Ressurection YZ426F

[stonefort]

First off, I misspelled resurrection....not a good start there RBI...

 

  Let me explain my insanity for this project. One might immediately question the reasoning behind buying such a turd of a bike and then spending their own time/dollars wrenching on it. I do not have a logical answer for those questions. In my spare time, I do what feels good. And taking a bike like this and bringing it back to a formidable condition makes me feel good. I recently did this with an 02 CR125 and learned some things on the way.

 

1. I love two strokes.

2. Sometimes, I hate two strokes.

3. I want a big thumper for when I hate two strokes.

 

So, here we go. After some thinking, I decided a it would be a yz426f. They are cheap, arguably the most reliable modern MX 4T, and they also represent an interesting time when MX was transitioning to 4T power.

 

Here is what I spent my first $1300 on....I forgot to capture the bike in its original state.....sorry, couldn't help but start to tear into it.

 

But anyway, cosmetically the bike is in bad shape. The plastics are horrible, the brakes are horrible, the tires are rotten, the frame has rust spots....and to top it off....the grips spin on the bars (.....I can't even put into words how angry that makes me).

 

Everything on this bike is nasty.

 

I will let the pictures speak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original Grips??! I think they pulled them off the original bars and tried to re use them....which would be about par for this bike.

 

Edited August 8, 2014 by RBI

[stonefort]

The tires.....are......cruuuuussty....

 

 

 

 

 

So, on with the good.

 

The engine.....and really that's it.....

 

It feels incredibly healthy. The previous owner had a nice MX track down the road and I didn't want to pull off....they were literally waving me off the track.  The power and throttle response is just what I was looking for. Smooth but barbaric amounts of torque at any throttle position. I love it!!

 

The air filter was normal amount of dirty.... but the air boot had not one speck of dirt in it!!! I was very happy to see that.

 

The compression on this thing is unreal. If you don't use the decomp, you can jump up and down on the kickstart and it wont budge.

 

So hopefully the only engine work I have is to replace the timing chain as a precaution.

 

Oh I did forget about the wheels....it has Excel rims. The spokes look nasty but will clean up....also I tried a few spoke nipples and every one I touched was NOT seized. That was a surprise.

 

 

The parts I have on order are

 

Front pads

Seat cover

Air filter

Grips

Plastic kit

Number plate

Carb to cylinder head boot

Timing Chain

A truckload of OEM hardware

Ebay - older style but brand new FMF Q. Got a good deal on that one.

 

And the most EXCITING part is a shipping box from FACTORY CONNECTION!

This will be my first time to let a professional handle all the suspension work and a re valve. I can't wait.

 

 

With that, I leave you with this lovely piece of hand painted folk art I found on my bike.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2014 by RBI

[fdme]

the 426 is a great bike once its all set up properly and is incredibley reliable, probably its best quality. The other cool thing is you don't have to worry about people trying to steal it because unless they own one they probably wont be able to start it.

[stonefort]

So how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time...

 

Today's mission was to clean and inspect the rear wheel.

 

So it begins.

 

 

 

The wheel bearings were found to be in great shape.

 

I am pulling the rotor off to make sure the bolts are not frozen/replacing the hardware. I hate finding frozen bolts like that when I am out riding for the weekend. Impact makes short work.

 

 

 

Then it was time for the chain wheel. I had to get old fashion on these.

 

 

Everything went smooth. Nothing stripped or broken for a change.

 

\

 

 

This was my phase 1. Then I switched to a dremel tool with wire wheel and brush.Final treatment was steel wool.

For the hub I only used a brass cleaning brush and WD40.

 

 

Finished!!

 

[Pegleghero]

Awesome project, it makes me miss my 426. Cant wait to see the end result.

[Lemmywinks]

Lookin good. Can't wait to see her in action. And to see her put you on your back pockets.

[stonefort]

Thanks!

 

If any one cares for a flash back to the past. This is a neat article from October Year 2000. The big news was the "worlds first production motorcycle with titanium valves."

 

I like this quote.... "The bike snaps into a healthy midrange before pulling into a rev-limiter that cuts in just before every living creature within a five mile radius has a heart attack."

 

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/yamaha/year-2001-yamaha-yz426f-14620.html

Edited August 10, 2014 by RBI

[stonefort]

A picture of Tim Ferry's Yz426f I found on the net.

 

 

 

[90atk]

cool project i like to fix neglected stuff too.

[stonefort]

Update from the weekend.

 

After I finished my rear wheel I settled into the couch to watch the Unadilla race. It was awesome to see Trey get a win.

 

After that I walked back to the shed and stared at the bike, pondering on what to do next.... I did not want even look at the front wheel. So I decided to stay at the back and work my way forward.

 

So I pulled the subframe, swingarm, and linkage off. It looks a mess but everything is tagged and bagged. I like working at a feverish pace when stripping stuff down.

 

 

Nasty!

 

 

 

The carb throat was clean, happy to see that.

 

 

But then looking down into the head....I see this weird yellow stuff on the roof of the head.....I know it looks like I scrapped the hell out of it....but I actually just ever so lightly touched the tip of a flathead and pulled toward me....the material was not dirt but I think fine powdered brass/varnish. It literally melted into my fingertips when rubbed. Very strange. If anyone has an idea let me know. I guess it could be varnish...but it had a metallic look to it.

 

My best guess is the bike sat for a while....some old gas sat in the tank/carb and attacked the brass bits such as the jets and petcock. When the joker before me ran the bike, the gas was not drained and this is how it got deposited.

 

 

 

I am not terribly worried about it.

 

Moving on I decided to go ahead and paint the swing arm. I went back and forth because it cleaned up so well...and I don't really enjoy painting. But I was already half way there with the prep work. I scuffed the original paint really well with a red scotch bright and sanded down some of the road rash. Three light coats is all it took.

 

 

 

Here is where the shit hit the fan.......

 

I drove out to my parents place to commandeer their garage and found some thin cotton twine to hang the swing arm up.

 

It broke the instant I turned my back on and slammed into the concrete garage floor at possibly the weakest point on the swingarm.

 

 

I felt sick....

 

I sat down and wondered why the hell would I have strung this heavy, but soft piece of aluminum, 4 feet above a concrete floor.....using a shitty piece of string you wouldn't even trust to fly a paper kite with.

 

I forged on....literally.  I used the steel spacer and a hammer to slowly bring it back into shape. I cursed, I smashed my fingers....but I it's now close enough for the oil seal to fit properly and do its job. 

 

 

 

Ok, back to painting!

 

Here it is after final coat. Notice I found a proper rope.

 

 

This is the paint I used. I couldn't find VHT brand caliper paint that is popular. I think it turned out nice, and seems durable.

 

 

That was it for the weekend. After work today I cleaned up the subframe and airbox.

 

Before.

 

 

After.

 

 

Last but not least....this was on my doorstep.

 

 

But it's empty....soon be packed and back in route to Factory Connection.

Edited August 12, 2014 by RBI

[stonefort]

Suspension has been officially handed over to Factory Connection!   This will be my first bike to be valved and sprung for my weight/ability. I have high expectations and I am mega pumped up about it.

 

My plastics also came in and look great, I did not expect them to be so glossy. Plastics will be the last part assembled, I tucked them away for the final assembly.

 

Next up will be the servicing the linkage bearings, swingarm bearings, the carb, cleaning, cleaning, and probably some more cleaning.....with a possibility of pulling the engine...that depends on how bad the frame is and if I want to repaint it.

[stonefort]

It has been awhile since my last update. I had a bad itch to ride last weekend, but both my bikes are either; In pieces (YZ426)... or need a specific part (cr125) See what I did???

 

So, my brother in laws bike (crf250) has been like this for at least a month. He decided he wanted to take take it down to the frame and put it back together to get more in touch with how it all works ? ( he cracks me up). Thankfully he didn't get too far.  See pic below....

 

 

 

Since he didn't want to ride that weekend, and was being lazy getting it back together....I said BIL, I'm getting that dang bike together and I am going riding!! He was like yea....right.

 

Two and a half hours later I was on the road to Dallas to meet my good buddy. I have never been so exited to ride, I was spinning wrenches like a maniac.

 

Done!

 

 

We had a great ride!

 

1. It stayed cloudy the entire time and the temps stayed way lower than normal for August in Dallas

2. My time spent exercising lately feels like it has been paying off.....or it could be 3

3. That crf250 is sooooo much easier to ride than my cr125....I was blown away by how much less effort it took. I felt much more confident on that bike than probably any MX bike I have ever been on. (all two strokes). I know most guys say two strokes are more fun, but for me (I am getting back into the sport from my younger days on a 80). The four stroke made me feel heroic. I am excited to see how the 426 turns out.

 

Ok back to the 426.

 

The suspension came back from Factory Connection very quickly. Of course I can't tell you what I think about it yet. But they did a great job polishing up the fork legs. ( I did all the other cleaning work before I shipped them out.)

 

Before

 

After Pic

 

 

My original plan on the suspension bearings was to pull the all the needles out and clean the heck out of them. They looked OK, no rust, but the grease had turned hard and was solid..... upon further inspection, most of the needles are in cages making cleaning very difficult to impossible. Then I realized that the bike had probably be ridden quite a bit with the bearings in this condition. This would cause flat spots from rollers not able to rotate.

 

I decided to just go ahead a replace them all.

 

Before

 

 

I like that Yamaha has no internal "lips" the bearings seat against. This makes removing them easy since you can just push them all out in one sweep from either side you like.

 

Pressing out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here you can see I had to go get a 14'' carriage bolt because the motion pro rod was too short.

 

 

 

 

Pressing in.

 

 

 

Although this design does take a bit more time when reinstalling to make sure everything has the correct clearance.

 

A little before and after shot.

 

 

I also cleaned what looked like Vaseline out of the all balls bearings and repacked with good stuff.

 

 

All done with the rear suspension!

 

Edited August 24, 2014 by RBI

[stonefort]

I also recovered the seat. It didn't turn out too well but that's OK. I could not pull the cover too tight or it would deform the old foam. No big deal.

 

 

Also, here is a picture of the parts I have collected up. Not much left to buy. I think its just down to steering stem bearings, front rotor, and rear brake reservoir. 

 

 

Got a good deal on this.

 

 

 

That is it for now. I will hopefully do the front wheel tomorrow morning before it gets scorching hot.

 

Thanks for checking my thread out. If you have any suggestions let me know!

Edited August 24, 2014 by RBI

[TheSlicer]

The 426 CAN be a really nice bike if you throw enough money at it. I bought mine cheap with a blown engine and I'm still working bugs out of it but from what I can tell it has more than enough power.

I want to see what it looks like after you are done!

[Pegleghero]

Man this so so awesome. Ive spent a lot of time wishing I could spend time doingsomething like this. Keep it up I always look forward to seeing updates on this one!

[vwcorrado]

Going to pick one up tomorrow. Love this thread, going to do the same thing to mine so it's ready for the desert by October. 

[stonefort]

The 426 CAN be a really nice bike if you throw enough money at it. I bought mine cheap with a blown engine and I'm still working bugs out of it but from what I can tell it has more than enough power.

I want to see what it looks like after you are done!

Thanks! From what I can tell, my engine is strong....but most everything else needs work!

 

Man this so so awesome. Ive spent a lot of time wishing I could spend time doingsomething like this. Keep it up I always look forward to seeing updates on this one!

Thanks! I have too. I want this to be fun, so I try to only do one piece at a time....when I have the time! If I think about the whole project, it is overwhelming and not fun.

 

Going to pick one up tomorrow. Love this thread, going to do the same thing to mine so it's ready for the desert by October. 

That is cool, I wish you good luck! feel free to post a picture of your bike in my thread. I would like to see it.

[Spartan426]

Hey just wanted to say the bike is look'n good and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who loves the 426 enough to put a good amount of cash into it. I'm currently rebuilding mine as well, have been since June 2nd lol. Currently waiting on my new cylinder head assembly and valves in the mail.

Most the new parts are pictured but I ended up probably ordering half as many more that are in that first pic, my bike didn't just need external stuff and bearigs the engine was pretty toast.

Love that you got your suspension set up from pro circuit it looks sick man! I just rebuilt my forks and shock my self, when I bought mine my buddy said it was set up for a 180 rider, I'm a bit over that but it rides great still.

Keep up the great work can't wait to see her done!

[graytshirt]

 

 

Finished!!

 

Very awesome project, care to share your process for cleaning up that wheel? I have a 2005 WR450 I'm going through, but it looks like you're moving much faster than I can. Ha!

[stonefort]

Hey just wanted to say the bike is look'n good and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who loves the 426 enough to put a good amount of cash into it. I'm currently rebuilding mine as well, have been since June 2nd lol. Currently waiting on my new cylinder head assembly and valves in the mail.

Most the new parts are pictured but I ended up probably ordering half as many more that are in that first pic, my bike didn't just need external stuff and bearigs the engine was pretty toast.

Love that you got your suspension set up from pro circuit it looks sick man! I just rebuilt my forks and shock my self, when I bought mine my buddy said it was set up for a 180 rider, I'm a bit over that but it rides great still.

Keep up the great work can't wait to see her done!

 

Oh man that's great! I like your bike. Super clean! 

 

and thank you for posting that, I needed the inspiration.....

 

I am down to the nitty gritty stuff. I have a big box of bagged parts and everything is nasty/ caked with old dirt. So I have been cleaning this stuff piece by piece after work. It's boring and not as rewarding as doing the big stuff like rejuvenating the wheels, but as a whole I keep telling myself it is worth it.

 

Yes getting the suspension set up is big....and I never knew that until I rode a bike that had some work done and close to my weight. It instantly made me more confident on the bike, and have more fun.  I am spoiled now. I am very excited to get the bike done....but at the same time, I keep telling myself to enjoy the progress and build as it is.

 

 

 

Very awesome project, care to share your process for cleaning up that wheel? I have a 2005 WR450 I'm going through, but it looks like you're moving much faster than I can. Ha!

 

Thank you!

 

 

Ok first thing is be prepared to spend hours! That really is the key, because it just takes time. Rear wheel took 3h front took 2h.....and it's a loooong 3 hours because it's tedious work. You have to be patient and keep track of where you are on the wheel instead of randomly going from spoke to spoke......this will help keep you sane.

 

Step 1. I sprayed the entire wheel down with WD40, WD40 is great when you are scrubbing/cleaning metal....especially cast alum because it "lifts" the dirt and metal particles out and makes it easy to wipe away the junk. I would do this at least a few times during the cleaning process.....sometimes you are cleaning a part and looks like you are not making progress ....it just needs a wipe down of WD40 to lift the junk off. Also, I kept rubber dish gloves on the entire time since I didn't want my bare hands covered in WD40 and steel wool particles for so long. I suggest using some type of glove.

 

Step 2. Spokes.  As you can see, I was using a "brass" wheel attached to a bit extension and then the drill. Honestly this was overkill and too aggressive. It chipped some of the coating on the spokes. On my go around with the front wheel, I just used various grades of steel wool. It took the same amount of time and effort really. For some of the tough spots on the spokes, I used a dremel with the little steel wire wheel. Use on the low setting or it will quickly shred its wires....and they are sharp so watch out! So get a couple of different grades of steel wool and give it a try to see which one to start with and how long, then when to switch to the finer grade wool.

 

Step 3. Spoke nipples.  I used above mentioned dremel with wire wheel and wd40. Way to hard to do with just steel wool.

 

Step 4. Hub. I used toothbrush size steel and brass brushes plus lots of WD40. Dremel tool for the nooks and crannies.

 

That's about it, and a bunch of patience. Remember its never going to look perfect, but if you do a before and after picture, you will be surprised at how much better you actually got it.