Thursday 21 September 2023

THE TW200 HASN’T CHANGED IN 35 YEARS


The Yamaha TW200 is the oldest new bike you can buy.


I RECENTLY 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, mainly 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 motorcycle that hasn’t modified since 1987?

2023 Yamaha TW200

Yamaha has a historical past of retaining 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 expect the 2023 TW200 is the oldest new bike you should buy within the U.S., and we’re higher off for it.

Positive, some will remind me that the Honda Cub has been round ceaselessly, and so has the Royal Enfield Bullet (not with out interruption), and Honda made the CB125 many years, too. After all, there are mannequin names which have survived for many years, too, just like the Harley-Davidson Sportster. However no person would confuse a 1957 Sporty with a contemporary one, and even an 80s Evo for immediately’s bike.

The original 1987 Yamaha TW200


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 brief 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 currently.

Just about all the pieces about this twin sport is designed round enjoyable. It’s not quick. It’s tremendous off street, but it surely’s no Maico 490. However, for a motorcycle that’s approaching 40 years available on the market, it’s onerous to fault. Its 31-inch (78 cm) seat peak makes it approachable for a newbie, but these large 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 gasoline injection quickly, please.

Yamaha | Instagram



The post THE TW200 HASN’T CHANGED IN 35 YEARS appeared first on lickscycles.com.



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