? on a used 01 WR426 I looked at.

[ebz06]

Went and looked/rode a 01 WR426 today. Motor seemed to run good, no smoke and felt strong. It did a cluncking noise that would come from the front sprocket area if the motor was down on revs and you can it some gas. Once the revs picked up, it would go away. The guy selling it said it had always done this. The bike has been rode alot it seems, the paint is rubbed off the frame, no decals, could use some new plastic, and chain and sprockets. So what do you all think?? He says he needs 2,700. Should I or should I not buy it?

[jwriott]

The chain slaps a lot on these bikes. Not sure if that's the sound you heard but it is noisy.

The stock plastics and decals are poor quality and can look beat in just a few months. The paint also wore off my frame in about the first 10 rides.

My stock chain and sprocket set have been very durable. Do you know how many miles it has? Also, ask the guy about valve adjustments, oil change frequency, air cleaner cleaning, etc. See if he has been on TT and done things like the BK mod and YZ timing. This should give you a better idea if he has taken care of the bike and whether or not he has taken care of it.

[ebz06]

He doesnt know how many miles it on it as he removed the odo. Said that he let the dealer do the after break-in service and he as done the oil changes since. It did have a steering stabilazer on it at one time because the oil cap was ground down. He said he had to do that so it was fit. Only mods are uncorked exhaust, throttle stop and removed snokel. He has had new bearing put in the rear hub and new fork seals up front. Bike still has factory chain and sprockets. Comments ?

[jwriott]

If all he has done is change the oil after the initial dealer service, I'd look at something else. I was hoping someone else would respond to you too but oil changes don't do it. You need to check the valves and make sure nothing is wrong and stay on top of general maintenance. These bikes are very reliable but if they aren't maintained, it could spell trouble.

If you are dead set on this bike, have the guy bring it to a mechanic in your area and have it checked out. Probably won't cost you a whole lot and will be well worth it. If the thing is jacked up, repairs will be way more than that as these are not cheap to fix.

Just my opinion.

[RCannon]

V Max gave great advise, There are just too many bikes around that have had little use.

We recently bought a WR 400 for my step-son with 2 of the original 3 gallons of factory gas in it. The odometer said 29 miles.

I think a lot of folks bought these bikes thinking they were Yamaha "XR's" and became scared the first time they opened the throttle.

[sdcrooks]

The Clacking noise you heard is caused by the gap between the swingarm chainslider and the swingarm itself. The chain tends to slap down under deceleration and low revs. The plastic slider makes the noise as it smacks against the swingarm. Many guy's have posted ideas in how to fix this common issue using a piece of inner tube glued onto the swingarm to fill the gap. My method was to remove the slider altogether and spread a layer of black silicone rubber onto the underside of the slider and let it dry overnight. You will see the area I'm talking about. It usually causes heavy wear to the swingarm itself. After the fix the noise goes away completely. ?

[wrooster]

The Clacking noise you heard is caused by the gap between the swingarm chainslider and the swingarm itself. The chain tends to slap down under deceleration and low revs. The plastic slider makes the noise as it smacks against the swingarm.

click here for more info:

http://www.thumperfaq.com/chain_slider.htm

jim aka the wrooster

'01 wr250f

[dangler]

I got an '01 WR426 that I'll sell you. It is absolutely perfect, just needs to be ridden. That noise you're talking about sounds like just chain slap like everyone else says....they all do it depending on how tight you keep your chain...no big deal.

If you're interested, shoot me an e-mail at dvestal2@yahoo.com and I can send you a pic. The bike is in perfect condition with alot of goodies. Not sure what part of the country you're in but the bike is in VA. Let me know and good luck in your search.