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Yamaha DT 175

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Make Model

Yamaha DT 175

Year

1974 - 75

Engine

Two stroke, single cylinder, reed valve

Capacity

171 cc / 10.43 cu-in
Bore x Stroke 66 x 50 mm
Cooling System Air cooled
Compression Ratio 6.8:1

Induction

Mikuni VM24SS 24mm slide type carburettor

Ignition 

CDI, magneto type
Starting Kick
Battery 6V, 4Ah

Max Power

16.5 hp / 12.3 kW @ 7000 rpm

Max Torque

8.8 Nm / 12 lb- ft @ 6000rpm
Clutch Wet, multiplate type

Transmission 

5 Speed
Final Drive Chain, DID428SM. 117 links
Primary Reduction Ratio 3.23:1
Final Reduction Ratio 2.37:1
Gear Ratios 1st 33.55, 2nd 20.38, 3rd 14.42, 4th 11.50, 5th 10.09
Gearbox Sprocket 15 teeth
Wheel Sprocket 49 teeth
Frame Welded, tubular, double cradle with single downtube

Front Suspension

Telescopic, oil damped
Front Fork Oil 146cc (4.9fl. oz.) per leg

Rear Suspension

Dual shocks

Front Brakes

Drum

Rear Brakes

Drum

Front Tyre

2.75 -21

Rear Tyre

3.50 -18
Castor Angle 60°
Dimensions Length 2080 mm / 81.9 in
Height 1120 mm / 44.1 in
Wheelbase: 1350 mm / 53.1 in
Ground Clearance 265 mm / 10.4 in
Seat height 845 mm / 33.27 in

Dry Weight

99 kg  / 218 lbs

Fuel Capacity 

7 Litres / 1.5 US gal

The DT175 was born in 1974, when the three-year-old, piston-port 175cc Yamaha CT3 Enduro was redesigned with reed-valve induction. In 1978, the frame was revised with a monoshock on the back similar to the YZ motocross line. The swingarm was replaced with a square-tube design two years later.

Americans may be forgiven for not being familiar with the DT175’s awesome longevity. EPA regulations banished it from our shores after 1981. But throughout the world, the DT175 has soldiered on, becoming a much-loved icon in the process. It was updated a bit here and there; a YICS intake plenum chamber (or “boost bottle”) was added in the mid ’80s, and a decent front disc replaced the feeble front drum in 1999. But overall, the the 2010 DT175 is remarkably similar to the ones that sat in U.S. dealer’s showrooms so many years ago. The larger DT250 has been out of production for years and the smaller DT125 has been replaced with a modern, liquid-cooled design.

The DT175 has always been a spunky, eager machine. It cannot handle supercross whoops or speed though the woods down a gnarled enduro single-track. But it has proven itself perfect for navigating fire breaks, Jeep trails, and untold thousands of potholed city streets, unpaved alleys and rural dirt roads. The entertaining but unintimidating power is just perfect for schoolboys learning the joys of two-wheeled freedom. Yet it is the bike’s ruggedness that set it apart.

At this very moment, DT175s are churning through deep African desert sand, chugging through muddy Scottish bogs, transporting doctors and preachers on solitary journeys to nearly inaccessible jungle tribes, criss-crossing Asian metropolises loaded down with hundreds of pounds of marketable goods, and ferrying entire families of three, four or more to neighboring villages.