Can be a Trials bike used for commuting? Yamaha TY175 Trial, NOT Trail!?

Question

Hi There I'm oggling a Yamaha TY175. It is a beaut bike and it is a Trials bike (if you do not know what a Trials bike is, please stop here and do not bother answering this).
There is next to no information online about using a bike like this on the road. We know it won't be a highway spectacular, but for daily commuting instead of a scooter, is it ok?
I have never driven one so no clue how these accelerate and what final speed they have. Many of these came originally with lights and were roadworthy.
Would this work for me or are they a total nigntmare on the roead?
Thanks

Answer 1

A 175 TRIALS bike???
Most lawyers I know ride Harleys or BMW's.
:),,bad joke,,I know

Seriously now...
I'm generally a positive type person.
Especially about Bikes and who rides what---
I always try to encourage Anyone to ENJOY whatever they happen to have.

So I dont say this casually.

In my opinion,,,,there is Not many worse Choices for a Street Bike than a Trials bike.

First,,,I don't beleive they are even licensable for street riding.
Take that with a grain of salt,,I can easily be wrong.
I'm way outa the bike loop these days,,laws have changed.

Technically speaking;
Trials bikes are extremely highly specialized.

Everything about them can be thought of as Max Compromise/Trade-Off in it's various Specs,
all Biased towards extreme Low Speed Agility.

And I dont mean 20~30Mph Low Speeds.
More like 2~3 Mph Speeds,,,and even ZERO Mph speeds.
And even BACKWARDS Travel.

That includes Balance,Control Layout,Frame & Steering Geometry,Footpeg position,,,INTERNAL gearing,,engine Power Delivery,,,Seating position,Total Weight,Tires,Brakes,etc.

The Steering is Hazardously quick and Unforgiving at "Road Speeds"

The Footpegs,Brake Pedal,Handlebars are all made to serve in the Standing Position,,,,
and to maintain GOOD Control with the Bike in Vertical Position on either wheel.

The Seat is near Superfluous to the Bike's Function and Rider's Needs.
It really is only used as a 'resting pad" when travelling from section to section on the Trials Course.

The Brakes are VERY SMALL in order to save weight.
Actuation Power is even further reduced in the interest of increased sensitivity.
To Routinely Stop from 30~35~40mph on a Trial's Bike Brakes is Probably the approx equivalent of Routinely Stopping your family car from 100~120 mph.
In other words,,"Abusive mis-treatment"

Trials PATTERN tires are Bad enough as far as Road Traction.
Genuine Trials Tires are VERY Flimsy,Lightweight tires,,,,for balance and weight savings.

The Transmissions have THE Most peculiar internal gearing/ratios of any motorcycle.

They are usually Dual Range.
An Incredibly LOW 1st & 2nd,,,with a huge gap to 3rd
So they behave like a 2speed PLUS a 3speed.,,,not like a 5 Speed

If Youve ever driven a Truck with a "Granny Gear",,or know what that is,,,,,That's a typical TRIALS type gearbox.
Engine winds out in 5 feet,,,Motor is Screamin',,,but vehicle is just creeping along at less than walking speed.

Shifting to 2nd does almost nothing,,
then shifting 2nd to 3rd is something like shifting a Normal trans from 1st to 4th.

The Higher Gears are used only for travelling from section to section.
A TRIALS course layout is a Lot more like a GOLF COURSE type arrangement,,,than a race track,,or pathway or TRAIL.

You go from Place to Place.
maybe 50~100 yards of Scoreable sections can be laid out inseparate spots,,"sections",,,over several Acres of land.

The Engines are Very LOW-Tuned.
Speed is something a Trials Bike has NO use for.
So they are tuned for VERY LOW RPM throttle Controllability.

They rev up SLOW from their typically VERY heavy Flywheels.
And rev DOWN very slow for same reason.

Couple SLOW Wind-Down,,,with weak engine braking,,,an INSANE "Downshift" cuz of the bizzare transmission spread,,,
All with the Tiny,weak brakes made Only for very Low "walking speeds".

All that works Together for TRIALS,,,but works strongly aagainst each other in "Street Use" at higher speeds.

The engines also run out of breath at very low rpms.
Very little Top End power,,and only Marginal MidRange.

The Foot pegs are positioned HIGH and Rearward.
When riding Seated,,,feels like your knees are in your chest,,,or your heels are in your azz.

They also have Small fuel tanks

They're All geared Very Low in Final Drive,,,aka "Chain & Sprockets"
40~45 mph is a FAST Trials Bike.
Easy enogh to replace chain and sprockets I 'spose,,,,
but it's pretty much a "mandatory Mod"

About the Only thing Less Suitable or adaptable to street riding is probably something like a Class A Speedway Bike.

Trials Bike are THAT specialized.

They are Designed and Built to Go ANYWHERE while Travelling NOWHERE.
And to DO that while Going As SLOW as Necessary to Win.

They just LOOK like Motorcycles.

I,,and Many folks agree with you on the Looks.
They're Beautiful,,Sleek,Slim,,,not a single nut on them which it doesnt NEED.
That's another irony,,,they're some of the "raciest" looking offroad bikes while being the LEAST racy of them all.

Fair to say they're made for acrobatic manuvers,,,
and not really for actual RIDING--as in going somewhere...

If any of the above is an exageration,,,and lots really IS,,,,
it's because the bikes Themselves ARE an exageration.

Street Riding,,,especially something like regular commuting is Sooooo Far outa the thing's Realm,,,,it's makes them just quite undesireable for that purpose.

If Your commute is through a slow,casual route,,,and 5 miles or so,,,a Short trip,,,,
They ARE a Vehicle,,,and WILL get You there and back.

But it AINT Fun,Economical,or Comfortable.

You'd really have to spend quite a bit to "adapt" it,,,and still not end up with anything even NEAR suitable

Hard for me to imagine anyone being really satisfied with a Trials Bike in regular Street use.

People who really know the bikes will tell you they dont even make good Woods/Trail Bikes.

Lots of people who wanted a Mild Natured Off Road Bike have bought TRIALS bikes,,,,only to find out they AINT Trail Bikes.
The riding position is miserable,even when Standing..."no" seat,crappy brakes,no fuel capacity usually,Not made for 25mph + or faster Hill Jumping,,,and the goofy transmission spread,,,,plus being a LIGHT duty bike not made for the rigors of 30~40~50mph all day thru the woods makes for High repair/maintenace.

Someone else may have a different opinion,,,or a different experience.

If You Try one and Like it,,,,,I Love being proven wrong in that direction.
Because That's all it's ever really about anyway,,,
what the Owner/Rider Likes and is happy with.

An alternative to consider is any of the Jap Enduro Bikes,,the street legal dirt bikes.
They're all good,solid machines designed for,,and with features a Lot more suited to "everyday riding" and longer rides,,and better overall performance,,and higher speeds.

With "Street Tires" they're actually pretty good Street Bikes.
Beats the heck outa Scooters in many ways.

They're light,nimble,peppy,,economical to operate,,hold up pretty,,,any 125 or bigger will go 60mph or more and get there reasonably quick.


Yamaha's DT175 is "comparable" to the TY,,in a sense.
For Urban Commuting,,,and even short weekend trips 50~100 mi runs to the beach or mountains or wherever,,
They do Fine.

As Little as simply a pair of Street Tires will make then a Decent "street bike"

Beats the heck out of a Scooter in Many respects.

Best way to decide upon any bike is go Ride it.
Lots of what I've said about Trials Bikes will become immediately apparent to you.

It's almost a sad realization to come to about Trials Bike,,,because IN Their Realm they're marvelous.
And they Are beautiful and have a ton of appeal.

But take them outa their element,and it's like a fish outa water

Maybe all a moot point,,because I Doubt they're Street Legal

There's Plenty of "similar" bikes which I'm certain would be far Easier,Cheaper,Better to use for Your purposes.
I 'bleive you'd end up lots happier & better served.

Best wishes,,and be careful out there

Answer 2

Used Trials Bikes

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Can be a Trials bike used for commuting? Yamaha TY175 Trial, NOT Trail!?
Hi There I'm oggling a Yamaha TY175. It is a beaut bike and it is a Trials bike (if you do not know what a Trials bike is, please stop here and do not bother answering this).
There is next to no information online about using a bike like this on the road. We know it won't be a highway...

Answer 4

If it's street legal and has all the required equipment (lights, horn, etc.) it'll be ok for a slow speed commuter. The stock gearing is not good for more than about 50mph but you can easily change the front and rear sprockets to raise that cruising speed a bit. Make sure it has a clear title so you can license it and that it has DOT approved tires (not knobbies) if you plan to ride it on the street. The TY175 was an excellent trials bike in its day and also makes a good trail bike. If the price is less than $1000 I'd say go for it (after a test ride). Good luck.

Answer 5

I had a1974 TY-250 Weighed in at 210 lbs, I rode it on the road at times but it was not legal, It had headlights and taillights, Brake lites but no turn signals and no battery, I bought mine new and it only came with a card with the serial #, No title.
It was a blast to ride, Low end grunt to no end.
Trial's did not take off in the USA and I ended up selling it :(

I will add mine topped out at 72mph, I blew away 400 and 500cc Enduro's all the time. It was not scary to me at any speed.
Bad Brakes? Are you kidding? Trials bikes invented stoppies!!
You won't get it street legal anywhere I know of.
I dragged my brothers 650 Triumph in 4th gear and held my own 1/2 way across a 4 lane intersection.
That was one of the coolest bikes I owned.
And I own/Owned a few.
1966 Suzuki 250 twin 2 stroke,
1968 Triumph Bonneville
1972 Yamaha 250 Twin 2 stroke
1972 Honda CB-350K Twin
1974 Yamaha Trials TY-250A,
1976 CB-550 K
1978 CB-750F
1975 CB-400F,
1987 Kaw Concourse ZG1000,
1989 Ninja EX-500,
2003 Vento Triton 100cc 2 stroke
2003 Vento Phantom
1979 Garelli Gran Sport LTD, 50cc 2 stroke,
2001 Malaguti Ducati Foggy Replica 50cc 2 stroke water cooled
2005 Motostrada Liquid 260
2005 Yamati GS200
2004 Vento Zip 50cc 2 stroke,
2003 Qingqi Tiger Shark 50cc 4t

Answer 6

With such a low center of gravity, you wont want to accelerate full out, its a trials bike, designed for hopping around on the rear wheel and all. I don't recommend it, and when you cant find info on it, then that means it probably isnt a good idea. Top speed would be like the same as one of Yamaha's other bikes of the same cc. I don't know how they'd handle on the road, so your best bet is to e-mail Yamaha and ask them.

Answer 7

Yamaha Ty175

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I went to school with a guy that road that very same bike from Canada to Florida in January.
Any bike will get you to where you're going.
You have to determine your comfort level and desired speed you'd like to travel.
People use 50cc scooters are for commuting.

Answer 10

The first three gears would be worthless, the forks rake is so steep you will have one very uncomfortable nervous bike.
To the above poster, come on dude an Westlake or a Jawa on the streets would be a gas.

Answer 11

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