interstate speeds with no problem.

If I were to TRAILER the bikes to the site, I'd take the TW-200 hands-down. It belongs on the fire-roads and trails....I'd just see if could get an overstized tank for it. Being less than 1/3 the CC's of the KLR, the fuel economy will be fantastic.

I put 13000 miles on A TW200! Absolute solid bike !!!

Great video! We ride a TDub, XT250, and a pair of Royal Enfield Himalayans. I'm pushing 75 now, and the Himi, at 431 lbs wet, is a lot of work offroad. Considering their factory team rode a pair to the South Pole a few years ago, yeah, the Himalayan can handle anything, but it's NOT a light bike. My little TDub on the other hand, well, she goes where she pleases, and doesn't give a rat's backside about how hard it is. I also had the gearing changed for a faster top speed, so I don't have to have one eye glued to the mirrors on pavement. The TW200 is a fantastic little giggle machine!

If you want to run one bike through a water hole, you need to run the other bike through a water hole. Otherwise you’re not comparing the two bikes together! You need to do everything the same way with “each” bike… mythbusters screwd up in the same way.

this isn't really trail riding this is dirt road riding lol. TW200 is the way to go for actual trail ridding KLR is way to heavy for actual trail riding.

you noticed that all the “unkillable” videos used snorkels and such i take it?

What are these dudes names? Want to add them on FB

My TW starts in first gear

Very enjoyable video to watch, thanks, I'm a gen 1 Klr650 owner and I won't trade my bike for the world, the Klr650 asks for nothing, just point it in the right direction and it will circumvent the earth, I'm looking to get a T-dub for a daily commute to work and back, to give the old Klr a break, and this video just convinced me

I had a 200 cc in my stable with a 650 cc.
Because my dirt ride insurance is cheaper.
Moab? Vedder Mountain, BC, is better .

What was the first motorcycle ever ridden to the North Pole? Not a KTM, not a KLR, not even a Honda. Yup, the TW. If your goal is to get somewhere while having fun, the TW is an incredible bike.

I've always wanted a TW200, however, I am concerned with power and speed. The speed limits in my area are 55-80mph depending on the road, the very back roads are fine, with most being around 55-65mph.

Klr 650 is not a dual sport. This comparision is invalid. But Im still going to watch.

the T-Dub does NOT have to be in neutral to start, If the kick stand is up and the clutch is pulled in she will start in gear. If you guys are having issues with this check your clutch position switch.

No your certainly Not an experianced off road rider or even a novice, since you chose your track through the center of that water hole!. Only an idiot would do that especially with an unknown depth!.

Almost bought a TW200 about 5 years ago but went with the Van Van 200 for the fuel injection BUT still think the TW is a better offroad bike.

Great ride, good hosts, awesome bikes, TERRIBLE AUDIO.

I'd love a TW200 with a MUCH bigger fuel tank. Fuel injection would be nice, too, but I'm not greedy! 🙃

Where’s the DR650? It’s the, in between, perfect bike.

Lol , heavy and slow VS slow and heavy for the hp.

Tons of fun guys! I have both a XT225 similar to the TW and a XR650L.. I enjoy them both equally, just in different applications.. 225 plonking down forest roads, 650 desert romping..the 225 is much less fatiguing and the possibility of death basically non existent.. the 650 not so much ;)