THE BIGWHEEL THREAD!!! Yamaha BW350, BW200

I am joining the BW asylum.




This thing needs a LOT of love. It is going to require a complete engine tear down because it is stuck in gear and plain wore out.

Will need all hub bearings, brakes, cables, jack-shaft bearings and replacement of the hacked up air box. It is also going to need a new clutch cover and some internals because the kick starter doesn't work correctly. The muffler is completely gutted as well and will need replaced.

The rear tire and final chain and sprockets will work for now and it got a new OEM CDI before it stuck in gear and was put up (left in the yard) years ago.

Depending on how things go, I would like to use a Tri-Z front end with the disk brake before I spend any money on the original forks and brake.

This is going to be a slow process. Any advice from sage BW owners is appreciated along with any parts that may be collecting dust and can be parted with . I imagine to find some real carnage when I get into the engine and have been scouring E-bay for a couple months without finding any real good stuff.

Picked up two BW200's a few months back. One is a parts bike the other just needs a little love.
[/URL][/IMG]

I bought a BW350 new back in 88 or 89. Always had a great time on it!

I've been looking at that Cyclerack for the BW that one of your BW's has ryderg. Expensive, but after I get done fixing my BW, I won't feel like taking the time to fabricate a rack for it. May be what I get.

Good luck on getting your BW going.

Thanks for the positive support! I just finished rebuilding my TW200 motor, so the BW should go real smooth.
I have an extra rack on the other bike, may be willing sell it? I'm in the process of moving right now and will have it out of storage in a month or so.

[/URL][/IMG]

Here's a shot of the TW I just finished.

[/URL][/IMG]

Hello folks!,

I'm new to this forum and just purchased an 85 Yamaha BW200 last night for pretty cheap money. It will need a total restoration but it's all together. Here is a picture of it

I'm hoping to find a cheap or free service manual for this machine so I can get started with the restoration process.

This seems like a great site to share ideas on these find machines.

Thank you,
IronBear :)

I beg to differ...I own FIVE ATC's and to me, ANY wheeled vehicles is just as dangerous as a trike. It's all in the rider

IronBear,

Welcome to the BW fringe. Nice job on the TW restoration.

I hope that this becomes a valuable source of information for you. You should also check out the Yahoo group:

http://autos.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/YAMAHABIGWHEELS/

There is a lot of knowledge there.

I'm also glad to see Onderer and ryderg have stepped off of the cliff of reason and sanity and into the infirmary of BigWheels.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

Sweet thread. I love my BW80 to death. Funnest bike I own, really, because you can't crash it and you can't hurt yourself on it. You're so low to the ground that when you fall/tip you can just push yourself up with one hand.

My friends nicked named her "marshmallow" because, well, it's like riding a marshmallow.

It's thrashed but keeps on going. I got rid of the oil tank and mix my own fuel. It needs a gas cap and a throttle cable.

I bought it in 2003 from an Amish family in John Day Oregon. $200

Awesome videos Mr Bigwheel

Very nice Billy Goat! I also have an 86 BW 80 that I'm in process of rebuilding the engine on. It will be for my little guy. Once it's up and running, I will purchase new tires and brakes for it. :)

Where can I find a free service manual on both the Big Wheel 80 and 200 models?

Thanks again

Geez, I find this big wheel models as curious as the TW, and the Honda FatCat.

I really like 'em...

Tell me, you use them for trail rides in hard surfaces, doing the same that my NX is designed for?

Yes, i know, mine doesn't have the same wheels that yours do, but, we are all brothers, aren´t we?

And I have also a question for you...
What is the difference between the BW and TW?
Is that the first one is a 2 stroke and the second 4 ?

Do you know if any Yamaha Big wheels were imported to Argentina?
I've only seen very very few TW 200, and no more bikes like that here...

That's all.
Thanks a lot!

Greetings from Córdoba, Argentina!

Billy_Goat,

Don't ever sell your 80. You'll regret it forever.

IronBear,

The Yahoo group has many of the parts manuals but more importantly, some write ups on how to fix the common problem areas, like the swingarms on the BWs.

Give them a try at:

http://autos.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/YAMAHABIGWHEELS/

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

Leo G.

The BigWheels can be used for just about any riding you can imagine but really seem to excel in Supercross. Just like your NX, they can do anything but may have to do it more slowly than a specialized bike.

The BW came in three sizes 80cc(two stroke), 200(four stroke) and 350(four stroke). The 200 and 350 are adult-sized and use ATV tires.

When the BWs were discontinued, the TW soldiered on with it's thinner tires and 200cc air cooled motor. Yamaha used the last 20 years to aggressively upgrade the bike with a disk front brake and some new stickers.

Finally: I had to use spellcheck to get Argentina to look correct, so I don't know if any BWs were imported there. Does anyone else know?

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

Hey!

Thanks for your answer, but now, after having a little look at your You tube channel, I understand all the different uses of the BW..
And also I realize how stupid my questions were..


I think it would be a good idea to tell you that my NX is a 150cc one, and not a 250cc, like those that are round there in the USA..
I'm fixing it a little, the previous owner claimed that it was indestructible, but, i have to do some swaps on parts of the engine like the timing chain and the secondary axis. (I don´t know the word in english for this part, it is the axis where the little sproket goes attached) I'm getting some money for doing that things, with some help from a relative (I'm just 17, je), but lukily, meanwile, the bike takes me everywere...

Well, I guess I wrote a bit too much, didn't I?

And the last thing..
Have you looked at the all modified TW of "Gizmodrome" or something like that?
You could get some cool ideas from that one..

Thanks for everything, now, I'm going to watch some more "Enduro Alaska" videos!
Please, give the BW a more important role! I just see KTM's there!

Greetings!

The big wheel thread is taking off pretty well. But, what about the Honda Fat Cats?

It is Alive!

Got the BW200 running by midnight.

I wanted to see if it would still run before I tear it apart although I knew it is stuck in 1st gear. The carb is garbage, it runs and idles but I had to free the slide and there is so much corrosion I worried about breaking the float mounts off while cleaning it. Just lucky it would run.

Going to clean the whole bike up tomorrow in preperation for the tear down later.

And there was me thinking the Amish only used horse n carriages!

Regards

Reggie

The gears are working!

I pulled the swingarm this morning to check it out. The bolt and adjusters came out easy and are good. I attempted to adjust the cam chain, but it is so worn that it wouldn't adjust correctly. I adjusted the valves, checked the gas and filled up the oil the rode it a little.

Decided to coast down a hill in neutral with the engine running to see if I could get it to shift up. It shifted and I was happy.

Filled up the oil, again, and rode it around some more.

May be BW (backwards), but I done all this to get an idea of what I will need before I put parts of it on the bench for a rebuild so I can start making a parts and cost list.

It looks like it is going to take a smidgen less to get trail ready.



I would like to know what tire combinations have worked best for overall handling and traction with general use that people have used. Radial or Bias?

Leo,

I think you are referring to Mr. Gizmow from the TW200 site. I've chatted with him on a number of occasions. He has a number of novel ideas.

You're NX is a fantastic bike for you. Maybe not so good for when you get old and fat like the rest of us who need big CC engines to compensate for expanding waistlines and receding hairlines.

Onederer,

Your biggest triumph so far is getting that swingarm bolt out with no drama.

There are Chinese copies of the carb on ebay that cost a little bit more than an overhaul kit for the original. The moderator from the Yahoo group just tried one on his 200 and gave it a huge thumbs up.

I love the stock tires, but as you probably know, they are out of production and usually only found under a pile of hens' teeth. It comes down to personal preferences as far as what type of riding you are going to do. Mud? Snow? Supermoto? Freestyle? Your options are heavily limited by the 9" rim on the rear.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel