Hey guys! Just got my first vintage Yamaha! Its a crusty 1975 DT250. The bike was given to me from a friend. He assured me I was doing him a favor by taking it off his hands, and so far I am thinking he was right. It's missing quite a few parts including the flywheel and clutch assembly. I haven't dug to far into it yet, I've just cleaned up some mouse nests and pulled the crankcase covers.  

This is my second project bike. My first bike, which I still have, is a 1975 Honda XL100. It was a small project compared to what I am about to take on. It just needed the tank lined, carb cleaned, a few bulbs swapped, as well as a couple other cosmetic fixes.

I am looking forward to reading lots of old posts and learning a lot from you all. Thanks!

Welcome Rayj. I have the same bike. Two actually. One that is quite nice, and one that is quite crusty. Post up a picture or two of just how crusty yours is. Lots of parts available on eBay for that bike. Just take it one step at a time and you'll do fine.

Welcome to the site. I've got an almost all original one, if you need any reference photos or answers.

I'm working from my crowded basement because it is a lot warmer than my garage.  Because the basement is crowded, the pictures aren't great. Hopefully you'll get a chance to see just how crusty she is. I have all the covers, there just off to the side right now. I'll get a chance to hose her all down once the weather warms up a bit. I'm not sure where to start. Any suggestions?

MACE6772 wrote: Welcome to the site. I've got an almost all original one, if you need any reference photos or answers.

Hey Mace. I honestly would love whatever photos you've got. A lot of the linkage and wiring up front doesn't seem to be in the original place and tug a lot when turned at full lock. If you have any pictures of underneath the crank case covers, either side, that would be awesome too. Or really just any pictures in general would be awesome. At the very least I would get to look at another pretty sick DT250. Thanks so much! You guys are already motivating me to get stuff done on it while still making me feel welcome to the forum. 

Hi Rayj, nice projekt. Dont worry, my ´75 was in much worse condition. More rust and wrong/missing parts, but now it´s a beauty. I would give it a cleaning with a pressure washer, first. It will look much better then already.
Guido

Welcome ray
iam a newbie to the forum myself,
and coincidentally just starting work on my dt 250. So any tips we can share would benefit us both, here's a pic before i stripped it, iam in the uk, 

One of first issues was a seized swing arm pivot bolt,  had to cut it off in the end and ive got replacement on order.

Carldtyam wrote: Welcome ray
iam a newbie to the forum myself,
and coincidentally just starting work on my dt 250. So any tips we can share would benefit us both, here's a pic before i stripped it, iam in the uk, 

 

Nice! I love the yellow! Mine came with a plastic enduro tank. I'm glad I don't have to worry about the tank right now, but I will miss the original look. How did you decide where to start with your bike? Did you get it in running order right away?