THE BIGWHEEL THREAD!!! Yamaha BW350, BW200

Mr. Bigwheel, One thing I will need for sure is a wrench to adjust the primary chain. Will a service wrench work or is the Yamaha tool best for preventing headaches.

That's the user I was referring to....
I just remembered that his name was something related to "Gizmo"...

When I saw your bike in the videos, I suddently remembered him..


And you are right when telling the NX is perfect for me, at least by now. But I think this bike will stay with me for a loooong long time...
I guess that when I finish university or while coursing it, I'll get a little 2 stroke such as an Agrale 2.0 or a Yamada DT 175, and restore it for a kind of enduro use..

That's all!

Onederer, I'm pleased to see your bike is running.
I wish you the best with it, and hope you can fix everything soon.

Greetings!

Onderer,

The wrench that comes with the bike in the standard cheesy 80's Japanese toolkit would of course be ideal. However, I assume that you don't have that.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YAMAH...ode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc

This is a picture of a tool that one of the members of the Yahoo group fabricated from some flat sheet stock. I think that you need to sign up with the group to see it, but that's a good idea anyway.

The 350 has a system where the adjuster is built into the swingarm and can be done by hand. That makes life significantly easier.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

Onederer,

Another consideration that you have in the selection of a rear tire is that you will not find a 23" replacement for the original.

You will have to choose between a 22" tire or a 25" tire.

Since it's going on a "Big"wheel, I always choose the big wheel. The twenty five incher.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

The 22" tire already on the BW wrinkles a lot during turns, I could only think that a 25" tire would be a lot worse. Not that I couldn't get used to it, but this thing is a handful already and I may need some more seat time before making it harder to ride.

If swapping a Tri-Z fork onto it, raises the front any higher, then maybe the 25" tire will level it out and I will try it.

I have been using 25" radials on my ATC and they work good on it, but of course steering forces are different.

What the friend who had it told me was the tires don't get a lot of traction in mud because of the high flotation with the BW's relative light weight for such wide tires. This leaves me thinking I need a rear tire with smaller knobs/lugs so the BW can generate enough wheel speed to keep the tire cleaned and use friction pulling/traction instead of outright traction.

I'm just throwing stuff out there, since I haven't been able to work on it in a week.

Onederer,

The 25" tire will only raise the rear 1" higher versus the stock 23". I think that the sidewall wrinkling issue is probably related more to the tire carcass construction than the bike being too heavy for the size.

The greatest advantage I have found is that the bigger tire allows a higher top speed while retaining the stock gearing. I haven't found a secondary chain sprocket bigger than a 13 and I don't think you can get anything other than stock for the rear sprocket since it is dished.

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of aftermarket support for bikes that are 25 years old and were unpopular when they were new.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of aftermarket support for bikes that are 25 years old and were unpopular when they were new.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

They all do that.

I agree completely. What I don't understand is how a bike that I would have found repulsive 25 years has become so darned sensible now. Hmmmmm...


BTW, here's the latest Enduro Alaska:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Z1v_-hCvc

More fun in the snow from the idiots on ice.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

Luckily or not, our minds change as we get older...
I wish mine wouldn't change till the point I do not like my NX anymore, je!

Best wishes from your 1st Argentinian fan!!! (?)

Leo,

You will always like the NX (unless you wrap it around a tree or the radiator of a truck).

Just don't make the same mistake that the rest of us did. DO NOT SELL IT.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

Well, I wish that I didn't have to sell it in the future, and I'm planning not to do so. As I've already said, for everything, (daily ride, trips, and everithing i could do with dual sport bike) I'm going to use the NX, I'm just repairing it and doing all the manteinance its old owner didn't do to her, just because he didn't even know how to change the oil...
Actually, I've got the address, and phone number of a store that sells used spare parts for bikes, that I've heard that has two NX's like mine, all dissasembled (sorry if I spelt the word in a wrong way) I will call tomorrow, and if all is right, we're going to have some fun with my friend, the wrench, and my little NX in the winter holidays...

And in the future, I'll have a 2 stroke bike for doing all the enduro that mine is not going to do, jeje

Well, I think i have written so much..
Thanks for the space and for everything.

Regards from the most southern country of all America!

Why not?

I cant get my wife to stop laughing at me since I told her I want one (not saying which one).

http://racine.craigslist.org/mcy/2550506404.html

I just found this link:

http://www.bigwheelconversion.com/

To me, this seems like it is the answer for everyone who was interested in a BigWheel but just didn't want to get involved in an antique, low tech, overweight bike.

It seems to promise a modern, overweight bike.

Long live the BW!

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

You ARE alive!

Great Thread! But then I was/am afflicted with the BW sickness too!

Mr. BW, Are you using studded tires? I would imagine you have to after viewing some of these clips. If not wow! :eek1

I have two almost mint condition BW's that I picked up back when they were still in style. (Like that was ever true!) I bet neither even has much over 500 miles on them. (They both still have the STOCK tires with 80%, or more tread!)

I liked them real well so about the time they were getting scarce I found a dealer that had a 350 up in Colorado that had about 5 miles on it and a bad case of green carb from sitting in a showroom.

I picked it up and then found an '87, 200 for my gal so she could ride as well. That 200 has the sweetest motor of anybike I think I have EVER owned, just purrs!

Long story short, she was not afflicted with the dirt scoot bug so hers sat and since she did not ride, mine pretty much did the same, as I seemed to ride my other dirt scoots since non of my buds had fat tired machines.

I have followed your advice of not selling either, but then do not ride them at all.

I am an avid dirt rider and did take the 350 out trail clearing in the Spring a couple times but it is just not suited for the type of single track I like. The tires are about twice as wide as our typical trails! It took me several rides to understand why EVERYONE wanted to ride behind me! To watch the show!

I did get them out several times in snow and they really shine there but down South here in NM we do not get all that much of the white stuff and when we do it is usually gone PDQ.

We used to have some dunes near that we could ride (long gone and fenced off now) and that was the cat's meow! After a rain if you did not lean them in till the bars were digging in you were not turning them hard enough! In fact THAT was usually what put em on their side!

I think riding one is still a blast but on knarly single track they remind me of trying to ride two basketballs connected by a slinky!

The real and only problem I have with them is the drum brakes. MAN! At the end of the day my right hand was shot from to much HARD squeezing! Sure did like the video of the 450 Honda with it's disc's though! SWEET!

Anyway I am starting to seriously consider breaking them out of storage and off loading them. I will most probably be sorry but just have to many other scooters I NEED to ride!

If I had a place on a beach (would that be the best beach/bar bike ever or what?) or lived closer to some big dunes I would probably never even dream of off-loading them, but 25 years of little to no use is to much for even me to handle!

Keep up the great videos though as I sure like watcjhing them!

Hey!

This is alive again!

I'm watching the conversions, they seem to be very useful for all the bigwheel riders. I hope this could help you all to get the most of your bikes! (By getting things that may be useful for your bikes)

Now tell me...
When are you posting new Enduro Alaska videos?
We are all eager to watch ned adventures! jaja!

Greetings!

Leo,

Your wish is my command:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxPy0QzO8xA


dvgonzo,

I will have to get back to you in a little bit. I'm headed out the door right now to go riding. There is 12 inches of snow on the ground and I have a kitchen pass to go ride. Since the days are still getting shorter, I have to strike while the iron is hot. With the days growing shorter and shorter, daylight is precious, since the odds of an Air Guard Blackhawk finding me at night are smaller than daytime.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

P.S.: Poacher Bob,

Thanks for noticing that I'm still alive. It seems fewer folks notice with each passing day.

dvgonzo,

I'm back from the ride. All I can say is: "Don't sell!"

Ok. Well, maybe you can unload the 200, but don't unload the 350, especially if it is mint.

I bought one of my BigWheels in Albuquerque and rode it on some single-track outside of Boulder before shipping it to Alaska. I felt that I was defying death at every corner. So, I know it is not the perfect machine in every circumstance. However, it is the most unique in every situation.

You just have to choose your battles wisely. Do that and you will be richly rewarded by your overweight, undersuspended charisma-machine.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

Thanks a lot!

I was starting to miss your videos!

Mr. BW,

Yeah you are probably right.

I am also positive that come the end of the day, even while riding the skinniest, knarliest, most tree riddled single track in the State, the sorest muscles will be those located on my face from the teeth baring smile I seem to wear every time I ride one of these machines!

I am a card carrying machinist and have a pretty nice home machine shop, so maybe I should bite the bullet and just rework the front wheel and install a disc up there?

Just cause we do not get much snow does not mean we do not have our share of cold days so what better way to spend some of the ones while holed up in the garage?

Also cudos on that latest video installment! That was GREAT! You guys sure do have some major league mud up there!