2020 YAMAHA TW200
R I D E R E V I E W
P96
and the manual back-up kickstarter lever
was removed.
It's low 9.5:1 compression means it will
run on just about anything, which is a good
thing when traveling in places where gaso-
line might not be of the highest quality.
The suspension is made up of a no-frills
33mm telescopic fork with 6.3 inches of
wheel travel up front and a single shock
The TW200 hasn't
changed much
since its debut in
1987. Its last update
came in 2001
when the front
drum brake was
replaced by a disc
and it got a CV
carburetor.
single-cylinder engine fueled by a 28mm
Mikuni carburetor. It transfers all of its 13 or
so horsepower to the rear wheel via a wet
multiplate clutch and manual five-speed
transmission. The most high-tech things on
the TW200 are its electric starting system
and front-disc brake, which it got in 2001,
the year the TW received its only real up-
grade. It also got a CV carburetor that year,
(Left) Here's what makes
the TW a TW—its fat rear
tire. The old-style drum
brake works just fine for
the type of riding you'll
be doing on a motorcycle
like this. (Right) The
front tire isn't as fat but
fat enough. The TW's
big tires makes riding in
sand and on loose terrain
much easier than with
"standard" tires, making
it great for beginners.
