Rokon motorcyles

[Westy]

Has anyone ever had experience with these bikes?? I've always thought they would be awesome to really get back into the backcountry with.

http://www.rokon.com/img/prod_trailbreaker_lg.jpg

Two wheel drive, low gearing, quiet running, stable, 15" ground clearance, wheels can hold gas/water/etc, less than 250lbs total weight, haul up to 1000lbs.
I've found a couple locally and its really sparked my interest again..

http://www.rokon.com/products/trailbrkr.htm

[Ursidae69]

Wow, dual wheel drive on a bike, never seen that b4. :smileeek:

[Scott Brady]

I saw two of those on Cadilac Hill on the Rubicon. They have no suspension, so the ride is a little killer. Amazing traction though

[upcruiser]

Yeah no suspension but they'll crawl through most anything. I haven't ridden one personally, but have seen one in action in deep snow and mud. The thing will climb through more stuff then you'll likely be able to keep on top of it for. What are those running new now a days? I think the narrower tires on these newer ones will make them easier to ride in general. They used to have pretty fat tires that made them cumbersome.

[60seriesguy]

One of the local pawn shops here had one for a LONG time, and I went to test it out and drive it in the parking lot. Interesting setup, it takes some time getting used to the way it handles, but I can see it being really useful out in the bush.

A long time ago I saw a Unimog-based expedition camper that had one of these Rokon bikes mounted on the back with a swing-out roof-mounted little crane, pretty slick setup!

[upcruiser]

I saw a picture of a Mog setup like that somewhere, probably the same one.

[CLynn85]

Wow that's very cool. Be great to take out and explore the areas you can't get into with your truck.

[Hltoppr]

I think those were used for a Darien Gap expedition, and they worked really well. However, I'll stick with a bike that can do 70mph to get where I'm going....

-H-

[paulj]

that brings back memories of browsing old copies of Popular Science/Mechanics as a kid :-)

I wonder if these perform any better, or worse, than quad ATVs. If I recall correctly the hollow wheel drums allowed this cycle to float.

Their FAQ has an interesting comment on contact pressure - interesting in light of Scott's article on tire sizes:


Do Rokons really leave a track lighter than a man's foot print? There are many variables involved in calculating ground contact pressure, including vehicle weight, load, attitude, and contact patch size which includes the variables, tire size, tire stiffness, tire pressure, soil condition, and others. Here is an educated guestimate:

Force downward: rider, 200# + vehicle, 200 = 400lbs
Contact patch size at 3psi inflation pressure: 6 x 8 x 2 tires=. 96in sq

Ground contact pressure: F/Area=400lb/96in sq= 4 psi

By comparison, the 200lb man when on one foot, which he would be while striding forward, might have a contact patch of 32 in sq, depending on his shoe size, for a ground contact pressure of 6psi.




paulj

[flyingwil]

They have one up at the "ghost mine" in Jerome (I think it is off of Perkinsville Rd.) I talk to the guy riding it, and he said it goes just about anywhere you want it to go but don't ride it too long. I think he was referring to the suspension. (You know he was one of the hill billy guys :rolleyes: )

Looked to me more like a cool toy than something you would want to go out on for hours, I am sure you could add a suspension though!

Edit: This picture cracks me up for some reason :smilies27 :
http://www.rokon.com/img/prod_trailbrkr_mud_big.jpg

Wil

[paulj]

Changing that front wheel suspension would be tricky - notice the chain drive from the fork pivot down to the wheel. So a telescoping fork would not work.

paulj

[atavuss]

While I cannot tell you anything about the Rokon, I can tell you that a 4x4 quad will be easy to use in the rough........a few years ago there used to be a guy that rented 4x4 quads and would guide people backwards through the Rubicon. it was more fun on the Rubicon with a quad than it was when I ran it in my CJ7 (even though I did not have any trouble with the Jeep). I can remember one section the group of us (there was 8 of us on quads) had to pull over and let a large group of Japanese in brand spanking new stocker Wranglers blast their way through a rough section, must have been something that Jeep put together. these guys looked like they had never been off roading before and their method was to stand on the gas pedal. it was really comical to see them getting through, they were really having a blast too!

[gjackson]

Yamaha has a racing 2wd dirt bike with real suspension. They have won the Paris Dakar with it. Front wheel is hydralic driven and only gets about 2 - 4% of the drive, but it is really effective.

cheers

[rusty_tlc]

Dug this old thread up. I was thinking about these bikes today for some reason and wanted to see what was on the board about them.
One thing I noticed when I saw one at the top of Little sluice was that the front drive gears are noisy as hell, this is coming from a guy who drives an FJ40 with the stock gear box.

[LJRockstar]

If your interested in 2wd motorcycles check this out! Yamaha WR450F 2-Trac (http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/yamaha/yamaha-wr450f-2-trac-ar18231.html)

[Martinjmpr]

I think the real question to ask would be: What can the Rokon do that a more modern dirt bike or ATV can't? My guess would be very little, maybe the deep mud as pictured or something else involving an extremely slow climb (where a more modern bike couldn't use momentum to get it over the hill.) Although as to slow climbs - ever see a Trials bike? They can go really slow and still get up the hill.

I think the Rokon is interesting but as near as I can tell the design hasn't been updated since the 1950's, while modern dirtbikes are head and shoulders above what they were back then. And I can't imagine that the Rokon is street legal, which would limit its usefulness to a lot of people (like me) who are interested in a trail riding bike but need to have the ability to occasionally ride on a paved road.

The Rokon seems more like an engineering experiment than anything else, i.e. something that somebody came up with just to see if they could do it.

[77blazerchalet]

Rokons aren't for everyone, that's for certain. My dad had one for years, my only memories of it as a little kid was that it was awfully noisy. He swears it was fabulous for crawling around offroad, around and over obstacles where a quad rider would have lots of trouble. Nowadays the company brags of having quieter mufflers, and the big diameter spongy tires leave little environmental impact and basically make a suspension unnecessary since its speed is inherently slow - call that "40 year old low-tech political correctness".

I would disagree with Martin about them being an engineering experiment, perhaps the prototypes were, but since they have been in regular production for such a long time, the supposedly outdated design works quite well today.

However, here's a couple of links that seem to indicate Rokon is considering hydraulic drive systems - Ian Drysdale says in his 2x2 motorcycle site ( http://home.mira.net/~iwd/2x2x2/intro.html )


"We have recently been contacted by the founder of the ROKON company Mr.Orla Larsen - he wasn't the inventor of this innovative 2WD but was the first to market the vehicle through a full dealer network. He worked on a hydraulic drive for the ROKON but it never went into production. It seems that the ROKON was the first to use the one way clutch idea to drive the front wheel that has now become standard issue on chain drive 2WD's."

The co-designer of a hydrostatic drive motorcycle (see http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2007/05/22/hydrostatic-drive-diesel-motorcycle/ ) says of hydraulic vs mechanical:


"I have sold a lot of my videos to Rokon guys. The Rokon is a mechanical 2WD trail bike. A bunch of those guys have told me they are starting to build that type of bike hydraulically instead of mechanically. I would like to build one myself someday. When you're only using less than 10 HP, the hydraulic components are very small and light weight."

My own expedition camper setup will be complete when I get one of the current Rokons, see photo below. I'm a little tired of just walking up mountain roads or bicycling up abandoned railroad grades. I only intend to ride on established nasty 4x4 roads at walking pace or slightly faster, so I don't need a speedy dirt bike. If I was going fast, I'd be concentrating on the road too much and would miss the scenery! As for this final comment, sue me if you don't like it: all the various ATVs I've seen on nasty 4x4 roads appear to be too tippy. I watched one guy in particular look so uncomfortable on a uneven sidehill slope where a Rokon would have been just fine.

[ShearPin]

Below is a link to an article with some cool Rokon photos from the previously mentioned Darien Gap trip. If you're in the mood to kill some time have a look around the rest of the site. Interesting guy with some life philosophies I think would fit in well around Exped. Portal....

http://www.motivation-tools.com/adventures/darien_gap.htm


Henry

[Kermit]

Blazerchalet,

Saw your attached photos. I saw this on eBay the other day...cure for that low clearance VW

day...http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Volkswagen-Bus-Vanagon-Jagdwagen-4WD-SYNCRO-GOLF-COUNTRY-rare-factory-offroad-model-1991_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ15291QQihZ010QQite mZ200123318780QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

[77blazerchalet]

Warren,

Ah yes, the VW Golf Country, a vehicle modified at the request of VW by Steyr Daimler Puch before they changed to doing military-only work ( http://www.steyr-ssf.com/ ), more fun info here: http://p3racing.net/vw/country.html I'd like to have one, problem with these is they would be gray market cars. Most VW nuts guess it's too much trouble to convert them to US D.O.T. specs.

Another irony of my X-ed out one wheel trailer photo above, some guy currently has a custom Rokon chopper on eBay..... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Custom-Built-Chopper-Low-Rider-Dual-Sport-Enduro-Rokon_W0QQitemZ160131555279QQihZ006QQcategoryZ1479 01QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Martinjmpr]

My own expedition camper setup will be complete when I get one of the current Rokons, see photo below. I'm a little tired of just walking up mountain roads or bicycling up abandoned railroad grades. I only intend to ride on established nasty 4x4 roads at walking pace or slightly faster, so I don't need a speedy dirt bike. If I was going fast, I'd be concentrating on the road too much and would miss the scenery! As for this final comment, sue me if you don't like it: all the various ATVs I've seen on nasty 4x4 roads appear to be too tippy. I watched one guy in particular look so uncomfortable on a uneven sidehill slope where a Rokon would have been just fine.

So...I'm still not sure what the Rokon can do that a modern, 125-200cc dual-sport bike cannot. Plus the modern d/s will be lighter so that if/when you go down it's easier to pick up. Of course, the d/s is street legal as well. If you don't need a street legal bike then there are numerous 100-200cc dirt bikes that should do as well.

I'm actually considering a small DS to take to the mountains, as well as to drive to work. Right now the main contender is the Yamaha TW200, with its funky fat tires, I figure it would be perfect for slow-speed mountain riding. As a plus, it's street legal!

[77blazerchalet]

At just a bit over 200 lbs, Rokons would have a weight disability. I think their single advantage, for whatever it's worth, is crawling ability. I've briefly watched trials riders scramble up impossible obstacles in their bikes, but it sure takes lots of skill and they still have to gun the engine to do their hops, or otherwise do some quick maneuvers. In the real world, that might mean an average d/s rider would have to punch it to get over a coffee table-height shelf running across a nasty 4x4 road, and probably leave some kind of furrow in the road and / or tire burnout mark up the face of the shelf.

A couple of years ago, I walked up the Burns Gulch road near Animas Forks, CO - steep road with a crumbly surface. For a long time, I heard a d/s rider coming up behind me, and sure enough he came flying by eventually, leaving plenty of evidence of the momentum and horsepower he needed to get up the road.

Perhaps a better rider could have gone slower and still not tear up the road much. Myself, I want to just crawl along that road, stop and start frequently, and leave practically no evidence that I was ever there.

[Lynn]

I have vague memories of a childhood neighbor having something like that Rokon, but it seems like it was called a goatsomething, or somethinggoat? Anybody know what I’m talking about?

[Martinjmpr]

I have vague memories of a childhood neighbor having something like that Rokon, but it seems like it was called a goatsomething, or somethinggoat? Anybody know what I’m talking about?

Wasn't there a motorcycle called the Tote Goat?

Found it: Here's a photo. Not much like a Rokon, though.

[Lynn]

Wasn't there a motorcycle called the Tote Goat?

Found it: Here's a photo. Not much like a Rokon, though.

OK, so my memory didn't serve me well.

I was confusing the ToteGoat that my neighbor had (just like the one you pictured) with the two or three Rokons I've seen over the years.

Thanks, Martin.

[77blazerchalet]

Lynn,

A month or two ago in an eBay Rokon listing, there was a similar looking thing to what Martin shows, except it had a pair of tandem rear wheels that were definitely Rokon style, and a smaller wheel in front. I didn't pay much attention to it, since it wasn't what I'm looking for, but it seemed more like a cross between Martin's photo and a regular Rokon.....

[unimogmike]

I will chime in here. I have both a Rokon and a TW200. They are totally different machines. The Rokon is more two wheel tractor than motorbike. For all the information on Rokons go to www.rokonworld.com. There is more than anyone would want to know. The TW is a great, although dated, trail bike. No major changes since it was introduced.

I am in the Phoenix area and if you are interested in checking out a Rokon, contact me. You really need to ride one before buying one. They are not for everyone.

[Colorado Ron]

So...I'm still not sure what the Rokon can do that a modern, 125-200cc dual-sport bike cannot. Plus the modern d/s will be lighter so that if/when you go down it's easier to pick up. Of course, the d/s is street legal as well. If you don't need a street legal bike then there are numerous 100-200cc dirt bikes that should do as well.

I'm actually considering a small DS to take to the mountains, as well as to drive to work. Right now the main contender is the Yamaha TW200, with its funky fat tires, I figure it would be perfect for slow-speed mountain riding. As a plus, it's street legal!


Since your in Denver, just a heads up there is one here at Longmont Kawasaki that seemed cheap last time I was there.

[dan chain]

i would just go with a new trials bike like the gas gas 280 pro. i use my brothers to go where a full on rock crawler can only dream of going. if you want to see a trials bike in action go to google and do search for adam raga, should be able to find some videos of him going up some insane stuff

[paulj]

Here's something in the same spirit, with an even lighter foot print (2psi), the Scotish made Ecorider

http://www.ecorider.us/


.

[David_in_TX]

Rokon now has a front suspension option with 8 inches of travel:

http://www.rokon.com/products/accessories.htm

http://www.rokon.com/products/2008_AutoGrab_Closeup2.jpg


Changing that front wheel suspension would be tricky - notice the chain drive from the fork pivot down to the wheel. So a telescoping fork would not work.

paulj

[paulj]

I couldn't make out from the picture how they managed to drive this wheel, but the link describes it - a dual idler sprocket at the suspension pivot point on the other side. So one chain to the pivot, and other from the pivot to the wheel.

Years ago I experimented with a suspension on a bicycle, using pivot arms at the bottom of the fork. But with independent arms on each side that tended to wobble. This, with the U shaped lower arm, takes care of that problem. They also get by with just one shock, leaving the other size free for the drive system.

[whatcharterboat]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/3058726050_fd09d87b06_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3400016831_fbc3402172_o.jpg

Very very rare to see a Rokon in OZ so I feel privledged to have had a ride. Lots of fun. Somehow he got it road registered. The owner who's a good friend / customer of ours says that it floats and you can swim a river with it as long as the carby side it up out of the water and once when he was riding on some mud flats he got off the bike and sank down to his knees in the mud.

[Stumpalump]

I bought an 02 Rokon with the Kohler 6.5HP engine. It was basically a generator and pressure washer motor with a terrible carb and little power. I loved it but it was lacking umph and throttle response. I found out that the Yamaha 200cc cart racing engine used the same block. Burris Racing developed the Yamaha 200cc cart racing program so I teamed up with them and developed a Rokon motor based on the Yamaha. We developed a cam, port work and a custom carb to go with the bigger bore and large valved Yamaha motor. Now we have a silky smooth 12hp engine that will snap to life when you need it like at the bottom of a ravine. I am finishing details on carb linkage this week and hope to have them for sale in a couple of weeks. These will only fit the Kohler bikes. If anybody is interested then let me know.
27340
Thise things go anywhere!

[skysix]

The Scots have now got a diesel quad available - and will have a diesel 4x4 quad by late summer.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=374980

Wonder if there would be any advantage to having a diesel in the Rokon?

[FusoFG]

Wonder if there would be any advantage to having a diesel in the Rokon?

Many years ago the factory made some special diesel Rokons for a mining company in Mexico. It was either a Lister or a Petter engine

The factory says they are investigating adapting a new single cylinder diesel engine to the current model Rokons.

The advantage for me over my gasoline powered 2 stroke Rokon would be less noise, more torque and most importantly the same fuel as my diesel Mitsubishi FG 4x4 camper.

[Stumpalump]

Some picts from the Big Sky Romp this weekend in Montana:


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[Stumpalump]

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[Stumpalump]

I put some 25.5x8R12 PitBull Growler XOR radials on the Rokon. They work great!


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Old tire next to it was the stock Carlile bias 25x8x12. What a nice difference to smooth out a bike with no suspension. You can also see the Rotopacs on the back. They have been great also. One holds 2 gallons of water for the desert and one is the storage box. No fuel needed because it runs 5.5 hours non stop on a tank.

[Wyowanderer]

I bought my 97 Trailbreaker in early 98, and have loved it every since.
I get left in the dust on fireroads, but when I turn onto singletrack and game trails, even the enduros are stopped. I've climbed 36" downed trees, gone through mud and sand that was impossible to walk through, and scaled hills that the enduros can't handle.
It's great for ice fishing (with tire chains) and fording streams- I've crossed streams that were four feet deep by floating it across.
It'll pull GOBS of weight; factory says 3000 pounds, though I've never done it. Still, it goes just about anywhere, it's reliable, and easy to work on.
Great machine.

[Oni]

While it's not a tractor like a Rokon, this company has been making a kit for modern bikes to convert to 2 wheel drive. Front engages only after the rear wheel spins. More race or sport than utility.

http://www.christini.com/index.php

Here is a review:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/179/6511/Motorcycle-Article/2009-Christini-KTM-300-XC-Review.aspx

[Bugspray]

My old man is a retired park ranger and when I was a teenager they used to do controlled burns on the open prairie areas to mimic nature's burn regrowth cycle. Anyhow they had a Rokon to carry the extra "pisscans" around to the guys to keep the fire under control, it was my "job"(I didnt get paid) to ride the thing around refilling the "pisscans". They had built mounts two on the rear and two on the front like saddlebags and panniers, the "pisscans" were 5gallons each so that would be around 160 lbs. plus me. That thing would go anywhere fully loaded at about walking/jogging pace, including up 45 degree loose dirt slopes. The park used a Jeep J10 with a large water tank in the back for the water supply and a Honda quad for toting water and gear. It was hot,dirty,exhausting work but an absolute blast! I wish I had pics of the whole operation....

[Wyowanderer]

I think the real question to ask would be: What can the Rokon do that a more modern dirt bike or ATV can't? My guess would be very little, maybe the deep mud as pictured or something else involving an extremely slow climb (where a more modern bike couldn't use momentum to get it over the hill.) Although as to slow climbs - ever see a Trials bike? They can go really slow and still get up the hill.

I think the Rokon is interesting but as near as I can tell the design hasn't been updated since the 1950's, while modern dirtbikes are head and shoulders above what they were back then. And I can't imagine that the Rokon is street legal, which would limit its usefulness to a lot of people (like me) who are interested in a trail riding bike but need to have the ability to occasionally ride on a paved road.

The Rokon seems more like an engineering experiment than anything else, i.e. something that somebody came up with just to see if they could do it.

It can climb over 36" logs on a singletrack trail and continue. I left several bikes behind near Steamboat after the blowdown that blocked many of the trails.
My Rokon is street legal. I had to add an electric powered horn and mirrors.

They're not for everyone, but I love mine; it's perfect for the trails I ride.
Just curious- you ever ridden a trials bike very far? Suspension or not, at least the Rokon has a normal seating position and can be ridden distances.

[David_in_TX]

And they float. Try that with any modern dirt bike :snorkel:


It can climb over 36" logs on a singletrack trail and continue. I left several bikes behind near Steamboat after the blowdown that blocked many of the trails.
My Rokon is street legal. I had to add an electric powered horn and mirrors.

They're not for everyone, but I love mine; it's perfect for the trails I ride.
Just curious- you ever ridden a trials bike very far? Suspension or not, at least the Rokon has a normal seating position and can be ridden distances.

[David_in_TX]

http://www.rokon.com/img/prod_ranger_floating_big.jpg
http://www.rokon-2x2.com/resources/logpull.jpg
http://www.finedetail.com/Cats_Play/tree_hugger_2.jpg

[David_in_TX]

From the Rokon accessories page:
http://www.rokon.com/products/accessories.htm

Disc Harrow, PN 104104 - Each gang weighs 64 lbs. Overall length is 69" with a width of 43". There are 16 disc with an overall height of 15 inches. The depth of cut is 4 inches. It is primarily used to create rows for planting.

Log Skidder, PN 104264 - Designed and built by ROKON. In conjunction with the Adjustable Rigid Tow Bar (Part No 103181) and a ball hitch, this skidder can tow logs behind your ROKON. The front end of the log is secured in the cradle, and the rear end is dragged on the ground.

Moldboard Plow 10", PN 104100 - This 48 lb. item is pictured attached to the Three Point Hitch. This is best used on the Trail-Breaker model as you can add water to the wheels to obtain optimal traction. It is used primarily to break soil 5-6 inches deep for planting.

Lawn Mower,3-Gang Reel, PN 104170 - Each gang measures 24 inches and together they cut a 5 foot swath. The six tempered steel blades are 12 gauge. The wheel are aluminum. The roller blocks are wooden. This is a classic design made in the USA. The cutting height is adjustable from 1/2-2 1/2 inches.

Trailer, PN 109016 - This unit weighs 175 lbs and has a GVW Capacity of 700 lbs. Dimensions are 42" Long by 30" Wide and 16" Tall. Made out of 16 gauge steel with 22-11 X 8.00 tires and fits a 2" ball coupler. Comes with a lift gate and dump body. The Trailer is best used with the Rokon Tow Bar Kit PN 100893 and the Rigid Bar PN 103181

Broadcast Spreader, PN 103192 - The spreader has a poly hopper body that resist corrosion. It can handle 175 lbs of material. The pnuematic ball bearing wheels are 15" x 6". It spreads 10-12 inches wide. The spreader easily attaches to the Rokon tow bar kit.

Power Take-Off Kit, PN 104066 - The power take off kit consists of a locking throttle, belt and hardware that translates power from the rear driven pulley up to a generator or pump set into the rear seating area. This picture shows the pump PN 105105 that can pump up to 60 gallons per minute. The pump attaches to an aluminum mounting plate PN 104303

Agri-Sprayer, PN 105012 - This 45 gallon tank unit has a 3 gallon per minute output, knobby thread tires with needle bearings and grease zerks, and a durable 12 volt/ 5 amp pump with convenient toggle on/off switch for trouble free operation. The rear spray boom has a 160 inch spray width. It can evenly spray herbicides, insecticides and other lawn products on turf trees and shrubs.

Three Point Hitch, PN 104161 - This item is required to raise and lower the Moldboard Plow and the Cultivator. This 30 lb. unit bolts onto the back of all Rokon models. It is spring loaded and has 16 inches of travel. Overall dimensions are 19" Long x 14 1/2" Wide x 17 1/2" High.

[Bigjeep]

Hi,

I sure like my Yamaha Big Wheel 200. It's not two-wheel drive, but it sure goes about everywhere. I'm six-two, two-fifty. It's very stable and comfortable to me. I just changed the final drive chain front fourteen tooth gear to an eleven. That dropped it basically a full gear. It can really crawl now. Fifth gear is plenty fast. With almost eleven foot-pounds of torque and it's massive rear tire, it hardly spins a tire to go up very steep inclines. When it needs to, it's high reving fifteen horsepower, 196cc, four stroke deals with it. The almost two gallon tank gives it good range. It gets in and around places a quad can't go.
U-tube one and see what they can do. Buy one and show yourself.

Bigjeep



bw200, bw 200, dirt bike, tw 200, Yamaha, rokon

[swampdonkey]

I bought an 02 Rokon with the Kohler 6.5HP engine. It was basically a generator and pressure washer motor with a terrible carb and little power. I loved it but it was lacking umph and throttle response. I found out that the Yamaha 200cc cart racing engine used the same block. Burris Racing developed the Yamaha 200cc cart racing program so I teamed up with them and developed a Rokon motor based on the Yamaha. We developed a cam, port work and a custom carb to go with the bigger bore and large valved Yamaha motor. Now we have a silky smooth 12hp engine that will snap to life when you need it like at the bottom of a ravine. I am finishing details on carb linkage this week and hope to have them for sale in a couple of weeks. These will only fit the Kohler bikes. If anybody is interested then let me know.
27340
Thise things go anywhere!

Just curious if you are making any of the information available on the motor conversion to the Burris Racing Yamaha engine. I have a 08 Rokon TB with the Kohler engine, and wouldn't mind a little more snap. Thanks.:elkgrin:

[Stumpalump]

Just curious if you are making any of the information available on the motor conversion to the Burris Racing Yamaha engine. I have a 08 Rokon TB with the Kohler engine, and wouldn't mind a little more snap. Thanks.:elkgrin:

Burris sells race engine kits and I sell a Rokon version of the engine thats built and tuned. It's a drop in version with 12hp instead of the race 18hp. I do this so it will pull start and run at low rpm. It's basically a detuned version of the YF200R1 and set up to bolt right into your Rokon. $1300 shipped.

[bluevette]

Burris sells race engine kits and I sell a Rokon version of the engine thats built and tuned. It's a drop in version with 12hp instead of the race 18hp. I do this so it will pull start and run at low rpm. It's basically a detuned version of the YF200R1 and set up to bolt right into your Rokon. $1300 shipped.

I am interested in getting a yf200r1 from you, you have a pm. thanks.

[nat]

Hi,

I sure like my Yamaha Big Wheel 200. It's not two-wheel drive, but it sure goes about everywhere. I'm six-two, two-fifty. It's very stable and comfortable to me. I just changed the final drive chain front fourteen tooth gear to an eleven. That dropped it basically a full gear. It can really crawl now. Fifth gear is plenty fast. With almost eleven foot-pounds of torque and it's massive rear tire, it hardly spins a tire to go up very steep inclines. When it needs to, it's high reving fifteen horsepower, 196cc, four stroke deals with it. The almost two gallon tank gives it good range. It gets in and around places a quad can't go.
U-tube one and see what they can do. Buy one and show yourself.

Bigjeep



bw200, bw 200, dirt bike, tw 200, Yamaha, rokon

BW200's are fun as hell to ride. They can go anywhere.

[Stumpalump]

When Rokon guys get together they call it a Rokon Romp. When we got together in Wickensburg AZ last weekend they called it.........


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The Wickensburg Wromp! Ya gotta click for a bigger picture.

[Czechsix]

Dammit, I've gotta pay more attention. I would have liked to have made that AZ run too, closer than the other romps.

Sigh.

[Joaquin Suave]

Here is the 1968 Rokon that a good friend gave me. His dad bought it new back in the day and it has spent most of its life just sitting around... sadly the last couple of years outside. My plan is to restore it then have it be part of my "new" 1972 Chevy / 1968 Alaskan rig.

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[ersatzknarf]

Hi Jack,
Rokons are too cool ! ! !
Please just mechanically restore it.
Really liking the "weathered patina" theme that's going on with Rocky :D
This'll fit right in ;)

[Czechsix]

Nice ride Joaquin! Most of the parts you're going to want for restoration are still available, and there are some good upgrades out there too, that'll still fit in with the bike. Mine's only a few years younger than yours.

[Joaquin Suave]

The one thing that i know I need is a new fuel tank. My buddy repaired a crack/ hole in it with fiberglass and did not do a very good job.

Also, is there anyone that has been reupholstering the seats?

[Czechsix]

If you don't want to do a re-weld on the tank, you can sometimes find a replacement tank out on the net. Your best bet for finding info is Bob Gallagher's forums on the rokon, lots of stuff there, and plenty of talk back and forth. Plus classifieds. Just took another look at the pics and the tank...looks plenty good to reweld. Whatever you do, don't Kreem it.

As to the seat, what I'd do is find someone parting out, and pick up a good condition used one. The seats themselves are, from what I remember, Italian Aquilla seats. They're still out there, and are used on other bikes. I've just never seen a decent recovered leather seat - I don't know if it's because of the raw materials not being up to par or because no one knows how to do them any more unless they're from the factory. I'll check with a buddy of mine that used to run Rockonline, he might still have some parts. Matter of fact, he's a forum member too, so maybe he'll pop up here, even though he's busy farting around with his damned Fuso...right mog?

ps...just remembered, I think the seats are also used on some Vespa models.

[goin camping]

I started riding Rokons back in the 1960's as a kid. Actually I rode the same 1964 Rokon along with others I've owned up to about 5 years ago.

The wife would like to get another pair but the newer and quieter four stroke engine. In investigating them I've learned you'll want to replace the factory chains with American made ones and the new (to me) style of plastic body work will get banged and chewed before too long.