Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1525821
Roach Resurrection Roach Resurrection 1971 Yamaha DT1MX 1971 Yamaha DT1MX By Kurt Flachbart By Kurt Flachbart 34 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com I've always found it interes ng how much old iron remains buried in sheds and barns. Located in the Northeast, a fair amount of large build- ings make it easy to accumulate junk such as old motorcycles. Out of sight, out of mind as they say. As one who searches the 'net on a daily basis for vintage dirt, it's clear that medium has pre y much run its course. Good deals are far and few in between. As we vintage freaks grow older, bikes seem to find us. Most o en, it just happens, a friend of a friend is cleaning out a shed, someone "knows a guy," and a call gets made. This month's vintage Yamaha is a similar story, a bike that had been stored in the ra ers of a barn decades ago and long forgo en. It was discovered last fall when a large tree landed on the very back corner of a large barn during a Nor'easter. When the property owners checked out the damage, a few old bikes were discovered up high in the nook, ge ng wet and in the way of handling the roof repairs. Fortunately, this property was owned by friends of mine, and I wasted no me hi ng the road to see what kind of old toys had been stashed so many years ago. There were a few oddballs in the lot. An Earles fork DKW, a Hercules 7 speed, what was le of a Harley Baja 100, and a ra y old, red framed DT1 with no pipe. Unfortunately, there were no Penton's or 501 Maico's but with a love for old Yamaha's, a deal was struck and we proceeded to pack the Sprinter van with a bunch of old mice-infested junk. While load- ing up my treasures, a Yamaha GYT pipe for a DT1 was found. We tossed that in the van also. Several weeks later, I had a chance to spend a li le me with the old Yamaha. What we ini ally thought was a DT1 250 stripped of its lights, was in fact, a DT1MX, Yamaha's first purpose-built motocross- er. Having been fi ed with a 21" front wheel got my a en on but swapping out the 19" front for a 21-inch rim was a popular mod at the me. A quick V.I.N. check confirmed the bike was an MX model. The next step was to strip the bike of bodywork and give it a thorough deep cleaning. This process is one I greatly enjoy, as there's always a story to be told. Although it had been "customized" by a wannabe ar st with a fat brush many years ago, it was clear this old Yamaha had seen a rela vely easy life.