426 any good in the trails?

[klxnewguy]

I currently have a Kawi KLX 300 with all the mods done to make it somewhat fast enough but I think I want a bike with more power. My buddy wants to sell me his 00' 426 and I have ridden it a few times and man it has way more POWER! I just don't know if I put a heavier flywheel on it, adjust the suspension etc.. if it will be any good in the mountains? I'm 5'10 170 and I'm also not too sure if maybe it is too much bike? Any help would be great, thanks.

[yz_for_me]

I wouldn't be scared of it. The 426 can be made into a great woods bike. It's a bit on the heavy side compared to newer 450 bikes, but I rode one for 3 years and you get used to it. It actually has a great motor for the woods (or anything else for that matter) with lots of power from top to bottom. It will definately have more punch than your KLX300, but it won't take you very long to get used to the power. If you want to tame it a bit more, you could set the timing to the WR specs and that would help too. I would start by softening the suspension, lower the gearing (I went 51T on the back) and add a heavier flywheel.

[dmoney2023]

426 = an awesome bike

That said, I ride lots of different areas, dunes, track and trails. In tight trails the throttle seems a bit touchy, just a little twist and the thing starts to rocket. Even with the gears lowered it still wants to rip no matter how light on the throttle I am. I have considered messing with the fly weight, but haven't gotten around to it yet. The only thing is that I don't want to mess things up for my other riding.

Over-all it rocks, tons of power, and it is kind of a pig compared to the new ones, but if I had 6 grand I'd buy a new one!

[tntmo]

The 426 is a good bike, like everyone has already stated. If you are looking to do mostly trails you might want to look for a WR model, it's a better starting point.

[klxnewguy]

Thanks for the info, I went and talked to the Yamaha dealer today and he told me that the 426 "hits" harder than the new 450's. He said that they mellowed out the hit factor but he told me that it would make a great trail bike and would be way better than the 300 on the track. I'll adjust the sag and the suspension a bit and take it out again to see what I think.

[YZRob]

I race harescrambles on a 426. I put an auto clutch in it, which also adds inertia like a heavy flywheel and run 14/50-51 gearing. I love the bike but I think I am going to go with a smaller 2 smoke for next season. (can I say that here?)

but the 426 is a great bike. you can put a half twist throttle on to help with control

[jrny426]

I ride some pretty wicked trails in BC on my YZ426 I would recommend lower gearing other than that works great.

[grayracer513]

... an auto clutch ... adds inertia like a heavy flywheel

Don't kid yourself too much. The inertia added to the crank by the clutch is reduced exponentially by the reduction ration of the primary gear. Momentum is, very roughly, 1/2mass x velocity squared, so the speed is a tremendously important factor, and the clutch turns only about a third as fast as the crank. To see what that means, realize that 12 squared is 144, while the square of 4, which is a third of 12, is only 16.

[YZRob]

????????? WOW. Well it feels better to me:)

[FLjoyride]

Wouldnt the inertia from the higher engine RPM help a bit? although I suppose you would have that in a stock clutch as well

[felix 222]

very good in woods

[DrThumper]

All I ride is trails, woods and desert. My 426 is great for that. Of course there are some helpfull mods to increase the low-end trailability (PowerNow, Quickshot, bigger rear sprocket-a tooth or two, lean it out a bit-pilot, needle).

I found it easier (cheaper) to make a good trails/woods bike out of a YZ, than get better performance out of a WR.