2001 Yamaha YZ426F reviews

I am 15-1/2 years old and I am racing it at the local track but this bike is made for anything. It has all good torque. it pops up in 1st, 2nd, even 3rd gear on the road. I have an amazing bike and it is this one. Show less

This is an amazing bike. I just turned 15 and I've wanted a big bike that I could grow into. This bike is perfect for me. It's the best bike I've had so far. The only problem I have with it is that it leaks oil out of he motor when you ride for a few hours and the motor gets hot!!! But is a great bike overall. Show less

This bike is the absolute best. I have no trouble keeping up with my mates when riding through trails and motocross tracks. This bike will pull up in any gear without trouble. This is the most powerful bike I've ridden in my life. This bike will beat any 2 stroke and the sound is 10 times better than a 2 stroke. If you have the chance to buy one, you should get one. Show less

Like everyone else, starting it was difficult for the first three days. I live in Colorado Springs so we have tons of trail riding. The bike tears it up on the hills, rocks and sand. There is enough power for anything you want to do. The bike is very maneuverable through the turns and rocks. It is hard to not go fast on this bike. I bought it from a guy who wanted to get rid of it badly. It was the best money I have ever spent. Show less

I traded my snowmachine for this bike, I thought I was getting jipped out of the deal. The first day I had it, I had a hard time starting it. The Decomp level took a little getting used to. On the 3rd day I could start it 1 kick everytime. This bike is so fast! It will pull wheelies literally in any gear. I live in alaska so it's usually a little cold out but this doesn't affect anything! It's usually a little easier to start on chillier days. So far I havn't used my hot cam pump thing, just the lever. This bike was an upgrade from my 03 rm 125... and it was so worth it! Show less

I mainly ride trails, all sorts, rocky, tight, sandy, rutted, some of everything, and this bike can handle it all. The suspension is plush enough to keep you on the bike all day (comfortably), but stiff enough to resist bottoming well, even in big whoops. The hardest thing for me, and others, at first was the starting procedure. I was used to easy to start 250 and the big bore starting takes a bit to get used to. With the bigger rear sprocket, my bike has plenty of get up and go in the bottom end with smooth power throughout. I have tried my hand at motocross too and this bike performs great (granted mine is heavier due to the weight the offroad accessories add). All in all, this bike is a great, light-feeling, maneuverable bike that can meet a wide variety of needs. Show less

I bought this bike three years ago from an ex-supercross racer. I mainly ride trails and I have to say that many people can't keep up with this bike. It doesn't matter where you ride: tight trails, smooth soft trails, sand; this is the bike you need. It kills the KTM 450's and 530's. The two strokes don't even have a chance. The bike (set up properly) smashes throught the whoop sections and has no problem carrying wheelies through them. To those who say that the KTM's handle better than the older four strokes... go out and ride with somebody who owns one of these bikes and you might not be saying that too loudly anymore. Show less

I have a 01 YZ426. It's a little bit heavy when compared to the latest generation of 450 MX bikes, but it's still an amazing bike. The power is unbelievable; I can pull wheelies in any gear. This bike really shines down low. I race enduros and on my KX250, I had difficulty going up steep slippery hills. I had to rev the engine out to get enough power up the hill, but once the revs on the smoker get up I lose traction. NOT ON THE YZ426! These tricky hills are no longer a problem and I can speed up any of them with ease. The power delivery of the 426 is incredible, especially down low. It's a torque monster! I have never had a problem starting mine either. It starts first or second kick, hot or cold. If the manual decomp lever bothers you, you could always put a 03 450 cam in it which will give you automatic decompression. The WR is corked from the factory compared to the YZ (but can easily and inexpensively be brought to YZ spec). The only negative thing about the YZ426 now in 2008 is that it's very heavy compared to newer bikes. Although it could potentially be competitive on a MX track or in an enduro race with newer 450s, the weight of the YZ426 will tire the rider out more quickly. Another big advantage of the 426 is the reliability. I don't know how reliable the new Yamaha 450 is, but I check my valves once or twice a year and for the past seven years my valves are still in spec. NO ADJUSTMENT NECESSARY! Do you know of any other 4-stroke MX bike that can make that claim? Show less

When I was 15 years old, my football coach made me give up racing motocross. I was riding a state-of-the-art Honda Elsinore CR125 (supposedly the best production MXer ever made at the time regardless of displacement). I vowed that I would get back into MXing sometime later in life. 32 years later, I just returned to MX play riding with a used 2001 YZ426. Boy am I old! This bike can do wheelies with ease in the 1st 3 gears with no effort and by just twisting the throttle. I've only ridin it 3 times on a fairly short track in NJ and have NEVER even gotten into 4th or 5th gears, but 1st gear is literally all you need on this track with such a powerful bike. Handling seems good but it is hard to tell because the track is 100% sand which is terrifying (I grew up in Ohio and used to race on packed dirt/mud, etc. and never experienced the vagueries of sand riding). I'm taking it very easy for now as I try to regain some of my old form. My only complaint is that the kick-starter is so high I can barely get my foot up on it. Thankfully, it starts on one kick (once you learn how to do it). Overall, this has been a great play bike that has performed flawlessly - so far so good! Show less

Previously a 2 stroke devotee - never thought a 4 stroke could deliver the performance of a 2 stroke - Wrong. Smooth predictable power and heaps of it! Starting? nothing difficult about it. Decompress just past top dead centre, return kickstart to top, release decompression lever and 1 committed fast kick. haven't had the opportunity to thoroughly test suspension - but experience so far tells me it's going to be good. This is easily the best bike I've ever owned. Show less