WR426 Dual Sport

[Fishcakes]

Hi guys

I'm looking at a WR426 as a second bike, for road and offroad purposes.
The one I am looking at is a fixer-upper 2001 model with around 8000 kms on it, it has been ridden on the road as it has rego papers so those kms include road kms.

It has a stripped spark plug hole which will need to be helicoiled and a problem with the kickstart. He is going to try and get it running just so I can see it idle but is wary of me riding it due to the spark plug not being entirely secure. It screws in but spins I think.
The return spring is worn out and preventing the kickstart from working, Is this something that would happen if this part is worn out?

I'm looking at paying around $1250, in Australia these are usually worth around $2500-3000.

Has anyone had any experience with these bikes and can give me some advice? This will be my first dirt bike so I am unsure of how they go when it comes to maintenance etc.

 

[Motogiro]

I don't understand why the present owner wouldn't have the spark plug thread helicoiled to begin with. I guess if you have to pull the head to keep metal chips out. Still wouldn't you want to know how the motor runs?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Here's a link to the head and one to the kick starter. It is a 4 stroke so there is some time into pulling the head to fix the threads. The kickstarter mechanism doesn'rt look real complicated either. You won't know whats broke in their until you pull the side case off.

I did have an old Yamaha AT1 125 with a bad kick starter. The kick starter idler gear was missing some teeth as was the main gear.

Head:

http://www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Yamaha/Motorcycle/2001/WR426F+-+WR426FN/CYLINDER/parts.html

Kick starter:

http://www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Yamaha/Motorcycle/2001/WR426F+-+WR426FN/STARTER/parts.html


Also, the return spring does just that, it pulls the lever back up. It shouldn't stop it from engauging, something else in the unit has failed.

 

[250lemans]

i had an 01(yz dirt only) and i ended up selling because it was a pita to restart when it was warmed up, i don't know if street has a different cams set up but that was the problem with mine, release lever wasn't quite right and a weak spring on top of that, the oil level it's tricky to get right , before you get use to it, and valves need maintenance
good power though
good luck to you

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Sounds like it'd be a fun project if your able to most/all the labor (as long as nothing else major is damaged/destroyed in the engine). :thumbup:

 

[Fishcakes]

Okay well the guy is going to try and get it idling so I can check that the engine is okay.

Nothing in the kickstart is overly hard/expensive to fix? This will be my first go at ripping a bike apart although it will be a second bike so there is no rush.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Okay well the guy is going to try and get it idling so I can check that the engine is okay.

Nothing in the kickstart is overly hard/expensive to fix? This will be my first go at ripping a bike apart although it will be a second bike so there is no rush.

The entire kick starter assembly is just under the right side case cover (you don't have to split cases) so yes, its pretty easy to access and find what failed. A shop manual would also help greatly, especially if you tackle the top end. The assembly is fairly simple, kicking that beast likely broke something very obvious.

The top end, is considerably more involved.

BTW, "Timeserts" have been around for awhile and per their site, spark plug holes CAN be repaired WITHOUT removing the head. I've never used the kit, but heard good things about it.

Might be worth looking into. Keep in mind if you even have enough access to the spark plug hole (so you don't have to pull the entire engine).

+ TIME-SERT® SPARK PLUG THREAD REPAIR KITS + spark plug stripped thread repair kits for spark plug problems, thread stripped spark plug repairs in damaged threads in spark plug hole stripped out approved thread repair, aluminum head spark plug repair

 

[stink989]

I see these at work all the time and own a yz400f myself. If used on the road they wear out gearboxes because they have no Cush drive and are a lightweight gearbox. They are basically a race bike with blinkers and stuff the make them meet ADR compliance. (Australian design rules) if it has been flogged or not looked after they will cost a lot of money to fix and maintain. They are a high mainanance engine oil every 5-10hours of use.
I personally would only buy one with problems for a silly cheap price (under $1000) and then plan to spend lots on it to get it spot on.
They are a prick to start until you get the hang of them. Any use of the throttle will make them not start and they have manual decompression that takes a bit of practice to get right. The later 450 cam can be fitted, they have an auto decomp and a slightly less aggressive profile.
Very aggressive power the older 400 is more aggressive and the later 450 less aggressive making them good for a bit of fun.
If you need to know anything about them ask as I do a lot of work on yammy yz and wr's.

 

[SweaterDude]

the WR is one of, if not the most reliable 400-550 cc dual sport/supermoto bike. get on supermotojunkie.com and take a look in the street tarders section.