Hello everyone this is my first post here so I hope I get this right. Anyways I've recently come to own a Yamaha DT 360 early 70's unsure of the exact year. It is an enduro and a quick search on google will provide plenty of examples of what the bike looksl like. Anyways I got the bike for free from a friend who blew the engine out redlining it when the throttle got stuck. I took the head and cylinder off and decided the damage was not too bad and that I was going to fix it. I want to make it into a cafe style bike and started searching for examples of this bike turned into a cafe racer and found absolutely none. Just curious if anyone knows of any and why the DT 360 would not be an ideal candidate to turn into a cafe racer. Anyways hope to hear from you all thanks.
Yamaha DT360 Cafe
- Thread starter Joutmez
- Start date
Nojokirk 75cl360
DT250 project in the works!
I have a DT250, I'll be watching this. I love these yamahoppers
Thanks for showing an interest buddy. I guess I should throw some pics up. I really don't plan on going all out like some people on here have. There is some insane craftsmanship on some of these builds. Since I am a broke college student I was going to do this as cheaply as possible. Pretty much just take off all the parts I can such as fenders and turn signals ect. Put some cafe style bars on there along with a new seat and one of those little external air filters that attaches straight to the carb. All in all I am trying to spend 500 tops including rebuilding the motor. No way am I cleaning this thing up bolt by bolt. Just trying to make ratty cafe style bike. My inspiration came from the movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. In the American Version the girl rides a cafe style bike which I came to find out was a Honda CL 350 and it just looked sick and since then I've wanted one.
50gary
Under the Limelight
I have an RT 360 I'm working on for a cafe/track bike. I have the chassis more than half way done. I just need to build the sub-frame. I have a mono shock and a new R1 front end sheerer tube and top tube etc. I have a difficult time with photos which is why I don't post pictures. I also have a DT 250 roller that I'm doing a cafe/rat rod conversion, working on that today. I'm on board with your build for sure. Can't wait to see the bike develop.
Cheers, 50gary
Cheers, 50gary
bring it on
James Hart
Active Member
I just started a 1971 CT1 street bike project... I was thinking of an RT or DT, but my first bike was a 71 CT1 and a titled basket case found me.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk
Well, It depends a lot on your skills, budget, and determination to get from where you are to where you want to be. In MY opinion, the DT 360 is a superb starting place. It is already:
1) an actual street bike with lights and a charging system.
2) is SUPER light weight compared to - say a Honda CB 360.
3) reasonably powerful for its size.
At first blush the fact that it is a 2 stroke may seem an economic incentive, but it isn't. The fact that it is a single cylinder is. Style wise, it is an enduro, and looks very not like a cafe bike, but at the end of the day, making it into one will not be all that different from starting with a dedicated street bike. I had a DT100 back in the 70's and put clip-ons and street tires on it. Started as sort of a joke as I was using it as a pit bike, but it was so cool I started riding it on the street. I'm pretty sure it was the most fun bike I've ever driven! It just depends on your vision to look beyond what you start with to see what you could end up with. Driving it around will never be like riding a four stoke around, but if you are ok with beating the crap out of every "equivalent" 4 stroke twin in town at the expense of sounding like a dirt bike, I say start cutting!
1) an actual street bike with lights and a charging system.
2) is SUPER light weight compared to - say a Honda CB 360.
3) reasonably powerful for its size.
At first blush the fact that it is a 2 stroke may seem an economic incentive, but it isn't. The fact that it is a single cylinder is. Style wise, it is an enduro, and looks very not like a cafe bike, but at the end of the day, making it into one will not be all that different from starting with a dedicated street bike. I had a DT100 back in the 70's and put clip-ons and street tires on it. Started as sort of a joke as I was using it as a pit bike, but it was so cool I started riding it on the street. I'm pretty sure it was the most fun bike I've ever driven! It just depends on your vision to look beyond what you start with to see what you could end up with. Driving it around will never be like riding a four stoke around, but if you are ok with beating the crap out of every "equivalent" 4 stroke twin in town at the expense of sounding like a dirt bike, I say start cutting!
edelweiss
Coast to Coast
jpmobius said:
That's what I say too. Just because people don't convert 2-strokes to a cafe bike is the best reason to do it. My approach to any design is watch what other people do (what most people do) then go the opposite way. Any success, in all it's forms, has always happened because those people did the unexpected.
Here is the voice over to that old Apple commercial which would best some up:
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
