As Paul Harvey would start his monologue: "And Now for the Rest of the Story!

Actually, we will go back to the beginning, a long time ago in a shed far, far away . . .

I had stopped at my riding buddy Motoguy's house for a chat and we strolled out to look at his latest acquisitions. There were Enduro parts and frames spread all over his shop floor, no rhyme or reason to it all. However, in the middle of the disarray, was what we thought was a DT1, with an odd collection of plastic and tin attached to it. It had some really Big A$$ knobby tires on it, and it was basically stripped for racing. There was some tale behind the bike, something about an ex-airplane mechanic's personal race bike or something. I was smitten by the bike in that irresistible way that one is enamoured with the last single lady in a smoky bar at closing time. I knew from the minute I saw it, I really wanted to take that bike home with me. Just sitting still in the shop it looked to be an evil, possessed kind of ride. I told him I got first dibs on it if he decided to part with it.

I left that night, and didn't think a lot more about the bike for quite some time.

We worked together so often would chat about the old bikes we were working on, and my son, who had learned to ride on his little vintage Z50, was getting bigger. Motoguy suggested I needed to buy his son's almost new 2002 XR-70. It seriously only had about 10 hours on it, so it was very attractive. We talked and talked and ended up trading an old aluminum boat and trailer for the bike. My son and I headed over to pick up the XR one cold, rainy, NW evening, and when we did, Motoguy said simply, "you know, you've always wanted the Black Yamaha and I am never gonna get to it - lets load it on the trailer too." The kind of deal you don't say "NO' to. To sweeten the pot, he tossed in a nasty old 78 DT400 with the motor in a box. What was I to do - there was room on the trailer . . .



This is what followed me home that night. Sorry about the picture quality - it will improve as we move along.

The bike had a ton of neat period correct MX upgrades. Akront shouldered rims, Preston Petty front fender, MX front end, Thermalflows, etc. Unfortunately, it looked as if it had been ridden a bit hard, and put away wet, kind of like the lady in the bar above . . .
I had always told him I got first option to buy it when he sold it, but never thought it would really come to pass. Yet here it was, sitting on the back of my trailer headed home!

We were both under the impression it was an RT1 of some flavor, and for a long time, that belief held. He was going to locate the paperwork down the line a ways (he was in the process of moving from one house to another, so everything was packed!) so I didn't worry. We work together so it was not really important at the time. Little did we know the ordeal we would be following soon. So that night, as we loaded up the bike in the dark, in the Northwest drizzle, I began to question my judgment. I was really more excited about it than the little XR70 that had my son's future name on it. Two more project bikes. Gonna have to get some flowers on the way home.

So here is what we started with.





Not exactly pretty, but actually a kind of cool vintage period MX of an enduro. It was important to me to get a titled bike, as I don't want them if I can't get a tag on them. So off to the storage it went, along with several other derelict bikes. Not even getting the decency to be started (I had heard it run some time before). Just packed away for later.



Fast forward a few months, and I keep asking Motoguy about the paperwork, and he can't seem to locate it anywhere. At some point it becomes clear that it was simply purchased on a bill of sale, which of course was now not anywhere to be found. This was a problem for me in Washington State as getting a title to such an animal is quite challenging. It was also about this time that I truly took the time to examine the bike, especially the numbers, as something does not seem right. Turns out all of the numbers on the bike matched but indicated a DT1, not and RT1 like the tank had led us to believe.

So we decide that Motoguy will get the paperwork cleared through Oregon where he lived. He calls the Oregon DMV who want to inspect the bike before they will tag it. Well – I just need a clean enduro title, not a plate, as Washington does not do safety inspections for licensing. We go back and forth with the bureaucrats and keep running into dead ends. At the same time we are chasing down the title for the 78 Monoshock, but that is another story.

I didn't want to proceed too far on the project, such as actually bolting anything onto the bike until I see the paperwork in hand. I do take a few parts off for resto work, and begin the long process of sourcing all of the parts and pieces I will need to build the bike I have already seen in my mind. You have all been there. More details of those will be posted as we move along.

I will be breaking this initial post into a number of posts to keep things manageable, but the story continues . . .

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Paperwork? We don't need no Stinking Paperwork!

Well - not quite true. Fast forward to spring, 2010. Motoguy tells me he got Oregon to issue him a registration and a plate for the bike! All is seeming to come together until he gets a letter from the DMV that the paperwork will be pulled unless we can get a sign off from the last registered owner – from 1977!! We need to chase down the last owner from 33 years ago! They are kind enough to give us a name, but no address. So the search begins anew. I pay the fee for an Intellius online search and locate a address and phone near Portland, Oregon and another in Raymond, Washington. I call the Oregon number and it is, as expected, not in service. Sinking feeling.

I try the Washington number which appears to be associated with a possible relative. A nice gentleman answers and I inquire if “John” is there. He wants to know who is calling and why. I go into my explanation and he lets me know that John is afflicted with Alzheimers and is in a nursing home, and recognizes no one. My heart again begins to sink and then he says the magic words - “but I am his guardian and have power of attorney!” A sweeter 10 words have not been uttered. I work in the legal field, so I understand that with his signature on the right documents and I can walk out of the office with a clean title!

We discuss what I need, and I agree to drive the 2 hours to Raymond to obtain signatures on the necessary documents, as well as a copy of the power of attorney that the Oregon DMV wants to see. By 4:00 p.m.the next day I am driving back from Raymond with all of the necessary paperwork signed and in hand! The cost? Half a tank of gas, two Mountain Dews and $2.50 for some copies! I also got to hear all about how the original owner of the bike was a real “toy” guy who loved his motorcycles and hot rods, and kept ranting at “the home” that everyone had stolen them all from him. Kind of sad, but at least I know a bike guy's bike is gonna get a new life! I also got to hear a first hand rendition about the invasion of North Africa in WWII! Next stop, a letter to the Salem, Oregon DMV.

Fast forward again about 3 weeks and I get a call from Motoguy, who has the freshly minted Oregon Title in his hands! Off I go, pick it up with a new bill of sale from him, and off to visit my local Washington title office. Less than 15 minutes, and less than $100 later, I walk out with an even more freshly minted Washington state registration and Plate in hand. The title would follow in a few weeks! Success!!!

So now finally the journey can start and the story can really begin.

I went to visit the bike again in the storage that night. Soon it would take a place of honor in the garage as the work began in earnest. Cleaning, fixing, etc. This bike would become something quite unusual based on the build plans in my head. It would be far and away my most ambitious build yet. I suspected it would take some time to accomplish, as numerous parts and pieces were already finished, but there was a lot to do. Paint, more cleaning, etc. Beware, the vision was commanded by the voices in my head, so . . .

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I will post up some pictures tonight of where we are starting the journey. Both the good and the bad. Rear wheel is an 18" Akront shouldered rim with a 4.00-18 Metzler Knobby in actually very good shape. It is probably destined for my MX project. This bike would get Dunlop D606 skins. The goal was a street legal bike of yet to be determined lineage, and the Dunlops have proven to be amazing tires for such things.



The rims are oxidized, but in very good shape overall. They just need new tires and a major cleaning. The front is also an Akront - in the 21" variety. Same shape as the rear.



The forks seemed to be in good shape but would get new seals. I didn't know if I would be running the rubber gaiters or just normal dust seals. Most likely keeping the MX forks however, unless something convinces me otherwise . . .



The chrome was not that bad, but I probably have a better looking set somewhere. I would also likely be trying out the pyramid stem roller bearings recently discussed in another thread. The front end had some interesting little pieces. Looks like the bike had been done mostly right at one point in time. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving . . .



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The Preston Petty front "Mudder" fender is a nice part, but it has been painted and has some heat damage. I have a different fender for the bike, but will likely hold onto this.



The rear fender was an A&A brand which from my research it appears that it stands for A&A Racing which is a flat track race bike part supplier. Not sure exactly what model it is, but obviously a kind of neat part. (Probably going on my shelf with the Preston Petty front Mudder!) There are some very special fenders coming for the bike..





It also had this neat plastic (aftermarket I believe) inner fender piece. It is in perfect shape and would make a good mold for someone to repop if it is not already being done.



It, like the rest of the bike, is kind of dirty. I kinda like that

A shot from under the seat - Hard to find these little babies in usable shape! Remember when I got the bike, I had never really examined anything - just tossed it onto the trailer and then into the storage for a later build.



You can see from that picture that the bike had really been stripped down. No air cleaner, few electrics at all, basically a home-brewed race bike.



Gonna need to fab a custom battery holder and air cleaner in there. Not sure exactly which route I would be taking, but there are a number of options on the table. The original key mount was still there. They even left me the screws! The switch of course was missing - off to Ebay we go.



You can see the frame finish is amazingly good in that last picture. I discovered after getting the bike home, it seemed to have had the frame powder coated, which gives it that kind of thick look. That was a real bonus.

The rear shocks seemed to be in very good functional shape, just in need of a good detailing job.



I think they were the best set of Thermalflow shocks I owned at the time . . .

I hoped to be able to use the rear sprocket on something. It is not too badly worn (the chain is not in good shape) but it will likely end up too large for my intended use on this bike.



I am guessing this thing was either used to climb trees or maybe do trials work.

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Turning to the motor, I knew little about it, just what Motoguy was told by the fellow he got the bike from. As I moved forward with the build, we discovered how LITTLE we really knew about the motor. Supposedly built by an aircraft mechanic and fairly freshly done. (RIGHT! - Trust me - you don't want to fly with this guy!) The bike was a runner for Mark, but needed a carb cleaning or something before I was getting it to cooperate and start. It was an interesting motor based on my limited exposure to the RT series:

Now you see it . . .





Now you don't!





The highly sought after right hand shift point for building a nice Old School Flat Tracker! Not in my plans, but cool anyway. I had never seen one of those before.

It also has the requisite factory rubber Tach block off plug intact too.





This bike would be getting some new high-tech instrumentation, so probably that would stay right where it has for the last 30+ years. I am gonna have to open up and reconnect the autolube setup, cuz I am lazy.




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The muffler is in very nice shape overall and would not need a lot to get it up to spec. I was not even sure I would be using it, as I had in the parts pile a neat flat track style down pipe Ihad sourced from a friend for this bike.








Obviously the guard needed a bit of work.


I also pulled the stator cover off and was pleasantly surprised! All of the coils seemed to be present and accounted for, and it pretty nice condition overall. I did not pull the flywheel, but from what I could see it is all good. Given that Motoguy had made the bike run, I had no reason to believe the ignition had any issues. I had other plans anyway . . . Top secret for now.







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A few more shots to show just where this bike started and how far it would need to come to meet the intro teaser pics seen at the beginning of the thread.







I was exceedingly happy with the bones I would get to hang the meat on with this project. Especially since I now had good paperwork, the project would hopefully start in earnest. I had a lot of neat ideas for the bike, and it would take quite awhile to get it done. There are a lot of build photos, so I will probably post this over a few days time. I will work a bit more tonight, the resume as time permits!

Thanks for following along so far.
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So after getting things to this point, more investigation as to what I really had was in order. The motor was definitely a DT1 case by the numbers stamped into the VIN spot. The numbers also matched those stamped in the frame head. But obviously, this was not a DT1 250cc head, but rather the much more evil and nasty RT360 head!




How the heck did they get the 360 jug mounted up on a 250 case? Obviously I was in over my technical expertise at this point.

I was also really going to need the aftermarket compression release I have hidden in the box to the motor. Wow. A 360. Holy crap. My leg is already starting to cramp up . . . Hold that thought.

Some carb photos. This is obviously not the original carb. The good news was I had a couple of stock RT1 carbs I bought in case I could not get it to work right back when I originally thought it was an RT1! Sometimes a plan comes together!





Looks to be 34mm Carb on that end, but . . .





Jeez! What kind of sick monster puts that big of a carb on an old bike like this? 52mm? What was going on?

Right under the enricher lever there is the number "322" with "E1" directly underneath it. No other markings I could find on it anywhere. I just noticed that the idle air screw was on the opposite side of the carb. Other than that, and the huge intake venturi, it was very similar to the DT400 carbs I had been working on. Main jet is on the bottom behind the plug. Different gasket, but otherwise looks very similar. A bit of research indicated the proper answer. It was a stock 34mm RT2MX carb! Hmmm.

Well - as fate would have it, I did not have a 360/250 one-off bastard skunkworks bike. It turned out to be a simple RT1 360cc motor. Someone cobbled (not engineered - COBBLED) it all together and at one time it probably ran like a wildabeast. I could not get it to run, but there were other priorities at the moment anyway.

Some of the parts that would be going into the build that had been arriving via my new best friend, the UPS guy! An amazing fresh repop wiring Harness from our member DEET .




A nicely restored seat done by yours truly (more details on that project HERE




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I decided to clean out the carb before trying to start the beast, so out comes the tools. First we have to open it up and take a look inside. I was pleasantly surprised.





Man if 1/2 of the bikes I dragged home had carbs that clean I would be in hog heaven! Actually if any of the bikes I OWN which are stored in the winter looked that good in the spring I would be in Hog Heaven! A little green from moisture working on the brass pieces, but really not that bad. It stunk pretty horribly from the old gas, but overall, not that bad.

Then I look at the other half and WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?





Turns out the MX carbs have a "splash ring" instead of a normal washer under the main jet, and some metal baffles to keep the bowl full when you ride in rough terrain. I am sure EVERYONE but me has seen these before, but it was neat to find. I also was able to determine that the settings (other than the main jet) seem to be stock RT2MX, and all parts are available via Sudco. The jet may be right, but somebody used some abrasive cleaner on it so it is hard to tell.


You have to remove the float arms and the main jet and splash ring to get the baffle out. It is actually sandwiched between two gaskets. In replacing them (they are available) you either get the two for use with the baffle, or one thicker one if you leave it out.






My favorite Eco Friendly Carb Cleaning Solution - don't look for this in California . . .





The best stuff for cleaning old carbs. 30 minutes or so and it makes everything look almost new. If you have a black painted carb, it WILL remove most all of the paint like a snake molting!

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