yz426 rebuild

[blbiker56]

ok well the bearings came in the day after RMAR (rocky mountain adventure rally) kinda a bummer... but when i got back i finished the bike and pretty quickly too!!! but here is the installation of the swing arm linkage bearings.

Brand New!

old vs. New

wow! i was really happy to see how great the new bearings looked after staring a the old ones for a week.

And with a torch, a trusty old vise and a freezer fridge combo, i got the new bearings and seals in. wasnt as hard as i expected.

[blbiker56]

off Ebay and they came in super quick... only got em for $100 ?

[jojo1224]

Those are exact same as the ones I got, what are you going to do about the upper rad hose that runs through the frame? I still haven't gotten my frame and parts powder coated, I tried VHT wrinkle black on my sub frame and engine covers but its to weak and wont harden so tomorrow I am dropping off my frame, sub frame and spare engine covers to get blasted and coated wrinkle black.

[blbiker56]

Those are exact same as the ones I got, what are you going to do about the upper rad hose that runs through the frame? I still haven't gotten my frame and parts powder coated, I tried VHT wrinkle black on my sub frame and engine covers but its to weak and wont harden so tomorrow I am dropping off my frame, sub frame and spare engine covers to get blasted and coated wrinkle black.

well i used the stock hoses, they upper hose is a bit big but for now i just clamped it down and its working just fine with no leaking, and later ill head to an automotive store to see if they have a smaller hose i can throw on there. i found that a rubber oil hose can work as well.

a pain that i found is absolutely the best is brake caliper paint with ceramic. i painted it on my swing arm which ill post later today, and 15 min after i painted it on i did a scratch test and it was rock hard and is like scratch proof.

[blbiker56]

Well while i was waiting for the swing arm bearings to come in i figured i would start to fit things back together. I used a multi-purpose Marine Grease, for the most SEVERE WATER CONDITIONS... well i guess that means it will be perfect for my bike.

its kind of a cool blue color but this was some sticky stuff!!!

and once i got everything bolted on the linkage felt so much smoother than before its a brand new setup now!!!

if anyone has any questions on how to take those bearings out or put them in just post and i can give some better instructions and maybe post a video as well.

[blbiker56]

ok well this was the most frustrating part of my build because the little metal guides to hold the camshaft in place kept slipping off and down into the engine... it happened twice ? the first time it fell just on the top of the head, and the second time the little metal clip thingy fell all the way down to the bottom of the cam shaft inside the engine. so i got a magnetic pole and slipped it down next to the cam gear after about 20 tries and 30 minutes later i succefuly pulled out the piece with out tearing down the whole bottom end. ?

I had to replace 4 out of the 5 shims for the valves and luckily two shops i stopped by in colo springs had them in stock.

so to get the lifter valve off i just used a little magnet and lifted both the lifter and the shim up, so that the shim wouldnt fall into the engine when i took it off. you can see my little circular magnet in the last picture on top of the lifter valve.

Installing the shims are easy i just put a little heavy gear oil on the top of the shim and stuck it to the lifter valve so it would stay in place, next i just put all the shims and lifter valves in and threw everything back together.

a good little trick to keep the cam chain outside of the case while your working is to tie a little piece of wire around it so i wont fall in.

AND THE ENGINE IS ALL DONE!!!!?

[Stinger1133]

Looking good !!!!!!!!! Cant wait to see the finished project.

[rockieman]

ok well this was the most frustrating part of my build because the little metal guides to hold the camshaft in place kept slipping off and down into the engine... it happened twice? the first time it fell just on the top of the head, and the second time the little metal clip thingy fell all the way down to the bottom of the cam shaft inside the engine.

I've had this problem before myself, try a little oil where the clip seats on the cam cover.?

[grayracer513]

Why don't you stop fighting gravity and put the locator clip in the bearing and the put the cap down on it?

[Stinger1133]

Cant wait to see the pics. I just started my painting today. I did the subframe today with the bedliner spray and it came out perfect. I am going to start stripping the the bike down and get the frame done next. Thanks for the insperation. I hope my paint comes out that good on my frame too.

[blbiker56]

So I polished up all the exhaust parts and i didnt know i had such good looking exhaust under all that mud and rust... wow.

before and after

also got the header polished up and the oversized radiators all hooked up... the hose that goes through the frame is a little bike bigger in diameter but with good clamp it is tight and sealed up.

[jojo1224]

What did you use to polish it? I have been using a dremel on mine and a really fine bit but it is taking forever and doesn't looks as good.

[blbiker56]

to polish it all up, i used a wire brush kit. it was like 10 dollars and you use it will an electric drill, i used my plug in drill and it didnt take to long maybe and hour total for both pieces the header and the exhaust and it really looks great!!!

[blbiker56]

RMAR-Rocky Mountain Adventure Rally http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=607314.

well i ended up trying to polish the swing arm with the wire brush, but it seemed like the aluminum is a little soft and I don't want to tear it up just trying to make it look shiny. So i ran to the auto parts store and picked up some of this stuff.

This is brake caliper paint which also has ceramic in the paint... WOW when i put this stuff on it dried on like 15 min and i couldnt scratch it off with my fingernail. it looks really nice and still kept that stock look.

I would recommend this paint for any project, the only thing is that it cost about 8 dollars a can a bit more expensive then spray paint, but this stuff is bullet proof.

[blbiker56]

ok guys i got a great deal, found a wr426 stator for only $55 and the flywheel for only $130... will update with pics later.

[blbiker56]

hey guys here is the bike all finished up and final touches being added to it, including a good find on craigslist $20 for a dual UFO headlight... and it mounted up perfectly.

and its all together and it starts very easily and runs super strong. basically a new bike and i cant wait to tear up the trails with this thing!!! ??

Headlight

Ill have a future write up of putting a wr426 stator and fly wheel to hook up the lights for this thing. and some other good upgrades will be in the next post ?

[Boosted2M6]

Can't beat that headlight for $20! I like how well that exhaust cleaned up - think I might have me a little project to do now! ?

[blbiker56]

got the wr stator modified and the lights work great, even with dual 55 watt bulbs in the headlight!!! its like i have my brights from my car on my bike... awesome, ill do a write up on how to do the stator mod cause i didnt find anything on the web showing what to do, and its super easy

[Scrildo]

Please let us know when you do the writeup for the headlight install and stator install etc. I'm picking up a 426 today and headlights are a must

[blbiker56]

Alright now for the best part of the build, i got the bike all built back up now its time to put some lights on this baby!!! Ok guys you gotta give it to Ricky Stator cause they significantly helped me out on this one. The stator mod came all from them.

ok so, first i went ahead and got a flywheel puller and removed the stock yz flywheel and stator. you need some special tool to hold the flywheel in place while you remove the nut and washer securing the flywheel to the crank shaft, but i didn't have one and decided save money and build my own.

well what a difference in the wr426 stator vs. the yz426 stator. The flywheel is noticeably heavier and will be great for the trails. one thing i noticed on both stators is that in between the little magnet thing there was tiny metal shavings, so i used a strong magnet and pulled all that junk out.