OzVMX Forum
Marque Remarks => Yamaha => Topic started by: Doggy Digger on January 09, 2011, 10:23:05 pm
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I think these photos are lovely. And I reckon the last one (off back cover) is SPECTACULAR.
Feb, 1970 magazine:
"Sonny DeFeo of the Ghost Motorcycle Racing Team was around the day
we were shooting some photos of the Enduro. We asked him to try it out."
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(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b431/DoggyDigger/DT1.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b431/DoggyDigger/DT2.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b431/DoggyDigger/DT3.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b431/DoggyDigger/DT4.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b431/DoggyDigger/DT5.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b431/DoggyDigger/DT6.jpg)
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I like the second last photo.....
It is the classic example of ... "poetry in motion"
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It would be cool for them to run it in a new bike magazine comparing old to new especially the picture saying with a healthy 6 inches travel on the front forks. :)
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It is the classic example of ... "poetry in motion"
Ya should have been there for the landing. ;) ;D.
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As someone who's old enough to have been a potential purchaser....by 1970 we'd already known quite well that the DT1 had some "problem areas", the most outstanding being the suspension which was, even in those formative years extremely inadequate. These shortcomings prompted a myriad of small companies to start producing all sorts of 'improvements' to turn the DT1 into a usable thing making it arguably the most modified bike in motorcycling history and the launching pad for the aftermarket industry we today take for granted as having always been there. Even if you hate the DT1 and wouldn't be seen near one, its DNA is probably in what you do actually do ride. ;D
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I have a book by Phil Schilling (I think) in which he describes the development of the DT1. Yamaha US identified a market and sketched out some preliminary specs to Japan. Japan then delivered the prototype to the US and testing began. As problem areas were identified and corrected the details were telexed (remember them?) back to Japan. When they'd finished the by now very different bike was boxed up and sent back to Japan. A few days later a crate arrived in the US containing a full pre-production prototype including most of the telexed suggestions. Problem was that Japan hadn't waited for the much modified prototype to get back to Japan and the pre-production prototype was far from ideal. But by then it was too late. The factory had already tooled up.
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Whatever was wrong is so forgivable, seeing as it was new territory and a benchmark for the future.
What they got TOTALLY RIGHT in my opinion, was the look.
And the widgets that all worked:
Flip-up seat
Fuel tap
Pop-out toolkit
Super cool aircleaner (when foam inside)
Ultra-cool Krisman pipe and spark arrestor/slide-out muffler
Clean lines, sexy seat, beautiful spangle-orange color, no shit hanging off it it, nor crappy stuff that
looks like it was bolted on as an afterthought.
Real neat!
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Real neat!
Malcolm.... ;D
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My sweet little cover girl DT1.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/firko%20dt1b.jpg)
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/firko%20dt1.jpg)
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/dt1a.jpg)
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Hmmm, love that DT1 Firko... ;D
Always wanted one (being a Yamaha man and all), but there was always some other model I wanted more...
Probably get one one day, but maybe after a DT2MX, and maybe an RT2 or RT3...
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THE WHOLE GANG ACTION 8) 8)
http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=13783.15
(http://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx172/mike52_photo/montessa/Yammys.jpg)
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Great pics from all. I love the DT1 and think it is one of the most significant bikes in the evolution of dirt bikes. It played a huge part in giving dirt bikes to the masses. It still looks gorgeous. I am biased.
Sorry I missed meeting you Mark at Nathan's yesterday, but I had a teenage daughter who was bored.
Cheers, Grahame.
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy211/smartybananapants/iPhone1010017.jpg)
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most significant bikes in the evolution of dirt bikes.
Totally agree..the 1968 race program from when Yamaha won its first Australian title.
Yamaha was one of the main contenders up against the Europian and British models.
Diamond in the ring of Gold and still in todays racing here in West Aust :-*
I love two strokes ;D
cheers A
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Ah the good old non PC days where magazine riders had the chin strap undone....lol
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only just noticed in that second add, a thing called a detatchable headlight ? im sure mine has 2 bolts.
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Sorry I missed meeting you Mark at Nathan's yesterday,
Grahame, was that you in the red ute with the Suzuki on top, leaving as I arrived in the pissing rain?
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And of course, there was the racing version....The DT1MX. Maybe they weren't the most competitive 250 of their day but they sure looked pretty.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/71DT1MX.JPG)
and my own home made version of the DT1MX.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/dt1fhfirk2.jpg)(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/dtfhfirk.jpg)
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Yes Mark that was me in the red ute. The bike on top was a YZ80D. Catch up some other time.
Cheers, Grahame.
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(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/dt1fhfirk2.jpg)(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/dtfhfirk.jpg)
A great looking 'clubman racer' period racer. Do you still have it?
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what was that side cover from firko Cr ?
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A great looking 'clubman racer' period racer. Do you still have it?
Thanks Graeme, Yeah, I've still got the old DT1 in semi dismantled condition in the garden shed. I built it in 1991/92 as part of a challenge laid down by Geoff Eldridge that I build a DT1 racer while he restored a stocker. He named my project the 'DT1 from Hell' during the build process but unfortunately was killed before it was finished or his own DT1 project even started. Ironically, my restored DT1 is GE's actual bike so I now own both bikes that were intended for the proposed magazine piece.
The racer turned out to be a bit more than a 'clubman racer' and was actually very competitive in the days when the pre '70 class really rocked and most of the really fast guys fielded Pre '70 tackle as well as their pre '75 stuff. Kevin Flood came within a half wheel of beating Boagy at the first Cherrabah Nats after them winning a moto apiece. Another 20 metres and the Yammy would have won. The bike also trophied in many more big meetings both motocross and dirt track with a number of guest riders as well as my good self on board. The old thing was only retired because it'd tried to kill me twice and that I much preferred my Maico for the pre '70 class anyway. Plus, the highly tuned methanol engine ate consumables like Homer devours donuts. If I didn't have so many projects on the operating table right now I'd rebuild her with a mild petrol engine for Classic Dirt fun.
what was that side cover from firko Cr ?
Freaky, the side covers are from a '75 Maico.
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Different VMX'ers take a different view of the VMX scene but I see one of it's primary roles is as a Living Museum. As such I see your DT from Hell as an important representative of many of the bikes parked in the pits 'back in the day'.
Such tinkering and mods were encouraged by articles such as......
(http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn458/mx250syd/OzVMX/yammyscrambler.jpg)(http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn458/mx250syd/OzVMX/DTlightweight.jpg)
I think that the clubman MX'er and modded clubman enduro are often overlooked and ignored in favour of the exotic and rare. It's good to see at least your's (and Vandy's) are being valued and kept. I look forward to seeing and hearing your DT from Hell.
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Another neat DT/RT-1 action pixie 8)
(http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn458/mx250syd/rt1enduro.jpg)
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first photo post attempt my 69 dt1(http://s1134.photobucket.com/albums/m612/Iain-Cameron)
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bugger how do you do it?
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bugger how do you do it?
http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=3727.0 ;) 8)
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lets try again(http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m612/Iain_Cameron/DSC_0001-Copy.jpg)
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so easy after you've done it look out pici time
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Great DT1 Ian....keep 'em coming.
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so easy after you've done it look out pici time
Bring it on (http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn458/mx250syd/icons/638.gif)
And another nice period DT clubman racer 8).
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Nice bike... and who did the chamber? it looks well done.
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unluckily the master pipe maker past away a couple of years ago he was a member of Heaven. Peter Worrol a master in metal. pici is not a dt but rt1 built by niffty(http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m612/Iain_Cameron/DSC_00112.jpg)
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One thing I hated on old Yams was the worm-drive clutch actuator. Unit sits in front
of drive sprocket:
1. Would clog up with spun grass and mud
2. The worm drive would dry up ... get sticky etc
3. A thrown chain immediately bent the push-rod
I saw this alloy gizmo on an ebay bike that a member flagged a few months ago
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b431/DoggyDigger/Yamclutch.jpg)
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Nice gizzmo and a good solution.
What you say about the clutch is all true and was changed in the DT/MX range but the real prob with the DT1 and RT1 was the chassis/handling which actively tried to kill the rider. If they weren't head shaking they were swapping ends. If you jumped them they either fell by the front or they fell by the rear - the rider had to be so precise at launch ::). And they landed like a brick. And they wouldn't go around a corner for love nor money - either pushed the front end or high side the rider. I suppose everything did, but these were the worst of the worst.
But shit we had fun ;D. Young, dumb, full of cum and didn't know any better :-[.
What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger ;D.
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I bought this RT1 off Winston WYATT. I'm riding on a subdivision construction, Jan 1973. Home town of
Berwick was being carved up by subdivisions for miles around. Eventually the several local
villages all became one great mass of housing estates. Before the housing boom, we had approx. six tracks
dotted around perimeter of our town. We'd (mostly) push our bikes to the tracks.
Footnote: My gumboots had a sloppily painted, childish white stripe down the side.
News cutting shows Winston winning the C-Grade Grand National at Xmas Hills, 1971. The extremely wet one,
when Peter PLOEN (Husky 400) took that year's GN title back to NZ. He has a nearly bald front tyre;
a home-made fork brace and a local shop owner's prefabbed expansion chamber. It has a bronze head too.
His seat foam is collapsed, cos he'd flogged the guts out of that bike.
He's wearing roadworker's rain gear, and daggy old roadbike style boots. Too wet for gloves.
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b431/DoggyDigger/wyatt360.jpg)