2001 YZ 426 First Bike

[RockyMountain]

I am thinking about my first MX Bike. I am crossing over from Mtn Biking.

What should I look for when I check out the bike and take it for a test ride.

I am told it has the Q-Pipe to keep it within in the 96Db regs. But reduces the power by 20%. But as a beginner, this probably won't be a big deal.

Anyother major things to watch and listen for that may help reduce of me buying a money pit/lemon.

Any feed back would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[426_Pilot]

The '01 is an awesome machine. I still have mine and it is bullet proof and still very, very fast. I ride senior/vet and am as competitive as ever. You will probably hear advice not to buy it solely on the manual decomp lever and that it is impossible to start. THIS IS A MYTH if you do the drill! And don't ever twist the throttle while starting. I entered 3 dead engine start XC races in Texas and got the hole shot each time 'cause I was religious about the drill. The drill will seem cumbersome at first, but with a little practice will become second nature.

This bike has a single oil reservoir that is used for both the clutch and general engine lubrication. It is very important that the oil be changed frequently, I do mine about every other to every third ride. It will be very difficult for you to determine how often the oil has been changed, but ask the seller how often he did it. As with any off-road machine, bolts tend to work themselves loose. Ensure that you check all nuts and bolts before riding. I think this bike had a history of the rear sprocket bolts working themselves loose and trashing the hub, wheel, and/or swingarm. Unfortunately, I can attest to this one. The solution is to check them absolutely every single time you go out to ride (as I do now). I bought a stock hub and aftermarket spokes and laced and trued them myself. There is lots of information on doing this on the internet.

Anyway, I hope this helps a little. There are a lot of these bikes out there as most racers have opted for the newer machines which are lighter and have automatic decomp. systems. For these reasons, you should be able to get a nice one real cheap. Good luck.

[Fastest1]

Dont worry about the Q muffler, though it might be restrictive it wont be stealing anywhere near 20%. In fact properly jetted with any pipe wont show 20% gains or losses. Maybe 3-5% and thats probably stretching it. Are you meaning this is your first motorcycle? This bike is real, know your limits. Not trying to scare anyone or deter you, just respect it.

[buck_y_lee]

Have a read of this, Rocky Mountain - things to check when buying a second hand bike.

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html

[AV8OR]

I picked up a very nice 2001 YZ 426 in excellent shape for 2 grand this January....Im an experianced street rider and its my first dirt bike...it wasnt too hard to get the hang of, but Im no meens a "good" dirt rider....i originally bought her to make a supermotard, but after riding it in the dirt Im putting it off for a while.....way too much fun to tard her just yet.......if jetted right, no throttle twisting, and the right steps are taken to start...she will kick 1st or 2nd kick everytime!!! good luck

[RockyMountain]

Thanks everyone for your responses,, they were all very helpfull.