Which Pre 78 bike?

[Eddy#36]

I'm looking at buying a cheap pre 78 bike project with a limited budget as I already have Evo/pre 85/pre 90 race bikes


Options at the moment are Road / trail bikes;

Suzuki TS250 71 model
Yamaha DT250A

Which one would be a better VMX project, bacially which bike would suit VMX more so?

[jimg1au]

how much do you want to spend as i have a mr250 honda about 75% you could have for 500.00 aus
i am in sydney

[vandy010]

Suzuki TS250 71 model
Yamaha DT250A
Which one would be a better VMX project, bacially which bike would suit VMX more so?

both should be about the same and both will fit into pre~75
perfect!

[holeshot buddy]

neither
find a cheap mx model and do that up
doesnt matter what you do to them they are still heavy trailbikes

[Graham]

get the trail bike,it depends on the rider , and you'll get a kick out of whipping the rest on there flash mx bikes 

[Nathan S]

I'd go the DT.

1. They're as common as mud, so parts are cheap and easy.
2. They're still not light-weight, but they weigh about 20kgs less when stripped down to MX spec (I may be exaggerating when I say 20kgs, but still...).
3. Same basic bike as the MX250A, so can easily be upgraded with MX parts (its easy to turn a DT into an MX-replica or better, although it makes more sense to just buy an MX if you're planning on doing that from the start).
4. Typical Yamaha interchangability means that wheels, ignitions etc etc can be used off later models to upgrade.
5. Much better motor.

I get Holeshot Buddy's point about getting a real MXer, but the price difference is massive. A few hundred dollars (up to a grand, tops) should get you a decent DT250 ready to race - it will be miles behind the best bikes in the class, but will get you out there and racing. If you finish last on a DT, it will be your fault, not the bike's.

$1k on a genuine pre-75 MX race bike will get you a f$%ked out basket-case that will take many thousands of dollars before you can put it on the start line.

Depends on what your goals are, really.

[09.0]

get the trail bike,it depends on the rider , and you'll get a kick out of whipping the rest on there flash mx bikes 

Or it can be used as an excuse when beaten.....

$1k on a genuine pre-75 MX race bike will get you a f$%ked out basket-case that will take many thousands of dollars before you can put it on the start line.

Depends on what your goals are, really.

You can spend the same thousands on a dt as well. It depends on what you start with condition wise and not just the initial outlay. I think an mx Yamaha is a good compromise.tm250's aren't too expensive either . What I don't really understand about this thread is the fact that edmedg has asked which pre 78 bike, then rattles off pre 75 bikes as the others posting in this thread. So which is it?

[Graham]

get the trail bike,it depends on the rider , and you'll get a kick out of whipping the rest on there flash mx bikes 

Or it can be used as an excuse when beaten.....




BY VERY FEW

[Eddy#36]

get the trail bike,it depends on the rider , and you'll get a kick out of whipping the rest on there flash mx bikes 

Or it can be used as an excuse when beaten.....

$1k on a genuine pre-75 MX race bike will get you a f$%ked out basket-case that will take many thousands of dollars before you can put it on the start line.

Depends on what your goals are, really.

You can spend the same thousands on a dt as well. It depends on what you start with condition wise and not just the initial outlay. I think an mx Yamaha is a good compromise.tm250's aren't too expensive either . What I don't really understand about this thread is the fact that edmedg has asked which pre 78 bike, then rattles off pre 75 bikes as the others posting in this thread. So which is it?

I guess I was referring to the bikes mentioned more so than the class, at the time of topic i didn't realise there were pre 75 and pre 78 classes(only new to VMX)

[Nathan S]

....
You can spend the same thousands on a dt as well. It depends on what you start with condition wise and not just the initial outlay. I think an mx Yamaha is a good compromise.tm250's aren't too expensive either .

For sure. If you're to build a serious bike to a high standard, its well worth starting with a proper MX bike.

I just figured that if he was asking about old trail-bikes, he wasn't looking to spend $10k, or expecting to win his first race.

[09.0]

Where I'm coming from is if the dt motor needs a rebuild then it's still going to cost the same, wheels same, cosmetics same. The best way to save money is to buy one already done in both cases. One will cost a grand, the other around 4 or 5k. That is where the saving is to be had. Generally a better way to buy.

[TM BILL]

For the bikes you have listed i would go the DT for all the reasons Nathans already said 

However i would have to back Rusty and Brad and say pick up an MX 250 or TM 250 as they can both be picked up cheap and parts are a dime a dozen .

For pre 78 i would look for an RM B model or YZ D model but the reality is that running cost of a full on MX bike will be more than a converted traily .

Depends what your in it for i guess  whatever you choose hope you get a bike and be a part of this great thing called VMX we all love 

You wont regret it 

[Freakshow]

I got some TM 250 and MX 360 for sale PM if you serious.

[Eddy#36]

....
You can spend the same thousands on a dt as well. It depends on what you start with condition wise and not just the initial outlay. I think an mx Yamaha is a good compromise.tm250's aren't too expensive either .

For sure. If you're to build a serious bike to a high standard, its well worth starting with a proper MX bike.

I just figured that if he was asking about old trail-bikes, he wasn't looking to spend $10k, or expecting to win his first race.

I'm only after a bike thats say mid field runner which will get me into the Pre 78 ? or Pre 75 Class - the see if I enjoy that class of racing / riding without spending over 10k, 2k budget would be about what I would spend wether thats for an ex VMX bike really or 2k allocated to finish a project like MR/DT/TS/MX/TM? I currently have a shed of 5 bikes (CR's, Husky, IT's)in race condition for the Evo, Pre 85 and pre 90 classes.

[Nathan S]

You should be able to get a solid MX250 for that much money. You won't get an immaculate one, but it should be fairly well set-up and mechanically healthy.

Going back to your original point: If you found a mechanically sound DT250A for (say) $400, fitted some decent tyres, stripped the road gear off, and fitted some race number plates, you could be out racing for $700 easy. Reality says thay you'd probably end up fitting a set of fork seals, new grips etc, and you'd probably end up at $1000 before you'd be happy.
As I said earlier, it wouldn't be a great race bike, but it would certainly entertain an VMX newbie.

Like most people, you'd end up wanting to upgrade it - the question then is whether you're better off selling it off and buying a 'proper' race bike.

Sean Hardman was advertising a DT360 race bike a while back for $2k - gotta be worth a look.