Is It The Best choice?

[josh]

I have an XR400 and i want a lighter and faster bike. Is the 426 the best way to go? How many of you 426 owners have problems with the bikes?Is it only if you race them they get problems what if you use it for hill climbing, sand dunes, and trail rideing. And why is there so many YZ426's for sale is it to fast or to much work, do they want 2001's or do they want the YZ250F.

Thanks for your time. ?

[motoman393]

I have had 2 XR400's (a 97 and 98)and recently bought a 01' 426 and love it! Problems seem to be on the 01 model is a bad carb or CDI im sure we will find out soon (only in cold temps it seems like) mine runs perfect and wouldnt trade it back for my XR400! You wont be disappointed if you buy one, they are great bikes...this forum mainly talks about problems people have on their bikes and it makes the 426 look like a P.O.S. but really it is the only really "race ready" 4 stroke out of the box! I personally had second thougths about buying the 426 after i read on this forum (about 3 mos ago) and I am really glad i bought it after all! I mainly do MX and an occasional trip to the woods! Hooe this helps Just my 2 cents!

Garrett

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I get my kicks on a 2001' YZ426!

Friendswood, TX

[Hick]

Originally posted by josh:

And why is there so many YZ426's for sale is it too fast or to much work, do they want 2001's or do they want the YZ250F.

1) They sold a lot of them, therefore there are more used ones available.

2) Some guys will probably never (willingly) adapt from a two-stroke.

3) I can see how this bike might scare some folks, that’s how I ended up with mine.

Coming off an XR I think you will appreciate the 426 more than anybody coming off a two-stoke MXer, you won’t whine so much about starting it and you already know how to take advantage of the smooth power delivery. Having said that the 426 is anything but smooth when compared to your XR.

I race mine in the dez occasionally but the bike pays for itself with the smile it puts on my face when I’m just out play-riding. I have had some mechanical problems, you have to recognize that probably no bike on the planet is as reliable as an XR. Your bike is a freak of nature in many ways, the YZF is more similar to a two-stroke MX bike handling and maintenance wise.

Just my two cents…

[YZThumpa]

I bought a 2000 426 last April. I initially used it for joy riding in the woods and for the past 3 months or so started taking it to the track and racing. I have not had a single problem with mine yet. I bought a 4 stroke because I figured it would be less maintenance. It is stock off the showroom floor. Just a few oil changes, a few cleanings of the air filter, and adjusted the chain once. Still on the same plug. While I may not be hard on the bike since I'm new to MX, everyone at the track that I have talked to say the same thing. Problems seem rare. We were discussing this at the track Sunday- after following this site for many months now, we are waiting for the bike to suddenly self destruct. While some of same problems tend to appear on this site consistently, It is probably only a few percent of the bikes that were sold. I kept thinking to myself, "Since I don't know **** about bikes and probably UNDER-maintain mine, it's a good thing I got one of the GOOD ONES!" In reality, I think an overwhelming majority of 426's are good ones. This site has 900+ members and I wonder just how many other guys haven't had any problems.

[fastkevin]

I bought a '98 YZ 400 to replace an XR 400. It was going to cost me about $2k to get the XR motor in the same ballpark as the YZ (stock). It was a wise decision to sell the XR and buy the YZ. I sold the XR for a little more than I paid for the YZ

[Tim]

Hi,

Don't let all the complaints scare ya. Like it was mentioned before, there are alot of guys on this thing that race, and race alot. I had my 426 since april and would not trade it for anything. I did some very minor jetting to the carb, massage it with wrenches (oil, clean filters) after every long day of riding and I have not had any problems. I am too old and fat to be racing anymore, sounds like similar riding styles....hillclimbs, woods trails, sand, occasional jumps.

I have rode with other XR400's and this thing eats them alive.

Hope this helps

Tim

[4banger]

I race and trail ride a 98 yz400 and like the bike. It is geared too tall in first and it is still hard to overcome by sprocket changes. As I said before, I like the bike, but wish I had a wr. If you are a trailrider, harescrambler and occasional mxer, then take a look at the wr. Maintenance wise, they are great. I am slower on my 400 in the woods than on my 125, but the 400 puts a great big grin on my face everytime I twist the wrist.