Photo: Brent Lewin
No matter how neglected a stock bike might be, Andy Dorr and Giles Colliver of Sabotage Motorcycles won’t shy away from trying to resurrect it as a stylish one-off. Case in point: this 1978 Yamaha DT175 looked rather awful upon arrival at their shop in Sydney, New South Wales, but the Sabotage treatment really worked wonders from both a cosmetic and mechanical standpoint.
The two-stroke Yamaha comes with a wholesome story, too. Its owner used to serve in the military but was honorably discharged due to PTSD, and motorcycling became one of his coping mechanisms thereafter. Seeing that his DT175 could use a comprehensive overhaul, he got in touch with Sabotage to commission a fully-fledged custom project. Of course, Giles and Andy were more than happy to help.
Some mods were already present on the machine before the Aussies got their hands on it, most notably a replacement fuel tank of unknown origin. This item has been kept, but the Sabotage duo freshened it up and had it repositioned to play nice with the DT framework. Moving rearward, we spot what looks like an all-new saddle, but it is actually a trimmed and reupholstered version of the OEM unit.
Resting on a shortened subframe, the custom seat was put together with contrasting red stitching by a local craftsman. Bespoke fenders can now be found at both ends, hovering above aluminum aftermarket wheels with stainless-steel spokes. Their rims are enveloped in chunky trials knobbies from Vee Rubber, and the original wheels hubs have been refurbished and then repainted.
In the suspension sector, the makeover consisted of stiffening up the forks and rear shock absorber, so as to make them more suitable for riding on tarmac. Front-end lighting comes from a tiny, retro-looking headlamp and LED turn signals attached to the lower triple clamp. The cockpit area is delightfully minimalistic, featuring a cross-braced handlebar with internal wiring and an aftermarket dial placed inside a handmade aluminum housing.
Out back, the fender bracket also supports the license plate holder and a circular taillight, but the blinkers are attached to the subframe tubing a bit further ahead. As the DT175’s single-cylinder engine was still in pretty good shape, Giles and his teammate were happy to leave its internals unchanged. They did install a modern air filter, though, while the exhaust system has been ceramic-coated for both durability and heat reduction purposes.
Finally, the bike made its way to Smith Concepts on the outskirts of Sydney, where it gained a ravishing colorway to finish everything off in style. A glossy, dark grey hue covers the front fender, headlight housing, and fuel tank, accompanied by red highlights and white pinstripes on the latter. The rims and rear fender were left unpainted, while the engine, frame, and suspension goodies have all been finished in black.
Some mods were already present on the machine before the Aussies got their hands on it, most notably a replacement fuel tank of unknown origin. This item has been kept, but the Sabotage duo freshened it up and had it repositioned to play nice with the DT framework. Moving rearward, we spot what looks like an all-new saddle, but it is actually a trimmed and reupholstered version of the OEM unit.
Resting on a shortened subframe, the custom seat was put together with contrasting red stitching by a local craftsman. Bespoke fenders can now be found at both ends, hovering above aluminum aftermarket wheels with stainless-steel spokes. Their rims are enveloped in chunky trials knobbies from Vee Rubber, and the original wheels hubs have been refurbished and then repainted.
In the suspension sector, the makeover consisted of stiffening up the forks and rear shock absorber, so as to make them more suitable for riding on tarmac. Front-end lighting comes from a tiny, retro-looking headlamp and LED turn signals attached to the lower triple clamp. The cockpit area is delightfully minimalistic, featuring a cross-braced handlebar with internal wiring and an aftermarket dial placed inside a handmade aluminum housing.
Out back, the fender bracket also supports the license plate holder and a circular taillight, but the blinkers are attached to the subframe tubing a bit further ahead. As the DT175’s single-cylinder engine was still in pretty good shape, Giles and his teammate were happy to leave its internals unchanged. They did install a modern air filter, though, while the exhaust system has been ceramic-coated for both durability and heat reduction purposes.
Finally, the bike made its way to Smith Concepts on the outskirts of Sydney, where it gained a ravishing colorway to finish everything off in style. A glossy, dark grey hue covers the front fender, headlight housing, and fuel tank, accompanied by red highlights and white pinstripes on the latter. The rims and rear fender were left unpainted, while the engine, frame, and suspension goodies have all been finished in black.
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