I've been on the prowl for a mid '70's DT for awhile so when one popped up in a local ad, I couldn't help myself. It seems like most of the bikes that I've bought over the last, few years have required a 3 day adventure to go get so I was shocked to see this one close to home. This one has sat for two years as the owner had passed on but it's complete and has good compression and spark. Plus, it's been inside it's whole life. I'm hoping it won't take a whole lot to get it going. Anyway...I'm pumped and had to share it with people who appreciate it! My neighbors, who bitch about the sound of my straight pipe BSA, will LOVE this old two stroke firing off!!
Nice bike. You need to post some pics up on Yamahaenduro.com if you can get on there. They are Yamaha fanatics.
I will for sure! It's been warm here so far this month so I'm going to try to get after it before winter really sets in. I need to pull the carb and clean it and also, the tank is pretty full of 2 year old gas. I also want to flush the oil system. I do know that the front forks need gone through as they are super spongy. Fresh fuel, oil, clean carb and plug and maybe she'll fire!
There's a running lower mileage one for sale here locally I might buy if the timing works out. That and the 250 version are honestly the only early yamaha 2T Enduros I really felt comfortable riding on a daily basis. And they still are.
Love it !! Bought one new and loved it One possible tip: Might want to do the initial, first time start up using pre mix in the tank until your sure the auto lube is working. Might cost a fouled plug in awhile but good insurance in case there is a problem. Great find !!
I feel the same way about it and that's why I've been looking for one. I really want to ride it on a daily basis if I can. There's just something about these old DT's that I love!! I'm looking forward to getting into it! THANKS!!!!! It really is pretty decent. The thing that I like about it is that it's complete. I appreciate the advise and will take it!! The injection system on these does make me a bit nervous. I had an old 250 for a while and ended up just bypassing it and mixing in the tank.
THANK YOU for the advise!! I appreciate it and will use it! I'm looking forward to getting this bike up and going. After hearing what you and others have said now about the injection system, I'm feeling better about it. I've just had the one, old 250 Yamaha that had this system on it and the whole bike was a real POS anyway. I like the idea of not having to mix in the tank all the time, so I hope that this one is operable. It's supposed to be pretty warm here next week so I'm hoping to get out to the shop and tear into it.
I've never thought of doing it that way but it totally makes sense!! I plan on doing some longer, type rides on this bike so I really want to be sure that it's working properly first! I'm hip to any advise and/or suggestions so I really appreciate it!
Don't known if the DT400 oil injection system is the same as a early DT1-250. On early 250's the oil control cable pulls the valve open. So a broken cable closes off oil supply. Bought one cheap with a seized engine from this happening. Prolly a good idea to check the cable once in a while. Butch
Butch, I had one of those old 250's for a while in high school. That exact thing happened to this one but we caught it in time and just pre-mixed it from there. Good running little bike though! I'm going to go through this thing top to bottom before I start riding it much. I'd like to take it on some longer runs and ride it as much as I can throughout the year. It's survived all of these years and I don't want to be the one to fry it!!
Dont get anybetter than the old DT400, Think I am about 8000 miles of TAT, CDR and Shadow of the Rockies playing and them some here in OK. Still my favorite mountian/woods ride... Nice find.....
Welll...I finally got around to going through the DT. New battery, plug, clean carburetor, change lube and cleaned the gas tank and air filter. I also purged the oil tank and made sure the pump was pumping and aired the tires. 2 kicks and she fired off!! This is the first time in several years that it's ran and I was pretty stoked! It has good compression and spark so i figured she'd fire. I rolled out slow and did a brake and clutch check. It all seemed OK so I made a short trip around the block! It runs like new...so far). There's a lot more that I'm going to do before heading too far from home but so far, so good. The tach and speedo seem to function and I did lube them up as well. I'll post some pics when I get it out somewhere that's a bit more exciting than the alley!!! Thanks to all who gave me advice and info on these old dudes. "Vance..."Vinnie the Snake", thanks a million!! Maybe I'll see you on the TAT or just down in your neck of the woods before too long. a buddy of mine and I are discussing a little Vintage enduro roadtrip.
So...I've been able to get some good time in on the Dt this past weekend. Rode it fairly hard for an hour or so and then took it out in the pasture for some frog hunting with the kiddos! Still need to rebuild the forks and some other little things but it's been a good riding bike so far. It's comfortable to ride and is pretty nimble with plenty of power. I'm excited to tag it and start commuting on it a bit!
Those Mikuni injection pumps are rock solid. Coagulated oil (raspberry jam) in the oil tank causes most failures. Inspect supply and delivery hoses.
