I just lately had the chance to throw a leg over a 1996 Yamaha TW200. Or was It a 2008? Or a 1988? Who cares, they’re all the identical bike. For 35 years the Yamaha TW200 has soldiered on because the funky big-tired carousel horse of the Yamaha lineup, principally unchanged.
No different present bike has the, dare we are saying, panache of the balloon-tired TW200. And, in a motorbike world the place retro bikes are all the fad, why not simply purchase a motorbike that hasn’t modified since 1987?
Yamaha has a historical past of maintaining bikes round previous their sell-by dates. The V-Max and the YZF-R6 remained within the catalogue for many years (with some upgrades). We predict the 2023 TW200 is the oldest new bike you should purchase within the U.S., and we’re higher off for it.
Positive, some will remind me that the Honda Cub has been round without end, and so has the Royal Enfield Bullet (not with out interruption), and Honda made the CB125 a long time, too. In fact, there are mannequin names which have survived for many years, too, just like the Harley-Davidson Sportster. However no one would confuse a 1957 Sporty with a contemporary one, and even an 80s Evo for at the moment’s bike.
Since 1987 Yamaha’s made this little two-wheeled mountain goat. Aside from including an electrical starter, its fundamentals are nonetheless from the Triassic. It nonetheless has a tiny Mikuni 28mm carb feeding the 196cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine. It’s not highly effective, and in my quick journey round a car parking zone, I don’t suppose I exceeded 25 mph. But it surely felt enjoyable at 25 and that’s not one thing I can say for different bikes I’ve ridden recently.
Just about all the things about this twin sport is designed round enjoyable. It’s not quick. It’s effective off highway, however it’s no Maico 490. However, for a motorbike that’s approaching 40 years available on the market, it’s onerous to fault. Its 31-inch (78 cm) seat top makes it approachable for a newbie, but these huge balloon tires are up for extra shenanigans than you’ll anticipate.
Within the U.S., it sells for $4,900 (€4,530) making it a discount. We hope Yamaha retains promoting the TW200 for one more 35 years, although we’d wish to see gas injection quickly, please.
