New member here. 1975 Yamaha DT250B

RONNOC206

I have a 1975 yamaha dt250b. Had only 3000 miles when I bought it, learned how to ride and ran great for awhile but its now in a shop for a carb clean and a new clutch (sob). Its been a few weeks and I miss her dearly. But I got a great deal for $700.
It has mid size atv bars, different mirrors and bigger knobbies but besides that all stock.
I'm looking for a motorcycle votech or aprentence deal to learn how work on motorcycles.
Also a big fan of the cafe racers epecially on the old japanese style bikes. I want to cafe a honda cx500!

MR.CHocko · Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:59 pm Post subject:

Welcome and you are definitely are crazy enough to be one of us. Especially the fact that you want to cafe perhaps one of the worst handleing honda motorcycles of all time. The CX500 is a very reliable motorcycle, but handles like a wheel barrow full of bricks. Better off cafeing a Guzzi or a Harley.

Russell · Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 6:05 pm Post subject:

The CX is a shaftie.It had an excuse to be a bit 'different' in its handling.Not only a shaft but the crank 'in-line'!
All compounded by spindly forks something that was attended to in the last of the breed -the 650 versions.

MR.CHocko · Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 6:13 pm Post subject:

I view the forks the main reason why it handles like a ton of bricks. Everyone is cafeing bikes these days. Do something different like turn a CX500 into a flat tracker or do something I want to do modify a bike that no one would ever think to modify. Like a BMW.

Runningdog · Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 6:46 pm Post subject:

Ronno, at least you picked a good bike to learn a bit on...the DTs are really simple to work on. You should have started on doing the clutch yourself, and the carb on those is easy to clean and rebuild.

Fun bike to ride, too...I wish my DT had been earlier than '77, just for the looks of twin rear shocks.

Good luck with learning moto-stuff...get the manuals for your bike, start with simple things like cable adjustment.

mixer · Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 7:41 pm Post subject:

BMW's make some killer shaftie cafes, not common here but in europe they have a cult following. the CX does handle like a pig, but that CAN be changed with a change of geometry, not easy or cheap, and the learning curve is kinda painful.

now if you want to do something REALLY out there, crack out the creativity, and start with a royal enfeild, and make a COMPETENT dual sport out of it.

RONNOC206 · Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 8:15 pm Post subject:

I had no idea that the cx500 handles like a ton of bricks and a pig haha
I saw a guy had put front forks from I think an 86' gsxr to inprove handling, but i hadnt done much research on the bike itself, its a definite long shot for me right now knowlegde and financial wise. I just thought they looked cool... haha

Thanks for the insight guys

I have a manuel but its aftermarket and generalize with severval different yamahas. I thought about cleaning the carbs myself but having zero experiance I would most likly dig myself into a deeper hole.

MR.CHocko · Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 3:11 am Post subject:

Check out one of threads in the forums there is a listing of a website where you can download manuals. They may have the manual for your bike. Cleaning carbs is easy. Take a lot of pictures, so you know where everything goes, and then boil everything in simple green and water. Make sure first that you take out all the jets. The CX500 is a very popular motorcycle if not for its looks, but for the fact that it is very reliable. There are several owners out there that have well over 200,000 miles on those bikes. So they will do just about anything to improve its quirks.

soggydollars · Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:02 am Post subject: DT

Welcome, I'm a new member too.
I love the look of those Yamaha DT's, would like to own one some day.
I had been looking for one, but everything that I have seen thus far has been beat.
I happened upon a 66 yds3 and that has had all my time and $ so far.
Good luck with yours.

Steve Searles · Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:15 am Post subject:

Welcome, I also have a DT250B. Great bikes! But the CX500 is another story. Top heavy also adds to the poor handling. Cafe a CB500/550 or a CB350/360. Motorcycling and wrenching on bikes is a blast and you learn alot about mechanicals. Nice dual sport roads in the mountains of WA. My brother and I went around Lake Chelan on the dual sports. What a blast. Enjoy.

Russell · Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 8:40 pm Post subject:

Dual-sports. As main roads get busier and busier and law enforcement gets more pervasive bikes that can be fun on loose and dirt surfaced winding roads are the way to go. Away from traffic, away from radar,you can have a lot of fun at relatively modest speeds.Trouble is it's also that much further from hospitals so???????????????

MR.CHocko · Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 4:50 am Post subject:

In terms of motorcycling history the Yamaha DT and RT series bikes actually gave the Japanese motorcycle industry the credit and recognition that they deserved. The RT when it came out was unbeaten in Trials racing on the World Cup circuit. The sad thing is that there are not that many of those bikes around because they all got trashed. But it it good to see them getting restored and ridden.

Hippykid · Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:59 am Post subject:

I have over 25 of the pre 80 Yammy 2 strokes-From the three trials bikes yammy offered to damn near every
bike offered in 74(enduro and mx)....Life is good...