Maybe with it hopped-up it would have felt good, but I kept mine stock (except for Works Performance shocks - yes, twin shocks) and sold it after not too many rides. The BW-200s seemed popular enough in all of the ATV magazines (which are basically 100-page advertisements, anyway), but I though the bike was simply too heavy for the power output: Pretty weak when you twist the throttle. The engine design came from the 1981 SR-185H Exciter street bike, has been used in a whole lot of Yamaha off-road, dual-purpose, and ATV models since, and can still be seen in today's TT-R230.

The BW-200 was the first BW and came with kickstart-only and electric-and-kickstart models.

Very torquey engine based on the PW-80, which itself got it's engine from some ancient 2-stroke design in Yamaha's past.ģ-speed transmission with automatic clutch. The 1986 BW-80S was fun in the back yard or anywhere else you didn't need warp speed. Yamaha made BWs in 80, 200, and 350cc models, and I owned one of each size at one time or another. It must have been a catchy name because even some guys with a Yamaha BW would call their machines a Fat Cat, which is kinda' like calling your Yamaha Tri-Moto an ATC. It had an automatic clutch with an engine from the 1986 TRX-200SX ATV. Honda only made a 200 called a TR-200 Fat Cat. Now, it's just 4-wheeled ATVs with an acre of warning labels riveted to the fenders. The Big Wheels from Yamaha started with the 1985 BW-200N, back in the day when 3-wheeled ATVs were all the rage.Ī couple of years later, after the USCPSC ATV Consent Decree (where there were a lot of ambulance-chaser lawsuits being flung around and ATV dealers had to post 10 foot tall posters listing how many ways you could get killed by buying and riding an ATV), 3-wheeled ATVs went bye-bye because the manufacturers basically said, 'F that shit'.

Honda fat cat review