Yamaha RT 180, good?

[DannyMoto07]

Hey guys, I've got a chance to pick up a 93' Yamaha RT 180, 6-speed, 2-stroke with minimal hours on it for about 700 bucks.

Is this a good deal? I have 2 Yamaha quads, love the way they run and would like to keep it all Yammy's in the garage... I've also had tons of experience with 2-strokes through mopeds and small motorcycles.

I am just unfamiliar with the model. I know they made it from 90'-98' basically unchanged, so I figured it must've been a pretty strong bike...

This will be my first "dirt-bike" for mild trials and small hills...

Also, has anyone ever put a light on a non-light dirt-bike? Would I need to install a seperate coil in the ignition, or can I splice off of an existing coil?

Thanks so much.

DannyMoto

 

[indynotch50]

I had one for my first dirt bike. I had three and four wheelers. I found that after about 2 days, I was already past what it had to offer. However, I mainly rode open land and small jumps. Pasture basically. It is a sweet bike for small trails and hills. The 2 stroke is actually an oil injection system.
I'm not sure what the market is for them where you're at. However I had a 97 or 98 that was absolutely mint and bought/sold it for $850. I did have the bike all summer and rode it nearly every day, and nothing ever broke, very reliable.

In sum: They are good bikes for easy trail riding. If you're an experienced rider, you'll probably grow out of it quickly. If you want to jump, go ahead and pass it up.

Oh i'm 5'8 and 175lbs and it was fun to run around on. Just didn't fit what I wanted to do.

 

[DannyMoto07]

Yeah, this is going to be mainly a starter trail-rider. I'm positive that I'll get used to it and outgrow it... but I'd rather spend 700 and get some good fundamentals down on a used bike rather than unload a grand or more on a newer one and really mess it/myself up.

I'm used to road riding on 400+lb bikes, trail riding on level-riding quads.. so this'll be fun :)

Just as long as the 180cc's can haul my butt around the trials I'll be just peachy.

Thanks for the info!

Dan

 

[XRpredator]

it's good for what it is, and since it's basically a rehashed DT175, you might even be able to dig up the parts to turn it into a street legal machine.

 

[DannyMoto07]

Basically all I would need is a DT175 stator plate, flywheel, and all the coils... along with all the switches and lights... right?

Dan

 

[Lorin]

Very heavy, fairly underpowered bike with mediocre suspension. I wouldnt consider the rt180 for anything more aggressive than fire roads. A used XR, or ttr could be found for similar cash with much more potential.

 

[DannyMoto07]

Do the XR and TTR's come under 250cc?

I'd really like something 125-200cc, 2 or 4 stroked won't matter... Just something reliable, versitile and fun.

Dan

 

[DannyMoto07]

Just wondering, is the RT 180 the same as the DT 180 sold in Europe? (I did a youtube search for some videos and all I found were DT180's) they look exactly the same, so I figured they must be. Only difference is the rear fender, and some have lights on them.

Compared to what kinds of things these guys are doing with their RT/DT's... I'm gonna just snag this one. I'll see if I can't talk the guy down to 625 or something close to that. I don't really want to pay the full 700. Plus, he said it has a small dent in the front rim...

Oh... and did I mention that it's white, pink and purple???? When I get it home I think I'll have to do a full dissasembly and hit it with some rattle-can black and blue to Yammi the thing up a bit.

Here's a pic...

Dan

 

[XRpredator]

Just wondering, is the RT 180 the same as the DT 180 sold in Europe?

pretty much.

 

[2 strokes for life]

DannyMoto07, the best way for that bike to gain power is, power reeds, porting, throw the airbox lid away, and rejet. Then you will have some power to play with.

 

[DannyMoto07]

Thanks guys... where's a good online site to find performance parts for the RT180?

Dan

 

[Chili]

Sinking money into this bike to boost the performance would be a mistake in my opinion. Enjoy the bike for what it is a complete beginner trail bike, no amount of $$$ is going to change that it will simply make your wallet lighter.

 

[elcamino12sec]

Wow, I see it is very pink and purple, give it the Krylon touch for sure!

 

[DannyMoto07]

Lol definately el-camino... I think the only modifications to this bike I'm going to make are purely cosmetic.

Here are the plans:
Black seat
Gloss Yellow Plastics
Gloss Black Frame
Silver Swingarm
Black Fork Boots.
Gloss Black Wheel-Rims.

I'd like to do it up to look like the old 70's and 80's yamaha racers paint schemes, only making it look brand-new.

Sort of like this.

 

[RM_guy]

I had an '91 RT180 and after I cracked the frame for the 3rd time I got a real bike. I had it for 6 months and that was 5 months longer than I should have.

You will out grow it very quickly. You say you will only do light trail riding but trust me, you will start doing more and that's when it starts to break.

 

[XRpredator]

Lol definately el-camino... I think the only modifications to this bike I'm going to make are purely cosmetic.

Excellent plan. When you decide for more performance you can find a hotter bike.

 

[DannyMoto07]

Well, the bike is mainly for either myself, my brother, or whoever comes over to have an extra vehicle when we go trail-riding. It's just that right now I don't want something too fast or expensive to work on. Plus I dont want either myself, or whoever's riding it, to break a brand new piece of machinery due to inexperience.

I have a feeling that I'm going to do some of my own modifications to this bike for reliability purposes...

Like I said, I'm not crazy about speed, especially in the woods where I plan on riding this bike. (It'll mainly just have to keep up with a Yamaha BearTracker 250cc ATV).

But yeah... I plan on doing a full tear-down in order to re-paint this bike and fix any defects before I start riding it... so if I glance at the frame and see any potential for breakage, I'll just take the frame to work and make some gussetts, weld them in, and strenghten up the frame before I paint it.

Not only this, but I plan on putting less than 50 bucks into this bike by the time I'm done. So, when it is done, it'll pretty much be a brand new bike. So if I hate it... I can possibly turn a buck to one of the local kids around here.

Dan

 

[Rooster]

My first bike was the RT180 ... I out rode it in the first week. It was a fun bike, but I found quickly, like others said, it's not good for much other than putting around and having a good time.

I got stupid and jumped from the RT to a 1990 YZ250 and got my ass handed to me. Then I learned how to ride.

If you have the opportunity, ride several different bikes and figure out what suits your riding capabilities. Everyone is different, some can have a blast on a tame trail bike, and others will be on the latest and greatest.

Have fun, that's all that matters!

 

[adam728]

I don't know where you'll find yellow plastics for the thing. Besides, the tank is steel!

I had a 93 RT180, like others said, good beginner bike that you will quickly get tired of. It's heavy, soft, and slow. Worked pretty good for the "fun" trails (tight, hilly, full of mud and log crossings).

If I were you I'd get the bike and put nothing in it. Ride it, have fun, ditch it when you get tired of it. You'll be further ahead leaving it stock looking, most people would be much more comfortable buying a stock bike than one that has be spray painted in an attempt to look cool.

 

[DannyMoto07]

I don't know where you'll find yellow plastics for the thing. Besides, the tank is steel!

Well I'm not going to put yellow plastics on it... I'd paint it like that... That was just the paint scheme I'd use for a refference. Also, I'm not going to "Krylon" the bike... I actually have a small paintbooth in my barn that use when I used to restore old mopeds and I've always use decent DuPont automitive paints when I paint something.

Believe me... no one around here would be caught dead on a white, pink, and purple dirtbike. Lol.

Like I said, I'm not into Moto-X, and I'm not going to jump the thing... Basically, a big-person mini-bike is what I'm looking for.

 

[Rooster]

Well, if all you want is a big person mini, you got a great bike. You don't have to mix fuel, they run great and don't take all that much TLC to keep them going.

BTW - White-Pink-Purple was cool back in the early '90's :yikes: I had a '90 YZ250, all white with the hot pink graphics and seat cover, and a '87 KX125 with the white and pink tiger stripe seat cover. WHAT was I thinking? :coocoo:

Sucks to have lived in that era.

 

[DannyMoto07]

Lol.. well, maybe if I decide to grow a mullet and simply throw out every shirt I own, I'd fit right in on the 90's style charts...

However... it's quicker just to paint the bike.. Lol...

Maybe they were trying to encourage women riders more? Who knows.

Dan

 

[DannyMoto07]

Welp, I got it!!!

Runs well, shifts amazingly and first gear is INSANELY low and almost scary. The only problem is that it just won't idle. The gas in the tank is about two years old and so is the oil in the reservoir. I figure I'll drain them, get fresh high-test, run some AmsOil HP 2-stroke injection oil in her, and clean out the carburator.

I also noticed that the throttle is dead for the first 1/8th of a turn... I think there's just slack in the cable but I'll have to take a closer look later. The only other little issue is that the front rim has a dent in it.. not sharp.. but long. Almost like it hit a log or something. I can hopefully fix it with a rubber mallet and a block of wood. The tire holds air and doesn't vibrate or anything, so it's not affecting anything right now.

Tires are like new, paint is in amazing condition, plastics are perfect, motor is spotless other than the 2 years of "garage dust" on it. The chain looks like it could be tightened up a bit, or possibly needs a couple links removed.

There's no rust ANYWHERE... for a 1993 the bolts look like they're brand new, the front disc looks amazing, chrome is amazing, really, really solid.

It's heavy, cheezy looking, and like it came off the showroom floor 14 years ago.

Can't wait to get her perfect!

OH, and as far as the paint, I'm going to pass on it. I'll see if I can't remove the decals and simply re-cover the seat and get black or red boots for the forks... then get a set of RT180 black and red decals from E-bay.

Thanks for all your help guys.

Hopefully have it good by tomorrow night.

I'll keep you posted!

Dan

 

[DannyMoto07]

One last quick question...

Will I destroy the transmission if I don't pull the clutch every shift, or can I simply glide the gears once I'm rolling?

I just happened to notice while test driving it that the bike will shift without the clutch... however I'm scared that I'm going to ruin something that way.

Thanks.

Dan

 

[RM_guy]

You can shift it without the clutch.

When you tear down the top end take a look at the exhaust port. On mine it was filled half in with alum. that severly hurt the power. I ground it all out (make sure you don't break through), rejetted it and had a ton more power (sorry, I don't recall what jets I changed but I when bigger on the main and played with the needle clip posiyion). The engine is an old MX engine design that they must have thought they needed to tone down by plugging the exhaust.

I ragged on the bike a lot but if it's an "extra" for newbies like you explained then it's not a bad choice.