This is a Yamaha TW200. It is the best because it has fat tires (ATV-style) that will go over most anything, a low clearance so a shorter guy/gal can still mount it and balance on it without being on tip-toes. It has one of the smallest weights of a production bike out there, it gets 70-90mpg, is air cooled, has electric start and a conventional kick-start, is road worthy (licensable), can haul two to three (smaller) people, such as one adult and two kids, and is just plain all around a great bike.
I found a great rack for it at cycleracks.com (on e-Bay), mounted an ATV trunk on the back of it from Rocky Mountain ATV (free shipping) and another four gallon tank on the back. You can get a 2.8 gallon Clarke aftermarket saddle tank for the bike, but I wanted an approx 500 mile range on it, so I opted out and got the red detachable tank. It can be jettisoned when empty in a pinch. On my wish list is a front rack from cycleracks.com and another 5 gallons of fuel to help balance the rig out front to rear. Why all the hubbub, expense and time on something like this?
The time will come when fuel is a premium, the roads in the West will be broken up and you will have options like this, or hoofing it. I will have alot of ground to cover if I am caught off guard and decided this was my best option. If the roads are clogged as they often are in disasters, you will find a machine that allows you to skirt those lines of cars on the shoulder, or to pick your way thru a rock slide is the best option.
In the meantime, this makes a great hunting vehicle when the trunk is filled with a tent, a sleeping bag, cold weather food, some good dehydrated meals and a stove that runs on diesel or what you have in your red can. Also, a Costco cookie tin filled with the electronic components for this simple bike for that EMP contingency that I swear is coming at some point - probably around the time Romney drops the hammer and attacks Iran.
So, there you have it. I introduce to you BOB:
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