Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128130
2002 Yamaha WR426F YAMAHA'S SERIOUS OFF-ROADER TAKES ON NOT-SO-SERIOUS CHANGES. The WR still features a 60-watt halogen headlight, a taillight, voltage regulator, tripmeter, 18-inch rear wheel, Ii t comes as little surprise that the 3.2-gallon fuel tank, side stand, wideMYamaha WR426F receives only a ratio transmission and a U.S. Forest few changes for 2002. After all, the Service-approved spark arrestor bike got the full treatment last year, pretty much all of the off-road ameniwhen its displacement got bumped ties that make the WR off-road- and up from 400cc to 426cc, and its steel enduro-ready right out of the crate. valves got replaced by titanium We recently took delivery of our valves - updates that were phased in '02 WR test bike and found it to perover two years on the YZF. And just form just like our well-used and welllike the new YZ426F, the '02 liked '01 WR test unit, which we WR462F took on only subtle found to work best in the deserts and changes. on more open canyon trails, where In fact, all of the updates the WR you can really wick 'er up and take got this year are the same ones that advantage of the WR's hard-hitting the YZ got: a lighter swingarm: a powerplant. Also, when the turns are longer shock; new two-piece pistons sweeping and the trail is wide and in the forks to improve oil flow; and a smooth, you hardly notice the WR's larger, 245mm rear-brake disc and hefty 240-plus pounds, as its fiveredesigned caliper. As you can see, valve, liquid-cooled DOHC motor nothing too earth shattering. makes up for the extra weight the Perhaps the biggest news isn't so bike is hauling around. much what the '02 WR426F got, but When things get tight, however, what it didn't get - an electric starter. the WR can be a handful, as we Oh well, maybe next year. recently rediscovered on a trail ride There's another thing that didn't near Gorman, California. Actually, change on the new WR (thank goodthe WR can wiggle its way from turn ness), and that's that the WR is still to turn on a tight, bump-free trail quite well, but once you start throwpretty much a YZ in off-road clothing. n __ s 44 NOVEMBER 14, 2001 • c u e • • By KIT PALMER PHOTOS BY CHRIS JONNUM ing in things like rocks, ruts and/or roots, suddenly the WR feels five times heavier and you start fighting for control because of the WR's abrupt power and relatively stiff suspension. The semi-explosive powerplant that you loved so much on the fast, sweeping trails becomes your enemy in the tight stuff, as the bike wants to nearly leap out of your hands every time you even slightly twist the throttle, and that's the last thing you want while you're cautiously treading softly over loose rocks or wet roots. And to make matters even worse, the high-strung motor is now threatening to stall if you don't twist the throttle open soon, or at least start working the clutch. By now, your arms are pumping up, your lungs are burning and your goggles are fogging, and all you want to do is go home - but you can't, because you just stalled the motor! After yelling out the single-most used curse word of all time, you begin that sometimes long, horrible process of restarting the now glowing-hot WR. Oh, what you wouldn't do for an electric starter right about now. Yes, the WR is in dire need of that magic button, and I know of at least one other person who would agree with me. Just this past weekend, I rode a local AMA/District enduro, and a person on my minute was riding an '01 WR426F. He had a clean first loop going until less than a mile from the finish, when he simply stalled the engine. We were on minute 60 and he ended up coming in with a big, fat, ugly "72" on his scorecard, and boy, was he unhappy! Any chance he had of a top finish was gone, which was an awfully big price to pay for such a small mistake. In all fairness, it's not that the WR is a hard starter, really. In fact, barring crashes, our 'Oland '02 WR test bikes usually started on the first or second kick, once we figured out the proper kick-starting technique. But there were times when the bike just would not light up, no matter what we did, and that's not a good thing if you're in the middle of the desert, on the side of a hill, with the clock ticking. Not only that, but even when the bike fires on the first try, that still doesn't compare to the ease of simply jabbing the magic button. Of course, when the trail opens up, the risk of stalling the engine pretty much goes away, as does the stress of worrying about it. The WR is an absolute blast to ride on wide-open trails, where you can roll on the throttie and feel the power come on with authority. This bike loves to be ridden aggressively and kept moving at all times - the faster the better. It also works quite well when the going's a bit tighter, but when the dirt is smooth, allowing the rider to accelerate hard out of corners and brakeslide into them. Luckily, the WR's suspension can handle pretty much anything thrown its way at any speed. The forks are good, even if the front end does sneak in a headshake every now and then, and the back end is plush and usually tracks straight as an arrow. But again, in super-gnarly enduro conditions, you'll be wishing for more plushness. The WR steers well, too, but could be better if you could only get your weight farther forward up on the tank.