These Vintage Yamaha Dirt Bikes Sat For Over 20 Years, Can They Run?

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Locked away for decades, are they ready to break free?

Fair dinkum, it's likely that at least half the reason motorcyclists are drawn to bikes is because of their history. If a bike's got a ripper of a yarn, we're as good as hooked. And if it's an oldie but a goodie, a fair chunk of us might feel a connection to that story and wish we could be a part of it too.

who clearly has the perfect mix of skills you need to really get stuck into project bikes like the two in this video.

That made him the ideal bloke to receive a phone call from a sheila who was keen to get rid of two gorgeous, early 1970s Yamahas.

One was her husband's, who used to compete in racing; the other was his mate's, who used to compete with him. There's even a point in this video where we get to see the husband's racing gear, including a vintage Yamaha jersey, Bell helmet, and sweet '70s leather motocross pants. Sorry, I've got something in me eye.

Get Your Wrenches

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In the end, a DT250 and an MX250 with heaps of stories to tell both went home with Craig and his mate, with plans to get them back on the go and ripping. The good news is, even though they'd been sittin' idle for a couple of decades, it seems they'd been stored in a shed. That's a fair dinkum lot more promising than bein' left to rot in a heap outside, especially in the midst of Midwestern winters, which is the kind of weather the region gets.

Now, while it's true that nostalgia can put a rosier spin on things than they might deserve, Craig's had a fair dinkum crack at fixing up bikes in a lot worse nick over the years. If you're not convinced, just have a squiz at some of the other videos on his YouTube channel. Compared to some of the real motos he's worked on, these two are as right as rain.

Does that mean they'll take off? At least one of them does by the end of this video, but I'll let you watch it to see which one (and hear it, of course).