Current Project(s)

1976 Yamaha DT400CI picked this up in March 2016. I'd been looking for a early 70's Yamaha enduro because I got hooked as a teenager riding friend's enduros and want to relive those experiences while I still can. I never had one, my father was not supportive when it came to motorcycles. I was expecting to end up with a 175 or 250 but I came across a running 1976 Yamaha DT400 and decided to pull the trigger on it. The aftermarket fenders didn't do much for me but It rode pretty darn good and pulled, well, like a 400 ;^)

It photographs quite well but found it's a bit of a rust bucket when I got into it. It must have been left outside for a few years. The right side of the frame/swingarm was the rustiest and has been painted over so that's a future task.

I'm trying to get this reliable by May 18 so I can meet some fellow enduro enthusiasts in Moab for a ride.

Air filter: Must've been original. The foam was flaky and brittle, wasn't stopping much dust anymore. Replaced with a K&N YA-4074 which is washable and reusable.

Tires and wheels: I believe the tires were original, inside both rims were very rusty. I used rustoleum Rust Reformer after scraping and wire brushing. Replaced the tires with a pair of Pirelli MT43 and heavy duty tubes. Bearings and brake shoes are in good shape.

Intake manifold: It had a lot of deep cracks in the rubber, replaced with a much better used one from ebay.

Gas tank: So, when I was buying the bike, the tank looked pretty good but it turned out to be full of rust. Did the hand-full-of-nuts treatment to loosen it all up, washed with soap and water then treated with Metal Rescue. I thought I could clean and rebuild the petcock but there was too much corrosion, replaced with a new OEM from ebay. With the fuel system as it was, I'm surprised it ran at all.

Carburetor: Also full of rust from the tank, cleaned and rebuilt.

Tach and Speedo: The speedometer was in decent condition but the tach face was roached-out pretty good. Found a decent price for one on ebay.

Lights: The headlight is good, rear turn signals are missing (bought some on ebay, another future chore) and the front ones are there but not working. The tail light is built into the aftermarket fender and works good.

Seat: The seat cover is kind of weirdly loose fitting but otherwise in pretty good shape. The pan is rusty and rusted through in places but usable for now.

Update: In Summer 2017 I replaced the aftermarket fenders and the rear tail light with original Yamaha parts so she looks stock again. Also added the turn signals back onto the bike and they work well. Replaced the tail light bulb with an LED bulb.

1973 Yamaha RT3