2001 yz426f Any good?

[boomman]

Looking to buy. Hows the weight, performance for trail riding, suspension? Does it have any quirks?

Thanks in advance.

[JSanfilippo]

It will exceed the performance of your XR 4 by a significant margin. Its heavy for an MX bike, but it'll feel like a feather compared to your 400. Weight wise its a little lighter than your XR 250. Being inteded for MX use, the valving in the fork may be a little harsh but you should be able to dial everything to your liking with a little time, work, and $$$. Make sure the person you buy the bike from kept meticulous service records...rebuilding on of these genesis 5 valve motors isn't cheap.

[SRT426]

The YZ426 is a great bike - I have a 2001 I use for trail riding and it is great. The motor has tons of torque and handles nice. The weight can be a bit much in the real tight technical stuff (climbing rocks and pushing it through/up tough obstacles). It's almost as reliable as your XR, just make sure it has been cared for and make sure to continue to to take good care of it.

[Scotty426]

Working the decomp lever is a put off for some. $100 will buy you an exhaust cam that will make it auto-decompression. It is not as light as some of the newest MXers but lighter than most electric start bikes. I have had great luck with mine and hope to be worthy of the bike one day. It's very reliable. It turns very nicely with the right setup. Mine did not take flat turns to my expectations until I dropped the forks about 5 MM. Get it jetted right and it will have all the power you want. Good Bike.

[vznx1w]

I have a 2001 YZ426 and a 2006 YZ450. The YZ426 is a great machine, super reliable and very powerful. It's main performance deficiet--compared to the new 450--is the suspension and weight. However, compared to your XRs, the 426 will be a big improvement on both counts.

The only real issues involve starting and plug fouling. The 426 will punish anyone that attempts to start it without following "the compression release drill" (posted elsewhere). If you do it right it will start everytime, usually the first kick. If you do it wrong, it will refuse to start and will probably foul the spark plug, requiring that you replace it before proceeding.

The starting drill isn't a big deal--once you've learned it the bike will start faithfully. Racers don't like it because it takes more time to restart after a fall, but for recreational riders this isn't a big issue.

Enjoy,

Steve

[YZ426F Rider]

I have an '02 426 that I use for single track trails, tracks, and everything in between and I love it. The bike starts first or second kick every time for me but it is important to not vary from the proper starting proceedure.

I geared mine down a little bit to make it more trail worthy (13/50) and this gearing has actually worked out very well on the track also.

Like Scotty426 said, raise the forks 5mm in the clamps (drops the front end), get an auto-decomp exhaust cam, and make sure the bike is jetted for your area. I also would recommend getting a ZipTy (or some other brand) fuel screw so that you can adjust it easily when you ride...this made a huge difference for me as in one day of riding I might go from an elevation of 1500' to 7000'. Obviously I'm not going to re-jet on the trail so being able to adjust the fuel screw by hand I can typically keep the bike running strong throughout my ride.

You'll love the bike...they are bulletproof with proper maintenance.

[kid on a 426]

any year 426's are AWESOME trail bikes. TONS of torque even if its a little heavy and the suspension isnt real good I love my 426. On the track I just pop it into 3rd or 4th gear and let the torque pull me out of the turns.

[GONE1445]

the starting is no big deal just no one will ask to ride your bike the 426 is a beast has tons of torque and will run with the best of them just "hop on and hang on" thats my motto