Let me start off by saying that this bike is extremely powerful for its age and size. She starts most of the time with half choke runs for about a minute or two and is warm. At this point the choke can be disengaged and the throttle is fully under your command. The throttle response is quite fast but not nearly as fast as current bikes. When she applies power it comes full song. The massive tires allow massive grip in any situation. Revving from idle to the 8000rpm redline is fairly regular. Towards 7500 she sings like a humming bird. The engine sound is so great it encourages many trips to the redline. Power comes in an increasing line towards 7000, and then falls very rapidly. I must admit that this comes from partly books and partly my own knowledge because the bike has no tachometer or speedometer.

The transmission is a 5 forward gear setup with neutral between 1st and 2nd gear. The ratios are perfect in any situation. But for low torque purposes the first gear is very short and provides quite an engine speed drop when shifted to 2nd gear.

The BW is relatively heavy for a 200cc dirt bike so nobody can expect sharp turns. But when the rider is knowing of the vehicle it is a pleasure to toss the rear of the bike and apply throttle at about 5000rpm and let the torque bring you out of the turn. I admit this is a big risk because the bike will slip at a certain angle, which has never happened to me but has been a problem notified by Yamaha. The turning is easy all around and to make the turn you do not need a lot of force on the bars. Leaning up to certain angles is also a pleasure on the BW.

The build of the bike is very solid. The chassis is stiff and bulletproof. The rear trail arm has two progressive springs that are adjustable. The shocks provide a perfect combination of damping and rebound but there are no external adjustments for the fork.

The engine is built on a forward incline and does not invade the rider's space. It is perfectly fit into the bike chassis and is easy to maintain. When I mean maintain I'm speaking of Oil, air filter and other common changes.

The position on the bike is great. The seat is large and provides many places to seat yourself for different application. For a regular sit and cruise the bike is fairly upright with a relaxing reach towards the bars. Tucking for extra aerodynamics is fun and great on a straight line. Despite the high rpm range the bike is not made for speed. While tucking moving your but back on the seat it is comfortable, the only exception is your neck will get sore from looking up, and straight ahead.

The tires are the main factor that makes this bike so special. They provide tons of grip and are a pleasure in every situation. The rear tire is a foot wide. This is larger than most ATV tires. There is not much to explain but the only disadvantage is slipping, sharp turning and angle approach. These factors contribute to roll rovers and tips which have put the bike into discontinuation.

Overall the bike is of great value and has a magnificent ride. I suggest to anyone you can get there hands on one, buy it! It'll pay off as these bikes are soon to be collectibles if not already. If you are a BW200 owner you know what I'm talking about.

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RIDER

THE LOOK

The Yamaha BW200 came in a white panel, red frame, and anodized (black) engine. The yamaha bw200 is essentially a "naked" bike. The rims are aluminum and help to make the bw 'shiny'. The gas tank should have a large bw sticker on it but many owners tend to peel it off on purpose or by accident. Mine came with it taken off. Also there are versions that have yamaha either above the headlight or on the forks.

THE ENGINE and Drive

The Yamaha BW 200 is actually 196cc. The engine is and air cooled, 4-stroke, gasoline SOHC (single overhead cam) forward inclined single cylinder. the engine has a 55.7mm stroke and 67mm bore. To start the BW I always start at half choke. It warms in about 30sec - 1 min. Then your ready to go. The engine pumps out 10.8 lb/ft of torque at 7500rpm. Comparing that to current bikes that's a little short in the power department, but the power comes on smooth, and it doesn't hide. Don't think the power falls after 7500, it continues. The "insisted" or "suggested" redline is 8000rpm, but I often spin close to 9 grand. This all goes through a five speed manual. The clutch is not great, but it does its job. Not exactly the perfect pop wheeler but its possible. The gears shift smoothly though perfectly spaced, not wide ratio but not close ratio, just right. I do regret one thing, that is that I don't have a sixth gear. I often reach the redline in fifth and I know that if I had a sixth gear I could push this thing to about 140km/h. Right now I top out between 100 and 120km/h. Actually even though the BW is for one person I have doubled with people around 130 pounds plus my 170, and get this, it still pulls strong to the triple digits.

THE CHASSIS

A very simple but well working geometry. The frame is gusseted and reinforced and all the proper spots. Nothing really to explain, the bike is like a dirt bike and atv combined or actually just picture a beefed and widened 250. The entire weight of the entire motorcycle is 256 pounds, quite the number.

THE TIRES

The best part, and for some people the worst. I love these tires. The rear is a foot wide and the front is 9" wide. They aren't flat like atv tires, they actually are rolled for leaning so I don't know where the discontinuation because of roll overs comes in. Well the tires run anywhere from 2psi to 20psi. I run my tires between 10 and 15. The lugs on the tires are also unique in design and work well, (they have 2" lugs) that's why I ordered the original tire from japan because no ATV tire works as good.

RIDING

Where to start, I don't know. She rolls easy and isn't hard to get up to top speed. The wide tires make it less tippy so for me its a good trail rider. But kicking out the rear end and spinning the rear is beautiful, and its quite the sight to. Takes more practice to get the beast down but man its a rush just keep it in the mid to high rpms. Jumping? Is it possible? For sure! I have jumped this thing and all I can say is (blank). I have gotten the thing over 6" in the air, this 250 pound beast drops after that though and I have bottomed out the rear double suspension! But its fun. Just make sure you leave the ramp with mid rpm, what sucks is if your to high in rpm or to low you don't get the kick and then you usually land on the front wheel no matter how far back you sit.

UPGRADES, PROBLEMS and SUGGESTIONS

I really haven't had any problems. But I do have some useful suggestions. First, the front mud guard is to loose, buy or make a brace. I made and aluminum one to cover the entire front and middle of the mud guard and its riveted on, it won't move or even wiggle (which it used to do). The rear chain guard shook itself loose on one long 80km ride once. The bracket holding one of the screws also broke off. I suggest to watch this and to weld that bracket. Otherwise I haven't had any problems.

As for performance suggestions, I once ordered a universal 1 1/2" x 4" round K&N filter to mount right on the carb but I ride in to dusty conditions and I couldn't find an appropriate cover so I returned it. That upgrade would have put power up to about 11.4 lb/ft of torque. Instead I let the stock airbox flow better by drilling five, half inch holes on the opposite side of the snorkel. While adjusting the carb to run slightly richer. Its been figured I'm running about 11 lb/ft of torque. I have also ordered and MBRP Powertech IV slip on muffler, which should be lighter than my stock muffler and will improve my top end. Hopefully I'll be running somewhere close to 12 lb/ft of torque in the 7000 to 8000 rpm range.

But the best suggestion I can give you is to change your oil to castrol syntec. No this is not and ad. It works. This oil is synthetic. You have to keep using it and can't go back to conventional oil but you will notice the difference. It sounds and runs smoother plus it doesn't get dirty as fast, plus all of the synthetic benefits of engine protection. Definitely a wise idea.

CONCLUSION

The yamaha BW200 is definitely a fun motorcycle that is very exclusive, and although it my seem underpowered it carries a lot of weight. If you have ever ridden one you know its different in a good way.

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ADVANCED RIDER

My BW200 is a 1985 model without electric start. It weighs in at approximately 256lbs in stock form. I replaced the rear portion of the exhaust system for an approximate weight savings of about 2 pounds. The muffler is a MBRP Powertech 4. It is stainless steel and was custom fitted to the bike. This has caused some problems with clearance between he can and the wheel, which I will explain in detail later. I run Castrol Syntec (synthetic) oil. I have been since I started riding the motorcycle. The oil let’s the engine rev more freely, keeps it cooler longer, and the oil doesn’t get as dirty between oil change intervals. My air box is drilled to allow more airflow. In all the BW originally was specified as having 10.8lb/ft of torque at 7500rpm. With these current modifications I believe that power was increased to between 11 and 11.5 lb/ft.

The body is in excellent condition missing only the original tank stickers. The rear tire was once replaced as well as the rear sprocket. The chassis and engine show no signs of wear. The head bolts on the engine were recently re-torqued after a small oil leak developed at the base of the head.

The suspension on the BW200 cannot be adjusted except for the preload on the dual rear shocks. Due to the restricted clearance of the rear tire I run a full stiff set-up in the rear. The ride is still predictable and is not bouncy with the exception of rapid succession bumps, such as heavy field riding. The muffler has restricted clearance above the rear tire because the can of the Powertech 4 is larger in diameter than the original muffler. Jumping is now restricted. Before the current muffler was installed the BW200 is a regular jumper. Reaching heights of almost 4 feet off the ground. Landings were often harsh with the suspension almost or even, bottoming out. Landing rear first is preferable, but landing at the same time will take pressure off both suspensions.

Turning with the BW200 is moderate. The steering is not fast, and does slide and under steer with throttle application. The large tires can help to aid balance in all situations but are predictable only under easy riding. When pushing the BW to its limits, the front end can experience heavy push under the aforementioned throttle application, which can cause problems in changing the direction of the bike quickly due to the large tires and heavy weight. The rear of the BW200 grips well and can be slid around although at the limit the rear end often experiences flick related to the front-end push. The large tire is tough to bring back on line and must have special attention when sliding, or applying throttle in a corner. Overall the BW200 will go places other dirt bikes cannot. Overall the balance of the BW is excellent for its weight.

Coverage of terrain by the BW200 varies vary widely, and far surpasses that of a regular dirt bike. I have done water crossings up to a 24” deep without any problems. Mud and sand are easy to ride in also. Snow is also ride able to certain discretion of the rider, but it is possible. Although snow and mud riding must be done very carefully paying attention to balance factors and the aforementioned push of both ends of the motorcycle.

Overall the BW200 is an excellent bike with average power and on par handling for its size, weight and age. Once the limits of the BW200 are know, the bike becomes an extension of the rider offering an always pleasurable ride, and a quickness that can be suddenly dismissed. This was a motorcycle that only few truly enjoy.

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