DT250A or DT400C - which one to resto?

[Nathan S]

I usually hate it when people ask this sort of question, but my brain hurts.

I have both a 250A and a 400C sitting here. Both are matching numbers bikes, with unmolested frames, and no obvious catastrophes.

But there's only one lot of road gear, only one decent seat base, etc. So I can build one into a decent resto that will go onto club rego, while the other will still be a rideable bike, but will be a roughy.

If you were in my position, which one would you focus on, and why?

The 400 is currently more complete, and logically is the one to choose.
But my heart is with the 250 (not that I have any particular emotional attachment to either of these bikes).

[jimson]

Nathan the 250 will be cheap rego if it was me I would keep the 400 for the dirt but I'm a poooooor bastard  jimson

[cyclegod]

Do the 400, I had one for commuting for a while and it was a hoot...

[mx250]

If ya gonna resto decide if are you gonna satisfy your self (either to ride or to look at or just for satisfaction) or to satisfy others (club concourse etc). And then decide which bike fills the need.

Other than that restore the oldest and/or rarest, or the one you can make the most original.

[Nathan S]

Which bike I do, it'll be a rider - not a bush bike nor a VMXer, just something that I can take to the shops occasionally, use at CD6 as a pit bike*, etc. Probably the hardest dirt riding it'll see would be fire trails.

I reckon I can get either bike to a similar standard - it won't be a nut and bolt resto, but pretty good.

Which is best? I guess the 400's extra grunt would be nice on the road???
Which is rarest? I've got no idea on this one...




*Damn that Mark Austin and his RT2 for putting ideas into my head!

[Freakshow]

250 - we all got parts to help you finish it.

[Quicksilver]

Go the 250. better looking bike in my opinion, easy ride to putt down to the shops. More people will ID with it as a vintage bike then the 400. Greater topic of interest to the common man. You'll talk bikes more often as people ask you questions all recall owning one in the passed. Cheaper rego is a real bonus too.

[yzhilly]

Nathan there is no substitute for CC's go big. Everyman and his dog have got a 250.

[Tex]

Cheaper rego is a real bonus too.

With 250 stickers etc on, would the 400 pass as a 250? Not that I am encouraging any illegal activity, oh dear me no.

A bloke I went to uni with had an RD250, that was actually a 400.

Tex

[jimg1au]

tex
the 250 rd and 350 rd barrells are interchangeable.every one dose it to get the chep rego and insurance

[Quicksilver]

Not to mention the legal shit hole you'd be if involved in a prang, you'd get arse sued off for rest of life and prolly do a stint in the can.

[vmxrider]

Go with the one with the cheaper on road costs. Not sure how club rego and insurance works with capacity (ie over 300cc) and what freedom you have as far as riding on the street. Maybe someone who has experience with club rego could shed some light.

[Freakshow]

I got DT250 road gear if your interested .... cheap

[Graeme M]

400C... that's the yellow tanker isn't it? I had one for a while, great fun on the street and fabulous on the fireroads. It's a pig in anything harder than that but ya gotta love that jerky pong-pong way it runs, the fantastic mid range, that big radial finned head and the sheer inertia of the thing. The 250 is also a barge but it's pretty gutless. Rego the 400, gear it down so it doesn't stall everywhere and rip it up. And make sure you use some nice big wide period type bars!!

[vandy010]

if it's a puttin down to the shops you'd like to go, then it sounds like there could be a bit of kickstartin to be done. in that case, go the 250. if it were me, i'd put the 400 on the road and the 250 on the track in pre75.