200 power

[nwrider]

How much effort does it take to get a 200 running well. I am interested in the bike but hear lots of reports of weak low end. Is it just a matter of having head work done and rejetting or would I be looking at more effort to get it right? Currently I ride a 125 so I am not looking for huge bottom end I just want it to run right. A soft but tractible low end that gradually builds power like in a smooth way would be preferred.

Thanks

[fishlegs]

hi there.the 200 has soft bottom alright.its still way better than a 125...it just feels like a 250 with something wrong with it..if your looking to go all day without getting too worn out this bike is it.(you will have to shift a little more though)..just dont ride a 250 first...i used a jd needle that helped alot...going up or down one clip position makes a big difference.i weigh 185 and consider myself an expert rider and really enjoyed the bike....hope that helps....

[Rick]

A little background here, I have had my 200 since 2000, bought it from Roostafish. Roost had the squish done, timing a mm or two adjusted and the head pipe trimmed a bit (Messico Pipe). NO AFTER MARKET P/V COVER on this bike. When I got the bike it had Roostafish jetting in it. I then swapped it out for a LTR kit and it has been in uses since I got the bike.

My buddy had an exact 99 EC200 as mine, minus the mods, however it had a LTR P/V cover on it. The two bikes were like night and day, a light switch sort of speaking. The stocker was mellow, solid pull from the bottom and would pull until it flattened out.

The mod motor is much stronger everywhere, I still have a nice bottom end, can lug in third gear, but will need a bit of clutch or a simple down shift to light a fire. The mod motor comes on the pipe very suttle, no big hit, but it pulls much harder than stock through all gears and you can really tell when the P/V come on. I also run 13/52 and 13/51 gearing, 1st gear is low, so I like to use my second as first and 3rd as second, more like a 5 speed. I like to ride mine in 2nd-4th gear in the woods.

I know that I have complained about my jetting, and if I was to take the time to "tune it in better" my bike would be much crisper, even with the amount of miles and time I have on it. I have never seized the motor, and all my pistons that I have replaced all look very good....Thanks Motul T-800. I am jetted fat for a all the areas that I race and ride at. from sea level to 4500ft to January cold to the summer mid 90's.

The bottm line is, a 200 is a 200, not a 250, it can give any size bike a serious run for it's money if you ride it agressive. I raced in the senior cross country class and kicked the live'in crap of of those big four strokes all year long on a 200. Just see my avater!