Going Big and Retro - My 1985 Yamaha BW200

The year is 1985. Back To The Future is released and the Nintendo Entertainment System hits North America, clearly everything is rad in the world. At the same time, Yamaha release a new breed of dirt bike: the big wheel!! It doesn't handle very well, is not particularly fast, but hot damn it's an absolute blast to ride!

The intention was for the BW line of bikes to be a fun and easy way to get into dirt biking. There were 3 models in the range; an 80cc 2-stroke and the 200cc and 350cc 4-strokes (there were also electric start variations). Produced from 1985 to 1989 they apparently sold well enough for Honda to follow suit with their similar "Fat Cat", but then again the fat tire dirt bikes didn't seem to make it out of the '80's so... 🙂

The ATV size tires can be run as low as 1.2 PSI so these bikes shine in certain terrain such as sand and snow, but taking a quick spin on pavement might have you scratching your head as to why anybody would want to ride one of these beasts.

It's a bike I remember from when I was a kid thumbing through dirt bike magazines and plastering the walls of my room with cool shots I'd find within their pages. There's a good chance I actually had a BW up on my wall back when they were a current model. I love both it's uniqueness as a motorcycle and the retro styling, so it's pretty cool to actually own one now (if nothing more than for the nostalgia of it). And hey, it still starts first kick!

Here's an old review: http://yamaha.itgo.com/BW200review/1.htm