Former 100 and 175 owner, current '73 RT3 360 owner-
I'll throw my helmet in the ring; had a 175 that I always thought was a '69, but it had a blue tank, and no Enduro markings. So,, I must've been wrong this whole time. Anyway, my Dad and I "customized" it and it was a hoot to ride then. This was before we knew any better, but it was a blast. 21" front wheel, stripped, plastic fenders, bored over, rejetted, it provided lots of good times for me as a teenager. Then we sold it and a 100 of similar vintage at a yard sale. We fortunately kept the RT3, and I will be working to put it back to near original. It's not far off now, but needs some work after 2 decades of neglect. It does run, however.

Here's the 175:
Early-mid 1987, not long after we bought the bike from a friend of my Dad.


December 1987, after we "updated" the bike.


Here's the 360 as it is now. Dad made the seat cover out of scrap vinyl about 25 years ago; a repro cover is on my list to get it back in black.

I need to dig deeper, but it looks like I had a 175 engine and frame with 125 tanks. Interesting!

Great to see all of the new folks coming to the site!

I sure am enjoying reading all of your stories and seeing the pic's of your bikes!

Keep them coming-

My name is Doug Whitfield, and I am on a journey to bring back some of the past. I live in Arizona and I got a wild hair about 1 year ago. I remember having a 1973 Yamaha RT3 360 when I was in college (Georgia Bulldawg) from 79 to 84. I decided to start looking for a project bike of the same year and make and eventually found a run-down RT3 that needed a lot of help. I brought the bike back to my garage and began my journey of gathering all of the parts that I knew I needed to completely restore this battle-scarred bike back to life. I've had a few bumps along the way, but have found that there are many of us out there doing what I am doing who still have a deep interest in enduros and the history and fun that they did and still do represent for enthusiasts.

Although I have previously joined other forums, I am trying to get to a group that is closer to my same bike interests and thus I am here.

Right off the bat, I have a huge need for some help from anyone out there who has undertaken restorations on Yamaha enduros. My delima is that I am trying to replace the sight glass on my oil tank for the RT3 360. I have removed the old glass, painted all of my tins, and am now trying to install a new sight glass. How is this done without damaging the oil tank/surrounding metal? HELP!
Thanks
DougAZ

Hi, my name is Peter from Sydney, Australia and I love bikes. So much so that I deliver mail on an NBC110 Honda for a living, My first love was bicycles when I was a kid and then I got a part-time job at Australia's first Macdonalds restaurant in my home town, Yagoona NSW. I saved my wages and bought a 1972 Suzuki TS250 road/trail bike from a friend of mine and didn't let my parents know until 2 weeks later when I cautiously rode it home from another mate's place near my high school and told my dad I was keeping it. My dad had ridden a bike when he met my mum in Switzerland after WW2, It was a Hoffmann 250 and I have one photo of him proudly posing with it back in the '50's.
My second bike was a Yamaha DT250 also made in '72. It had points where the Suzi had CDI ignition. I bought it purely as a trail only bike as it was unregistered and stripped down for the trail, It boasted a high compression head, expansion chamber, repositioned rear shocks, solid handlebar that flexed to stave off fatigue, fork brace, chain tensioner for the drive chain, 21 inch front wheel and later, 1/4 twist throttle and a larger back sprocket. It didn't handle that well, but it used to go!
I then became the proud owner of my third bike, after parting with the Yammi for a paint job on my '62 VW bug, which is another story, which was a 1980 Kawasaki KL250. I sold that after I met my wife to be for an engagement ring. The best investment I ever made.
Many years past without a bike. We raised a family and a dog and then when it became possible i bought a '08 Yamaha FZ6S which I still have. My wife hasn't been on the back yet, but the time is approaching sooner than later.
Now, I have an opportunity to look a friend's old bike in the shed which is a '70's Yamaha enduro 250 and in need of some TLC and wrenching and so I joined you guys in anticipation of a resto.

Welcome Doug, I don't know if this has been answered yet, but I used a spray on silicone lube and pushed my in. It takes a little strength but it worked for me.

Scott

And the rest is History! Welcome to the site!

Looking forward to hearing about your project!

Hope to eyeball the bike this weekend... and buying a helmet for my beautiful wife tomorrow, "Something's actually happening, Reg" (quote from Monty Python's life of Brian)

Great question for the subject line - My answer part nostalgic, part Masochist for taking on my dads 71' DT250E

I'm in Elon, NC and have taken on my dads bike(hence my user name) as a project. I rode on this bike as a toddler and it spurred my love of motorcycles which I've had 15+. I have the bike mostly apart now. I'm getting ready to order parts and have already been hooked up with DEET and will be paying for some of his services that I just don't care to figure out. I have been taking pics along the way so at some point I'll share them.

You are lucky! You can take your stuff right to DEET and see the master at work! He is only about an hour from you I believe.

Welcome to the site and thanks for giving new life to you dad's old bike - that makes it even cooler than normal!