Stevie’s French '98, Mid-90's WR/YZ/DT (An idiotproof guide to building your own DTR)
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First start in 9 months.
I had to give her a bit of a tickle to work but straight after she jumped to life and run like a champ
Headlight brackets/ignition
The 200R’s headlight design has left a bit of dead space. I wonder what I could put there.The columns/frame for the front headlight and everything
Big issue is the Rev cable now doesn’t reach.Tail tidy
Welded tabs across the rear part of the frame to attach it too so you don’t have no disgusting tabs through your fender.Nice new Doppler master cylinder cover.
I still have an old one from Devol I could use but I wasn’t 100% sure if I was keen on it personally. I’ll try grab a photo of it at some point.Fast forward two days and we’re back in the workshop
*This is where we’re at currently *
I love the way she sits, bloody lofty though mind you
This is it against a XJ600 and against a bloke that’s 5’ 11
(Quite a nice bum too don’t ya think
)She runs like a trooper. Just gotta run a compression test and see how that top ends doing / how much life she’s got left in her. Maybe she’ll be good and last through the summer? We’ll see.
Just gotta Chuck the front brake caliper on her (when it arrives), do the speedo + Rev cables as ones to short and the other I just don’t know wether it’ll work and might have to be made. Then it’s MOT + Riding time!I’ve still got the 200wr swinger and some plans for a rear shock but their going to have to go on the back burner just for a little while
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Hahahaha for fucks sake. True story though.
Function over form 100%.Realistically there’s not a nice way of getting that headlight to work with those clocks. Every way way we tried left the headlight either too high and looking like something from Easy Rider or to low and in the correct space but completely exposing the clocks or having them awkward above. Flattening the clocks rather then angling them towards you just pushes the 200r light so far away that it no longer matches the flat silhouette and looks weird.
The space isn’t bad but honestly it’s just the best of both worlds and the best bit is it’s functional
(aside from most of the cables barely reaching / not at all) -
Fun fact every time I’ve took this bike for an mot it’s lost it’s plate. This year I used metal anodised fairing bolts and still it went missing. Ghosts mate.
Chanced the mot on the basis of being able to ride it home legally afterwards and that there’s a 10 day free retest period - I can’t believe I never knew this!^failed on front wheel bearing failure, front and rear pads being too far gone (i later f found the rear with probably less then 0.5mm of pad left
) and chain was too tight.Here’s it the second time around. I never got a picture of it the second time, she just passed with flying colours and on my way I went. On the road at last.
Only notice something? I switched pipes and wow. Fuck me sideways - the heavens have opened.Whilst my bike was off the road I’d done a lot of thinking.
I couldn’t quite figure out why even though I didn’t rejet the plugs always came out perfect whilst using the dep yet I always used to get the worst throttle chop at high rpm’s or under sudden load sometimes. You’d be full throttle screaming and then it’s like the throttle would cut out mid way then come on after and then only get worse.
After solving all other potential causes I thought it might even be my rings are giving up.What do I think? I think it made me think a lot of other things where wrong with my bike which weren’t and that I’m probably going to avoid that dep pipe.
The DEP is nice but honestly the difference is amazing. No more throttle chop just strong power on tap everywhere.
My bike felt so good I ended up go for a test ride and ended up in the neighbouring town even though it was raining snd I had no goggles or nothing just a coat.Happy days. All nice and ready for fun times ahead.
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Fun fact every time I’ve took this bike for an mot it’s lost it’s plate. This year I used metal anodised fairing bolts and still it went missing. Ghosts mate.
Chanced the mot on the basis of being able to ride it home legally afterwards and that there’s a 10 day free retest period - I can’t believe I never knew this!^failed on front wheel bearing failure, front and rear pads being too far gone (i later f found the rear with probably less then 0.5mm of pad left
) and chain was too tight.Here’s it the second time around. I never got a picture of it the second time, she just passed with flying colours and on my way I went. On the road at last.
Only notice something? I switched pipes and wow. Fuck me sideways - the heavens have opened.Whilst my bike was off the road I’d done a lot of thinking.
I couldn’t quite figure out why even though I didn’t rejet the plugs always came out perfect whilst using the dep yet I always used to get the worst throttle chop at high rpm’s or under sudden load sometimes. You’d be full throttle screaming and then it’s like the throttle would cut out mid way then come on after and then only get worse.
After solving all other potential causes I thought it might even be my rings are giving up.What do I think? I think it made me think a lot of other things where wrong with my bike which weren’t and that I’m probably going to avoid that dep pipe.
The DEP is nice but honestly the difference is amazing. No more throttle chop just strong power on tap everywhere.
My bike felt so good I ended up go for a test ride and ended up in the neighbouring town even though it was raining snd I had no goggles or nothing just a coat.Happy days. All nice and ready for fun times ahead.
@stevie-wonder The other nice thing about the DEP is the weight difference.
Always Originate, Never Pirate!
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@stevie-wonder The other nice thing about the DEP is the weight difference.
It’s nice when you finally get it running proper after chasing gremlins
You got access to a borescope or the like? There has to be some hard deposit of carbon in there somewhere. How long the dep been running on there, also did it always chop?...That mot, legal feeling is a good high!
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@stevie-wonder The other nice thing about the DEP is the weight difference.
@calum said in Stevie’s French '98, Mid-90's WR/YZ/DT (An idiotproof guide to building your own DTR):
@stevie-wonder The other nice thing about the DEP is the weight difference.
My personal favourite feature is itself lightening feature. 3,000 good U.K. miles and the metal will be half the thickness
Honestly though I always said the same thing but the standard pipe has a much wider power spread and even better puts that power where the DT needs it most.
With that being said I ride some pretty private locations and the lesser amount of noise only allows me to ride for longer / not piss others off. Bit of bonus.
Much better thermal properties to flow gasses too due to the extra thickness + the durability of the standard people would outweigh 10 dep pipes.I literally dropped the dep taking it off once and dented it. Pretty shambolic if you ask me. Shame. I always thought I’d massively support dep being a historic and British company.
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It’s nice when you finally get it running proper after chasing gremlins
You got access to a borescope or the like? There has to be some hard deposit of carbon in there somewhere. How long the dep been running on there, also did it always chop?...That mot, legal feeling is a good high!
@spookdog said in Stevie’s French '98, Mid-90's WR/YZ/DT (An idiotproof guide to building your own DTR):
It’s nice when you finally get it running proper after chasing gremlins
You got access to a borescope or the like? There has to be some hard deposit of carbon in there somewhere. How long the dep been running on there, also did it always chop?...That mot, legal feeling is a good high!
No bore scope just fingers for feelers and eyes for seeing. No fancy stuff around here
(at least until I invest in one which no doubt I will all in good time, big believer in that investing in tools is investing in yourself/they pay for themselves).I’m still going to be scratching my head for a while as to why the dep didn’t work well for my bike. The only thing that I really can imagine is that the CDI map and powervalve openings is way of for the power curve of the dep pipe. However even then that wouldn’t cause the throttle chop I experienced. If you was full throttle in a long gear you’d often hear a rather nasty metallic ping as the throttle suddenly slammed off then on. Gross.
Also yes legal is so good!
I owe all of you a thank you in your hands in making it possible. It’s very surreal to see what I imagined come to life. It’s even better riding it and feeling just how much nicer the bike is for it.
However to be completely honest after leaving her in such a sorry state for 9 months I’m just genuinely happy to know she’s running and that I won’t ever have to do that again. -
Fun fact every time I’ve took this bike for an mot it’s lost it’s plate. This year I used metal anodised fairing bolts and still it went missing. Ghosts mate.
Chanced the mot on the basis of being able to ride it home legally afterwards and that there’s a 10 day free retest period - I can’t believe I never knew this!^failed on front wheel bearing failure, front and rear pads being too far gone (i later f found the rear with probably less then 0.5mm of pad left
) and chain was too tight.Here’s it the second time around. I never got a picture of it the second time, she just passed with flying colours and on my way I went. On the road at last.
Only notice something? I switched pipes and wow. Fuck me sideways - the heavens have opened.Whilst my bike was off the road I’d done a lot of thinking.
I couldn’t quite figure out why even though I didn’t rejet the plugs always came out perfect whilst using the dep yet I always used to get the worst throttle chop at high rpm’s or under sudden load sometimes. You’d be full throttle screaming and then it’s like the throttle would cut out mid way then come on after and then only get worse.
After solving all other potential causes I thought it might even be my rings are giving up.What do I think? I think it made me think a lot of other things where wrong with my bike which weren’t and that I’m probably going to avoid that dep pipe.
The DEP is nice but honestly the difference is amazing. No more throttle chop just strong power on tap everywhere.
My bike felt so good I ended up go for a test ride and ended up in the neighbouring town even though it was raining snd I had no goggles or nothing just a coat.Happy days. All nice and ready for fun times ahead.
@stevie-wonder said in Stevie’s French '98, Mid-90's WR/YZ/DT (An idiotproof guide to building your own DTR):
Fun fact every time I’ve took this bike for an mot it’s lost it’s plate. This year I used metal anodised fairing bolts and still it went missing. Ghosts mate.
If you point your number plate at police helicopters and UFO’s, it’s bound to be abducted now and again
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Still on the same piston she came from France with.
All I’ve done is keep her tidy, use decent oil and do regular checks on the plugs, Powervalve and replace a bunch of inline fuel filters. It gets a carb clean once a year but other then that she’s a diamond.I recently bought a fzs 600. Within three days I’d done a ton on it and I thought to myself I wonder if I’ll wanna sell the DT now
https://i.imgur.com/dtWKfQ1.jpg
Then I get her out for a blast, get down to bike night and remember how much I fucking love this thing.
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Hey everyone hope you’re all in good health.
It’s been a while since I’ve been about so it’s nice to hear from you all.Have you ever seen a DTR less out of place?
Life’s been keeping me busy and on top of that I’ve now got the luxury of using the ole DT as a weekend treat.
Luckily summer has granted me quite a few days to get the bike out.
And with miles of years old unexplored public footpaths and by ways accessible to a little two stroke trial bike it’d be a crime not to break a few laws and go on many a excursion with your bike in to the countryside for a little explore. Pro tip: farmers fields usually have ditches at the boundaries so prepare to get your enduro on.
Despite now using the DT as mainly a weekend toy I still don’t shy away from using it as my weapon of choice for a nice little long distance adventure. This is “A house for Essex by Grayson Perry” ft. My dad on his now long gone trusty varadero. The site is actually a beautiful quaint village with plenty of backroads and seafront nearby 10/10 recommend for all of you guys.
Also something a little different… Keeping things true and blue I couldn’t help myself, this is Maureen (in memoir of my nan) my ‘98 FZS600 streetfighter. My first “big bike” and let’s just say she’s an absolute dream to ride. Fairly nippy too.However I must as fast as the Fazer is the DT still puts a smile on my face every time I ride it so despite what anyone has said, it ain’t going anywhere.
And for anyone that’s read this and is genuinely curious she’s running like a champ on the same piston/rings etc she had when she was imported from France 2 years ago.
When she blows up it’ll be Wr200 or Lanza 230 engine time. Got a nice little piggy bank ready and waiting for it. -
Hi guys my bikes still running lumpy with an untunable hanging high idle. After speaking to a couple two stroke gurus and my local bike shop they all believe the same as me the LH crank seal is gone.
I’ve been riding it on and off as it is for a while now and the engines still making good power however I can’t stand it anymore.
To find out for certain if the seal’s gone and to see how the rest of the engine is doing I’ve just bought a Draper leak down kit and compression tester.
I’d like some advice with how to use the compression tester and leak down kit as well as any recommendations for tools that I should get/will need for this and for the future
Also can I remove and refit the LH seal without removing the motor?
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Also update with the build, I might not be able to run standard DTR clocks!
So WR450 speedo cables are the same 11mm size fitment I’ve found as DTR clocks (meaning in theory you should be able to use DTR clocks with, ‘03 WR450 speedo cable and speedo drive assy), however the speedo drive assy is on the opposite side on a WR450 compared to the DTR. This means that because the MPH clock for the DTR is also the opposite side making it so it’s impossible to cleanly route the speedo cable to the clocks without having the cable criss cross all other electronics and controls
I also found some 11mm cable extenders to use on the Rev cable to as the only issue in that department was the cable not being long enough to reach anymore however the first time I attached the cable extender to the Rev cable and then attached it to the clocks, I started the bike up and the cable snapped itself
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Also update with the build, I might not be able to run standard DTR clocks!
So WR450 speedo cables are the same 11mm size fitment I’ve found as DTR clocks (meaning in theory you should be able to use DTR clocks with, ‘03 WR450 speedo cable and speedo drive assy), however the speedo drive assy is on the opposite side on a WR450 compared to the DTR. This means that because the MPH clock for the DTR is also the opposite side making it so it’s impossible to cleanly route the speedo cable to the clocks without having the cable criss cross all other electronics and controls
I also found some 11mm cable extenders to use on the Rev cable to as the only issue in that department was the cable not being long enough to reach anymore however the first time I attached the cable extender to the Rev cable and then attached it to the clocks, I started the bike up and the cable snapped itself
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You can pull the seal out with a self tapper screw and tap the new one in. Gotta remove the flywheel though
@SpookDog cheers for the reply bud, I had thought so but I’d thought best to check as Haynes wasn’t too useful
I’ve also got a few different size pic and hooks that might make light work of getting that seal out
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@SpookDog cheers for the reply bud, I had thought so but I’d thought best to check as Haynes wasn’t too useful
I’ve also got a few different size pic and hooks that might make light work of getting that seal out
Only thing is that I can’t imagine why the seal would fail unless the bearing has as well. Check for movement with a large flathead screwdriver while the rotor is on. See if there’s play...
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To see if it's the LHS you just need to spray WD40 in the vicinity whilst it's running. If the idles drop then you've temporarily sealed it. Be careful removing the seal with the engine in situe as you don't want to score the crank or the journal.
Personally, it's easy enough to drop the engine and do it properly. No more than an afternoons work. Good opportunity to inspect/clean and replace other items.
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@Calum I’ll get the flywheel off tomorrow to try that and then I’ll get back to you.
It wouldn’t do me no harm to drop the engine either, an afternoon with the bluetooth speaker and a couple cold ones won’t sort out. If/when I do I’ll let you know if I hit any speed bumps. Any tips or advice when getting it out
@SpookDog that makes sense and I’ll be sure to check that as well.
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@Calum I’ll get the flywheel off tomorrow to try that and then I’ll get back to you.
It wouldn’t do me no harm to drop the engine either, an afternoon with the bluetooth speaker and a couple cold ones won’t sort out. If/when I do I’ll let you know if I hit any speed bumps. Any tips or advice when getting it out
@SpookDog that makes sense and I’ll be sure to check that as well.
@Stevie-Wonder Before you start, see if the swinging arm pivot bolt can be removed. As you will see, this gets seized and may bring your plan to a halt anyway. Always worth removing, regreasing and replacing just for fun.
The other one is the bottom suspension linkage, neither problem I had since engine/parts are like a yo-yo in my bikes anyway
Always Originate, Never Pirate!
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@Stevie-Wonder Before you start, see if the swinging arm pivot bolt can be removed. As you will see, this gets seized and may bring your plan to a halt anyway. Always worth removing, regreasing and replacing just for fun.
The other one is the bottom suspension linkage, neither problem I had since engine/parts are like a yo-yo in my bikes anyway
Yeah I remember these being infamous for it, I’ll check it out.
