dt250400

Here are a pair of DT Yamahas owned by Chris Perrott from Berkshire, Chris has been restoring these bikes. The older bike with the orange tank is a 1972 DT250, which was imported from America in July of this year. As you can no doubt see its a bit of a wreck, and most of it has gone in the bin. The petrol tank and seat just fell to pieces, the wiring loom was home-made, the clocks and switches were useless... the list goes on. Luckily, parts for this model are plentiful in America and Chris has found sufficient parts, most of which are NOS (new old stock) to get the rebuild under way. The engine and frame will be sorted out by Redrose Retrobikes near Manchester as funds allow, and he hopes to start sending bits off soon. With any luck the bike will be finished in time for the 2010 show season.

The white bike is a 1976 DT400 type 513. It's pretty much complete, but again, some parts like the wiring loom have been butchered and will need replacing. Unlike the 250, parts are much harder to come by as this model was only sold in the UK for the 1976 model year and as many parts are country specific (i.e. wiring loom, ignition switch) this makes hunting for bits even more fun.

The frame and swinging arm have been stove enamelled nicely, but obviously not done by anyone who knows much about bikes, as several parts have been coated that should not have been. The seat was home-made, but fortunately Chris has found a restorable pan and foam, so just needs to get it recovered. The wheels have been rebuilt, but instead of spending a bit extra on powder coating the hubs, the whole lot, including the spokes, have been spray painted, so it will all have to be done again.

The Club For Classic Japanese Motorcycles

For Japanese Motorcycles 15 years plus