setting up for the woods

[Dansgarage]

I have a 2001 yz426. I find my self riding in the woods more than I ride on the track. I want to make my bike better in the woods. I have tag t2 bars with bark busters, IMS 3.4 gal tank, 14 oz. flywheel weight and devol radiator guards. I am still running the stock tires and I need some direction on what kind of tires to use. I live in the northwest and it is extremely slippery out here. I also have problems with my radiators overheating extremely fast and I lose lots of water. I stop and let the bike cool for a minute or two (just enough time to allow me to take off the radiator cap without boiling over and burning myself) and fill back up with my camel back. This is becoming fairly anoying. I could also use some help in setting up my suspension for the woods. All of the articles in the mags. are for 135 lb. pros on the track. I'm a 6'3" 250lb. int. rider who is in the woods more than on the track. I still enjoy going out to my local track and hitting some jumps though. thanks guys. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Merfman]

I have the same bike.. no overheating problems though so I can't really help you with that. As far as suspension goes, IMHO, you'll need to have it revalved for best results. For better results, I'd run the suspension as soft as possible on compression. Make sure your sag is set to 4". You can fine tune it from there. I also raised my forks up 4mm in the clamps and that made it much easier to turn.

Don't be afraid to change your suspension settings, just note where they are before changing, make small changes (eg, 2 clicks at a time), and write down what you think and compare your notes.

Merf

[Elan]

The stock rear tire (d739) is perfect for woods riding, as it is the most durable. ive raced a d756 and shreded it within one enduro race. as for front tire, i run the 756 front, it is probably the best choice for front any where in any condition. i weigh 150 lbs and i had to switch from 45g springs to 44g, it makes a huge difference. and i ran the clickers on the shock and forks all the way down, then went up 4 clicks on all of them, so im four clicks from least rebound. I race enduros in colorado and have had really good luck with my 2001 426. have you ever tried riding without the weights on your fly wheel? if not, try it! im sure youll like the stock power of the mod.

[MOmilkman]

Dansgarage,

Have you considered putting a WR overflow catch tank on your bike?

all WR's come with on stock, so just order one up from your dealer, run the lines from your radiator to the catch tank and wa-la! No more wasting your drink!

[leatherlungs426]

I am in the exact same situation. I am just north of you in Vancouver. I am also 6'3" 240 lbs. I just had my suspension redone for my wieght. Heavier springs front and back and revalved. It is much better. I dont have an over heating problem though (knock on wood). Did you put the back support on your rads aswell?. If so they might block your airflow enough to create a problem. ?

[Tommy_Gun]

Sounds like you have all the right mods for off-road use. You NEED the flywheel! You'll not like yourself if you ride trails without it, especially in the Tillamook Forest. On the boingers, you need to back off the hi-speed dampening on both ends. Problem is, only the hind end has this option, so you'll at a minimum need to revalve the front. You'll also need heavier springs. I haven't had any overheating on my 2000 426, and I run Water Wetter with distilled water. Make sure you're not jetted too lean, which will make it run hotter.

Good luck.

-Tom

[Jeff_Bailey]

I live in Oregon and know how steep, slippery and tight the woods can get here. Invest insome radiator gaurds if you havent already. The radiators are about as durable as tin foil. Also, I run 756's on both ends in the winter and spring and love them.. I switch to the 490/695 combo for summer... I really didn't think much of the stock 739's As far as your overheating, I'm not sure what the problem is there.. lack of airflow from the low speeds? Hills? etc.. but I might even see if your water pump is working correctly.

[cowboyona426]

I have an 00 426 that I ride only in the hills, its never been on a track. I have Works Connection radiator braces and have never had any problems overheating. Since I'm a poor college boy, I opted to go cheap and dropped the front sprocket two teeth instead of installing a flywheel weight. It made a big difference on hard pulls. I am running a stock front tire with a MAXXIS Maxx Cross HT rear, and I have never had any traction problems. The MAXXIS seems to wear well too. Hope this helps.

[sirthumpalot]

I don't ride woods much anymore (it's all houses now in my area) but if you're going very slow frequently then maybe add a lighting coil and a small electric fan behind one of the radiators. I don't know of any other way to get more air through the radiators if you're not moving. Does the WR come with a lighting coil? If so then maybe you can borrow some parts from the WR. Also I haven't seen the devol guards in a long time, but when I saw them many years ago they looked to be pretty restrictive as far as air flow goes. Have you tried removing them just to see if it helps the overheating situation?

[Dansgarage]

thanks for all of the tips guys. You have been great. I took your advice and ordered the WR overflow res. Do any of you know if I can use a WR subframe or do I just have to fab. a bracket/and or weld. If I do have to make a mount does any one have any pics on the best way to approach this project. Thanks again Guys. YOU ROCK!!!

[MOmilkman]

I wish I could answer that for you Dan. Of course my WR has always had a overflow but a buddy of mine always overheated on his YZ400 so he bought the overflow tank and he got it on somehow. I will ask him and post back here if I can remember.

I do know that it helped him tremendously though.

Dont forget you will have to trim out some of the plastic from the backside of your side panel to accomodate the resivor.

Its worth the hassle though. ?

[mor]

U CAN GET A MOTION PRO RESERVOIR FOR THE RADIATORS . IT MOUNTS NEAR THE RADS AND IT COME WITH ITS OUN MOUNTS , U CAN ADD IT NEAR YOUR FRONT NUMBER PLATE OR WHERE EVER U WANT...

[Scotti]

Dan

Adding the wr rear overflow tank is the trick.

You will have to build a small bracket to mount

thought. Also run engine ice in the radiator,

Wider Till She Stinks.

[Tommy_Gun]

Dan,

Forgot to talk about the DeVol Radiator guards, which by far are the best ones you can get. They have the brace on the backside, so will actually protect in a fall - I've already tested them! Anyway, I'm running the guards and still have no heating probs and I ride in the Coast Range Mountains exclusively. The reservoir should help, but also try distilled water with Water Wetter.

-Tom

[PumpkinHumper]

Ive been ridding my 99 Yz400 off road quiet a bit lately. I have had problems overheating on some of the nasty'r tight single tracks here in Michigan. So far all I have done is add Redline Water Wetter and add a vented Front Number Plate. I dont know if any of that helped but I havent had as much problem overheating. The Wr's have larger Radiators than the YZ's. I discovered this doing research after I ripped my lh radiator off. I have also thought of a boysen waterpump cover/impeller. I have seen them advertised but Boysen denies making them. Strange.

I just added am electrix 45w lighting coil, headlight/tailight, and a trailtech spedo. Next step street legal.

[Bill]

The Devol guards are popular but, you might want to look at the Flatland Racing (also marketed by Thumper Racing for less $$$) braces they're one piece, wraparound and use the stock mounting points.

As far as the subframe goes, the WR and YZ subframe will interchange. So long as there were no other chassis changes from the year of the bike. Does that make sense?

You might want to post on the WR side for a trade. I know some of the guys have removed the overflow tanks and would love to have your aluminum sub from their steel sub-frame.

Bill

[Mark_UK]

dan ive mounted a wr res bottle on my YZ and all u do is use the top mounting hole as you would on the wr and use a cable tie on the lower hole

it mounts up solid and no problems