Considering 501FE, FE400 or FX470E? Reliability issues?Help?

See my last post for my updates....i've moved on to considering all 2002 models...a FE501, FE400 and an FX470E.... M

Looking for a used Enduro with electric start and i've seen a few bikes that have caught my eye. A 96 501FE is one...although i'd really have liked a KTM 400EXC...but all of these E start 4 strokes are hard to find up here.

Anything I should know/ask/look for on these bikes?

I've been told *( much to my dismay) that e start stopped work and he thinks( not sure he's guessing or not) that it's the spragg clutch. Is this hard to do or expensive to fix ( as i'd really like the E start to work) also it smokes a bit on startup but that goes away. Likely how far off am I from a top end ( or???) and it it expensive/hard to do on these bikes? How hard is it to get parts???? I'm in Canada, but i'd likely be ordering from the US or overseas ( i'm guessing)

Any help would be good...

Thanks

Yes the case splitting doesn't sound fun, but the E start is what I really wanted in a bike. I mean if the parts were a couple hundred ( thinking bearnings and maybe re ring it while i'm in there) that wouldn't be so bad really. Not sure if I can get the bike here( including the shipping) to make it all worth while....so i'm looking around north america now to see if I can find a better deal on something.... Really wanted a turn key rather than a rebuild project.... Any more info would be helpful

Ok so what i'm really curious about in all of this, regardless of model is the E starter. How reliable is it. The E starter is the entire reason i'm after a Euro bike in the first darn place. If it won't start with it, or break all the time than i'm not sure what the point is. Are they really that unrealiable and prone to failure???

I'm considering a 2002 Fe501 now that's had some work done. Also today I was offered a FX470E and an FE400 ( both 02 as well) ..... FE has 600 kms on it, the 470 has rebuild and updates. All of which are in my price range.

Alternatively I'm still looking at KTM...they have their own set of issues, but the E start doesn't seem to be one of them. Less "intense required" maint sched as well. I don't really need anything larger than a 400, i'm not racing it, nor am I a class "A" rider. I just want to go have a little fun with my friends on the weekend. I had also considered dual sporting it...but if I have to change the oil once a week, that sure wouldn't make any sense at all.

I have no problem doing the regular oil changes ( how much oil do these things hold anyway?) and the valve adjustments...but what I don't want is to have to rebuild it all the time. I'd like to be able to take it out every other weekend all summer and actualyl be able to ride the damn thing.

Keep the info coming. Thanks guys