Just escaped the house and nipped down to my friendly local wreckers ("Japanese Motorcycles and Dismantlers" in Adelaide) this morning. The Minister Of War took our daughter to her full contact combat ballet classes and I seized my chance. Actually what I seized was my son, and flung him in the back of the car. Anyhoo... Damien who runs the joint had been looking out for a mate of mine and had found a barn find DT175, a 1979 I think. He hadn't been too forthcoming about condition but by the time I got there he'd flushed it out run an oily rag over it, kicked it over and sold it to my mate. This bike had been put in the back of the owners shed in.....1980. It fired second kick. It's in really nice condition with, wait for it, LESS THAN 900 KILOMETRES ON IT.
It doesn't end there.
The octogenarian owner had dropped it in 1980, three tiny dents in the tank, didn't even penetrate the paint, so he bought a NEW tank, and entire set of plastics. He never put them on. They're still in the boxes and packets.
I don't know what the price was but my mate bought it on the spot. It can't have been a bad deal, his nickname is "Hamish Goldberg".
He doesn't need to do anything, he has his VJMC Rally bike in one hit.
Gentlemen, take heart, these things do turn up, and if you keep your contacts fresh and friendly you can sometimes land a good one.
Top recommendation for Damien at Jap Dismantlers, he's a good egg and an honest man who looks after his customers. Get all your spares and servicing done there next time you're in Adelaide. And rebores, crank rebuilds..... and barn finds apparently.
They are still out there
They are still out there
Ex UK, now in Adelaide. LC250/350. DT175. Shed full of sh1t in the vague form of dismantled rusty RD’s and RZ’s.