Vintage Newbie Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 Hello, I am a 59 year old that has ridden motorcycles for years. I had a 1986 Honda TLR200 Reflex and a 1997 Gas Gas Contact 200. I would like to get into riding very easy trials type riding in the woods around my house, not competing. Used trials bikes in my area of Northern Indiana are hard to find and I would like to start tinkering around in the woods asap as this COVID-19 stay at home order is driving me nuts. There are two within 90 minutes of my home. One is a 1975 Yamaha TY175 ($1,400) and the other is a 1974 Suzuki RL250 ($1,000). Both seem to be in the same shape. My question is which one do you think would be the better bike for me? From the specs the Yamaha seems to be 21 lbs. lighter, but the Suzuki is more powerful. I sold the 1986 Honda TLR200 because it was a 4 stroke and not powerful enough. I sold the Gas Gas because I didn't want to stand up all the time. Any input would be extremely helpful. Thank you. Vintage Newbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htrdoug Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 (edited) TY 175 head and shoulders above RL. RL Suzuki always look clumsy in sections to me,I briefly had one that had the head angle reduced 3 degrees or so and it did good enough but still no match for the TY175s I have ridden. Only situation where a TY would need some extra effort would be on the Expert lines,and I believe several Experts in Northern Indiana have been riding TY 175s. I was not overly impressed with the RL Suzuki power either. But my main vintage rides have been Fantic 240 and SWM 320tl. Whatever you end up with work on the clutch action and brake response so the bike is effortless to ride,make sure the jetting is spot on. Edited April 27, 2020 by htrdoug Too many words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage Newbie Posted April 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2020 Thank you for the input. I really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feetupfun Posted April 28, 2020 Report Share Posted April 28, 2020 A Reflex is probably similar in power output to a standard TY175, maybe even a bit more powerful, so if that was a reason you got rid of the Reflex then a standard TY175 will probably disappoint you. A standard TY175 will also be a fair bit less powerful than your GasGas 200 was. A standard TY175 handles far better than a standard RL250. All the RL250s I've ridden go like a train so if power and a seat are the most important criteria to YOU, then the RL would be the pick. If you like to modify things, the TY175 can be made more powerful and the handling of the RL250 can be improved. They are both good to ride sitting down unless you are over about 5'10" in which case the TY175 will feel camped and the RL250 will be great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage Newbie Posted April 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2020 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourex Posted April 28, 2020 Report Share Posted April 28, 2020 Is that RL frame bent just above the left swing arm pivot where the boot wear marks are ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.