YZ426

Yes

I would not touch that bike 

The 426 was a bit of a dud.  The yz 250 would be much better. 

Good luck starting the 426 when hot 🤣

i tested the 426 for kiwi rider back in 2000,  i could not start it cold either, i bumped started mostly 

Spend $1900 to get it, another $750 at least before you know it to get it ready to flip. Advertise for 2-4 months and sell it for $1500 in apathetic disgust

1900 is about 1400 more than its worth. find a 2 stroke if you want to rebuild something. but if you want to rebuild something and sell it, dont. that ship has sailed.

Keep looking for a 2-stroke. You'll lose out on the 426, unless it was around $500. lol 

If you could make the 426 into a street legal sumo bike, you could probably sell it for $2500-$3000.
Might be a fun build and the street legal aggravation would vary depending on your state.

As a guy that owned, raced, and enjoyed that bike back in the day, it would be one of the last bikes I would try to flip. What you have heard here is mostly true and they have absolutely terrible resell value. Reliable as an anvil, power kicks like a mule, but the starting ritual and their heft drops their value exponentially. YZ250 hands down.

The 426 was rough in 02, I’d stay on the YZ smoker hunt 

It's crazy that you're even considering that bike for $1900. 

This was the first four-stroke I ever rode when the boom started. I was on a YZ250 and had a go on a friends' new YZF426 on a practice day. Heavy, seemingly no top end after getting off the YZ, and when I stalled it 3 laps in I couldn't get the thing started and had to push it back to the pits. I should've known what to expect after watching YZF400 riders either boiling their bikes up waiting for the race start, or bumping them behind the start line after turning them off to cool them down, then not being able to kickstart them.

I remember thinking "is that what all the fuss is about? 4 strokes won't catch on..." 😄

I watched a couple of newbie riders swear off moto forever from trying to start early 400/426 Yamahas.

I used to ride with these two brothers. One on a 426, the other on a 450x Honda. The blue brother would struggle getting the 426 started, once he finally did the red brother would hit the button and start the Honda, then reach over and kill the Yamaha, then ride off laughing.. 

As much as I loved the 426 at the time you couldn't pay me to have one now. Surely you can find a much more modern 4 stroke for $1,900? 

I had a 2001 426, I wouldn't take one now even if you gave it to me.

I owned a 2001 YZ 426 and absolutely loved it,  except for shitty forks, butt unless the bike is brand new it would not be a $1900.

I'd be embarrassed to advertise that bike for $1900.

Heard the DMXS guys say this one time

I think that you have to do the 2003 450 exhaust cam swap to really make it start consistently.  I had a 99 400 with a 420 kit and wish I had done the swap.  I knew a couple of guys who did, and it was a night and day difference.  

Heed the sage advice you've already been given.

It would likely be easier to get rid of a venereal disease. And even if you had to give both of them to someone, the person that got VD from you wouldn't dislike you as much as the one who got your 426.

It was an odd bike in many ways, but the 426 gets too much hate. And I am someone who still remembers his starting drill and carb-mounted hot start.

They were the proof in the pudding - even in that primitive stage they were a better overall racebike than the 250s of the time. 

2001 YZ426 steered like a submarine. I used to start it in the pits and leave it run while in staging and until the gate dropped.

Besides that it wasnt too bad to race..

My buddy bought a brand new YZF426. Unloaded it and took 3 of us about 2hrs to get it started!  Hahah. After - couple weeks he had it figured out and could start it first kick. It was a fun bike from what I remember. 

If you're serious about buying that bike.

I still have an '01 and ride it a couple times a year. 

I used to race a 1984 CR500, so starting a YZ426 hot or cold is no problem. 

That bike was such a sled to ride. I have nightmares remembering the time I raced one.

The poor bike is getting a lot of hate. I agree I wouldn't buy one now no matter the condition but I went from a 93 CR250 which is suppose to be the bike of bikes to riding my buddies 2000 426. The first time I rode it I told him I had to have one. I bought a 2001. Loved the power. And I thought the suspension was really good. Yes it was heavy and didn't turn sharply but boy was it fun to ride. The only time I had trouble starting it was when I was tired. You just had to use the right procedure. I rode it for about 4 years and then bought a 2005 CRF450.

Man I remember when my dad came home with a brand new yz426 when they first came out! It was probably the coolest thing ever at the time.  Would love to do a replica of his bike one day.   Other than a passion project they aren’t worth a penny. 

I don't know about some of the others, but my reply was in response to the OP's query about flipping it... which is a losing propsition from the start, to me. 

I had the original '98 YZF, skipped the 426 and got the '03 450. Had others through the '09 generation and enjoyed them but then they lost me as a customer with the reversed-head model - I just didn't gel with it. Over the succeeding 15 years my riding preferences haven't usually favored a 450, so I haven't been in the market for one.

Regarding the starting procedure - back during Covid, about a dozen of us met at a public trail for a weekend ride. When we got back from the first loop there was a guy a few slots down from us trying to start one of those early YZF's. I watched and listened to him and his buddies for about 15-20 minutes while they wore themselves out, fussed and cussed and get totally exhausted and frustrated. I wandered over and said I hoped they didn't mind me sticking my nose in but I might be able to help. The owner said he had just bought it the day before and had ridden it before buying, so he knew it would run. I told them there was a bit of a trick to them and asked would he mind me giving it a try. He looked me in the the eye, sweat pouring off him, totally out of breath and said, "buddy, if you can start it, you can have it!". I checked for gas, made sure the petcock was on, cleared it out and then went through "The Drill". It started on the first kick. His head snapped back in surprise and then immediately made wide-eyed contact with me, as if he was worried I would make him keep his word. I just looked at him and said, "Don't worry, I don't want it." 😄