OUR CLASSICS
CB ad man Gareth wanted a Yamaha DT... and got two
WITH WINTER FAST approaching (along with another dreaded lockdown), I set about looking out for something to fettle when the clocks went back– but somehow ended up with two bikes. Over the last couple of seasons I’ve been racing a bit of flat track, running converted modern 450 motocross bikes in the single-cylinder classes. The thing is, the vintage class that runs alongside looks an absolute hoot; all the bikes are so cool, sound amazing and smell fantastic. The guys riding in that class are really friendly and such great company, I decided to buy a bike that I could restore and convert to race in 2021 – assuming the world gets back to some sort of normal, that is...
I have always had a soft spot for ’70s trail bikes, especially two-strokes, so decided this was the route to go. It probably stems from our next-door neighbour when I was growing up; she had a two-stroke Kawasaki as her daily transport and I used to help her fix it in the back shed.
Rules dictate that the bike has to be a twin-shock model running a standard frame. Etiquette also dictates that you should try to run as many of the original other parts as
‘I’VE ALWAYS HAD A SOFT SPOT FOR ’70S TRAIL BIKES, ESPECIALLY TWO-STROKES’
possible – apart from the wheels, which have to be a pair of 19in rims. Turning up with a custom front end using modern Yamaha R6 forks is not really in the spirit.
I started to look at Yamaha DT’S, mainly 250s and 400s; the problems is, prices have really started to harden up, with mint low-mileage models fetching anything up to £5000 – and that’s before you spend out on the conversion. At the other end of the scale, sellers are offering rusty boxes of bits – and there’s not much about for sale in between. Due to the healthy twin-shock vintage motocross scene, MX models are even more expensive than the trail bikes. I spotted a 1976 DT250C Enduro model online that was being advertised for £2950. After a quick chat with the owner, a colonel in the British Army, I made the trip down to Hampshire with my eldest son, Finn, to have a look. It transpired that he had owned the bike almost from new; his best friend’s family bought it brand new in 1976 for use on their farm. He bought it in 1977 and used it until it stopped running in the 1980s; it had sat in his father’s shed ever since. He set about restoring it last year, and it was about 90% there.
I asked why he was selling it, assuming he’d simply lost interest. The real reason was much more poignant than that – it was down to his hearing. Years of battle in the heavy tanks regiment had left him with screaming tinnitus, to the point where he was simply unable to ride any more. He even had to get some full-on ear defenders just to kickstart the bike.
The bike isn’t perfect; the seat catch was missing for example, but it was generally in very good condition and looked fantastic in its original colour of Newport Orange. He’d held it for me on the agreement that, if it was as he’d described, I would take it. It was better than he had described –and this now became a problem. We agreed on £2850, loaded the bike into the van and headed home. But as soon as we got round the corner, my son and I looked at each other and started laughing, thinking exactly the same thing – it was way too good for what we needed. I said: “It’d be a crime to convert it!” He agreed, coming back with: “Imagine when we throw it down the track!”
We’d bought a lovely bike for a great price that just wasn’t right for the conversion to a track bike. It was just too good, plus we would have to take off all the road going parts like clocks, headlight, indicators and suchlike.
Back home, the 250 started first kick and rode really well, but the carb clearly needed setting up, and the guy had far too much oil in the pre-mix (he’d disconnected the original oil pump, although it is all still in situ).
The clutch cable was also so badly routed it made for a very stiff operation, which had ended in the cable casing becoming worn and damaged. The tacho cable wasn’t working at all, so I ordered new cables from Wemoto (wemoto.com) and set about replacing both. It also had the incorrect kickstart lever fitted, but I sourced one from CMS (cmsnl.com) in the Netherlands which came next day.
The bike was leaking a bit of gearbox oil, so I ordered some new gaskets from Yambits (yambits.co.uk), replacing both sides on the cases, and fitting a new drain plug and washer to remedy this. My next job will be to get it on a local rolling road to set up the fuelling properly.
Having realised the 250 wasn’t the right bike to turn into a vintage flat tracker, I set about searching for something more suitable. While browsing ebay one evening, I spotted a live auction for a recently imported Us-model DT. This looked more like it – a 1971 DT360 RT1 in MX trim.
I love the way the pipe on the early 360 sweeps around and up the side of the bike. OK, it makes them vulnerable to damage, but would look great on a flat track conversion.
Crucially, this bike was complete but wasn’t running, with the listing stating there was ‘no spark’ and that it was suitable for a ‘spares or restoration project’. A friend had recently bought a 360 which turned out to have parts missing, a rusty carb and forks bent like bananas. I was taking a gamble, but these bikes are very straightforward mechanically and I’d have more in the budget for the conversion. The auction ended on a Thursday at a strange time of day, so I was able to buy the bike for £850, albeit completely blind. I put a shipping brief on the courier bidding website Shiply and was able to get the bike delivered from Hampshire for £125.
I was hoping the bike had come from a relatively ‘dry’ state in the US and the engine would be in decent shape. I was lucky. Although very dirty, any rust was superficial and the engine turned over fine, with decent compression – but, as advertised, no spark. That’s because over half the electrics were missing! Starting can be a touch unreliable with the RT1, and I was planning to remove any remaining electrics and fitting a modern digital ignition setup anyway, so this was no issue for me.
The bike also arrived with a race tag on its ’bars and AMA numberboard stickers on both sides of the (rusty and dented) tank. This was a good sign; if this bike had been raced in vintage twinshock motocross in the States, there was a good chance it had been looked after. I drained the oil, which to my relief was clean. The clutch basket proved to be in incredibly good shape, too.
The Mikuni carbs on the DT360 were originally painted black, but this one looked like it had been recently repainted by a child, in the dark. The paint stripped off easily with clean petrol and carb cleaner spray; the inside, slide and jets was very clean and came up nicely with a strip-down and clean. I junked the air box and fitted a K&N type racing filter, but may have to change the jets.
The next stage will be to make a list of all consumables that need replacing, such as bearings, brake shoes, chain and sprockets, etc. I’ll then take a look at upgrades and mods I’ll need to make the conversion to a racing flat tracker. These will include electronic ignition, new rims and tyres, a suitable seat unit, ’bars and new rear shocks.
I already feel that I haven’t got long enough before practice for next season starts. So maybe the winter lockdown will become a blessing in disguise – there’s nothing else to do or anywhere to go anyway!
‘WE BOUGHT A LOVELY BIKE FOR A GREAT PRICE. BUT IT WASN’T RIGHT FOR THE TRACK’