Yamaha Thundercat

kae2 · 11 Feb 2012 at 21:14

Am I mad to have desires for the Thundercat as a first big bike? Went to look at several Honda CB500's today and thought it was the bee's knee's until I saw the one this afternoon that was sat next to a 'cat...

It's to be a daily commuter (50 miles round trip) and 1 or 2 tours a year).

Oh dear, this new "hobby" isn't cheap!

kae2 · 12 Feb 2012 at 17:42

Dogbreath said:
Not at all, the Thundercat is a excellent value 600 sports bike. It won't have the economy of the CB500 of course, and running costs will be a bit higher (more expensive tyres, chain and sprockets etc.) but for going touring I'd far rather the cat than the CB500. As a new rider you need to check out the insurance however.

The 'Cat is literally £4 a month more to insure than my 125!

I use the bike all year round, so a caliper rebuild is between 30 and 130 in parts.

So very tempting.... Thanks to everyone for your comments. The only bad points sounds like a not so great headlight (slightly worried about this) and not to buy one with a dodgy second gear as it's not cheap to fix.

kae2 · 12 Feb 2012 at 22:02

Ish said:
I put an Osram Nighbreaker Plus bulb in mine and it has improved the headlight a lot.

That's good to hear, I've also read that removing the additional "mushroom" reflector can improve things further.

Most of my commute is on the A50 which is virtually unlit apart from going through Holmes Chapel/Knutsford.

Ish - how is the headlight in comparison to your 125??

Thanks everyone!

Andy.

kae2 · 12 Feb 2012 at 22:06

Dogbreath said:
A lot of older bikes have fairly mediocre headlamps. Sticking the uprated lamps in them and maybe adding a relay to minimise voltage drops can make a big difference though. Do you do a lot of commuting on unlit roads?

Thanks DB, I can certainly do that no problem.

Commute is along the Haslington Bypass/A50 so mostly unlit winding roads.

kae2 · 13 Feb 2012 at 12:09

Ish said:
The headlights on my CBR125R are nothing special but the TC is much better.

Thanks Ish, I'm thinking that perhaps the 'Cat is poor in comparison to other big bikes, but if it's an improvement on the 125, I won't be complaining too much!

kae2 · 22 Feb 2012 at 13:21

Deposit paid, should be collecting mid-march!

kae2 · 25 Feb 2012 at 08:22

Blue, 22k miles very good condition. Cant wait to collect it

kae2 · 18 Mar 2012 at 20:43

I have never, ever, ridden anything as fast as this! Whoooeeeeeeeee!

2nd gear is just unbelievable, I'm too much of a scaredy cat to try opening it up in 1st yet!

kae2 · 18 Mar 2012 at 22:15

arctine said:
Thundercats are fairly tame. Don't be scared

Fairy tame they may be, but it's the fastest (by a long way) bike I've ridden and by god it can't half shift! Illegal speeds in second gear, it's great fun!

kae2 · 18 Mar 2012 at 22:23

arctine said:
Aye, it's a good feeling stepping off a 125 to your first proper bike

The acceleration is a great bonus, what I really wanted was the additional stability, braking and top end to be a "real" road user, as the 125 with L plates was just a horribly feeling.