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.
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.