Getting My First Trike, Yamaha 200e Shaft Info Needed

[slowneasy]

hello im buying a yamaha 200e shaft trike soon was wondering if anyone can give me some info on this model and if its a good trike, how does it ride i noticed it does not have no rear suspension and was hoping it still rode decent will be using it mainly for fishing and hunting and just joy riding any info on this model will be appreciated, also any mods for this trike i own a couple of quads and hoping the trike will be fun to ride. planning a complete tear down this winter to get her ready for next summer. thanks kris

[Yamahauler]

They are great trikes. The fully enclosed drive shaft is great. no chains to worry about.

They are a decent ride, kind of rough at high speeds, but since it is a utility, you dont really need to go too fast, I just like putting around, climbing hills, and towing with mine. So if your going to use yours for hunting and fishing it would be perfect.

With the 25 inch tires, if you keep about 3 or 4 pounds in them, it will soak up some bumbs.

They haul good, I pulled a bush out in the back yard with mine. They are easy to work on, electric start is very convinient as well.

All I can say is that their great bikes all around.

Were you planning on rebuilding the engine? I just did mine, the hardest part is pulling the rocker shafts out, they become stuck in there and you have to make a tool to pull them out. Be careful not to strip the threads on the inside of the rocker arm or you'll need a new head (it happened to me)

For mods, there isnt much, you can get a DG exhaust it isnt much of a differant over stock, but its cheaper. You see K&N filters on ebay the odd time as well. Thats all I know of.

Welcome to the board, and post some pics of the bike when you get some.

[freewheel3]

Yes, they are good trikes. More of a workhorse type than a sport trike.
The first 3 gears are all pretty low. 1st gear is a stump puller, almost like a 250SX.
They do sit taller than a 200 Honda, so it can be a little tippy until you get used to it.
They have 25" tires & no rear suspension (as you mentioned), run the rear tires as low as you can to soften the ride a bit.
Electric start is nice to have. No reverse on that model though.
Service it up when you get it & make sure the rear diff oil is clean, otherwise you'll have problems with it in the future.
Post some pics when you get it. (pretty sure thats a law here on 3WW) lol.
And, Welcome to the board.

[freewheel3]

Hmmm. I see Yamahauler beat me to it. I kept getting my favourite "The page cannot be displayed" message.

[slowneasy]

thanks guys im really looking forward to getting it its at my buddys dads house about a five hour drive been sitting in his garage for a couple years seen it last month looks like new only problem is the tires are bad from sitting didnt try to start it want to drain and clean everything first his dad said it runs great, are they pretty good in the mud what would be a good set of tires for this? this one looks like they are just turf tires his dad said there the ones it came with when he bought it. thanks again kris

[Yamahauler]

Kenda Bear Claws will get you through about anything!

[Yamahauler]

Thats not a very good pic of the tires, try this one

[350x'inNY]

If it's an 85, it might have reverse..... my 2 200E's both have reverse (200ERN's to be exact!)

Bruce

[Yamahauler]

Dont the 85 200's have rear suspension though?

[350x'inNY]

Dont the 85 200's have rear suspension though?

Nope.... Hardtails.... non of the 200's had suspension... just the 225DX/DR's

[polarisatvdude]

my dad has an old yamaha ytm 200 trike that has been sitting under our deck for several years i know that the cables for the brakes,the throttle and the shifter are either frozen or partly frozen and i beleive the tires are rotted or flat (he used to use it for ice fishing snd put screws in the tires to get better traction) i have a working knowledge of mechanical work but i have never worked on a trike or atv before this is my first trike and i am just wondering where a good place to start is

[225DX DUDE]

Talk about bringing an old thread back to life. I would clean the carb.

[Taiser]

I had an 83 YTM200EK. Here's what I'd watch for...

Don't overrev the bike. The valve tappets are recessed in the head with NO bearings, only thing keeping them cushioned is oil. You'll know if the bike has been revved hard as the valves will make a large steady "tick" that gets louder as the revs go up. Adjusting the valve lash will do squat.

Basically if you overrev the engine the valves will "float" and cause the lifters to make the mounts elongated. Only way to fix it is to get a new head (ask me how I know 565$ about 20 years ago!!!) and replace the lifters. Now when I mean overrev I mean big time, just don't floor it in first of second trying to get out of a swamp lol

If you get oversized tires, watch the exhaust. I had Wooly Boogers on mine, and thought I thought they cleared, everytime I hit a bump the tire would flex and touch the muffler, no big deal until one day it got loud...it had worn right through it!!! I put a bit more air in the tires...about 3.5 lbs but it was too rough, so I finally installed spacers.

Aside from those problems this bike was a tank and a submarine!!! Water up to the gas tank never faded it, the engine, clicking as it did never died and I worked it hard pulling firewood. I replaced the auto clutch in mine once (highly abused), the engine head (too much reving) and the stator coil but that was it and this was a highly abused machine...not too shabby, I'd love to get one like it again, more for nostalgia than anything else !

[Taiser]

HOLY CRAP!!!

I never looked at the date on the thread! LOL

[polarisatvdude]

thanks man i really apreciate the help i was also wondering if you happened to know if the ytm 200 is a shaft drive or not?