BETTY

1974 YAMAHA DT250

I picked Betty up from a little ocean side town in southern California, a total babe cruising the beaches. The original paint on the tank was as pictured and the motor ran very strong, so I decided to just do a partial restoration. Those were the only two things that remained untouched however as I proceeded to refinish and modify everything else on the bike.

The DT250 was a two stroke enduro featuring an oil injection pump and seating for two. You could just dump some gas in the tank, and hop on with your favorite person to have wrap their arms around your waist and you were off. You could ride from your house in town down to the beach, and then rip around in the sand. These early dual sports really were built for fun and would take you anywhere you wanted to go. This specific bike rolled through the deserts of Moab, all over southern Cali, and through mountain passes in the Colorado Rockies.

Modern dual sport tires helped hooked up in the dirt while still giving some traction on the highway. After playing with the sprockets a bit, she was geared just right to cruise at freeway speeds without making the engine scream. Boyesen power reeds, bigger jets in the carb, and a high flow intake filter gave this little 250 a little extra bark.