1977 Yamaha IT250.... supermoto?

ok... had a few minutes this morning....
literally just a few minutes.

if'n you're going to make a pan, you really would be a bit ahead by smoothing out the form (in this case the aluminum tape) the best you can. i didn't spend much time doing that, it's good enough for my purposes.

a release agent of some time will seriously help a lot, even if the form is a throw-away like this one. car wax can work well, but some of the stuff can react with the resin. a good carnuba wax should be fine. i use a spray on release agent; works a treat, it's actually made for this & i've got a lot of it. (i made fiberglass & carbon fiber parts for a few years)



i pre-cut the fiberglass mat to the shapes i wanted... then start laying and brushing/tamping the resin. i mixed it pretty hot (bit more catylist than they say) so i could knock it out fast.

4 layers of glass on most of it, 6 in some areas.



once it cures, i'll pull it off, smooth it out and trim.

it cured before i had to leave for work... popped it off the mold



on the bench, ready for trimming and such...



it seriously weighs less than the bacon & eggs i had for breakfast. it's not super strong, but it contacts the frame everywhere... frame will support the weight.
smooth it out and a bit more resin as a gel coat...
one button head screw to hold it down, along with the ever favorite industrial velcro...
bit 'o closed cell foam... done.

tail done, save for paint & pad
pipe done, save for paint & silencer







it'll be on the road by next week

build list so far:

1977 IT 250

Frame : stock, cleaned of tabs, some reinforcing

Engine : IT 250 bottom, YZ 250 jug/piston, .30 over, boyesen porting, modified IT pipe

Front end: 2003 YZ250f forks/trees/hub/brake. lowered 4", revalved. 19" rim, Mefo trials tire, narrowed Renthal bars

Rear end: YZ 400 aluminum swingarm, YZ 250 shock, Pirelli MT90 trials tire

Body: Yamaha MX tank, stainless "number plate", IT headlight, fiberglass seat/tail

Misc: JT sprockets, DID chain, quick one-off bar clamps, assload of polishing (all aluminum and magnesium surfaces)

grand total of the build so far including purchase and all parts, subtracting a few parts i sold off: $620... and many hours.

This is so sick. Nice work.

I like this. Nicely done sir.

Fantastic. My next build may have totally changed directions in the time it took me to read the last 5 pages of your build. Inspiring.

Fucking awesome work dude. It's turning out great.

ok... got side tracked with something else... but i got a bit done to the yamaha.
it's running/riding/starting/stopping as it should.

had to replace the seal on the right side of the crank... motor flooded and filled the trans.
took all of 50 minutes total start to finish- to pull the kicker, side cover, clutch, primary gear and seal... go to the local bearing supply and get a new seal... and come back, put it all together & fire it up. would have been a 30 minute job if i had the seal here.

jetting is still off, but its getting closer. i need to pick up an air filter for it before i spend too much time futzing with jets.

anyway... 'ere it is





probably can't tell in the horrible pic... but the stock tail light is under there, peeking through

Fuck. That thing is the kitties titties.

I HAVE to build an old dirt bike now. Been wanting to for a couple months, but I just saw one at the shop when I dropped my jugs off, and now that I've seen your IT almost done... I gots to have it!

Are you going to paint the tank?

Originally Posted by dhallilama

IT were not originally street legal... though over the years someone may have reg'd it. if it hasn't been previously registered, or if it has had an off-highway permit in the past ~7 or so years... my experience in CA is "buy another bike"
the DT was street legal. get a broken/titled DT and swap everything to the titled frame.

that's the easiest in CA. i've gone through hoops there and reg'd a KX500 and a CR250 on the street at different times, but it wasn't easy, wasn't cheap.... and i wasn't able to renew the registration on the KX, had to surrender the plate. also got in mild trouble for putting that KX500 motor in an FZ600 chassis, but that's another story.

I'm really not too sure what i'll have to do here in Oregon. haven't tried yet. this bike has never been registered for on-road use. i'm hoping to slide through due to the age, and with full street gear: signals, high/low, horn, etc.
Washington state law changed at the beginning of this year.... easy peasy to road register a dirt bike there now. Oregon has a history of not being able to renew bikes like this IT. we'll see.

in ca unless the bike was stolen the dmv will take the vin out of the system after 4 years of no registration or non op and yamahas records only go back 10 years so the dmv now thinks my bike is a street legal 1975 dt 400

this thing kinda just sits in between other projects most of the time... but went back to a dirtbike kinda seat/fender. quickie 30 minute upholstery jobbie...



a piece of stainless, a buncha holes and some safety wire...

This bike is amazing. Keep it up!