Literal Fat Cat: 1986 Honda TR200
One thing that a skinny guy without enough money will never be called is a Fat Cat, either for monetary or weight reasons. The same can’t be said about this 1986 Honda TR200 which is known as a Fat Cat. This one can be found here on eBay in Phoenix, Oregon. The seller has a $2,000 opening bid listed and no reserve after that.
I grew up more of a Yamaha guy than anything but now I have more Hondas than Yamahas, mostly oddball bikes. I’m guessing that a few of you have owned a fat-tire bike like a Yamaha BW200 or a Honda TR200 Fat Cat. A person would have to be Jeff Bezos to be able to collect one of every Honda motorcycle ever made, and since he’s a serious fat cat and I’m not, I’ll have to keep saving to add a Honda Fat Cat to the collection.
This is the one I would want, those optional racks on both the front and the rear of this one really make it appealing to certain collectors. Think of them as the Continental kit or side-view mirrors with a spotlight that seem to show up on almost every 1950s car or roof rack on a VW Beetle, even though they never came with them from the factory in most cases. Collectors love factory options like these luggage racks, I know I do.
The TR200 was only made for two years, 1986 and 1987. A show of hands for those of you who were born by then? It looks like about half, that’s good. The TR200 came with a 5-speed transmission with an automatic clutch. You can see that this one could use some help in the details department. There is a bit of chipped and worn paint and other cosmetic things to fix if a person wanted it to be like new.
The engine is Honda’s 199 cc four-stroke, two-valve single and the seller says that it starts easy and runs strong. It shifts through the gears great and there are no weird noises or smoke. Have any of you owned a fat-tire two-wheeler like a Honda TR200 Fat Cat or Yamaha BW200?
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Comments
For a kid, be a blast. While the big tires look corny, there is some method to that. These “fat tire” bicycles are all the rage out here. They look silly, but the bigger tires do help with ruts and bumps. I have a friend that bought a new Yam TW200, the next size up, with big tires, and street legal. He’s not happy with it one bit.
Scotty, I think you mean the TW200 for Yamaha.
Yamaha’s version of this was the BW series, in 80, 200, and 350 flavors. The 80 had some absurdly low weight limit. They drove like a drunken sailor above 20MPH or so, sloppy steering and whatnot.
Sigh, ok, this is ridiculous. Thanks, David, I was right the first #$%! time. I need more sleep, my apologies, I had it correct with BW200.
I have never ridden a big wheel bike, but i have heard they are weird, as i was told they dont ride like a 3 wheeler, or a dirt bike, but kinda both. I do want to ride one someday, but i think the Yamahas look better.
3 wheelers were, and are, inherently dangerous. Be careful.
Every type of offload machine is dangerous, all in their different ways. I will agree that 3 wheeler are the most dangerous, especially if the rider is inexperienced. Dirt bikes and quads are dangerous, but not accepted to be as dangerous, the media can do a lot to make a singular thing seem worse than others.
My SO works in an ER. Dangerous, you betcha. If people drove these things sedately, like they do in the commercials, it would be maybe okay, but most people do not, then add in the seemingly mandatory booze and it is nothing but bad.
Gun Rack Too!!!
Suzuki RV90, AKA Van Van the first fatty and the best…
I had one exactly like this in 1990.I was 12 at the time.Rode the hell out of it for a few years.It was great once you got use to it.It was more for cruising the mountains.I loved seeing this,I forgot all about having it.
good luck getting parts for these machines had 2 of them and like a boat the best 2 days you have is when you buy it and the day you sell it .
It does but it doesn’t perform better, it has a two chain system where the Honda has one chain. The big wheel needs to be maintenance very often where the Honda hardly needs anything