recently i had chance to throw a foot on a 1996 Yamaha TW200. Or was it a 2008? Or a 1988? Who cares, it’s all the same. In 35 years Yamaha TW200 has become the fun and tiresome revolving horse of the Yamaha lineup, essentially unchanged.
We dare say that no other bike today has the fanfare of the already tired hot air balloon TW200. And, in a motoring world where vintage bikes are all the rage, why not buy a bike that hasn’t changed since 1987?
Yamaha has a history of stocking bikes that are past their sale date. The V-Max and YZF-R6 remained in the catalog for decades (with some upgrades). We think the 2023 TW200 is the oldest new motorcycle you can buy in the US and we should buy it.
Sure, some will remind me that Honda Cube has been around forever, and so has the Royal Enfield Bullet (not without interruption), and Honda has also been making the CB125 for decades. Of course, there are also established models that have been around for decades, such as the Harley-Davidson Sportster. But no one would mistake a 1957 Sporty for a modern one, or even an ’80s Evo for today’s bikes.
Since 1987, Yamaha has been making this little two-wheeled mountain goat. Aside from adding an electric starter, its basics are still from Triassic. It still has a tiny 28mm Mikuni carburetor powering the air-cooled 196cc single-cylinder engine. It’s not powerful, and during the short ride around the parking lot, I don’t think I went over 25 mph. But it feels fun at 25 and that’s not something I can say for other bikes I’ve ridden recently.
Pretty much everything about this dual sport is designed around fun. It’s not fast. It’s fine off-road, but not the Maico 490. Still, for a bike that’s been on the market for almost 40 years, it’s hard to fault. The 31-inch (78 cm) saddle height makes it accessible to beginners, but those big balloon tires do more of the heck than you might expect.
In the US, it sells for $4,900 (€4,530), making it a bargain. We expect Yamaha to continue selling the TW200 for another 35 years, though we’d love to see a fuel injection system soon.
