First introduced in ‘73, Honda’s XR75 was a pint-sized version of its then all-new off-roader lineup. Despite being sized for youngsters, the XR was a venerable beast of a machine. Even though its stock form was nothing to scoff at, the aftermarket sector quickly stepped in to offer an increasingly vast array of upgraded bits for the little 75.
One outfit renowned for bolstering the XR’s racing chops was DG Performance. Founded in 1974 in Southern California, DG was the brainchild of Dan Hangsleven and Gary Harlow — though the former bought out the latter’s stake within the business’ first year of operation. The firm started out producing small components before moving on to developing larger and increasingly elaborate parts — all the while gaining a bigger and bigger following (largely through AMA competition exposure) and growing as a company in the process.
DG produced parts for a number of makes and models, one of which was Honda’s XR75. DG not only offered a full exhaust and various engine components for Big Red’s little dirt-goer, but it also sold a surprisingly trick race chassis. Even though the setup hadn’t gained wide popularity by the mid-‘70s, DG’s XR75 frame utilized a monoshock swingarm.
The D&G XR frame was not cheap. The monoshocked frame reportedly cost $349 in 1974 (a figure that translates to just shy of $1,900 today)— just $121 less than the MSRP of a brand new ’74 XR75 ($470).
This particular XR75 supposedly has an engine from 1978 (with a five-speed), and though the seller fails to specify what model year the Honda was, it’s fairly moot considering the ‘78 lump is now housed in a DG Performance chassis. The ad also says this example sports “excellent paint”, (which it does, complete with DG logos) as well as pointing out the trick frame has reportedly been nickel-coated.
In place of the gas-charged Bilstein shock that DG paired its frames with in-house, this example boasts a Works Performance shock. This bike also has what appears to be a full DG pipe which looks pretty ace. Though it may come off as pretty expensive, XR75 values have jumped up to over the $5k mark, so for a clean, upgraded (with period correct pieces) example, the price seems reasonable. Calling this one a pit bike really isn’t doing it justice.
You can find this D&G upgraded Honda XR75 for sale here on Craigslist in Lake Havasu, Arizona with a price of $5,500.