First Dirt Bike
- Thread starter k01
- Start date
NQ1965
PR Elite
" Hershey.Was the old pressed steel type frame used on many Yamahas from the late 1950s through the 1960s and beyond. The HT-1 90 Enduro came out in the same color in 1970 and out dated the L5-T, making it a good end of the year deal.
Last edited:
NQ1965
PR Elite
Would be interesting to know how many DT style bikes Yamaha sold back in the 60's and 70's. Had to be in the hundreds of thousands. Super popular.
Kind of bums me out that I don't have any pic's of my first bike, and really surprised that mom didn't take any.
At twelve years old I worked my hump baling hay, mowing lawns and shoveling snow to get that cycle and to keep it running.
The bike was a 1974 Suzuki TC125.
I stripped all the chrome and street parts off, mounted plastic fenders and painted the tank and side covers RM yellow, with the Suzuki and Fox Head decals.
Kind of bums me out that I don't have any pic's of my first bike, and really surprised that mom didn't take any.
At twelve years old I worked my hump baling hay, mowing lawns and shoveling snow to get that cycle and to keep it running.
The bike was a 1974 Suzuki TC125.
I stripped all the chrome and street parts off, mounted plastic fenders and painted the tank and side covers RM yellow, with the Suzuki and Fox Head decals.
Yamaha made it confusing when they started naming many bikes DT. The DT was originally the 250 Enduro. That was followed by the AT, CT, HT, LT and RT, each with a different displacement. The LT 100 and CT 175 were my favorites.
I rode with guys who were on the early TS 125 and 185 Suzuki bikes. A couple of the 185s were eventually converted to MX bikes. I did the same with a LT 100.
John250
PR Founding Father
I learned to ride on a Honda CT 70 that I could not touch the ground on. I would stop next to my dad to grab me. But my first Yamaha, was a '74 GT MX 80. Would love to find one in decent shape to restore to look like my bike. Got it for Christmas. Probably the best Christmas gift I ever got.
MarctheSharc
PR Founding Father
How did they get it in the house?
Mine was a surprise as well......I was to MAYBE get one in spring if my grades held up.
My parents couldn't get it through the doorway so they left it in the garage and hung an IOU on the tree.
I was totally fine X mass morning watching my sister open all her gifts just knowing the IOU was there.
My dad was filming the whole time.
After each time she opened a gift my dad would pan to me and I would just point to the tree once again and smile.
When we sat down for breakfast, my father MANDATED that I go out and get my mother some fresh juice from the fridge in the garage.
I didn't want to go get the fresh juice because we already had some in the house -!
I even pulled it out of the fridge and made a scene -----
After a giant drama fest I reluctantly went out to the garage.
I rounded the corner & I fell to the floor in a sea of emotion, sobbing.
After all that ---- To see it sitting there left me totally destroyed.
Mine was a surprise as well......I was to MAYBE get one in spring if my grades held up.
My parents couldn't get it through the doorway so they left it in the garage and hung an IOU on the tree.
I was totally fine X mass morning watching my sister open all her gifts just knowing the IOU was there.
My dad was filming the whole time.
After each time she opened a gift my dad would pan to me and I would just point to the tree once again and smile.
When we sat down for breakfast, my father MANDATED that I go out and get my mother some fresh juice from the fridge in the garage.
I didn't want to go get the fresh juice because we already had some in the house -!
I even pulled it out of the fridge and made a scene -----
After a giant drama fest I reluctantly went out to the garage.
I rounded the corner & I fell to the floor in a sea of emotion, sobbing.
After all that ---- To see it sitting there left me totally destroyed.
hershey
PR Elite
I've got a yellow one of those in my garage I bought last year.
John250
PR Founding Father
We lived in a Bi-Level house. Garage was right off the family room, and utility room was right off the family room as well.
My sisters both opened up all their gifts. I could tell that it seemed like my sisters got a lot more than I did for Christmas that year. We all open all our gifts and my dad tells me to go up stairs and get him something out of his room. I come back down stairs and there sat the bike next to the tree. They had hid it out in our shed until Christmas, and then put it in the utility room until I went upstairs.
Best Christmas gift ever. I've never been without a dirt bike since that point in my life. Not many of us that can say we got bikes that young and 52 years old, still riding 48 years later.
My sisters both opened up all their gifts. I could tell that it seemed like my sisters got a lot more than I did for Christmas that year. We all open all our gifts and my dad tells me to go up stairs and get him something out of his room. I come back down stairs and there sat the bike next to the tree. They had hid it out in our shed until Christmas, and then put it in the utility room until I went upstairs.
Best Christmas gift ever. I've never been without a dirt bike since that point in my life. Not many of us that can say we got bikes that young and 52 years old, still riding 48 years later.
MarctheSharc
PR Founding Father
F'n Dad's .....always setting things up .....
MarctheSharc
PR Founding Father
Mom & dad said they were totally freaking out while trying to hide it .......
My dad must have picked it up at the dealership so they had to stash it away for a few days before Christmas morning.
Ha- They KNEW we were snooping around everywhere trying to get the down low on what our presents were..
My dad must have picked it up at the dealership so they had to stash it away for a few days before Christmas morning.
Ha- They KNEW we were snooping around everywhere trying to get the down low on what our presents were..
I had 4 hp Bonanza. Straight chrome on right side. Still have the burn scar on my leg to remember it well. Front mounted foot pegs so it really wasn't a dirt bike. The only Rupp I had came on 4 wheels. Fuzzy picture helps hide the total lack of motocross track riding safety gear.
Christmas Eve and MXA'S on the DT-1
motocrossactionmag.com
Including an ad with the 1968 100 Trailmaster. I didn't realize it came with two rear sprockets instead of the dual range transmission that my 1969 model had.
YAMAHA DT-1: THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO MOTOCROSS - Motocross Action Magazine
The wild and wacky story of how Yamaha got into the dirt bike business and the cast of characters that made it a success
motocrossactionmag.com
Including an ad with the 1968 100 Trailmaster. I didn't realize it came with two rear sprockets instead of the dual range transmission that my 1969 model had.
Ron505
PR Founding Father
I don't have any pictures of my first bike (around 1978 - 4th grade), but I believe it was the same as Johns', but white and red? Here is one that is white and black.
After breaking the frame on my GT/MX a few times, I got a TC100 (1974?) around 1980 or so. We were stripping the headlight and chrome goodies off within the first few miles of picking it up when my dad made some threats about pulling anything off of it...lol. So I just beat on it as is.
After breaking the frame on my GT/MX a few times, I got a TC100 (1974?) around 1980 or so. We were stripping the headlight and chrome goodies off within the first few miles of picking it up when my dad made some threats about pulling anything off of it...lol. So I just beat on it as is.
In the show me state dirt?
Ohio plate on that Ford van I assume? I wasn't racing for several years about then but would have been on that road occasionally. Ever see the mouth yellow Sport Arrow that I drove to dental school at that time?
Ron505
PR Founding Father
I'm sure I did. When we moved down there from Columbus it seemed like there were motorcycles everywhere. We moved in to a house that should have been condemned, and redid everything. It's between Hickory Hill and Eckert. Now a tan farm house with timber fencing around it