1973 DT250 cafe racer

Catbird

DT250 epidemic - Patient Zero
Recently I acquired two additional DT250s and literally 200lbs of spare engine parts.
I am infatuated with the relative performance potential of such a light, simple 2-stroke, and have been riding my 75 restoration bike since I was 13.

THe original plan was to restore a couple of them and try to do a halfassed pseudo-cafe bike with some of the looks and a mild rider geometry change, but I had an epiphany recently.
The 275lb motorcycle isn't suitable for long, drug-out highway riding with its high rider position and very low mass. I am only going to be using it around the town and for limited highway use, and this means concerns for proper rider comfort really go out the window.

This means that there is no sin or folly in converting one of these peppy little featherweights into a really super-cool, super raw, stripped-down street machine.

I have a mostly-finished 73 DT250 ready to start and run with only a little bit more work. Its seat is butchered, its tank is ugly, and most of the electronics need to be reworked. This in turn means that I am at no loss if I have to ruin them.

I will be posting photos soon.

First on the agenda is getting the magneto put back together and getting the bike running.
Next will be cleaning out a tank for permanent mounting.
Then I'll be looking into a handlebar solution, likely a set of tracker bars flipped upside-down since that's what I've got on hand. Proper clubmans may be forthcoming.
Rearset controls will follow that.
At that point I'll focus on constructing the seat out of fiberglass or possibly aluminum, keeping in mind that I'll be wanting to store the battery and all electronics therein.
 
Sounds like my bike is going to get a big brother!
http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=35062.0
I'd LOVE to have a DT250, but they are selling for ridiculous prices these days.
Interested to see how your build goes.
 
Oh, I'm really hoping it turns out good. Buuut, it's me... So it'll probably be the coolest explosion ever. :D
 
In the morning I'll be taking measurements for homemade rearsets and trying the bars on upside-down. If they don't seem quite right, I'll have to wait until my father is at work some other morning to re-bend them. He told me not to, which means that I have to wait until he has no evidence except his patchy memory to suggest I did anything. :D
 
Easy, broseph! I know 1AM is morning technically, but I ain't starting for another few hours yet. :D
 
i did the same thing, i flipped tracker bars, its works great. and im putting gsxr rearsets on it. i welded tabs for em
 
WHere I started this morning:
DSCN1573.jpg


Where I'm at after 4 hours:
DSCN1583.jpg

DSCN1579.jpg

DSCN1581.jpg
 
I'm likeing where your going man ! maybe look at a set of trials bars they dont have that steep of a bend might work with not such a lean down and forward ? anyway keep it up and more PICS lol !
 
Interim solution so far is that Milehigh is sending me a set of drag bars.
At some point this old gal is just going to get a *real* set of clubmans (Or, if I continue with the intentionally-not-using-parts-the-correct-way trend, a set of less aggressively bent tracker bars that would be lower when upright, so that they're higher when upside-down), but the drag bars will be an excellent substitute until I can get rearsets constructed. More balanced ride position.

And the gold tank is the original '73 DT250 tank. I wasn't digging the shape on a cafe, it'll probably go on one of the other bikes once I get two running machines.

EDIT:

I am considering a kitschy, fun paint scheme for the finished product.
Taxicab motif sound goofy and fun enough for a low-displacement cafe?
 
i can dig it steve, this shit is really comin alont. looks just like my bike as it sits right now hahah. to a fuckin tee!
 
Henry offered me a set of drag bars, which will be much more comfortable until I get rearsets installed. Then I'll either return to these bars and try again to bend them, or I'll switch to a proper set of CLubmans.
 
Jamoni made some badass rearsets for his DT100 bucket racer. I will be borrowing heavily from his design as I really like how they turned out.
 
That's great! Now, here's the question I have for you... Can they be had for less than the cost of some 3/8" billet aluminum stock? :D
 
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