DT200L

[Nathan S]

I know they weren't real flash as a dirt bike, but does anyone have experience with them?

I'm really only interested in the motor:
Reliable?
Power output in stock form?
Power potential?
Parts availability?
Counterbalancer?

If I was hoping for a motor that was smooth and civilised but still go about as well as an IT200 or an aircooled KDX200, would this be a useful starting point?

[Lozza]

case reed or cylinder reed?

[John Orchard]

From memory, full reed, water-cooled with YPVS.  Nice bike, I tested one for Trail & Track back in '84, I think the power was a little softer than KDX200.

[Nathan S]

case reed or cylinder reed?

From the ADB test: Cylinder reed. Electronic PV. 6-speed. 26mm carb. Autolube.
They reckoned it was close to an IT200 in a drag, which is probably damning it with faint praise...

Haven't found info on BxS, gearbox ratios, etc.

[80-85 husky]

Rode one at a pony express years ago and liked it. was ideal for shorter riders and was smoother than a kdx so made a great trailbike that could be pushed ok. No idea re reliability, haven't heard anything that says they cant be too bad. Ol mate that had the bike had it for a few years without any real drama.

There was a story on how to hot  them up but it was really a pull everything off it trick, alloy muffler etc.

[Lozza]

case reed or cylinder reed?

From the ADB test: Cylinder reed. Electronic PV. 6-speed. 26mm carb. Autolube.
They reckoned it was close to an IT200 in a drag, which is probably damning it with faint praise...

Haven't found info on BxS, gearbox ratios, etc.

Motor is one of Yamaha's best kept secrets how they got all that past the accountants I don't know. The case reed is a even better engine. As a whole it's heavy and the linkage hands down a bit and the suspension is soft , a 'soft roader' if you will. No problems to go 2 up on it.This is what they sound like when you "un-DT" them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3wicdQKcn0

Transplating the engine into a aluminium 250F frame would be ossum

[Nathan S]

The idea - and it is just an idea - would be to jam it into an '84 YZ frame.
Same basic idea as we've discussed many times before, but pre-85 legal this time.

[evo550]

I know they weren't real flash as a dirt bike, but does anyone have experience with them?

I'm really only interested in the motor:
Reliable?
Power output in stock form?
Power potential?
Parts availability?
Counterbalancer?

If I was hoping for a motor that was smooth and civilised but still go about as well as an IT200 or an aircooled KDX200, would this be a useful starting point?

I had a 93 wr200 (same motor, but a bit faster) and thought it stunk. no hope keeping up with a it or kdx. W   I   D   E, sad suspension and bland power. I felt the electronic powervalve was a bad move for a bike with little horsepower to start with, It felt like a 125 with the PV disconnected.
It looked to be an overbored yz 125 motor of the same era....and we all know how they went....
Lozza may be able to wave his magic wand over it, but standard, eeccchhh!!!

[Lozza]

I know they weren't real flash as a dirt bike, but does anyone have experience with them?

I'm really only interested in the motor:
Reliable?
Power output in stock form?
Power potential?
Parts availability?
Counterbalancer?

If I was hoping for a motor that was smooth and civilised but still go about as well as an IT200 or an aircooled KDX200, would this be a useful starting point?

I had a 93 wr200 (same motor, but a bit faster) and thought it stunk. no hope keeping up with a it or kdx. W   I   D   E, sad suspension and bland power. I felt the electronic powervalve was a bad move for a bike with little horsepower to start with, It felt like a 125 with the PV disconnected.
It looked to be an overbored yz 125 motor of the same era....and we all know how they went....
Lozza may be able to wave his magic wand over it, but standard, eeccchhh!!!

They are so easy to get going got 157km/h out of one on standard gearing, Graeme Morris road raced one with slicks on it and got that to 190km/h. In a 84 YZ frame would be ossum. DT200 was never a 'performance' model but a run of the mill hack that did all things reasonably good, in keeping with the DT design brief from when they started.

[Nathan S]

I'm talking about the earlier model DT - the white one with the single radiator under a red shroud. Red frame and seat. Disc front, drum rear. Only sold new in Qld and maybe Vic.
Like this one:
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/yanakie/motorcycles/yamaha-dt200/1019557827

------
FWIW, I've got a WR200 motor in a late 90s YZ125 rolling frame. FMF pipe, and stock YZ125 muffler. Even with the itty-bitty little WR carby (30mm, IIRC) it's a better bush motor than any of the KDXes I've owned - not as much top end as the '98 KDX with Bill's pipe & muffler, but the delivery is nice enough to make up for it.
Fantastic little bike - the shiny new Beta has seen me offload virtually all of my moderns ("the Beta does everything better - why do I own this?"), but the "YZ200WR" keeps its place in the shed.

http://www.yamahait.com.au/forum/index.php/topic,13655.0.html (I've owned it for about a year now).

[Canam370]

They weren't a bad thing - just a bit heavy for the capacity. Had dramas with the back wheel, frying CDI's and munting powervalve motors. Not many around and they only sold for the one year I believe. Still, an interesting alternative ride for pre-85.

[80-85 husky]

it would be a smooth ride as they had a balancer I think?? or was that ts 200??

[Nathan S]

The 88+ DT200s had a counterbalancer. Don't know about the 84s.