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DT175MX // Porting advice?se
- davidivjak
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DT175MX // Porting advice?se was created by davidivjak
Hi everyone,
I am planning to modify my DT175MX ('81) a little, here's the setup I am going for:
- BigOne expansion chamber + silencer (already fitted)
- 28mm Mikuni flat slide (VM28-418, already fitted)
- allowing more air coming through the airbox (bought a cover that already had holes in it - so I am not destroying a stock one)
- VForce 3 reed valve with glass fibre reeds
- cylinder porting
I've got questions especially on the last point: I've never done porting by myself, but I am really keen to give it a try. Of course I will clean all the ports and try to improve the flow, for example by opening the boost port fully. Other than that I don't really have an idea what to do, so I would like to ask if anybody has done porting a DT cylinder and could give me some hints. I don't want anything crazy to squeeze the last bit of power out of it, just a gentle porting to fit the power band of the BigOne exhaust a bit more, which clearly likes higher rpms than the stock pipe. I think I would not touch the intake window itself, but would like to do some work on the exhaust and transfer ports.
I got myself a Clymer "How to" performance manual for Yamaha piston port models to '76 and found some port maps in it for 175cc enduro, motocross and motocross special. Is that something I can use as a guide?
Really appreciate any help! Thanks!
Cheers,
David
I am planning to modify my DT175MX ('81) a little, here's the setup I am going for:
- BigOne expansion chamber + silencer (already fitted)
- 28mm Mikuni flat slide (VM28-418, already fitted)
- allowing more air coming through the airbox (bought a cover that already had holes in it - so I am not destroying a stock one)
- VForce 3 reed valve with glass fibre reeds
- cylinder porting
I've got questions especially on the last point: I've never done porting by myself, but I am really keen to give it a try. Of course I will clean all the ports and try to improve the flow, for example by opening the boost port fully. Other than that I don't really have an idea what to do, so I would like to ask if anybody has done porting a DT cylinder and could give me some hints. I don't want anything crazy to squeeze the last bit of power out of it, just a gentle porting to fit the power band of the BigOne exhaust a bit more, which clearly likes higher rpms than the stock pipe. I think I would not touch the intake window itself, but would like to do some work on the exhaust and transfer ports.
I got myself a Clymer "How to" performance manual for Yamaha piston port models to '76 and found some port maps in it for 175cc enduro, motocross and motocross special. Is that something I can use as a guide?
Really appreciate any help! Thanks!
Cheers,
David
11 Jan 2026 06:23
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- automan
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Replied by automan on topic DT175MX // Porting advice?se
"Mikuni flat slide (VM28-418, already fitted) "
VM's are round slides.
VM's are round slides.
11 Jan 2026 07:48
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- automan
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Replied by automan on topic DT175MX // Porting advice?se
The exhaust pipe should be enough.
Leave the porting alone.
Leave the porting alone.
11 Jan 2026 07:49
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- davidivjak
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Replied by davidivjak on topic DT175MX // Porting advice?se
Yes, except for the 28mm from the TM series.
I don't know why they chose to label it as VM28.
I don't know why they chose to label it as VM28.
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- automan
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Replied by automan on topic DT175MX // Porting advice?se
Cauz they do not know.......
11 Jan 2026 08:40
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- MarkT
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Replied by MarkT on topic DT175MX // Porting advice?se
I don't have time to answer in detail right now but here is some info from one some of my previous posts here that you might find helpful for your projects.
While it will almost certainly run afterwards, messing with porting can very quickly give you less power than stock. Do your research first and have the right tools, especially for the transfers! Most people should probably consult an experienced professional with proven results on that engine and let them do the work. Removing obvious casting flaws (which is rarely needed on a Yamaha) is ok, but altering port heights and sizes can really make a mess. Just one mm change in porting heights can make a few HP difference, and if you're guessing, usually you end up with less power, not more.
One trick I often used was to analyze the pipe design first and then match the porting to optimize the pipe design. V Force is a waste of money on these old bikes in my experience, stock reeds work great. Every time I tried VForce, power went down, not up.
If you are "going wild" on the exhaust port, compression will be too low. Cheapest fix for the monoshock DT175 is to fit a 77-79 IT175 head. (Head bolts right on, IT175 cylinder will NOT)
I used Gordon Jenning's "Two Stroke Tuner's Handbook" to build my race engines... copy in the Tech Library here or on the Internet... still have the "real" copy I got in 1975.
A. Graham Bell also wrote some good books... still in print... some are probably available for download somewhere on the Internet
.......be careful of ring locator pin placement... using an IT or YZ piston can sometimes result in the ring gap passing over a transfer port if the pin spacing isn't right... very bad if a ring end catches in the port opening and it probably would eventually. Ring gap locations for various pistons marked in photo below.
This image is hidden for guests.
Good luck with your project.
While it will almost certainly run afterwards, messing with porting can very quickly give you less power than stock. Do your research first and have the right tools, especially for the transfers! Most people should probably consult an experienced professional with proven results on that engine and let them do the work. Removing obvious casting flaws (which is rarely needed on a Yamaha) is ok, but altering port heights and sizes can really make a mess. Just one mm change in porting heights can make a few HP difference, and if you're guessing, usually you end up with less power, not more.
One trick I often used was to analyze the pipe design first and then match the porting to optimize the pipe design. V Force is a waste of money on these old bikes in my experience, stock reeds work great. Every time I tried VForce, power went down, not up.
If you are "going wild" on the exhaust port, compression will be too low. Cheapest fix for the monoshock DT175 is to fit a 77-79 IT175 head. (Head bolts right on, IT175 cylinder will NOT)
I used Gordon Jenning's "Two Stroke Tuner's Handbook" to build my race engines... copy in the Tech Library here or on the Internet... still have the "real" copy I got in 1975.
A. Graham Bell also wrote some good books... still in print... some are probably available for download somewhere on the Internet
.......be careful of ring locator pin placement... using an IT or YZ piston can sometimes result in the ring gap passing over a transfer port if the pin spacing isn't right... very bad if a ring end catches in the port opening and it probably would eventually. Ring gap locations for various pistons marked in photo below.
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Good luck with your project.
1963 YG1-T, 1965 MG1-T, Allstate 250, 1970 CT1b, 1971 R5, 1973 AT3MX, 1974 TS400L, 1975 RD350, 1976 DT175C, 1976 Husqvarna 250CR, 1981 DT175G, 1988 DT50, 1990 "Super" DT50, 1991 RT180, 2017 XT250
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11 Jan 2026 09:02
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