Wr426

[wswain]

Hi i havent posted on here much but find the topics and people very good. i am looking at getting a wr426/wr426f and want to ask a few questions.

1. are these bikes good for dual purpose being road for short distances and bush bashing.

2. whats the top speed are they good at sitting on a decent speed or do they struggle. eg friends got a xt600 lots of speed, another had a klr250 and it struggles to do 120 which is riding comfortable on the road.

3. whats the maintenance and problems with the bike like? what should i look for when buying it.

4. whats the security like on it will i have 2 buy lots of disk brakes/ do they come with a key to start it if not can i get 1 installed.

thanks will

I also wanna know what everyone else thinks of the huskys or husabergs. i would think about these brands but the bad thing is there not really a dealer in my area not for a couple of hrs i think. but if they have the speed and i found a cheap 1 i would go for it. can u tell me the best models in these are the 400 or 450 range

[Rooster426]

Well I can help answer a few...

1. Dual purpose is fine, of course if you run knobbies on pavement for a extended amount of time you will have a sore rear end...

2. Top speed on stock gearing is about 90-95 mph. Which is about 140-150km. This is on my 2001 WR426.

3. Maintainance..well so far just oil changes and air filter cleaning. I may be due up for my first valve adjustment. I've had the bike completely submerged on one ride, pumped it clean, and finished the ride on the same plug and oil. Didn't have much of a choice since I was in the middle of a 300 mile dual sport run.

4. Security..do what you feel is best in your area?? I mean isn't Australia an island full of criminals?? Ha ha..J/k --I never leave my bike unattended in public. Even under lock and chain, two strong guys can throw it in the back of a pickup in less than a minute and bye bye.....

5. GO BLUE!

[imj75]

Welcome wswain!

I have an 02 WR426.

1. I haven't DS'd her, but have ridden on tarmac, and know that using standard knoblies on tarmac will also mean very short tyre life as they will get bald very quickly (say about 1000km for HARD compound knoblies)

2. According to my GPS she runs about 130kmh max, but I dont know if I have std gearing as I bought the bike 2nd hand, slightly modified and never bothered looking at the gearing.

3. Using Mobil S1 synth oil I have to change at 400km and sometimes earlier, as the oil seems dark by then.

I only ride on weekends, alone, and not comp, to give you some idea of maintenance.

Clean airfilter after every 2nd ride. I think the airfilter stays clean cos I'm not riding in anyone's dust.

Problems? Well you need to learn the starting procedure, but it's not rocket science, making a MacDonalds order is more difficult.

The bike needs to be jetted correctly, for which you'll find a lot of help on this forum - check the jetting sticky thread.

I don't have a lot of mechanical skills, but with the help available on this forum I went from wanting to sell my WR (initialy killed spark plugs every 2nd ride which I solved by using correct starting procedure) to dreaming of her every Friday night before my weekend rides. Did all the work myself using a 8, 10, 11, 12 size spanner set, allen keys, 2 screwdrivers, and a pier of pliers.

4. They don't have keys to start. Lock her with a big cable lock to a lamppost in the complex where I live - no probs (south africa is big on MC theft)

PS don't buy an '03 450 whatever the bargain - lots of 'woodruff key issues' that the 02 426 don't suffer from.

[wswain]

thanks for the replys

what do you guys think of the crf's i found one for $7000 aus when they are normally $11000 new. this ones 2nd hand and an 05 model looks ok not the best but ok..

[pkcof]

hey wswain, a few background questions to enable us to better answer your initial question and the suitability of your intended purchase ...

what is your budget ?

what level would you say your riding skill is (1 ~ 10) ?

what are your mechanical / maintenance skills ?

what is your height / weight ?

where do you ride ?

what kind of terrain (mud, single track, monster hills, fire trails, rocky ground ... etc) ?

the more information we have will give us a better understanding of how to answer your question rather than just saying 'are they good bikes' - to which the simple answer is probably 'yes' but for whom ??

and the Honda - i'm surprised that it's not $3,500 !! (or even less) and that is in AUS$$

cheers

[wswain]

pkcof

my budget i am unsure of for certain reasons. maybe at max aus $7000

riding skill level if 10 is max(not pro as in max for normal riders) i think about 7-8 im as good and better than some of my friends.

well as im only 17 my mechanical skills r crap but my dads a farmer and can do anything we practicly repaired everything on my yz125 except for a top end(no time)also have friends who know how.

weight like 80-85kg and height like 180cm(THINK)(tall)

ride on our property/ other properties and hopefully the road

terrain: forest/trails to open(road) to tracks and bush