Rebuilding A Vintage Dual Sport: Here’s The ASMR Rebuild Of Revzilla’s Yamaha DT-1

Ari Henning and the Common Tread team showcase a masterclass of cinematography and restoration on a bike that needed a lot of love.

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Earl Davidson

By: Earl Davidson

Feb 5, 2023 at 9:41am ET

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After watching Common Tread’s Wyoming trip, I instantly got invested in the two dual sport motorcycles that both Ari Henning and Zack Courts brought on the trip. The adventure that the two had was filled with a ton of unfortunate happenings, and the little Yamaha suffered a ton of abuse.

In typical Revzilla style, after the trip, Mr. Henning goes to work on the bike. Just like the Honda CT90 Rebuild from the Alaska episode, the Yamaha also got some TLC. The Wyoming trip was brutal on both bikes. The Honda and the Yamaha were both caked in mud and dirt and were both (likely) leaking oil in places that shouldn’t be leaking oil. Henning’s Yamaha experienced soft seizing, which was brought on by a broken oil pump. As such, the piston was fried and the rings were in need of a replacement, among a ton of other things to refresh, replace, and clean.

Dismantling the bike took up a good chunk of the video. After stripping the bike down to its frame, each major part was set aside, with the engine being one of the first things to be taken apart and rebuilt.

Of course, there are a few other things that needed rebuilding as well. The forks were shot and oil was seeping through the seals. New oil was put in, new seals were installed, and then it was good to go.

Some of Henning’s work was more of a mechanical refresh. Other restoration videos that we’ve covered in the past add a bit of flare into the mix with paint and body panel restoration. Even then, however, the Common Tread production team did a little something special in the form of a 3D-printed badge for Yamaha to commemorate its induction into the Common Tread stable.

Oh, and did I mention this is an ASMR-style video? Yeah, I probably should have led with that first.