This '74 DT250 was the first bike I ever rode many years ago, finally convinced the owner to give it to me and it was a beater bike for a few years. Then it sat for a few years, and last year I did a mild frame-off resto. I took apart and cleaned the front suspension, new seals, new fork oil, greased up the steering bearings. New Shinko 270 road tires, 35psi. Cleaned up the stock rear suspension. Added 40lbs to the front engine cradle (EV conversion, I'll do a separate thread for that). I use for my 80 mile commute, mostly 55mph paved country roads.

However it feels a bit... loose? It's almost like I am constantly doing very small micro-corrections to keep it pointed straight. Barely discernable but it means I feel more worn out than I should be after a ride. No loose bolts or anything obviously a-miss. I've owned many bikes but I'm not a suspension guru, nor have I ridden any other 70s dirtbikes (generally streetbikes or more modern dual-sports). My thoughts are:
A. It's a 70s dirtbike, road-handling is not supposed to be it's strong suit.
B. Adding weight to the front cradle has messed up the geometry in some small way.
C. Something is broken, worn-out or mis-installed.
D. A combination of all 3?

Anyway, how do you rate the road-cruising ability of your DT? Is this something I need to live with or are there some improvements that can be made?

Thanks all.

(Subject should read "DT250 steering feels strange")

My '72 DT2 feels fine on the road. I'm running Heidenau K67 tires in the OEM sizes at 13psi front 16psi rear. They have the look of the classis enduro tires. Are you running the stock sizes?
Could also be your tire pattern and/or air pressure. Swing arm straight and aligned to the front?

I've added a stabilizer for my bike to make it more laid back to ride on the road because I felt the same way... You can turn a dial to turn it off for the tight trails 

My DT2 with Shinko "trail tire" front and rear handles just fine and I doubt that the steering has ever been touched and my for seals are in need of replacement.

If your using the stock steering bearing you might double check that also is your front rim been trued and balanced. Tire pressure seems high try maybe 25 or 30 psi

Without thinking too hard just yet. I've seen top & bottom races where owner has tried to fit one more ball than there's room for. Without looking & think i'm right--22 3/16 top & 19 1/4 bottom. If you add one it goes all to hell as not quite enough room. Other common thing is dents & wear in the races, lower race in particular as in load bearing & if dents you end up fighting it from in & out of dents trying to keep it tracking straight. If you put it on a box it won't be so noticeable as weight is off the bottom race. Other other thing is wear on the stem where the top race sits & that's a pain to eliminate. That causes forward & back movement & to overcome temporarily you'll need to overtighten the headrace which is on masking the problem. Then doing that--tightening--brings out the race dents--so can't win without replacing stuff.

Extra weight up front (plus old springs) could sag front end .

Someone could have put longer shocks on rear.

Either or both will reduce steering head angle which can make bike feel "squirrelly" at speed.

Bad races (notchy) and extra ball was mentioned... also bearing adjustment cranked too tight can also be a detriment.

Sorry for the late response, I was on vacation. Wow, great responses guys. I believe I'll start by disassembling the steering races and checking for that extra ball bearing or damage as suggested several times. Will report back.

I bought my DT250A last Sep. and took it for a few rides to test out.

I always wanted one since my old buddy had one. I loved it.

Test rides felt floppy, even for a street bike. Reminded me of the POS skuzukey wannabe cruiser I repaired the carbs on.

Unlike my H1D, it is way too much rake for an enduro. Once you turn slightly, it feeds more into turns. FLOPPY.

cliff