What is the criteria for vintage? It seems like anything after 1976 is considered non vintage. Why?


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This particular group tends to lean towards the Yamaha two stroke models, which in the US started in 1968 and ended in 1978 to 80 dependent on model due to Federal Regulations. Most of the core group will tend to be most knowledgeable about the 1968-78 models.
We welcome later models, like the IT's and the TT models and such, and most of the members have other bikes they ride, but we have tried to focus on a core that there has been the biggest request for information about.
As long as it is an older Yamaha and is an Enduro, you won't get much flack from this crowd! If you are gonna make it into a bobber, you may get some, but please feel free to post about those bikes too in the proper section. The technical information applies to all of them!
The one thing we do tend to be is riders. There are a few garage and trailer queens in the bunch, but for the most part, all of us really, really like to ride, and have organized a number of group rides to get old enduro fans together for what these bikes were made to do! At Endurofest-Moab last May (see the photo gallery) we had at least one water cooled and even a very late model WR present!
What year bikes are you interested in?

I am interested in anything with 2 wheels and a throttle! When it comes to vintage Yamaha, the mono shock bikes really peak my interest. The mono shock suspension was evolutionary in the ride of enduros. Any of the 360 or 400 cc bikes also. The 1978 DT175's have a lot of appeal to me as I consider that a great tight woods bike.


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All of those bikes are certainly welcome! I think I might add a special category for the MX/YZ bikes. They have their own following and it tends to cross over.

I myself have a '78 DT400E Monoshock that I truly think is my nicest riding old enduro. Not the most powerful, but the best handling and best ride!







It started out as a true Pigs Ear, but after what started out as a simple freshen up the plastic turned into a semi full restoration and ultimately a keeper!

I have a 1978 400E also, converted to a "SM400" which I will repost in the custom section when time allows. That is a nice bike Gary! If you male a mx/yz section, maybe you could add the TY in also?



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I think I have seen your DT400E-SM and it is really nice! Seriously. I have plans for a DT400 Street Tracker/Cafe thing which is in a pile of collected parts in the garage awaiting time to build it - not unlike most of the other projects! There is little that is more fun than blasting through town on a smoker - turns a lot of heads, gets thumbs up from the 70's generation and frowns from the Millenials. Worth it in my book.

I just added both the sections you mentioned as I think they are both applicable and deserving of their own spots. Thanks for the suggestions and the support of the site!

I have been working on a DT400 pigs ear too. It sat in a garage for 21 years. When I brought it home it was green and primer gray. It came with a title. I need a few more parts to finish up, but I have ridden it around the neighborhood a few times with a smile. After I started working on the 400 I came across a clean and original 75 Dt250 and recently bought a package deal of 76 yz100, 2 yz125c and rolling chassis yz125x. The next project! I also have a 2010 Triumph America 900. The garage is full of wheels right now.

definition changes as time goes on, here in Texas you can register your vehicle as antique after it's 25th birthday, it seems like this is a subject that I hat comes up regularly in vintage groups, I believe for something to be considered antique it has to be 50 years old, anything else seems to be subject to the group of enthusiast as to how to classify , I use to have cut off dates to define vintage or non vintage, it seems weird to call a '90 model vintage, the vintage trials groups use the technology breakthroughs to define where they belong in the pecking order as far as competition such as water cooling, suspension travel, or disk brakes etc.

Edit note: just noticed this thread is vintage, February 2014

The above statement is perfect!

The word "Vintage" has technically been misused. The word comes from the grape and wine making industry where it is used to identify the time or place the grapes were harvested or the wine was bottled.

Examples: "Vintage 1974" or "Vintage Napa Valley California"

Using the word without a time or place identifier has become common... sometimes vintage is used as a derogatory term meaning old and worn out and undesired... or other times the meaning is complementary along the lines of better-built and desired...

Unless "vintage" is preceded or followed by a time frame, there isn't a widely recognized common or legal definition as to exactly what default time period vintage refers to... on ebay "vintage" is often used to describe beat up dirty stuff that might only be a week old...

P.S. There is a US historical preservation law that identified items made 100 years or more before the law was made as "antiques". That 100 year old definition still mostly holds in the antique industry here... except with vehicles there are laws in states that defines vehicles as "antique" when they are as little as 25 years old...

I'd also chuck "classic" or "historic" into the casserole!

Here in the UK you don't have to get a vehicle tested or pay any tax if it is 40+ years old - this is termed "Historic Vehicle".