Well, the good ol’ 426 is starting to come along nicely. The latest mods, for those not keeping track, include a complete suspension redo from Santa Cruz Suspension & Accessories, a Boyesen QuickStart, and a carb cleaning/rebuild/mod/tuning for Zip-Ty Racing.
The last ride on it was pretty sweet. The suspension inspires confidence and soaks up everything I’ve thrown at it so far. It is starting, mostly (more on this in a bit), reliably. The throttle response is amazing. There are only a couple problems to still be addressed.
First is the hot-start situation. When I installed the Boyesen QuickStart I removed the Zip-Ty Racing remote hot-start, replacing it with the stock plunger. The directions for the QuickStart were for a newer model, that basically involved pull the remote cable and plugging the hole. Well, since this year had the plunger right at the carb, I decided to leave it in place, intending to always keep it closed.
Well, the hot-start that is integrated into the Boyesen QuickStart does nothing that helps get the bike started. I’ve been resorting to using the stock setup. Unfortunately, the over-sized IMS tank makes that tough. I have to get off the bike to reach the plunger and the tank knocks it back in, by the time I get back on. This should be an easy fix. I’m just going to put the Zip-Ty Racing remote hot-start back on.
Rekluse EXP Auto Clutch
The next problem is stalling, I am constantly stalling it. This, I’m sure, is in part due to being used to my XR600, which I couldn’t stall if I tried. It’s also related to clutch drag, when it’s still on the cold/warm side. I’d always wanted to had more weight to the flywheel, but that seems hard to find, for this bike, these days. After talking to Rich, at Santa Cruz Suspension & Accessories, he almost convinced me to get a Rekluse clutch. Further research in the interwebs has me completely convinced. Sadly, their complete Core EXP kit is not available for the 426. But their EXP kit is. I called around, pulled in a favor, and got a really sweet deal on one. I hope to have it installed this week.
Dunlop Geomax AT81
Next comes traction. My old Dunlop 739 was pretty worn and stiff. It provided no traction at all. It is being replace by a Geomax AT81, to match the front.
Lastly, after trying some tight single track last week, I decided that I want to gear it just a tad lower. So the heavy ol’ stock steel rear sprocket is being replaced with a two-tooth larger Renthal sprocket.
I’m hoping to hit the trail again on Friday to see how all of this wraps up…
