2001 Yamaha reviews

It starts the first time and is smooth in town but still has gobs of power. On a recent trip to Ocala and back I averaged 48 mpg. No oil use and still no leaks. I am waiting to see what the next 24,000 will bring. Show less

What a deal! Six years ago, I was on my way to see a Harley Softail Heritage Classic and pulled into my Yamaha dealer first. I'm glad I did. I got soooo much more bike for the money. The reliability has been the best I've ever had (been riding over 30 years). It's been ridden to VT, TN, FL and I can sit in the stock seat all day long. The stock tires lasted 20k miles! This is the best bike I ever owned. 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

My 2001 Midnight Star is more of a bike than I coud have ever hoped for. I bought it used off the internet from a car dealership in Florida and was kind of skeptical about what I would recieve. Man was I thrilled with what was delivered. It was in like new condition and ran like a dream. All my friends love the way that it looks, sounds, and rides. The Harley riders still put it down because it is a Yamaha but end up being quiet after I blow by them on the interstate. Yamaha has out done the competition in the cruiser class when they introduced the Roadstar line of motorcycles. Show less

After having cruisers for a many years I made it over to the sport side of things. Now I am older and do like the comfort that most cruisers offer, but after yopu make it to the dragon you can understand why I now ride a more sport touring machine. No trailer queen here! I really was looking at a ZRX but decided that a decent fairing and centerstand was well worth it. My last bike had a centerstand and it is a rather nice feature. In stock form the FZ1 is a really great bike, but add a Corbin seat and a better windscreen (Givi,ZG,etc) and you've got a bike you can really put the miles on. Great performance with great handling from the factory. If you have it hammered down, grab on to the bars tight cause you're in for a great rush. That stout tubular frame really holds things together. I really like the torque, for the most part downshifting is just optional. Can be a little buzzy, nothing major at all, and the enginge heat is noticable. I was considering a newer FZ6, but found a really great deal on an 01 with extremely low miles. 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

The YZ-250 is a nice bike. Its top end conquers the longest straights on the track and the bottom toughs it out through the roughest trails with ease. The only complaint that I have for the bike is that when you go to order parts the Yamaha parts list on the computers reads Competition N1 which is the YZ-250 but right above it it reads YZ250F so when you ask to order parts for a YZ-250 people see the competition N1 and the YZ250F and click on the 250F by mistake. This has happened to me on numerous accounts due to the way the computers are set up. But as for the goods on this bike, it really is an easy bike to ride. I bought it after I sold my TTR-125L and I thought it would be difficult to be able to ride it well. But it was quite easy to learn how to handle it and the low end power lets you just lug along through the back woods with ease unlike the YZ125 which you're constantly feathering the clutch on rough trails and tight spots. Show less

This is my first bike. Though many people say not to learn on a two stroke, I went and bought one and I did. I had never even ridden a two stroke before. Luckily, I had someone to help me out so it went pretty smooth. It took me a while to learn how to start out but within a few minutes I got the hang of it. This bike is a great bike. It is so fast that I was afraid to take it out of second gear the first time I rode it. The powerband is amazing. Every time it hits the powerband, I find my whole body shifting towards the back of the seat. The comfort is great; I had absolutely no fatigue. It is also a very reliable bike. It starts about 1st or second kick every time. The YZ 80 is a great bike for a person coming off of a TTR or any smaller four stroke. I would recommend it as a second bike. I love my YZ 80! Show less

Wow, what a bike. It's been a while since I've rode a 2 stroke. The last was around a 96 YZ125. I wasn't so impressed with its power. I bought this for my son and the first time the powerband came in, I was like WOW! This thing spins the tire thru 4th gear easy and is just a pull like I can't explain. For my size with performance like that, it is saying something for this little bike. Hats off to Yamaha! This bike is a rocket! Show less

I puchased this model new in 2006. There isn't much of a market for off road bikes in my city. However it's by far the best bike I've owned and it has loads of power, not as fast on the top end as I would have thought but she gets there quick. Cons - most of the guys I ride with have YZ250Fs and the WR can keep up no problem, but it's not made to corner so tight and there is a power difference. The YZ is certainly snappier. If your main goal is to trail ride and hill climb with a few pit's here and there, then this is the model bike for you. Show less