LukeHenderson
Derestricted Danger
Joined: 15 Mar 2009
Karma :  
|
|
Teflon-Mike
tl;dr
Joined: 01 Jun 2010
Karma :  
|
 Posted: 15:04 - 24 Dec 2010  Post subject: Re: Yamaha DT125 querie. |
 |
|
| LukeHenderson wrote: | I was thinking about buy a Yamaha DT125, I have a Xt125 ( newer 4stroke). What is the difference between some of the models though, e.g. dtr125 dt125lc dt125 dt125x? What is the best one to get? what is fastest and most reliable? |
DT lineage is long and illustriouse.
First DT125 was the DT125E, an air-cooled Twin-Shock, intorduced around 1969, although at that time it was called the AT1, and most often badged the Yamaha 'Enduro'.
The DT badge arrived around 1974, on the 250 model, it was like the AT1 the engine designation! (though many people suggest that DT stands for 'Dirt-Track') a few early Air-cooled/Twin-Shock 'DT's' got DT badging, when they rationalised the range, and gave them badging to match the more popular 250, but it wasn't consistent. In 1977, though, they introduced the mono-shock rear suspension system, then a simple cantilever affair, and the air-cooled DT's got the MX suffix, and the whole range were designated DT's, though not always badged prominantly, until '79 when they got a box section swing-arm, and many still sported 'Enduro' badges on the side-panels.
Most pre-83 DT's sold though were 175's, as you could still ride 250's on L-Plates back then. The air-cooled 125's are rare.
1982/3 the DT125LC was introduced with water-cooled engine.
This saw a lot of model and styling variations in its first five years until 1988, during which time there were three main variants, MK1, MK2 & MK3. For the UK market all were restricted to 12.5 bhp.
(Earlier air-cooled 125's offered around 14bhp)
MK1 - Had I believe drum brakes, and no power-valve
MK2 - Had disc Brakes and no power-valve And MAY have had the rear suspension upgraded from cantilever mono-shock to multi-link, though that may have been on the MK3.
MK3 - Had disc brakes and an inoperative power-valve.
The DTR125 was originally the Full-Power world-market DT125 MK3, offering 22-ish-bhp.
The UK DT125R was basically the same bike, but 'restricted', and where the MK3 had a power-valve but not the servo and control box to work it, on the UK bike, it had all the stuff to make it work, and it did, but the controller and ignition were re-mapped to keep the bike under 12.5bhp learner limit.
I think in about 1992, the DT125R badging was dropped and UK bikes got DTR badging as world market, but with DT125R restrictions.
DT125X is a factory motarded version of the DTR, basically smaller wheels and sporty tyres, buch like the earlier TDR125, though I think that had its own frame and some other model sprecific differences, but basically the DT-LC engine.
which to go for? Well..... if you want reliability.... its a mine-field. DT's are hooning tools, and an awful lot of them spend more time in bits being repaired, rebuilt or 'tuned' than they do being ridden.
Legend of the DT is that you buy one, clip a wire here or there, knock a washer out the exhaust and have an instant 'full-power' 33brake bike! (WHY does every Learner-Nut believe that EVERY two-stroke, makes 33bhp when de-restricted! They dont! I think there's only about two that even get close!)
So they get thrashed and muggered with by folk looking for cheap speed. This doesn't bode well for reliability, or finding a good second hand example. People that buy them as often as not, get them for that powerful engine. Money will get spent rebuilding it, after numptyness has seen it sieze or blown up, or on looking for more power from it by way of tuning goodies.... the importnt stuff of brakes, tyres, suspension and steering, is often ignored... uness of course theres a jack-up kit in the mix!
And they are a dirt-bike, and likely to have been hammered about the rough a bit at some pont in thier life.
Buying a DT, if you want a good-one, DONT be bamboozled into the blind-spot of the engine, and being convinced it must be good becouse its had a complete engine rebuild, and the frame painted and plastic sprayed whils it was out.
Go over a DT in fine detail, looking for straight wheels, with tension on all the spokes, steering bearings that aren't loose or notchy, suspension that compresses smoothly, with no oil weapage under the fork-gaiters, and doesn't squeek at the back end!
Check the brakes, and look for signs of good maintenence, like coppa-slip around the float-pins on the front caliper, and bodges on the back brake rod, and ALL tells of crash damage.
Very easy to hide a lot of minor drop damage on a DT or pass it off as low speed spills on dirt, but look carefully. These bikes get abused. And foot-peg brackets are an area thats hard to disguise so easy as bars or levers that can easily be changed, or plastics that can be pulled off glued up and sprayed.
Other-wise..... they are all much of a much.
The engine is basically unchanged from 82 onwards from the original LC model, and in genuinely Learner-Legal form, none of them should be any quicker than the rest.
DTR, is the most recent, and the more easily 'fully' de-restricted, but from 2001 I think, they all had 65mph speed limiters in the speedo. Done wrong, de-rstricting this, can cause major problems, and actually make the bike slower. It retards the ignition control module when you aproacj 60mph, so if the sensor is by-passed it goes into retarded mode and aplies the restriction accross the board!
Theres a wire in the servo controller that limits full power-valve travel, but I believe that the CDI unit and power-valve control module are also differntly mapped on restricted bikes, so that they cant be 'fully' de-restricted, as full-power models, but even at 20bhp, you get a pretty big gain.
Earlier bikes are harder to de-restrict, needing the power-valve equipment, but can be tuned. But tuning DT engines tends to hurt the power delivery and its that and the nimble chassis that makes them what they are.
NOW, if you are on a Learner-Licence, and have an XT125.... REALLY I would say think long and hard, about it.
DT's are fun, but, like I said, they are a hooning tool, and getting a good-one can be difficult, and they fetch a premium, becouse of the reputation & legend. So if you want a good every-day bike with every-day reliability and ecconomy, on a learner licence, you'd be far better sticking with your XT. DT might go a bit quicker, if you are lucky, but, you're as like running at risk, if you have one thats tuned or de-restricted on L-'s not just infringing Learner-Restrictions, but reliability and over-all performance, handling wise. Getting a DT will cost money, and get you less bike for it.
Better use of that 'premium' would be to sink it into a little rider training and your test fees. £200 should do it, and then chop your XT in for a bigger dirt-donk, if you still want to go that way. Big-Dirt bike, almost certain to give you a lot more bike for your money; be quicker than a DT, and stand far better chance of being more reliable and less abused, as well as 33bhp complient.
If you already have a full licence, then a DT can be a fun bike to knock-about on, come summer, do a bit of green-laning, and play spanners on, but there's really no great reason if you have a full licence to go for one of them, instead of a big-bore 2T dirt bike, that would again, do the same job, and give you more bike for your money.
I like DT's, I even own one.... but.... you need to be pretty sure what you are getting into with them, and what you want it for, but, smart-money really says, get licence, get performance from cubes, not tricks!
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?' |
|
Blau Zedong
Banned
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Karma : 
|
|
crm250
Scooby Slapper
Joined: 13 Sep 2003
Karma :
|
|
CRF_Rider
Spanner Monkey
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
Karma : 
|
|
Help & FAQs
Search BCF
Members
Groups
Events Calendar
rating
rating