Another New TMEC 200

[SpudRider]

Congratulations, Footer. I think you were wise to get the bike with an 18-inch rear wheel, and a 21-inch front wheel. If you wish, you can always get tires with a less aggressive tread. However, it is much more difficult to find suitable off road tires for a 17-inch wheel.

I always mount tires on my Zong which have a very aggressive tread pattern. These small motorcycles with a single cylinder, air cooled, carbureted engine don't supply enough power to cause any problems with knobby tires for street riding. In fact, I also mount tires with a very aggressive tread on my Honda XR650L, and I still don't have any problems.

[culcune]

But Spud--we see all your photos and you are always somewhere out in dirt or mud where you need aggressive tires

[SpudRider]

I ride many miles on pavement as well.

[fattybikejones]

Great shots there Spud..

I ended up changing my order and opting for the knobbies as well. Makes better sense. Thanks for that y'all

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by fattybikejones

Great shots there Spud..

I ended up changing my order and opting for the knobbies as well. Makes better sense. Thanks for that y'all

Good for you. I am not opposed to supermoto bikes. However, the conventional, dirt bike wheels will perform very well on pavement for these small motorcycles, and the knobby tires will certainly perform much better off road than 17-inch tires.

[footer]

glad you were able to change your order fatty! my tracking says it will be at their chicago hub saturday, so possibly monday they will bring it up here - though they had ten days to make it happen, so they may wait till they have a truck coming this way… and yes, spud has some nice places to ride! we are going to have to show everyone some cool wisconsin shots fatty!

[fattybikejones]

Originally Posted by footer

glad you were able to change your order fatty! my tracking says it will be at their chicago hub saturday, so possibly monday they will bring it up here - though they had ten days to make it happen, so they may wait till they have a truck coming this way… and yes, spud has some nice places to ride! we are going to have to show everyone some cool wisconsin shots fatty!

Awww maannn! Good for you sir, I am looking forward to seeing some shots of the new bike once you get it. I am ending up with same bike..color, tires.. I have to wait a little to have mine delivered. Once it is and I get it broken in and adjusted proper, consider meeting somewhere in the middle with goPro. PM me on that tho.. thinking about a Vlog-adventure rides. Kettle Moraine Scenic Dr. etc..rustic roads, logging trails, fireroads.. <sigh..>

[fattybikejones]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Good for you. I am not opposed to supermoto bikes. However, the conventional, dirt bike wheels will perform very well on pavement for these small motorcycles, and the knobby tires will certainly perform much better off road than 17-inch tires.

Yeap! I figure that once I get my bike delivered, broken in proper, and dialed..I will be USING this bike. Not only for basic transportation duties, but also loaded adventure rides here in my state. Tons of very cool, winding tranquil and twisting rural hwy and State marked RUSTIC Roads

I think the 21/18 wheels are probably the best option for tire / type / availability from what I have been reading. I want to be able to use this bike for on/off-road on the fly, hit it and go! rides. Lots to learn. Mods maybe down the line after proper break in. My biggest thing was the knobs on pavement. Figuring these tires to be super cheapo Chinese and probably short wearing... i just wonder about snakiness on the roads..

[SpudRider]

I don't know what brand of knobby tires are supplied with the TMEC 200 bikes. In the past, all the Hondoid, dual sport bikes came equipped with Cheng Shin 858 tires, which were very comparable to Kenda K270, and Shinko 244 tires. These tires perform very well on pavement, and do a pretty good job off road except in mud. Once you start riding in mud, you want a very aggressive tire, such as a Kenda K760. The Kenda K760 is superb in all off road riding, except it will chunk knobs when ridden hard in punishing rocky terrain. The K760 also performs admirably on pavement, once you learn its idiosyncrasies.

Since you will be riding on pavement, I strongly encourage you to take the MSF rider safety course. It is some of the best money you will ever spend.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Since you will be riding on pavement, I strongly encourage you to take the MSF rider safety course. It is some of the best money you will ever spend.

X2.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by fattybikejones

I ended up changing my order and opting for the knobbies as well. Makes better sense. Thanks for that y'all

Excellent choice. I'd like a supermoto, but only as a second bike.

[footer]

yesterday i got a call from wade. he just wanted to make sure i got the pics and video he sent me. i never replied to the pics seeing as he texted me them from his personal cell phone - and i figured it was a courtesy more than an active interest in my ownership. i assumed he was a busy man and wouldn't even remember who i was after he made the sale, but doesn't seem to be the case at all! he even remembered that i worked at a brewery and was interested in talking about that. what a guy! talk about customer service, and he isn't even a dealer!! wished me a good holiday weekend and told me to call him with any questions or problems. more confident than ever that ill be happy with my buy!!

and for sure fatty - love to meet for a ride, maybe the fall with the trees changing colors. both bikes should be broken in and some experience in riding by then. and the spontaneous adventures are what drove me to the dual sport style too! cruising down a road and seeing a little dirt road or trail to explore sounds like the perfect ride!!

** i plan on taking the riding course here myself, i drive by the parking lot where they hold it all the time. see them driving in a big conga line in circles lol. getting my temporary this week when i go to register the bike

have a good/safe holiday everyone - and god bless America!! (China too!!) on a sad note - this is a beautiful weekend here in wisconsin, after a few weeks of hot muggy/rain filled weather. would be the ideal weekend to be riding…

[culcune]

Good to read the update, 'fatty' (I feel like I'm in the 1930's calling someone by one of those nicknames they used to use that would be considered offensive and politically incorrect nowadays, lol) on the tires. I have plenty of off-road, but it is all beach-like sand. I grew up in So. Calif. so spent many summer days at the beach, and it is NOT conducive to enjoyable two wheeling (unless one is at the Imperial Sand Dunes a few miles outside Yuma, or Glamis a little further on a worked 450cc with a paddle wheel--ironically, I still don't find that enjoyable!--give me a quad anyday over abusing myself on a prepped two wheeler in such conditions...).

You and 'footer' will have far more enjoyable on-pavement and off-road riding in Wisconsin. I grew up in Chicago and we had friends who were in the Salvation Army--spent my first 9 years every summer for a week at either Army Lake or another family camp owned by the Salvation Army somewhere else in Wis. (it was a bigger camp and I can't remember the name...), or both. Wisconsin definitely played the part of a place with highways and streets, but also plenty of dirt roads (good dirt roads that are packed with dirt and not loose, powdery, try to make you fall, sand), at least back in the mid to later '70s. I am sure there is more pavement now, but I got to enjoy some youtube videos of the trolley that ran right in front of Army Lake filmed within the last few years. One of the videos even filmed it rolling by right where I hung out waiting hours for one of the trolleys to pass by nearly 40 years ago--it looks the same, so I know there is still plenty of dirt roads for you guys! Footer, will they let you film your brewery? I used to help a friend and his father brew home-brew beer, so am familiar with the process, and I like how the small breweries are quite similar to home-brew equipment (I toured a few small breweries in the UK years ago).

Footer--Wade is a stand up guy, especially as you mentioned, he is predominantly a distributor and not a dealer (he is licensed for it, however).

[footer]

its Minhas Craft Brewery. the website isn't the greatest, and doesn't show any of the brewing. there are some youtube videos, one where a guy snuck footage on a tour. we really aren't that small. top ten in the country for barrels produced. second oldest brewery in the country, started in 1845, and still have the original building in use (though built up around it). bought by a canadian family a few years back and that is where a lot of our beer is made for (they like strong beer up there!). personally i don't drink any of our beer, its an old world, heavy on taste style. I'm just a bud or miller lite guy. though our sodas and liquors are very good.
i have done most of the jobs there in my 15 years. from line production to brewing, and now am in charge of shipping and receiving (my cycle is getting delivered to my work so ill be the one pulling it off the trailer!). we also make a lot of contract beers and liquors. we make trader joes - fat cat is also a contract in california, probably haven't heard of too much else from us unless you are canadian or in the midwest. we make crunk juice owned in part by little jon the rapper, but since you can no longer make alcohol drinks with caffeine, they don't sell much of it at all anymore.we also make beer for mccains brand foods - for all of their beer battered fries in grocery stores. oh and we make the dixie beers which is kind of a famous brand. their brewery in Louisiana was hit buy hurricane katrina and we have been making their beer for them ever since.
for some funny videos on youtube, check this guy drinking our axe head malt liquor. 11% or other minhas beer reviews, don't get a lot of good comments. the axehead brand is 11% alcohol and comes in straight malt liquor - watermelon - black cherry - and fruit punch. we ship a shit ton of it to philly, and st paul. ghetto guzzlers.
an interesting bit of info, if any of you have heard of the huber law, where inmates can be released to work - that was started specifically for this brewery by a wisconsin senator (early 1900'S)because the brewery workers were continually getting arrested (alcohol related offenses is what we are told, lol) and the brewery needed them to continue business. the jailhouse was directly across the street and is still there in the form of a bar called the jailhouse tap.
if you are ever in wisconsin take a tour! ill be riding around on the forklift, upset that you guys are crowding my aisles!

[WilsonCat]

Got my NY state title the other day. Man, this couldn't have gone any easier! Great to see other jumping on the TMEC as well. Hopefully we can build up a bunch of knowledge on these bikes and have many threads for reference.

I noticed that the heat shield on the pipe (near the back of the bike) is attached by one screw behind the plastic. Is it supposed to be attached towards the back of the pipe or is it supposed to be loose? Mine seems to have a clip of some sort but it vibrates a little as it's not fitted tightly against the pipe itself...is this normal?