Is it practicable to retro-pimp a semi-modern dirt bike?

[ninja_butler]

Just a random idea that popped into my head!

I was looking at a photo of an old 1990 Kawasaki KMX and while beauty may be in the eye of the beholder I think it was a lot more practical than aesthetic in design. Are there any bikes of that kind where the tank, seat, plastics etc might be easily replaced with earlier (70's/80's) more curvy looking bits?

[Teflon-Mike]

[numpty2]

I've always liked the 70s dirt bike look, but some of the prices are getting a bit silly now. Nostalgic individuals seem to be lusting after certain iconic models. So it would pay to do a bit of research and maybe find one of the less "sexy" models.

[stevo as b4]

If you want a cheap air cooled trail bike project with more retro styling and twin shocks etc, then i would look at very late 70's and early 80's stuff, mainly the bikes that were replaced by the new more trick MX styled watercooled stuff.

For example a Suzuki TS 125/185/250ER or a Kawasaki KE125/175 would be good choices in that they don't have the looks of the prettier and much more expensive early 70's stuff, and yet there are unwanted and unfashionable compared to the liquid cooled mono shocked next generation bikes.

My only other advice is, I would probably steer clear of Yamaha DT's even the late MX models, not because they are not fantastic bikes, but Yamaha has become the most sought after marque for anything 2stroke, and as such prices have rocketed as more people want to buy up classic bikes for resto's etc.

The same kinda applies to anything Honda and XL/XR, as they were for a good many years the only 4stroke trail bike option, and as such they are nearly all sought after and priced accordingly.

of course the main motto for any resto project is that you should pick a bike that you really want to own/restore, as if you just look for a machine that is not sought after, not popular and or is just cheap to buy, but may have never been a great bike, then you will probably get dissalusioned and lose interest before you get very far into it.

Some folk will say pick a bike that is and or was very popular, and one where the NOS, re-manufactured or aftermarket parts supply is still very good. There is merit in that argument, but not at the expense of rule No.1

The main problem now is that there are lots off different generations wanting to re-live their youth and buy into their past bikes again and can afford to do so, so really although the appeal is different to different people, there is overall a strong interest in bikes from the late 60's right up to the early 90's as possible restoration projects.

Maybe now is a good time to start buying and re-building cheap 2000-2010 Chinese trail bikes, before another 10-15year's when the kids that had them as learner machines, all want to re-live their first bike times again.

The world is mad, spend £3000 restoring an FS1E? Who knows what people will be spending on Lifan and Jailing 125's in 20 years?

[Teflon-Mike]

[ninja_butler]

Thanks Mike, insightful as usual.

I hadn't really thought about how different twin-shocks and radiators make a bike look compared to a mono-shock but it's obvious now I think about it.

I wish I'd bought that old DT 175 MX when I'd had the chance; why is it you can never appreciate a bargain when it's staring you in the face? £300 for an easy fixer-upper.. what was I thinking?

[stevo as b4]

TM don't get me wrong, id absolutely love a DT175MX. I think they were the best clubman's trail bike and most versatile machine available in the late 70's early 80's. In fact until things like the TS125X/DT125LC and MTX125 came out, they were probably unbeatable in terms of being a decent road legal small trail bike, yet having most of the off road ability of things like an IT175 or PE175 proper enduro bike.

I love the engine as well, as it's the same lump with minor changes as was used in the TY175, which i owned one as a school boy trials competitor. I used to love the sound of my old TY and having a DT175 would bring back so many memories, but mean id have a useful machine on the road as well.

The reason i suggested things like the TS185ER or KE175 to the OP was that they just don't seem as popular, or sought after as the DTMX. That also means they are like for like often much cheaper, and dare i say it that either bike is no where near as good as the DT. So that means you should be able to pick up a fixer upper or resto project for much less cash, but whether you would end up spending more or less to do a nice renovation to the same std as your DTMX was, is difficult to say?

I don't fancy finding some parts for a late model KE, but then if the bike is cheap enough to start with maybe it offsets some of the difficulty and expense in getting parts for a resto? I really don't know TBH, but i can understand the logic for picking a popular bike with good parts support. Kawasaki parts support is probably the worst out of the big 4 by a long way, but if it was a bike that you really wanted, then i would still choose the bike i wanted, over the easiest one to restore or get the bits for.

[ninja_butler]

I'm going to keep my eyes open for both the TS and KE, they're both interesting. I've seen a few TS 185's on Ebay but they've all been field bikes and tbh I'm scared of anything to do with replacing fiddly, complicated electrical bits.

On a side note, I wonder if the price/value of small bikes will go up next year with the 47bhp restrictions encouraging sales of smaller, lower-powered bikes.

[Teflon-Mike]