Resurrecting A Vintage Yamaha Dirt Bike Part 1 

Huge Thank You to Ridge Wallet for sponsoring this video. Here is the link to check them out! ridge.com/tbm

Nice to see a FULL restoration rather than a get it going video Craig! I like the get it going videos but I sometimes feel I'd like to see the full story on a lot of these bikes! Great video as usual !!!

This is near and dear to this old man`s heart.... in the 80s I completely wore out 2 brand new IT 175s an 82 and I still have the 83.but it is shot....Maybe I need to dig it out and restore it....Used to love the smell of Yamalube on Sunday morning.

Love your channel Craig. Thanks for making it a serious bike channel

WOW a full restoration of a classic! So cool to see you do all the steps. I like the "Get it running" style videos too and I hope you keep doing them but this is really neat! I'm not sure I can say enough times how glad I am that you and Dan are still a duo and that we get a bit of both of your personalities in the videos. Looking forward to episode 2

I appreciate that you show the real side of working on old junk. Heat\beat epeat and improvise with the tools at hand.

This channel is truly a blessing between the entertainment from bikes and beard and the expertise from Craig, actually exactly what I was looking for :) Glad you got your own channel growing. This type of dirtbike from this era truly deserves some love !

I learned two things while watching this video. 1.The Chinese place by me puts enough onion in the pork fried rice to choke a horse! 2.Craig says Yamaha weird.

I had a four stroke Yamaha TT 225 as my first bike. Loved it. So much torque. Drove through the woods up and down the mountains around Reading Pa. Didn’t need no trails 😊

Morning after Thanksgiving, I've been up since 3am. And now I get to enjoy Graig doo bike schtuffs... excellent.

Craig, i have a great idea 4 you, For the plunger in the fork, buy one or two nuts, preferably 4, that fit in multi hex of the plunger (at best measure it), plus a threaded rod that the nuts fit on. now you can either lock the nuts on the threaded rod (2 at the bottom end, 2 at the top end) and hold the whole thing tight, or you can weld one nut on the bottom and one on the top and have a tool to hold it!

Couldn't help myself when that swing arm bolt came out, I raised my hands in victory like it was I that was working on that bike. I’ve got an 86’ TT 225 and had the same issue last spring the day before opening day at the capitol forest!

Thank you so much for this Craig ! As a Yamaha fanboy myself i really appreciate this. Because nobody does this better than you Craig ! Please keep doing this and keep those old Yamaha's commin to you channel. God bless the US of A and this bearded mechanic. Greetings from Holland. 🙏🏻❤🇺🇲😊

I really appreciate how you showed that part with the epoxy that didn't hold up and later when you threaded a screw through it. You easily could have left that off camera but you didn't showing everyone that even the best will still make mistakes and some mistakes are minor enough that it doesn't matter. Good stuff bro

Love your channel. My son is interested in restoring a dirt bike. He's going to watch your I.T. build. Enjoy the humor you bring to the show.

When cleaning the metal surface you can use your nail or you can use scotch brite. I also use them for cleaning gasket surfaces. You can use the scotch brite for the tubes. I love watching your channel. You give people hope for their project bikes.

a lil more heat, a lil more beat, a lil more spray, a lil more pray. all this and more has to be done for Craig to ride today. thank you thank you.... i'll be here all week

Love the bike rescues!👍🏻

Old bikes are still good bikes. Thanks for all you do. We appreciate it. Ride safe and keep the rubber side down.

Cross hatching for the forks. Thank you Craig. You learn something new every Craig Video.

Just home after a day of carpentry and home repairs, similar surprises & frustrations in my field. Just discovered this channel a few weeks ago, I’ve watched almost all of them. Somehow it helps me spin down. Great stuff guys! Thanks.

Looking forward to the next episode!!!!!!

Heck yeah Craig. Keep the classics alive. Your the VGG for motorcycles. Love the revival vids and these shop work vids are pretty freekn cool too man 🫡👍👍👍

I had a 1979 Yamaha IT 250 when I was a teenager. That was a beast of a bike and so much fun to ride.

Love this series already, I rebuilt a basket case 82 IT175 when I was 14, my step dad said if I could get it going with no help, I could have it. And that's the story of how I got my first motorbike.

Go Craig and your trusty side kick! Loving these videos, the production, and the back and forth banter! Great stuff and thank you! Go Craig and Dan, keep moving forward! Can't wait to see what's next!

Craig! No joke had to use one of your off the wall rescue tricks to get my wife's back home. Her rear tire started losing pressure fast. Has a hole, no local store has plugs. Had a. "What would Craig Do?" Patched it in layers. Still had 10 psi when we pulled back in. Thank you for those

That's going to be nice to have a new old favorite bike . Thanks from NOR-CAL.

I had a Yamaha Mx 80 in 1980, this brings back memories .❤

You remind me of my brother, only he does clocks/watches. I have seen him disassemble a clock, throw all the pieces in a tray, then reassemble it and it works!!

Very cool! Quick tip: For the bottom bolts out of the front forks, if an impact doesn’t do it, a length of all-thread and a couple of nuts locked together at the end that are the size of the giant hex head inside the tube works perfectly. I’ve done a couple 70s Yamahas this way. My lower fork bolts were the same size (but inverse) as the 17mm ones on top.

Back In 1987, I bought a used IT 175. IT was my favorite growing up! This brings back so many great memories! Thanks MAn!

I had a 78 Yamaha IT 400, loved that bike . but it kicked my butt every time I got on it . When the power band came in , I came off . I also had a Yamaha TT500 converted to a street and trail bike . Not really converted , mainly added some lights . My favorite bike to ride in the dirt was my 1980 Yamaha TT 250 . It had the best running engine of them all . Maybe not the best running ,,, but it was smooth , easy to handle . Probably because it was a 4 stroke. Another thing I really liked about the TT 250 , was that it had a tall suspension . With me being 6.6 the suspension was greatly appreciated ! I would ride the train tracks .Not on the sides , but between the rails . With it's suspension and a sweet spot with the speed , the tracks became very smooth !! The one dirt bike I wish I still had would be my 1976 Honda Elsinore 250 I got in 1983 , it may have been 7 years old , but with a little work , that thing would fly .

Burleson dominated on the Huskys but the IT was the average guys Husky. From 79’ to the last year 86’ I had IT’s and they rarely let me down. Thanks BM for this one.

Fixing bolt holes with epoxy tip: shoe polish the bolt/screw really well (very important!!) fill broken bolt hole with epoxy and insert the bolt/screw, let it cure and back the bolt/screw out carefully (carefully at first to be sure its cured properly). Let it set another day or two and you have a threaded epoxy repair that should hold a few foot pounds of torque (completely dependent on the type of repair. Grind/sand edges to blend and you’re done. If you dont wax/shoe polish the bolt it will be permanently installed and will never come out, you must wax/polish the threads and not have the threads filled with wax/polish. Gently work the epoxy into the threads so they mold properly.

My mates and I had the full range 175, 250 and 400 that we used to ride the wheels off in the late 70’s. They were such great bikes. So reliable and at the time they were the best. Such wonderful memories. I ride a KTM 890 Adventure R now which is big heavy and very fast which I love to death.

One quick trick I've used a lot at work to remove a stuck bolt is to put a self-drilling screw through the center. For some reason it works like a charm. Rounded bolt head could be tricky, but I bet it would work if a guy were patient

I love my 1980 IT175! I've done a restification on it, including a new top end, DC Plastics fuel tank, cosmetics, and the clutch. One year only white fenders with everything else blue. It's never let me down!

I had a '77 IT175D back in the late 80's.. Absolutely LOVED it.

I bought my 79 brand new for $850. The IT175 was my dream bike. In 1980 the swing arm was painted silver.

Can't wait to see more!

Just restored an 1978 IT175 last year. I’d say the rebuilding the rear shock was probably the most challenging part of it.

My buddies dad had one of these when I was young and I loved it. He sold it and didn’t offer it to me and it broke my 12 year old heart. Ended up getting a new RT180 that year which was a very similar bike.

'Took stock square bar, heated then forged it halfway towards pointed and welded a T handle on the end. 'Worked a treat. 😎

Just wanna say this was a good one, thanks Craig!

Use the end of a wood broom handle jammed against the damper rod to get the bottom screw loose out of the forks. That was our special tool in our yamaha shop.

Damper rod forks not cartridge. Cool to see the bike get respect. They made a decent desert racer when they were first released. Yamaha also sponsored a number of Six Days riders including John Fero and my friend and Motion Pro tools owner Chris Carter on IT400's.

Remember the 360 Enduro in '75 or '76 I think. Then my brother got a Can Am later. I was in California and he was in Florida. He was a Tinker. Couldn't leave anything stock. He dislocated his shoulders with the Can. Can Am bought the bike from him to find out what he did to it. Took him 20yrs. to get his wife to let him buy another bike. That one killed him. Those little 175s were screamers. I liked the Honda CL350s though. They rocked. Quickest was the Kawasaki 500 street though. Those things walked and talked.

That's a lot of love the old girl needed! Such dedication.

Best one yet!!! Can't wait for pt 2 this was my first ever bike a d I absolutely loved this vid

Hi! I'm from Brazil and I just restored a 1989 Yamaha DT180Z, which use this same engine. Dude, you don't know how happy I am riding a two stroke for commuting!

Back in the day we would loosen that damper bolt while the forks were still in the clamps. Slide the axle back into the forks and suck the forks up with a ratchet strap. The internal tension on the spring keeps the internal from rotating. Once they are broken loose you're good to go.

This is the kind of content I like to see! Great work guys, can't wait for next episode of this project!

My graduation present in 1989. A 1980 IT 175 .over the Cascades too many times to remember .1980 was first Year with swingarm rear suspension. Cheers to Yamaha for getting trail riding perfected 😂

EVERY time I saw this thing in the background while he fixed another 😢!!! Awesome 👍😎👍 dude!!!

Its not ugly at all!!! I wish I had 1 in the garage to putt around on. BEAUTIFUL 😍

I remember these blue Yamaha’s when I was a kid. Living in the country dirt bikes were a form of transportation for a lot of guys. Everyone would head to Fort Polk army base on the weekends and they would let you go ride through the training grounds for the Tanks with a $5 day permit.

Ok, I love the DT and IT Yamaha bikes. Let’s face it 2strokes rule. I was not happy when the world stopped making them. I was excited when hard enduro got them back in the marketplace. This rebuild is a great way to inspire people to keep their old 2strokes running. Good work.

I had a road legal 175 when I was a young fella. It was crazy quick, noisy as hell. Loved it.

This is some cool inspiration for me. I have a 1981 IT465 tucked away that I haven't ridden in 20ish years. Hopefully I can make time to do this over the next 20 years!!

My dad has over 10 IT/DT/MX 175s and DT/IT/MX250s.He loves them bikes. He buys them, rips them down to bare frames and rebuilds them. Hes spent thousands $$$ just on aftermarket expansion chambers for just those bikes. In total he has over 20 bikes, including his streetbikes and other dirtbikes.

This is crazy, I have the same bike and am just about to start restoring it. Stoked to have found you and your channel!

I loved my 78' It 175 , the bike flew , 6 speed , 2sroke , big tank , I rode it for years 😊

Craig, for me, with an interest in the ISDT (but not the ISDE) that sort of machine is the ultimate so watching you pull it apart and repair it makes this the best episode on your channel so far. Looking forward to seeing it up, running and looking spiffin’. My ride is a 1992 Serow (XT225 to you!). Greetings from the UK 🇬🇧 Les

Love the old isdt bikes. You can take them for a blast on the road and don't need to trailer them to use them.

Craig I love watching your videos

Had an ‘83 IT175, beat the crap outta that thing, so reliable!!👍😎👍

I had exactly this model and it was fantastic .

Not even the whole focus but just as a guide to restore forks this is one of the best videos I've come across tbh.

I'm in the UK, loved my 91 DT50 when I was 17. Many moons ago. Was in the blue and yellow

Fun to watch, good job guys.

So looking forward to the next episode on this bike.

I really miss the IT, PE and the KDX days. It was so great to read Dirt Bike Magazine in the 80s and see how perfect the 200 two strokes were. Thanks so much for the memories!

That bike has genuine Oury grips in it which is the brand of grips we all used back in those days...Even used them on our bmx bikes,atcs,everything..

I owned an IT 175 in the early 80’s. It and my Montessa 250h were two of the best single track enduro bikes of the era. It was a stunningly capable bike, imo. Liked it more than my husky WR250 for single track.

I really enjoyed this Video. I owned a 1981 IT 175.. It was very dependable. Thanks for the flash back😊 Looking forward to the next video

The motor came out PERFECT 👌

ITs we’re bulletproof bikes. Great to see one get restored. For somebody our age, that is an exciting bike.

Love the old dirt bikes, and small cc motorcycles. I have a 74 MT125 Elsinore myself.

So cool that I'm not alone..lol. I'm also a hard-core yamaha lover and love my dewalt tools. Out here it's all Honda and Milwaukee power tools. Awesome videos Craig. Thanks for sharing your passion.

I really really enjoyed this one, can't wait to watch the next part. I love stuff like this. Not that your other videos are bad, I love those too but for some reason I was really glued to this particular one

Cannot wait for the next episode

I've been collecting Yamaha IT bikes for quite a few years and my most favorite is the 1986 it 200.

Great video. Best footage of cartridge fork rebuild I’ve seen.

Your videos have inspired me to take on new challenges with fixing bikes. I’ve borrowed my brothers 03’ Suzuki Intruder that’s been sitting for several years and I’m gonna slowly get it back to road worthiness. He bridged the contacts on the battery with the battery cover and fried some stuff, so I have to start there. Hopefully repairs go as swimmingly as they do on your videos😂😂.

Craig, For disassembling the forks I get a bolt that fits the damper tube, weld a smaller nut on and use a socket. They are usually less than 2" long and get chucked in a box in the bottom of the toolbox. They don't take up much space and I haven't had to make one for a while.

Yesssss, I've been waiting for this one 😊

Craig, you keep kicking butt,

The joy I feel every time there's a new upload 🥹

This was my very first dirt bike. 79' IT175.

I totally enjoy all your videos. I especially love your restore videos. It takes me back to when I was younger and doing the same thing. Craig, you are awesome!

I recocnise the "Birmingham Screwdriver" (UK expression) and the "Don't Force It Use a Bigger Hammer" approach!😄

Heat paint the exhaust or polish it repaint the frame blue or something so it looks badass

Love the videos Craig! I've gone back and watched them all from the start and am about to wrap this one up. Enjoying the full teardown and restoration vs the usual just "get it running" mentality, as much as I enjoy that too. I would love to see a longer video on all the engine/transmission/bearing work that was done in the short montage near the end of the video. Full teardown internal engine work is not something seen often enough. Excited to see where the channel goes in the future!

It’s an exciting bike because you are excited about it.

My step Dad had an IT250 that we used to ride when we were kids. It was so tall I had to stand it up against the doghouse to start it, the kick-start was almost as long as my leg with a curve that would break your foot without boots. Once my buddy jumped it and fell off the back mid air and when it landed the throttle was stuck, it drove 500 feet with nobody on it! Best ghostride I've ever seen! 😂

Brilliant as usual, I love the chemistry between Craig and Dan.

Man I could watch you rebuild old bikes all day. Great job. Can't wait to see it back out on the race track. Keep up the great work and stay safe.

Love the chat between the two of you, it is like being there with two mates just joking around. I had a 1980 IT 425 it was a beast and tried to kill me several times, great bikes.

Suggestion (cheap): A long piece of threaded bar plus two nuts (locked) at the end. The lead nut sits in the 12 point end of the damper rod at the bottom of the fork stanchion. Two more nuts on the other end. Holds the damper rod stationary as you turn the allen bolt in the bottom of the fork leg