Hello everyone, I have a bit of a tale to tell regarding my recently acquired 1980 DT175G. 

I've owned this bike (not my first, I'm actually a Harley fan) for 5 days now and how it came to my possession and it's condition is interesting.

This bike came into my possession through my wife's family. Purchased new in 1980 to be used on their old dairy farm (for irrigation runs) it was used for just a few years. Then it was placed in a detached garage and sat and sat and sat. It was started a few times over the years to keep it in good order, but the last time was (I think) 8-9 years ago. So the bike sat indoors until this week, I didn't even know about it until two weeks ago. That dairy farm is preparing to be sold and so things must go, and as I'm the only one to already have bikes and have mechanical aptitude it came to me.

My original intention was to first get it running (it's not currently) and then to actually semi-restore it to factory condition. But, then I noticed the odometer and now I'm not sure if I should just leave it as is. 

Some pics and you can see the odometer for yourself:
Right
Left
Front
Back
Odometer

I'm surprised to see a bike older than I am with less than 3k miles. Gives me high confidence to say everything is stock and I suspect it might be better to get it running and let it be. 

Getting it running shouldn't be hard, it needs a battery, new oil, a carb clean, and a petcock rebuild (it leaks). What does this community think I should do with this bike? 

Leave it as is?
Get it working?
Restore it?

Looking for any insight this community might have. I really appreciate it.


Also as a side note, does anyone know who is/how to contact the site admin? I see the site is broken in a few places and I happen to be a software engineer with experience with PHP (which this site is written in). I'd just like to offer to help fix some things as a way to give back. Thanks. 
 

The bike looks pretty decent. Id go to the tech page up at the top, gather some more info and proceed to get it running first.
There are some very knowledgeable folks here as well that know way more than I….
Congratulation on the acquisition !

It doesn't look at all like it needs a "restoration" to me. 

I'd just clean it up, do basic the maintenance needed on a bike that's been sitting, and have fun with it.

 from near Salisbury, UK.

I would leave as is, but change the front and rear brake shoes - new ones should still be available from Yamaha and current part numbers might be on CMSNL or Partzilla.

I know that vehicle registration varies from state to state over there and, as the bike was bought to be used only on the farm, I wonder if it has any title?

Member Makotosun deals with the tech side of things here, so maybe message him re your very kind offer to help with this.

Welcome from NZ. Wow they don't show up in that condition very often.
I'd leave it alone except Check the brake shoes but if its been in dry storage they're likely ok although good idea to change them because if they come unbonded the results are not fun.
If it 'had been' stored in wet conditions the alloy shoes corrode & de-bond, if that's a word.
Doesn't need a battery to run although does to ballance the charging lighting system although headlight will run off the mag & tail light too unless you're in the USA.
Should have an AC regulator by 1980 to save the light from blowing if you rev it & the battery is empty of water or removed.
Ignition is self generating cdi.
About their only annoying fault was they used to wear out swinging arm bushes & the shaft used to grow-rust into the spacer [the arm sleeve bit running in the fiber bushes] & didn't want to come out.
That was in a dairy farming knee deep mud situation which was asking for trouble. Great little bike & super popular.

Absolutely concur with the others.  It needs a deep service and inspection as RT says.  Steering head bearing lube, swingarm bush lube, if to be used on the street, new tyres.  Brake shoes as uncleAl says are another must do.  You can go on to do any necessary tarting up from there.  

What a wonderful machine.  Amazing condition and once serviced, very useable.

Going down the factory fresh route is a very deep rabbit hole to go down and very expensive once you come to the finer details.  As I well know.

Tinkicker, i don't think i said that [deep service or words to that affect] but i jolly well should have, & known better haha.
I'm a lazy impatient bugger & it looks so good i couldn't stop myself riding it.
Your correct of course & it should have a good going over.
Actualy Tinkicker, you're defo the expert on these lately with the rebuilding you've been doing that's for sure. Cheers.

I will have to say that the expert on here is Mark T.  I am just a tenacious fool who refuses to take no for an answer.

Greetings from Tennessee 
Beautiful bike in great condition 

Thanks everyone! This gives me some great thoughts. I haven't started yet on anything as I'm waiting for the title (the original was lost so I have to battle the bureaucracy to get a new one) so this will let me start to plan out what to do. Thanks!