1975 Yamaha DT100 Restoration

1974 Yamaha DT100 Restoration Project Background

Here is the second bike from the same customer located in northern New Jersey. The first project was a 1978 Honda CR125 Elsinore dirt bike. Both of the bikes were bought brand new right off the showroom floor right around the age of 14. How many of you would love to have the bikes, dirt bikes, 4-wheelers or whatever back from when you were young? I would. Without question. It's part of the reason I'm becoming a hoarder with the stuff my kids use.

Anyway, the initial email included the statement "I have a 1975 Yamaha Enduro 100. It has been in a garage almost 40 years. Still has the mud on it when I used it last." The photos will prove it! Despite sitting for all that time, the little bike needed surprisingly little to become road worth again. The engine maintains the original top and bottom end. I honed the cylinder just to clean it up a little. I also removed the carbon from the piston and head. Other than that a carb cleaning, new tires, wheel bearings and of course paintwork.

The only major issue with the bike was the fuel tank. The original had fuel left in it since the last use as in 40 years ago. The fuel degraded the sidewalls to the point where a little acid burned through in a record amount of time. A long search for a good replacement ensued. We had to settle for a tank that was not exactly the same but would work just fine. Only issue was the top decals did not work due to the slightly different shape of the tank. As a result the top decals/graphics are not present on the restored bike. I was going to paint them on but the budget didn't call for it. 

Once everything was all back together and the carb cleaned a second time, the bike fired up almost instantly like it never sat. The DT100 will now live it's life at the beach running errands that will no doubt take twice as long because everyone will want to talk about the old Yamaha.