Yet another Big Wheel thread

[Six Stroke]

Well, I am now the proud-ish owner of an '85 BW200 basketcase. Before I begin the arduous journey of re-assembly, I've got a few questions.

Manual - This is priority #1. Does anyone know of a place where I can get service info? A hard copy would be best, but some e-thing would work, too.

Bearings - The jackshaft bearings are a little sloppy. I see that Yamaha still lists the bearings, but not the seals. Could sealed bearings be used (or even found), and just use the old seals as a dust cover of sorts?

Tire - The back tire is pretty bald, and I've been having trouble finding the correct size. Are they out there, or is a 22-11-9 my best bet?

Engine - The engine is apart, and it's pretty clear that a few things have gone missing. What sort of interchange options do I have? TW200 engine? TT225? Also, how do these engines hold up to a high-comp Wiseco and a cam?

Fork boots - I'm a little reluctant to spend $140+ on a pair of NOS boots, so is there an aftermarket solution?

I'm sure I'll have quite a few more questions, but this will do for now. Any help would be great.

[just ben]

if you can still read the number on the seal you should be able to get it from a bearing dealer or mcmaster. you can order universal fork boots by the dimensions from dennis kirk

[Vealmonkey]

You can check your local yamaha dealer for the rear tires, they do show up from time to time and my dealer had one sitting on the tire rack. I had gotten my universal boots off ebay and they were pretty much stock looking, just not sure how long they will last. Engine parts you can get from a tw200, but you have to be careful as the 86 and later parts can be different depending on what you need. The 86 and later had electric start, so there are some parts differences. You can still get the fuel tank and side covers brand new, but they aren't exactly cheap. I haven't seen any nos rear fenders and the front fenders that were recently available, were 86 and later fenders, which are different than the 85 fenders if you are a stickler for originality. Tammy Mosh redid my seat for me and did a great job. I had a set of triple trees bored out to take the front forks and disc brake assembly from a tri z for mine. I just have to put the bored out triples on. I actually installed an entire tri z front end, triples, light the whole she bang, it's pretty much a bolt on. I also found on ebay a nos Pro Tec 2 piece head pipe, but it didn't have the muffler. I used a universal 3" supertrapp and had a buddy do some tig welding and it looks like an aftermarket system. Saves some weight and I can play with the discs for a little tunability. Make sure you have a good factory air filter if you are going to do any riding through water. There are 1 or 2 aftermarket cam choices, can't remember the maker, but you don't want anything too radical as those engines were never really designed to turn high rpms and the bikes were never really geared to go very fast. You are dealing with 2 chains and 4 sprockets. Also make sure that front and rear wheel bearings are in tip top shape and make sure you do maintenance to your drum brakes and thay you have brake shoes with plenty of material on them. Make sure your front brake cable is well lubricated and make sure your brake actuators move freely back and forth and that your brakes are properly adjusted and you have all the correct springs for correct brake operation or your brake won't work right and may hang up on you at a really bad time. With 2 chains, maintenance and properly lubricated chains is super critical. They aren't the fastest bike by far, but they are fun and will go though creeks, through snow and climb suprisingly large and steep hills, just not very fast! LOL Have fun and fix your bw right. You will be happier for it in the long run.

[Six Stroke]

Good info so far. I suppose it would be too much to expect a BW-specific parts vendor, eh? How about swingarm bearings/bushings?

[Vealmonkey]

I haven't really looked at aftermarket bearings, most of the things I looked for were still available from the dealer. All balls probably makes the bearing sets though, I know I've seen the steering stem bearings. Oh, the only way you can adjust the front chain tension is if you have the tool that came in the factory bw200 tool kit. So you may want to keep an eye out for one of those. It's a real thin, tuning fork looking deal and it's the only way to adjust that coencentric nut that changes the tension on the front chain. And now that I'm remembering, the cams would be from webcams and look for them under the tw200. You really need a better breathing muffler though to realize many performance gains with a better cam as well as regearing. But don't think about getting too much more in the way of speed though.

[Six Stroke]

Speed isn't a concern, just looking for a little more grunt to get up and over things, as well as make it more appropriate for the Paul Bunyan State Forest. How do they (or YTMs, even) hold up to the Wiseco piston? The jump from 8.5:1 to 10.25:1 CR is significant, and I don't want to sacrifice longevity.

[Vealmonkey]

Well, you could be overstressing 25 year old parts. But if it's what you want to do, then do it. I like the front disc. I like the freer breathing of the economy 3" disc muffler.. I believe there is an aftermarket pipe listed for the bw200. FMF, I think it is, but check on ebay, I've seen the pipes listed on there. If you really want more grunt, then you are better off getting a bw350. Be prepared to open up the wallet though. I've been looking for one for quite a while now and have never really found one in my area. But I enjoy the search.

[640AK]

I suggest improving the suspension as much as possible and the 350 engine will still overwhelm it. The Tri Z fork is awesome but you need to do something to make the rear equal to the front end.

Regards,

Mr. BigWheel

[Vealmonkey]

There are several modern day bikes that have disc fronts and drum rears, so I'm not quite getting what you are saying? If you have a suggestion or an already tried mod, please share.

[Six Stroke]

I think he's talking about the suspension rather than the brakes. I'm guessing my best option is to take rear shock measurements and find a better aftermarket piece that will bolt in, right? I've been keeping an eye out for a Z front end, since a brake/suspension upgrade sounds nice. Veal, how/where did you get your BW triples bored out?

[Vealmonkey]

Mike at HRE up in Pa did mine. The guys I know in PA, grew up with Mike and talk to him all the time, so it was no big deal to get my triples to him. I don't get alot of time off, so he had the triples for a bit, but it wasn't any big deal to me or him, which worked out nice for both of us. The whole tri z front end will bolt right on and the front wheels are the same for the tri z as well as the big wheel, but I really wanted the stock look of the bw200 single headlight and I have a nice used bw200 headlight guard, so I had to go back to stock. I will have all the tri z triple and nos headlight switch and headlight assembly if you are interested in them. I painted the tri z headlight shroud in white plastic paint, so it looks pretty stock, just not bright and shiney. Also I have an aftermarket dull rear fender that is brand new if you are interested. I believe I still have the stock bw200 front forks as well as the drum brake system if you need them as well. I have a stock 85 airbox if you need it. It's not cherry but it will work just fine, it was on my bw200. I got a real nice looking airbox, but it has a tab busted off of it, but it should work fine. I have an extra air filter cage and filter if you need those also and I may have some extra body parts if you need them, but can't remember exactly what right now. If I find a nos part at a bargain price, I buy it and replace parts slowly. Tammy Mosh can recover your seat to look brand new as long as your seat foam is in good shape. I think you can get a repro of your seat foam also. There is a nice rear tire on ebay right now, you may want to check it out. Not sure of the reserve on it though. Also there is a nice FMF exhaust on ebay too. Get that wallet out! LOL

[Six Stroke]

I also prefer the look of the stock BW headlight and trim, so I'll have to look into this. Most of the bike is there, but not quite all of it like the seller had told me. The clutch, oil pump, cam sprocket and cover, and pretty much all the gears from under the RH case cover are MIA. A buddy has an SR185 that he may let me cannibalize, so I see some parts fiche cross-referencing in my future. I do, however, have most everything I need to make a rolling chassis again once some new bearings have been put in and the frame has been powdercoated. I'll have to check with you a little later about that airbox...mine has a big hole melted in it.