DT125R FORUM

Torque wrench bought, great little thing I’m looking forward to using it.

Mph conversion sticker on, I can’t afford anymore points or guessing how fast I’m going.

Hopefully this fixes the guide problem with the triple trees

![alt text(https://i.imgur.com/kQY1OWG.jpeg)
It looks promising!!

Bingo!

Very happy to have solved this little issue.

All I’ve got to do is tap and die the axle, remove the snapped bolt and put on a new hose cover then that’s all done and as it should be

Looking forward to getting the headlight assembled and put on. It’s hard to notice the front ends been swapped unless you put another DTR, I’m quite pleased about this.
It’s been my aim to only use Yamaha parts and keep everything look factory with a few upgrades.

You’ll also notice both Speedo and Tacho are hooked up now thanks so some cable extenders.

Just need to replace the right hand fork guard with a Yamaha one with the cable guide and then that’s that done too.

With that being said besides a headlight I’ve basically managed to fix all the issues I’d run into since swapping my front end. Im pretty please with myself.

Tap and die set arrived. I’m a big fan of US pro tools they’re great value for money for you average do it yourself mechanic.

New bolts. I have a couple sets of OEM ones spare but I love the look of the gold ones. I had to order a whole pack after the bottom right radiator shroud went missing.

Pattern Japanese speedo cable, I’m not one for not going OEM but I’m pretty happy with it. Seems very good quality.

Pro tip, tape some insulation tape round the end to keep it in place

Same again the other end.
There’s a gap in the oil bottle where you can thread the cable through, jig it about a bit and eventually it’ll come straight through to the bottom. 5 minute job.

For the first time since I got the bike I now have working dash. I can’t bloody believe it to be honest with you.

New calliper

It’s in amazing condition too. Very happy with the purchase.

Even better it’s not seized, i can’t lie after taking it apart it looks practically new. I’m very lucky.

Calliper off, time for some new pads

After the ballache of my calliper seizing before I’m not being shy with the copper grease

That’s her on! The piston was still stuck out a little bit so I had to use my dead low hammer and I little bit of wriggling to get it on but we got there eventually. It was a long time ago I hit a bit of wall with not having a Calliper so it’s nice to have that issue sorted.
The seals and everything where in much better condition then mine so I saved myself a bunch of money getting that calliper.

Not long now until she’ll be on the road and better yet as sound as she was the day I bought her, no little issues or anything and all kinks ironed out.

Once again, I’m looking forward to posting some more with updates. I hope you're all well and happy. Ride safe

A thrilling read of abbreviations and part codes immortalised forever within the DT125R forum. Complete with a brief compliation of backwards compatible/direct bolt on parts.*

So, my first post (1:52am) this is going to be a personal record and almost blog following me and my journey starts singing don’t stop believin’ with my DTR *this is still only my second post on the forum and I’m using an iPhone so when I work out how to upload photos, I’ll post in chronological order photos from the first time I ever saw the bike online, met it, bought it and everything else in between. It’s worth noting, due to how special this bike is to me I won’t ever part ways with it, so this could be a long one guys! Hopefully we can meet a few people on the way that enjoy, inspire or maybe learn from this journey. I hope for the best.
So to begin with, I have never owned or even properly ridden a two stroke above a chainsaw or 50cc having only ridden four strokes and my own custom built race spec 150cc lexmoto adrenaline.
For that reason owning a DTR is also a massive learning curve in terms of riding, maintenance and even learning the mechanical side of things as well as how two strokes tick.
Secondly, owning this bike is a huge personal achievement for me since I started riding that was the one that I wanted, to a point I had written on my bucket list. Which is why I think this post wether it be for my own use as a timeline might also turn out to be pretty special. See for me, DTR’s are pretty special they’re a name that’s known and synonymous with memories from family members of when they where my age of how they used to steal them, rag them on fields and all the old pub talk deristriction and go faster tricks everyone used to chat about back in the day. Which of course is also follow by said friend/family member saying how “rapid” the DT is whilst simultaneously making this face that’s only ever made when they reminisce what it was like sitting on one for the first time and feeling what a powerband does to a 17 year old teen in the 90’s. DTR’s are a little slice of nostalgia for me of a time when I was a wee wee nipper and all the cars my family had where old transits, nova’s and shit mondeo’s .
Now the reason this bike is so special to me is not only is it something I said to myself I’ll do before I die but also because, I went that extra distance to find a DTR manufactured in ‘98, the year of my birth (it’s actually only 4 months older then me believe it or not). The months and months of continuous searching that led to finally find this bike is something of a journey in itself, especially as I refused to settle for anything less then original and in 5 condition, not asking for much . I would also like to add as I’m only 20, my DTR is singularly the biggest purchase I’ve ever made in my life to date and as anyone that’s ever grown up knows there’s a lot of hard work, determination, perseverance and life’s BS thrown at you on the way to get there. It’s surreal owning it but looking at it is a constant reminder to work hard and that I can achieve whatever I want to. Also given the fact it’s a French import I will be the first named keeper on all its paper work (something that I won’t ever let change). Hopefully you can understand now why this bike is pretty special and significant to me. Current ideas are to build a 90’s MX and 90’s YZ inspired bike and tuning the bike as much as I can whilst keeping its originality and authenticity to the era.
This means using as many OEM parts as possible or parts that would’ve been available back in the day (however a 170 kit, boring out and porting a cylinder or even hunting whatever I need to make it 200cc also seems an option). I’d read here about 32mm TZR dellorto carbs and bits and pieces from wr200’s/DT200’s and DT230 bolt straight on and can give a good boost.
Also because we, England, have such a strong heritage in MX there’s tonns of upgrades available from british manufacturers so I plan to use as many british made parts too, just as a nice little bit patriotism.

@Calum said in Forum Outage:

Forum upgraded to the latest version and servers patched

Not all hero’s wear capes.

Big Clive? Naaaaahhh mate.. it’s all about big lez ya fucken druggo

Bonjour forum! I’m stevie, I’m 20 years old and I have Asperger’s Syndrome (ASD). I have never been part of a forum before, I’d always thought they where for nerds Now here I am eating my words after lurking and winding up here so many times from numerous google searches, as if it wasn’t for this forum I wouldn’t know or have anywhere near any of the information I know now or needed to know! (a special mention to darty and ninja).
Are there any rules I need to know or guidelines to using the forum/site?

It sounds like a fallout 3 skill magazine and guess what?
It basically is! +10 to wrench monkey ability haha.

I might be late to the party here but whilst working I come across a bunch of magazine’s from a mag named “Classic Motorcycle Mechanics”.

I was pleasantly surprised to find they’re actually incredibly informative cover a wide range of bikes, vintage two strokes especially and how best to restore and spanner on them. The old mags I had where from 2016 but still covered RD400’s, VFR’s, RD125’s and shared a lot of useful info.

Good news too they’re still being published, £15 for a quarterly subscription.

I remember the first time I saw a DT, it was early 2017. I was at the skatepark and my mate got a go on the back and got off white
Weren’t long after I got my licence, I had a crappy stock lexmoto and just remember just watching him fly off into the distance.
It was a beautiful bike too, clean, a lot of attention to detail and tasteful redbull/Yamaha Mx graphics kit.
The look, the smell, the power... instant love at first site. My first ever DT memory. Oddly enough it was a bloody ‘DT125RE too, not even my favourite.

In a strange twist of fate the bike got sold and a year later I found it up for sale on gumtree in Norwich looking a bit sorry for itself. £2.5k bike now looking rough up for £1.75. Mad.

Fast forward 2 years later I’m scrolling through my Faceache news feed and see a post pop up on Facebook of a guy who’s just bought a bike that’s in pieces, for some help.
You guessed it, it’s that bike.
What’s the chances eh?

I pop up to him to say its a nice bike blah blah blah, I might be able to help him etc.
He says he just picked it up for £250
DT125RE, painted frame, same livery the lot.
I saw it and had flashbacks of the first DT I ever saw

I chat to him a little bit just so I don’t come across a creep and let out that I think my mate used to own it and that I could tell him a little bit about it / connect him to the guy that originally owned and I asked him for the reg.

The day after I did some social networking to trace the guy who originally built and owned the bike and he asks me for some pictures, so I’m like yeah sweet mate I’ll go grab them from the chat I was having with this other geeza...

Went back on to Facebook messenger to find every single message removed, one by one, original post on Facebook gone the lot.
Didn’t quite know what to say or do.

In other news though my area especially specifically where I live has had a history with bikers since the 60’s due to the pier and Mods Vs Rockers culture, the biker cafes / beach and Gt Bentley bike night. One of the largest regular bike meets in the U.K.

Essex is funny ole place though. With its dodgy history/legacy over the years there’s all sorts of things tucked away in barns and things.
It’s full of really interesting people that have hidden gems, for example I befriended a local elderly man through our love of two strokes.
He’d told me about he’s speedway racing days and even better about 350 and 500 tucked away in his garage he’s too old to ride now (the best part is he lives no further then five minutes from me in a place I’ve lived more then 10 years. What’s the chances haha?).

I must say though there aren’t many DT’s in Essex. A few KMX’s but no DT’s. I remember when I was looking for a bike to buy finding one in my area was next to impossible.
Funny story about that though... bit of irony too.
Despite only ever seeing a DT that once in the time up till then that I’d been riding, it didn’t stop by some mystical divine chance one going up sale in my village within the first week of me looking.
You go from never seeing one in your life to looking for one and then “hocus-pokus-dtr-smokus” DTR’s magically be appearing.

Another time me and my mate was pulling apart my RM in the sun out the front of the house, proper old school style. I run up the road to return to a DT250MX parked outside. Had to run my eyes.
Walking back I spotted a guy in bike gear at a house about 5 doors down, spoke to him and he says it’s his.
20 minutes later he walks over to see me working on the RM with my friend, we have a chat and he’s a Yamaha collector with a love for DT’s.
Turns out the 250mx was one from his collection and he was visiting his daughter for a BBQ. Once again, only 5 doors down.

Absolutely bloody bonkers.
I got a video of it too but for internet safety purposes I can’t upload it here.

It’s worth noting what a bloody beautiful bike the 250mx is too, very very cool vintage styling that’s timeless. I was also surprised at the size of the thing too, they’re surprising big!
(Story time over )

Thanks @Calum , took long enough.

![alt text(https://i.imgur.com/NWF4AKq.jpeg)
Took her out for her first solo outing since the MOT.

Once again, still can’t get over the fact I can actually look down once again and have the clocks working. I think the bulb for full beam indicator has gone though as it’s no longer coming on with the lights. Very minor issue though.

Of course I didn’t spend the whole time on the road, didn’t wouldn’t be much fun.

Who’s a pretty gal’

The temptation with the tide being out to attempt crossing the causeway behind me was great. Did I fancy chancing getting stuck or breaking down in the middle of an ocean on my first outing though? Not really… I admit I pussy’d out

It’s on my bucket list of things to do on my bike so I’ll do it one day, hopefully with a GoPro or something.

I must say it’s good to ride her once again. I forgot how big she is, it’s been so long I’m still comfortable riding her again.

The bars feel super wide and I thought I remember the forks being stiffer. For some reason the forks feel soft and dives quite a bit when braking, I don’t remember it being that way but then again it’s been so long since I rode her I don't trust my memory. With no signs of leakages from the fork seals or anything else being different since it was last used I just have to assume it was always that way. Once again it’s probably me but I’m still going to check how much oil is in the forks.

Mechanics wise/issues, I cleaned up any oil I’d found and think I’ve found the causes.

The washer for the coolant doesn’t look like it’s the right size and isn’t sealing properly. I’ve torqued it to spec and am going to order another NOS copper gasket.

The oil drain bolt was also loose, I’ve torqued it up to spec and am going to keep an eye on it.

I also found a second culprit for where motor oil was coming from, the gear shift shaft oil seal was seeping oil.

(You might be able to see a little bit at the bottom)
I imagine this is easy enough to replace though, is it a case of draining gearbox oil out, take off the shifter and then using a hook/pick to pull the seal out and then pushing the new one in?

The 3rd source of the leaks is blue oil indicating two stroke oil, my two stroke oil pump / autolube has leaked a little bit for a good while now but I’ve not bothered to investigate. Something that I do plan to do now.
If anyone could point me in the right direction as to what could cause it or where to look I’d appreciate it.

The last and main issue I’ve found from my outing is the fact that the bike point blank refuses to rev out past 7k into powerband.

I’ve whipped the exhaust off and checked I set the powervalve up correctly and that the servo’s operating as it should.

With the pulley lined up with hole the valve sits flush in the exhaust port and the servo cycles fully and all that jazz. From what I remember that means everything in regards to the YPVS is setup as it should be.

The only other things I could think that’d would stop it revving out into powerband would be.

1. low compression (given the fact the bikes starting to take a couple more kicks then usual to start means a compression test is well worth doing)
2. Blocked main jet, I don’t fancy pulling the carb off so I might ride to the bypass and hold the throttle wide open and hope for the best. It’s done the job in the past and it’s been a long ass since time since I’ve wrung her neck.
3. HT Coil or Lead, I’ve got no experience in this department so if anyone could tell me how to test if it’s failing or what to look for I’d appreciate it.

When revved it feels like it wants to go and you feel it starting to make power (enough to spin the tires up in mud or anything loose and enough pop the front end up on demand when warm) down low but as soon as you go wide open throttle and are about to go through powerband it gets to 7k and tries to rev it but coughs and splutters with the needle jumping back and forth around the 7k mark.

So, some teething issues to get sorted and fettling to be done but fingers we shall get them fixed soon.

Even reset my trip clock whilst I was out, something to keep me smiling and to think about how much I’ve used her since her first proper outing.

Hopefully ya’ll enjoy the photo’s, now the bikes back on the road it was one of the main reasons for the adventure! I’ll be looking forward to your replies/help so I can iron out the issues and have even more adventures!

Mot time!!!

To my surprise she flew through, not a single advisory. Quite a proud moment for me having done all the work myself. I can finally say after everything she’s back on the road.

Visually she’s looking a little sorry for herself though so I’m going to spend a couple days on her just detailing and cleaning her up.

When I first got her I’d spend days just cleaning and restoring every little thing but I admit I’ve got a bit slack as times got on.

I can’t even remember the last time I used ACF 50 on my bikes.

Stopped off at the jetwash to get rid of all mud and muck. She’s looking much better now, unfortunately lost one of my fairing bolts whilst riding

Whilst riding I noticed she wasn’t revving out past 7k. Plenty of torque low down though, maybe even more than what I remember. I’m going to pull the pipe off, align the ypvs and disconnect the servo and then go for another ride to see if this is the issue.

Also noticed the engine leaking from every orifice. trans fluid from the cases, two stroke pump is also leaking from the cover and coolant which is coming from the drain bolt I think.

I haven’t replaced the copper O ring for the coolant drain bolt in a while so that could solve the issue. I could also do with giving all the engine nuts and bolts a once over and seeing if they’re torqued to spec

Here she is after a good rinse.

Progress might start slowing up with the DT though,

Whilst MOT’ing the DT I also got the lexmoto out. To my surprise she also passed with flying colours and no complaints. Another proud moment as all the issues I had with it I’d solved myself.

She’s been a good bike and served me well over the years.

Quite controversial but it’s also one of my favourite sounding bikes, with the dep system, big bore and cam it has really poppy deep brrr a lot like how the 450’s do. Most other 125 4t’s with an exhaust system are always missing that deep single cylinder pop.

However all things must come to an end, I’ve had lots of fun and made lots of memories on the bike but I have to admit falling out of love with it.

Parts are a nightmare to source, despite being of Chinese origins replacement parts are equal in price to that of Yamaha if not even more expensive when you factor in how you can’t just get a part number and shop around. The parts supplied are never comparable to their Japanese counterparts and they’re always being discontinued despite popularity. A bit of a predicament when there’s only one parts dealer so once they’re discontinued there’s really f-all you can do. On top of that the fit and finish isn’t remotely comparable the lexmoto has rusted and aged more then the DTR has in her 25-26 years and it’s not even 10 years old. Dont get me wrong they’re good bikes and incredibly fun. They get people on the road and give them the ability to buy a bike when they otherwise might not have been able to afford it. The bikes themselves aren’t actually bad, they’re often simple and inexpensive. It’s just chinese design philosophy that lets them down. Manufacture as cheap as possible, in mass, throw away and replace.

So enough ranting what’d I do? I got another bike… not just any bike but another Yamaha.

A Yamaha WR125X.

All my mates have owned them / still do and I’ve rode them both R and X versions across a few different model years and have never really liked them. The early models especially. However this one came up so I offered the guy a part ex for the lexmoto and he took it. £200, all the spares for the lexmoto and I got the WR. Not a bad deal considering the lexmoto doesn’t owe me anything close to what a WR would cost, it runs and rides and starts on the button and comes with a fresh clean MOT.

The WR also starts on the button, only downside is when given some throttle the engine cuts out and awful smelling blue smoke is pouring out the exhaust indicating It’s burning oil meaning a blown engine / bad rings and valves/stem seals at the least.

The good news is WR’s are relatively cheap to rebuild, even using OEM parts. They’re also extremely reliable and because I know around 8-9 people who have owned them / still do getting help rebuilding it should be a piece of cake.

It’s also pretty cool having both a DTR and WR, they’re practically sisters but best of all is the fact I’m finally going to have a reliable, fun and usable 125 four stroke.

It’s also worth mentioning it does come with fairings. A good job as if it didn’t the bike wouldn’t be worth buying, one rear quarter panel is around £150+ on its own gasp.

Anyways enough waffling, will post some more no doubt when there’s been more progress or I’ve come into some trouble haha

Best wishes and ride safe boys

She Lives!**

Back in her rightful place as always intended. Such a good feeling.

You might notice a missing headlight, that’s because after torquing up all the front end etc to spec I couldn’t help but get her out, get her fired up and before you know it off into the fields we went.

She’s a big old girl with the USD’s and 19” rear. It always catches me off guard if it’s been a while. Thank god I’m not vertically challenged otherwise I’d have problems.
Nonetheless the 19” rear still isn’t very practical.

See the whole in my brush guard? That could’ve been my finger when I crashed. Much to my surprise the brush guard took most of the battering when my bike got thrown up the road. I’m tempted to buy some Chinese replica’s but having seen just how well the OEM guards did at keeping all my digits safe I feel like I could stomach the extra £££’s for genuine ones.

![alt text(https://i.imgur.com/wg9ZDOQ.mp4)
Phwoar I forgot how much fun the DTR is to ride and how much power you have on tap.
Out in the fields, as it should be and as per the title she lives. As you can tell I’m a happy lad.

I couldn’t help myself, with nothing but a helmet I came back covered in mud. Totally worth it though.

Speaking of mud…

To my surprise she runs really well. I had no trouble lighting the tires up and getting the front wheel off the ground.

Issues I’ve found:

There is a slight leak of blue oil at the bottom right of the engine, the fact it’s blue indicates it’s two stroke so nothing serious. No doubt every engine after being rebuilt encounters an odd leak or something along those lines.

The other was she wasn’t too happy about revving past 8/8.5k, plenty of power before then but whack the throttle wide open and she’d chatter and not Rev all the way out.

In the bikes defence it had no battery in it so I suspect the powervalve not opening fully or something simple as because it’s sat for over a year only getting started occasionally so it could just be that it needs its neck wringing to clear it out or worse case scenario I’ve got to whip the carb out and clean the main jet and check for debris in the fuel filters.

Worst case scenario is that the rings aren’t holding out and that’s why she’s struggling to rev all the way through, if this is the case it’s my fault as I didn’t bother honing the barrel or chucking in a new set of rings whilst the engine was out.

A job I should’ve done ages ago is repositioning the brake hose cable. Unfortunately I suck ass at bleeding brakes so despite their being no air bubbles in the line my front brake now feels no where near as sharp as it used to be.

On a side note one of the beautiful things about now running a twin pot nissin calliper is that if I wanted to run a sumo setup all I’ve got to do a lace a 17” rim to the standard WR hub and make a bracket for the standard calliper and have comparable braking force to all other systems.

My other half loves riding on the back but being two man up with knobbly’s is an “interesting” experience to say the least so a sumo setup is definitely on the cards sometime soon.

Prior to changing how the brake hose sit it’d dip down into my keys, often catching them and pulling them out of the ignition barrel. This has not been good for the ignition barrel, Yamaha’s from this time period are known for having fiddling ignitions and having a brake hose that’s constantly getting caught on your keys or trying to pull them out whilst you’re on a trail or out on a ride hasn’t done it any good. Thankfully I wont be having this problem anymore.

Battery fully charged, old headlight out of the loft once again. I’ve took out insurance on her again, a huge milestone and personal achievement since losing everything. I feel so guilty about the fact I haven’t been able to give her the love she deserves. I’ve promised myself I’d get to where I am now for what feels like an eternity. All that’s left now is to attach the headlight and put the battery in and book a mot then she’ll live once more.

Good news too! I found my wiring harness clips. Good job too as they’re no longer available anywhere! Unfortunately the state of my expansion chamber isn’t looking good.

I might actually have to stomach the fact it’s time to buy another dep. I never rejetted when I ran the dep but could never get it to rev past 9k. The fact I never rejetted is probably why, I found someone online with the same bike as me with the same level of tune who put in a #260 main jet as opposed to the stock #240 which supposedly fixed this. I’ll miss the torque of the stock pipe however the sound and weight savings are undeniable.

I’m in talks with some alloy welders/workers to find someone to fabricate mounting points on the triple trees so I can run the original headlight etc so with any luck that’ll happen soon.

For now though the old 3ET headlight will do as a gap filler in order for me to pass the MOT.

As always boys I hope you’re all doing well, smiling, having fun and riding safe

Bye bye stainless bolts. I got to the bottom of what bolts go where. Both YZ triple trees and WR front ends use domed bolts up top and recessed on the lower tree and axle.

Only a small thing but I can’t deny feeling better about knowing it’s exactly as it would be if bought brand new from a dealership.

Was only a matter of time before something doesn’t fit, at least it was only this though. It’s my fault for forgetting I didn’t have WR triple tree’s and that the YZ’s ones a have are an ‘02. Must’ve been some variation or change I didn’t know about or realise.

Luckily fowlers and CMSNL stock the guide used by the ‘02 YZ. A pleasant change for once. Oddly enough they’re identical and according to CMSNL list of bikes that use part no. 4EW2331EL1 an ‘03 wr450 is amongst them???

Strange… nonetheless I’ve ordered part no. 4EW2331EL1 Fingers crossed it fits.

link text

Here’s a link for the part in case you feel nosy.

Feels good to get this piece back. I’ll be using some thread locker to make sure it doesn’t go missing a second time. I’ve also ordered a 1/4” torque wrench, found a service manuals online for ‘02 YZ, ‘03 WR450 and the DTR and have decided to do everything up finger tight until I know I’m finished working on everything.

Once that’s done then I’ll do everything up to torque value’s. I was reading as well apparently you shouldn’t grease your bolts? I was always taught this where good practice? Apparently it misses with the torque values ?

![alt text(https://i.imgur.com/WBPeAPR.jpeg)

Ahh shit, apparently I’m not the only one though and this isn’t my error. It’s just the way it’s made. Jake who I bought from said he’d only ever used one bolt for this reason.
I was a little bit disappointed as I do love my Apico bling but nothing saying I can’t use with one bolt and save the OEM one as it’d be harder to replace.

I see on jauce people making replacements for the outer part of the ignition and was wondering if anyone did identical replacements? If not nevermind it adds character.

New clocks who dis?

Only a couple differences between them too. The models have an embossed Yamaha tuning fork logo which I think is a smart detail, the temp is replaced for the symbol, font is different and the new ones are white by the redline however i think this is just discolouration from age.

The clocks having taken them off properly and had a closer look don’t look too complicated and now I have another working set I can safely take my tacho apart without fear of breaking anything. I’m very eager to see how they work or more importantly why they don’t work!

Poor rubber has started to detoriate, finding another would be nice.
They rubber dampers have also come unstuck from the clocks, would anyone reccomend me some form of sticky rubber sealant?

Better photo.

I also noticed my new clocks had an extra washer behind the hairpin keeping them firmer in place. Oddly enough I always thought there was something missing or wrong with the way mine or that they all moved a little in the frames.

I’ll definitely be stealing that idea! It’s bugged me for a long time that they didn’t sit in there snug and tight!

New bulb

We now have light! I love looking at that dash so much. I’m so glad I never went digital.

I’m a sucker for that glow. I can’t wait to be on to road and watching those needles jump when I whack the throttle open into powerband.

Tried to progress more with the headlight however I can’t begin to make a sub assembly when I don’t have the parts for it. I ordered two grommets and got sent one, unfortunately it was eBay so I couldn’t prove they were wrong. Nonetheless full refund but unfortunately no part.

Speaking of the headlight I have found a very reputable alloy welder local to me that can travel who’s willing to have a look at those forks.

If someone provided me the tools I’d be more the. Happy to try great or modify a frame but alloy welding? With cast alloy? I’ll leave this to the pro’s, I think he’s also a machinist so I could kill two birds with one stone getting his help.

I have ordered a new rear caliper and hanger from France that’s in amazing condition, hopefully it won’t need rebuilding and all I have to do is chuck some pads in bleed it up and then we’re away. I done well on the caliper too, I took a punch to mine whilst trying to free it from the hanger and left some nasty gouges in it, nothing too crazy but enough for it to annoy me.

Having seen how much rear callipers are going for (in awful condition and without a hanger) I’m in a good mind to just sell my old one at U.K. DTR tax prices and recover the money I’ve spent.

All the bike needs at this point in time for an MOT is a rear brake and for me to connect the 3ET headlight. A pretty good feeling.

I’ve ordered another 4” cable extender and jap pattern tacho cable so that even with the 3ET headlight and currently mounts everything will work properly (touch wood).

Realising I might be close to finishing her up / getting her on the road I’ve started to collect bits to create an OEM rear taillight / number plate holder assembly as I that’d be pretty cool.

I’ve starting writing a secondary fowlers list for bits to finish up like new mirrors, some panels from bikerpartshop, brush guards and fork guards etc. Ya know all the little cosmetic bits or things I wouldn’t want to fit until last to avoid my grease hands leaving prints all over the brand new plastic

YZ front end specs for triple tree’s

Before I get to that stage though the torque wrench must come out. I took @HOTSHOT-III advice and got 1/4” sealey one. Lifetime warranty and calibrated for £35. Can’t argue with that and at a much more practical size then a 3/8” I can see myself using it a lot.

WR’s front end torque spec's

It’s going to be nice to have piece of mind that everything’s done by the book, every nut and bolt done up properly as intended. No more give it one more for luck and pray the threads don’t pull through or the bolt doesn’t snap.

One other thing I want to attend to and make sure is right is the routing for all the cables. It makes such a big difference seeing it organised properly.

Some pics I’ve nabbed for reference.

Also a reminder for me, when I’d done the rebuild I had some bits and bobs left over and one of them I could’ve swore where these metal bendy clip things. I must check I still have them and that I put them in the right place.

See luckily my electrics don’t look that bad if I’m using this for a reference. If it weren’t for the Tesco bag holding the relay and some overspray then it’d probably look pretty good.

Also looking at the way the headlight frame mounts has me wondering.. surely it wouldn’t take much to use what structure I already have to attach the headlight frame too. The only issue is the ignition / clocks. They’re going to need to be very careful tucked away and much lower.

How anyone rebuilds a bike or does a full tear down and returns every nut and bolt exactly back to where it came from I honestly don’t know. I think I’d call even the most experienced mechanic a liar if they told me they didn’t have at least a couple bolts left over that definitely belong someplace.

Anyways until next time. I might post about my other bike I’m working on but to be honest I think I’d be doing you a favour if I didn’t. No one wants to listen to me give a thousand reason why not to buy a Chinese bike and why they’re shit. Peace and as always ride safe! Looking forward to keeping you updated with what happens!

First thing that I wanted to tackle was the headlight. For this we need a headlight frame, Voilà. We have one.

It’s been a long time since I took mine apart and I’d completely forgot how it all went back together so in my head was going to be the biggest ball ache. Best to get it over and done with first.

Whilst messing around I found one of my old indicators, I thought I left them stashed away indoors. I must’ve left one of the front ones out to see if I could use the original brackets to attach the front indicators too.
As you can see, evidently not. The pinch bolts on the DTR’s triple tree’s face forward unlike on the YZ/WR ones.

I guess this means in the future I’ll have to make some myself. Hopefully I can get them to look like the OEM ones.

The face of my bike, it pains me to admit it but using the 3ET headlight really wasn’t that well thought out. It really was just a case of I like the look of it, I want it, let’s do it. In reality it just doesn’t work though, at least not with having USD’s. If things were different and I had stock forks then I’d definitely run it. Unpopular opinion but I’ve never been a fan of the big bulky cowl of the DTR. I’ve always thought Darty’s bike with the RX headlight was the way to go.

My super advanced ultra weight saving primary jogger quick release. What started as a bodge actually saved my bacon a couple times by allowing to get to the cluster of wires behind the light after the electrics having some moments.

![alt text(https://i.imgur.com/GEgUmoS.jpeg)
![alt text(https://i.imgur.com/WATSwEO.jpeg)
One thing I will give past me credit for was I was extremely organised, I was very anal about labelling and putting everything into sandwich bags. As a result every nut and bolt for the headlight frame is there.

The only thing that was missing where the rubber collars which got reused on the 3ET light but went missing.

Oh no they’re unavailable!

Aha these will do and with two in stock i best be having them!

I’ll miss the OG camel trophy stickers, made we wonder if the bike it came from was ever involved with it, especially as it came from Greece. Despite being before my time Camel trophy brings back a lot of nostalgia and good memories. When my mum and dad split I remember sitting in his little apartment feeling pretty strange and then watching it together and all the bad feelings go away. Seeing that camel trophy stickers makes me think about that and smile. I still don’t think he’s forgiven me for blowing up a TV and ruining one of his tapes though trying to watch it one morning though.

I really have no need for it but just because of the connection to camel trophy and my dad I think I’ll keep it. How much better does it look in comparison to the regular DTR’s headlight too?

That’s the original headlight back on. One drawback to the 3ET light is I could never see fuck all, bulbs where expensive and spare glass is non existent. My best mate went on a 3 day enduro trip with his dad only for his dads ktm to spin up and put a stone through the glass. Considering I’ll be spending a lot of time off road and hopefully with people it gives you something to consider.

Let there be light! Feels good seeing the original light glowing bright

I probably mentioned this but you really couldn’t see shit with the 3ET headlight. I feared riding at night
![alt text(https://i.imgur.com/Xm57wU8.jpeg)
Ahhh I even have a sidelight, the 3ET light doesn’t have a sidelight yet one is required for MOT. The poor sidelight removed from the DT whilst connected and then got cable tied to the bottom of the cowl for the sake of legality.

Also this pic gives you an idea just how my clocks were mounted. They're probably the tallest thing on the bike aside from the mirrors . I’m so looking forward to getting that sorted out. Also I love my aftermarket indicators, rubber stem and with a slim profile. I’m very particular about things like this is I’ve found so many aftermarket indicators to be cheap or look cheap and tacky.

Remember me saying I’ve been taking photos of things I need etc?

I was originally using pro-bolt anodised gold bolts on the fork bolts only issue is they’re ally meaning they strip if you so much as sneeze a bit of torque their way. Would I order some more though? Ofc I would they look amazing. I will be ordering some proper OEM ones from fowlers as well OEM axle pinch bolts so I’ve got a full set of OEM fairing bolts. Not a fan of the stainless Allen head pinch bolts considering how tight they get done up I don’t trust Allen keys not to round. But then again I still need to invest in a set of 3/8”-1/4” Allen sockets as half the issue with Allen keys is keeping them level as you torque them.

You might notice some more stuff is missing.
2003-2004 YZ’s/WR’s were unique in the fact the axle is hollow and threaded to allow the attachment of a hose cover/guard. The only drawback is that how do you get your axle in and out 95% of the time? With a hammer. This means the threads get burred and prevent it from accepting the main screw holding said cover. sigh I guess Yamaha expected us to hammer the axle in and out with our palms. I’ve since bought a set of dead blow hammers to avoid any burring in the future. It still doesn’t change the fact that I’ve still got to thread chase inside that axle. I once spent 15 minutes continuously trying to get a brand new bolt trying to grab the thread. You could say I’m still a bit annoyed about it .

Most of the missing parts in the photo I actually had at one point. The cover and bolts etc fell victim to a crash and the hose clip/guide and accompanying bolt (which also acts as a caliper retaining bolt) mysteriously vanished around the sort of time I was using my bike to get to work a lot.

I always thought it went missing after my crash but flicking through my photos showed me it just mysteriously disappeared. Gutted. The metal hose clip I ordered from CMSNL and was the very last one, generally speaking if it goes out of stock there you can pretty much wave good bye to any decent chance of finding another brand new.

Writing this has actually made me scratch my head a little… it seems suspicious that it should magically work its way completely out under normal riding conditions, even if not done up tight. I’m also quite lucky because it took me a day to even notice. Every time I used the front brake I’d hear a grinding sound, yet the brakes operated perfectly? I thought I was going mad. When I checked I found the brake pad retaining pin nearly sawn in half by the rotor…

I won’t speculate further but I think we all know how disastrous/potentially fatal that could be. Thinking back to @HOTSHOT-III about someone unplugging his oil feed pipe reminded me not everyone steals when they get jealous. Some people will outright try causing you harm. Maybe this was my close call. I must admit I’m not one for believing in coincidences.

Here you can see why I need to replace the DTR guides with WR one’s. Why they made these guides so that you have to disconnect your whole brake hose is beyond me. I’m so anal about keeping things that are original to my bike but I suck at bleeding brake’s and you can still buy them new for a tenner so I think the hacksaw is coming out.

You’ll also notice a couple of mismatched pinch bolts, don’t ask why but somehow the originals went missing. I’ll be adding them to my fowlers order.

Luckily I was in the right place at the right time as someone happened to be breaking their prized WR450 up they’d raced, he was in two minds about breaking the bike but I think me chatting to him and explaining it’s for my bike and that it’s going to a good cause swayed him a bit.

When I say he has a complete wr450 I mean there’s not a thing missing and had a lot of money spent on it so I was very surprised that he’d break it just for me to get these. Jake if you ever read this, I appreciate it so much! Thank you for being more then reasonable with the price as well £27 for all of the parts (plus extra’s) I couldn’t find anywhere did me a solid. I was expecting it to cost me a fortune.

It has to be seen to be believed, brand new speedo drive hooked up and working as should

Except even better, it’s now hooked up to the speedo!

A giant personal victory is getting this all hooked up, I’ve bought at least 3 different speedo drives and had 0 luck every single time. I kept throwing money at it in the hopes of making progress but never got anywhere. I was starting to lose faith that I’d be able to get the stock DTR clocks working with the YZ/WR setup.

However I can in fact confirm that you can indeed run DTR clocks with a YZ/WR front end/running gear, a couple good spins of the front wheel confirms everything works as it should. In all my time being active within the DT community I’ve never seen anyone do this, feels good to say I might be the first.

Next up is a thing that I’ve wanted to do for a long time now, for as long I’ve owned the bike actually. It’s such a simple mod yet I’m surprised I’ve never seen anyone do it before.

It’s an Apico Magentic kill switch, I believe they’re intended for trials riders but I see it having a few benefits. It also makes a good fidget toy. Magnets are so satisfying haha.

As you can tell I was rather happy with myself. I was running out of daylight and had already made loads of progress and had no intentions of even doing this so it was a great feeling getting it done. Only down side is I didn’t have a bullet connector as one of the wires had the wrong connection point so I’ve ordered a set bullet connectors.

“There’s nothing good about chaving up a perfectly original DTR” said a friend Oh well the damage is done If I wanted an original DTR I’d have left it alone the day I got it
Here’s the new kill switch! I’ve not had one for as long as I’ve the Apico YZ throttle setup so it’s good to have one again.

It’s always a pleasure seeing these clocks glowing, unfortunately a bulb has blown on my MPH side. Luckily bulbs are only £3 and look like a piece of cake to change.

The last thing I need to sort out is this baby…

She’s screaming for a lick of Competition Silver 00T9


Notice the guard is a bit different? I snapped it up a while ago from eBay America for next to nothing, they where made by devvol way back when WR200’s where still rolling out the factory. I won’t lie I kinda prefer the original OEM design but it’s a cool bit of history and probably quite rare now.

Sorting out the DT200WR swingarm isn’t a huge priority and now that my clocks are working there’s nothing stopping me putting the old 3ET headlight back on, sorting the rear brake then chucking her in for an MOT… however as said earlier I’m really enjoying the build and I’m not cutting corners this time around. I won’t stop until everything is dialled. Also I know putting on that swingarm is going to be a huge upgrade and personal victory as I’ve had it laying around for ages so I can only imagine how rewarding it’ll be having that on her.

Anyways enough waffling! If you’ve read this far thank you and I look forward to next time! Love my dudes, ride safe!

@HOTSHOT-III

Everything happens for reason and a big part of life is your outlook. If you have a positive attitude you’ll see the good in the things that happen and you’ll find more good things tend to happen. Every cloud has a silver lining!

@SpookDog thats brilliant, I thought I’d never see the day. I felt really bad for all the things that kept going wrong! I also admire just how many miles you put on the thing, I love to see people using them as intended not just being garaged.

And unfortunately not, I bought the fazer with the plans that I’d do my test and use it to ride to Scotland with my family to spread my grandads ashes at John O’ Groats. My job at the time then stopped giving me hours and I didn’t get the honour of one last ride with him to his final resting place. Something that unfortunately I’ve never had the privilege of doing. It’s not such a bad thing though, it’s a bloody long ride for someone who’s just passed their test and everyone else but my uncle bailed on riding. Even then my grandads GS750 chop that my uncle was riding ended up in the back of the van with everyone so even if I did ride and the fazer never gave me any troubles I could’ve potentially solo rode to John O’ groats only weeks after passing my test. I only ever got to ride the bike on a handful of occasions, once to the MOT station and on a couple ballsy blips on the road near where I live. The first time I ever hit triple figures was on that bike, I went to overtake two cars coming up to a nasty corner knowing full well that it could end very badly. I just looked up at the sky said a little prayer and made sure my grandad was watching then tucked in, squeezed and let her have it. I had no gear on, just a fox mx helmet. It felt like a matter of seconds before I was doing over 110. I’m not 100% sure of how fast I was going but I glanced at the clocks in between the two cars and saw the needle approaching 120. Scared myself a little bit after that as then I’d realised just how easy it’d be to hurt myself or lose my license. I didn’t ever realise at the time until a conversation with my dad where he pointed out that if you get caught doing over a ton it’s an instant ban. Possibly one of the biggest reality checks I’ve ever had. But damn do I miss that bike, it ran really really well.

Also you too @SpookDog I hold everyone on here with such high regards it really means a lot to hear all the nice things being said by you guys or even that you’d noticed I’d been gone. It caught me off guard and put things in perspective. Feels good to be back, I plan to do a lot less talking and lot more doing (sorry Callum, I know how much you love my wall of text’s . As always I look forward for you being a part of that journey. As always ride safe.

@Calum probably sounds complicated because there’s a lot I don’t know and words and things that I don’t know what they belong too and a lot to remember

What extra stress do you mean as I thought the 125 and 200 shared crank bearings so I figured in that sense you shouldn’t have to worry so much

Either way I’m prepared for the extra upkeep, the way I see it is the it’ll get me very comfortable with the engine and once I’ve done one time every other time should just easier

I’m actually a big fan of the zip lock/sandwich bag method, i also Chuck some two stroke oil or acf50 in the bags with the bolts sometimes it helps revive/preserve them

What I was planning on doing was getting a few bits of carb board and tracing the cases and numbering the bolt holes then poking the bolts in the appropriate places, keeps them safe and knowing where they went is self explanatory.

@HOTSHOT-III cheers for that, I don’t have any access to any mains power or power tools so any more primitive methods are preferred

I’ve also been watching this video a lot
https://youtu.be/7hHF5FC5ko4
Not a fan that they didn’t use decent gaskets but the video is good quality and it’s made me want an engine cradle

Okay so I’ve been having major issues embedding photos from my Flickr, I’ve tried everything and have nearly give up. The only thing that’ll work is directly uploading them my laptop which is a major pain in the ass when all the photos are on my phone, I also don’t think it masks any geotag data either.

Anyway, my plans initially where to run a WR200 front end. It seemed like a good idea. It would give me nice new shiny USD forks not to mention fitting the ignition barrel or original clocks wouldn’t be such a hassle as I could just use the WR200 speedo drive. There’s also the added backwards compatibility factor of being able to still use the stock DT wheel later on if I wanted for when I return her to stock form or if I wanted to return her to stock or just experiment with different setups. Perfect because as much as I love my knobbly’s tyres my favourite looking and riding setup to date is still 21-18 with a decent set of road tyres. Agile, fast and perfect for hauling ass on the road and light trails, just as Yamaha intended. Definitely how I’d return her in the future.

So yeah using the WR200 front end just made sense really, I wasn’t going to use the DT front wheel with the YZ rear so had already been looking at replacement options. The DT front wouldn’t do as I don’t want to ruin them and the chrome clashes with the silver rim on the rear. So upgrades in terms of weight saving would be a bonus too. However.... no forks could be found for less then £180. They where all in foreign country’s and that price was before postage or import tax’s/customs nor did it also include the matching front calliper I might need or the front wheel.
I can’t warrant the cost, a set of forks and everything else would eventually cost me £350+.

This leads me to issue I’m starting to face And would to talk about, one that I’m sure many of us have faced. Cost, Condition and Availability. See I’m not the most patient of person and very rarely are we blessed enough to have all three so sometimes sacrifices must be made.

However it’s not all sacrifices though...
I got chatting to a geezer about some YZ parts and had stroke of when luck when I told about my project and he said had an entire front end from a 2002 YZ 125.

He was a nice bloke and gave me a very very reasonable offer on the lot. I also have a set of black hi rise renthal fatbars and orange anodised conversion clamps that where left over from my last bike I built, I’d been meaning to sell them for ages and never got around to it and now it seems I’m glad I didn’t, they might just come in handy.
I really had planned to keep everything period correct, however like I mentioned above the issue is you could spend years searching for any part you need or better still sacrifice your monthly wage to afford it and that’s always something in the bike of my mind.
With that being said the fact they’re a few years older then I’d like isn’t such a bad thing. Here’s why, getting the whole front end together saves me a whole load of time. Being from an ‘02 it means there’s a ton of aftermarket support for literally everything (you won’t be catching me paying £70 for a used fork guard anytime soon). A little birdy reckons the ‘92 Kayaba’s where some the worst ever produced and last but not least, stopping power.
Until I had the opportunity to buy the ‘02 front end I never really gave how I planned to stop much of a thought, then I thought about it and remembered the time me and a friend where out racing each other. Come around the bend towards the T Junction with no traffic our end, lights are green we’re racing onward and then the lights change. My friend managed make it to stop luckily. Unfortunately I didn’t, the rear locked up completely and the front end just dived and did nothing, sending me hurtling towards oncoming traffic and in front of Transit pulling out of the junction. My mate said he thought I was almost about to die. He still comments about how long the trail of tyre smoke was. Deadly stuff.

Christ, I never realised a year had gone past. Looking back at my old posts makes me cringe however it’s a bloody good reminder of how much I’ve learned.
Much to my surprise the DT’s still running strong and on the exact same piston etc as the day I got her. I even completed the Essex air ambulance run on it, 140+ miles there and back for charity. Imagine a group ride of around 600-700 bikers and not only the only 125 but also the only 125 two stroke. Oh and to make things that extra bit better the entire journey was on knobbly’s No f@&ks given, I was going to university shortly after and said if it goes bang it goes bang, May as well send it.
Ended up getting a telling off from pc plod on two wheels as I might’ve accidentally popped the front end up right in front of him not noticing he was there, my uncle right behind me on his Fzr600 was pissing himself.
During the ride there was one lovely chap on his very original pristine 2RK TZR who came up to me however I on the return journey I noticed him turn off very early and head home. I guess he didn’t have he didn’t want to ‘Send It’ or was worried it’d look less then showroom condition for one day
The response I got from all the other riders with me was amazing though there where so many smiles, so many people recognised the old DT and I think where shocked that I was doing that run on the bike. A good few people pulled up beside me whilst I was riding just to have a look or give a thumbs up. I had a 94 FZR 400 (one of my all time favourite bikes) spot me which led to both us exchanging some braps and having a little play. Hands down one of the best riding experiences I’ve had.
As to how she’s still running I don’t actually know, I’ve kept on top of maintenance (not that she’s really needed anything) but she’s ripped through woodlands and trails near enough everytime she’s ridden, races around the local Mx track alongside KTM’s and still been used for the leisurely pop to the shops. To think I used to believe two strokes are unreliable.

Just an idea because I know mine are non existent and I’m pretty sure I saw a post it somewhere, has anyone ever thought of using these or know any other alternatives whilst I’m here? (YZ125 89-92 Roller Set)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223493276708

The message I got from Jim prior to my carb being posted back to me

“Morning mate,
I got your carb sorted 1st job today
Your fuel leaking was the float valve quite worn so fitted a new Japanese one for you.
I managed to get the air screw out ok, first one this year they're usually well seized.
Had to drill the pilot jet out though, I fitted a decent used one in there now.
Your power jet was partially blocked, tiny black deposits came out of there so maybe from a rotted bit of hose at some point in its history,
And your emulsion tube was a bit grubby so cleaned that for you, I took a picture of that”

My reply:
“ Wicked mate beyond happy, I’ve not had a spare jet to knock out the emulsion tube so even in the past when it’s been ultra sonic cleaned that’s remained in situ.

The air screw I had suspicions that you’d be okay with, I’d messed about with it before but since my bikes been jetted perfect since the day I’ve got it I’ve had no reason to play with it. Anytime I’d loosened it off it’d come out it was just a bit of a tosser.

As for the float valve, do mean the little bit with the rubber tip? Because I’d had it out before checked the spring on it and rubber and all seemed okay (not that I’m arguing or saying you’re a lier, I’m just eager to hear what I missed so I can learn from my mistakes )

Sorry about the pilot jet too, if you could recommend a good screwdriver for pilot jets to avoid that rookie error I’d greatly appreciate it man

Also happy about the price, I thought it’d be more , one last thing as well did you put in new gaskets etc?”
(Price was £70)

Jim’s reply:
“ Hiya mate,
I use a mains tester screwdriver with the plastic sleeve cut off for the pilot jet it seems to fit perfectly.
The rubber on the float valve was quite worn you can see a line around it that's quite deep, I have changed that and the brass seat that it sits in.
Your carbs sat now below my Lc tank with petrol going into it so will leave all day to be sure.
I use royal mail
No gaskets needed but did replace the power jet pipe as that was a bit stiff.”

Long story short apparently my float valve was the problem. Admittedly I feel like a bit of a tool for not just replacing it for the sake of it to rule that issue out but we live and we learn.

@oldman said in Klx250:

Finally found a KLX 250 for a good price, also came with super moto wheels. Fitted new tyres, c&s, rebuilt brakes, full service, few mods so far, valve clearance checked, manual cam chain tensioner to fit and counter shaft (sprocket) oil seal to change then it's done (almost)
Still riding the red dt and the dtmx, though they will be put away for winter.

Stunning bikes. I am by no means a Kawasaki guy but credit where it’s due they where years ahead of Yamaha and the industry with the KLX’s.
I’ve seen a couple 95-99 models come up sale recently and they’ve green with envy (pun intended). Once again no Kawasaki guy but the mid 90’s models just look too cool and extremely modern. Oddly enough they seem to come up fairly cheap compared to the likes of XR’s and WR’s too, which seems strange considering it offers more then a lot of its adversaries?
Maybe garish green isn’t for everyone...

Let me know your thoughts on it and how you get on with it it’s been on my list of bikes to potentially buy when I do my A2 licence.
Only thing that puts me off is it only being a 250 and roughly 30hp and feel I’d want more to play with

@calum don’t worry bud I got you on this, remember how much I struggled / long it took me before I finally got it?

@westy7070 shoot me a message bro and I’ll explain what to do because it’s a pain in the ass if you use the forum on your phone