THE BIGWHEEL THREAD!!! Yamaha BW350, BW200

Yamaha claimed 27 hp for the 350 way back in 1987. I think both of these bikes are on their original top ends. I'm guessing 20hp still remains at this time. With my poor studding skills, I break the tires loose all of the time. There's adequate power for a fat, out of shape old dude like me.

Besides, if I showed up somewhere on a fire-breathing, 500cc BigWheel, then people would expect me to behave like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS0zJBmdBaY&NR=1

Of course, if you wanted to stay with Team Blue, there is a Yamaha option in the fat-tired spectrum:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N87TPjdbFEs&feature=related

Don't forget about the Suzuki RV 125 and 90 two strokes.

My bro in law has two 90's, the one I learnt too ride on 30+ years ago and a parts bike. He has been "going to rebuild" it for about 10 years. After watching Mr Bigwheels vids I might have to take control of the project.

Another great video MrBW

400psi,

Thanks for having the patience to watch yet another video.

LC8TY,

I would love to have an RV125 to throw in an airplane when heading out to the bush. I think you should immediately commandeer the project. If you don't actually start it until 5 years from now, you'll still be moving twice as fast as your brother.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

Have you ever drowned your bike? Then you probably did it wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MisterBigWheel?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/1EtHUzfdYqE

H6llywood's Trail Tips will show you how to do it "properly."

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

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The BW 80 was two stroke.

RVs are like Rokons as in they are utility/ag bikes. The BWs and FatCats are play bikes.

The tire pump on the RVs was a neat idea. The RVs were also street legal and had a H/L sub trans.

A friend has a BW200 that needs some major attention, it hasn't run in years. Last time it was running he had just put a new CDI on it. From the exhaust smoke it looked like a two stroke running 1:1 mix. I would do anything to stay in front or I couldn't breath. I think his clothes were combustible at the end of a ride.

so did the tw200 elvolve from the big wheel?

The BW and the FatCat are a blast to ride, the most fun I ever had on a bike. Riding them on pavement will tighten your sphincter though...

Onederer,

It's not just toxic exhaust that makes people want to stay in front of a BigWheel. If you show up to a track or even a trail ride with a BW, people will do whatever they can in their power to avoid being passed by the fat-tired, air cooled, antique, freakmobile. It is somewhat entertaining, in a sadistic way, to see the ego-induced carnage that results. Not that I'm in to that sort of thing, though.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

eakins,

The TW200 shares a few of the parts from the BigWheel (forks, rear shock and numerous bits and pieces) but it was different enough from the BigWheels to credit with being a new design. I think all of the Yamaha bikes at this level of production are parts-bin bikes.

Most prominently, the TW200 only has one drive chain, whereas the BW has two differently sized chains and a jackscrew to get power to the wide rear wheel.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

Mr. BigWheel, I ride ATCs and know about that ego thing. I get the look from people on ATVs who don't know any better and then usually the finger when I've had enough of being behind them and forcibly pass cause they won't just let me.

With all the snow today, a BW would be great.

Onederer,

Even without the snow, you need a BigWheel.

I wish I could say that I have the same effect on people when I'm riding on a snowmachine trail, but people usually just pull over so they can see the idiot on the motorcycle in the middle of winter. Then, shortly afterwards, will pass me at the speed of light, just in case I'm contagious.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

I need a BW about as much as another hole in my head. All this has got me thinking about selling one of the ATCs and talking my friend out his old BW.

A few years back someone close to here had a real clean 350 but I missed out on that one and there are very few of them around here. Speaking in terms of years is proof of that.

Some of those sleds make close to 100hp don't they?

Onederer,

You can never have too many holes in your head. Otherwise the really stupid ideas get trapped inside, forcing you to do stupid things, like owning a BigWheel. But i encourage you to get one anyway.

The new Yamahas are running the 1000cc engine out of the R1. I think they produce 100hp at idle. They are heavy as hell, but since they can travel at low Mach numbers, no one seems to care.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

I really like your Bigwheel (and the Enduro Alaska videos for that matter). But one thing has bugged me for a while.. how much do you pay for a tire and how far away do you have to import them from?

Bummer the BW's were never available in Switzerland.

AlpineGuerrilla,

The tires for the BigWheel are not too terribly exotic. They are standard ATV/four-wheeler tires. Since there are more four-wheelers in Alaska than there are motorcycles, they are not hard to come by.

They are only expensive because of the shipping that raises the prices on everything in the state. But I should imagine that you know all about paying expensive prices already.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

I’d like to know exactly why the BW handles so badly on hard surfaces. No one has ever been able to sufficiently explain it to me. Is it just the fat tires, or is there a design flaw responsible for it. I mean I’ve never ridden any other fat tired bike, so maybe it’s just that all fat tired bikes do not want to turn. Do Honda fatcats handle just as badly? Of course I’m hoping to find a design flaw in the BW in order to find a fix. I’m thinking it has something to do with the mismatched wheels/tires and/or the angle of the front fork. Comments?

Ever drive an old truck without power steering and a posi-trac rear end on pavement?