Started half heartedly looking for a new stablemate to join the VFR750 and DT175.  Since I only have a small shed and conservatory as a workshop / storage area and the VFR living in the shed.  The DT and it's new playmate will have to live in the conservatory.

There is a considerable step up into the conservatory, so the new bike will have to be small, light and optimally a two stroke.  If I saw a 76 or 77 Honda XL125 with the orange tank, I would make an exception.  Otherwise...

Been thinking on the lines of a GT80, looks like a fun bike, but I cannot ever recall them being an official UK model and the US imports for sale in the UK all seem to be pure dirt bikes without road equipment.

Were they ever a road going UK or European model?  I don't want to start finding things like stator plates being different and the road bike one with charging coil will not fit a off road version engine.  It will be a full on job just getting hold of GT80 bits over here.

As an aside, just got back from a ride out on the DT.  It being only a short ride around my village, I did not bother fishing out my riding boots, but just rode in my trainers like the idiot I am.

Kicking the bike up, my trainer slipped off the kickstart, which proceeded to assault my shin.

Have not done that in 40 years and I forgot just how painful it is.  Ouch.

"just rode in my trainers like the idiot I am".
Tinkicker we've all done it, although I never start my RT1 without having a full motorcycle boot on.

Just got back from a VJMC autojumble near winchester, and nearly added a beautifully restored '78 DT125MX to the collection, but it had sold when I went back.
Plenty of TYs pop up for sale and spares should be easy to get here.
ATs and CTs are great, just need to make sure they are as complete as possible if you want to keep the costs down.
Better still a nice RT1, if only someone was selling one in the UK
Good luck with your search.

"Just got back from a VJMC autojumble near winchester"

Popham?

A few of the aircooledrd club chaps were selling there.

I did think you might be there Alan.
There was an RD250 there, but without you there to advise I wouldn't know enough to know whether it was a good buy.

This one? A bit overpriced for me and might be a "bitsa". Seller is a club member from Southampton.

I thought about going but, as usual, got distracted and forgot all about it! 

 

 

 

On the GT1 or GT80...  and later the US DT80...  many of the dirt bike versions came with lighting coils installed... especially in the earlier years.  Stator plate would be the same size in any case.  (You got a very different DT80 that we didn't get here)

Many had lights stripped...  checking the VIN can tell you if it was a street version or an "MX" (motocross, not monoshock) version that did not have had lights originally.  Sometimes Yamaha deleted brackets on dirt bike (MX) frames so best to get a street version.

One nice thing about that model is it's very much the same from 73 to the 1980's at least...  Yamaha still stocks many parts and there's quite a big pool of used out there because of little changed for many years...  but like anything that old, some parts are hard to find. 

Gosh, on the RD250 i wouldn't pump the front tyre [tire] up any harder or might stop going around.

"Gosh, on the RD250 i wouldn't pump the front tyre [tire] up any harder or might stop going around."



Yes, the only thing that I've seen tighter fitting is me in a pair of my old jeans!!

It looks to me like a "C" wearing a "D" tank and an "E" side panel.