heihachi

Nice choice of first bike - I have same bike in red and white! Best of luck with the tests, just relax and as said before concentrate on your observations and it will go fine. Other tip I was given during my MOD 1 training for the u-turn was when you are about to make the turn, look over at the cone which sits at the end of the white line on the other side of the u-turn area. Focus on this and not the white line and you will then not end up crossing the line as part of your turn. Worked for me!

EDITED - Bleeding PC! - Double posted!!!

They do two versions with internal sun-visors (I know as I have one of them and its pretty damn good!) The one I have is the S4-SV, flip down internal visor is controlled by catch on the left side of the helmet - works pretty well in sunlight but can be a bit of a nightmare to keep clean. Here you go... LINK

Yep, yesterday's Jerez race was rather entertaining! Cant help but think Rossi will live to regret his move to Ducatti given a few more races, even the GOAT cant get much more out of that bike. All the problems in the chassis and engine are going to take quite some time to work out I think, just shows how well Stoner did with the earlier version of that bike. Got to love the reply Stoner gave when Rossi apologised to him in the garage after the race "guess your level of ambition was greater than your talent" - or words to that effect!!

Well, another week another worry! After getting the knocking sorted from the rear of my 'cat I have now noticed on the way into work this morning that there seems to be an extradorinary amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust. After trawling the internet I am getting conflicting advice, some say it could be head gasket/broken cylinder whilst others say it could just be oil being burt off. The oil was changed as part of a service I had done when the chain was replaced, could it be this at fault? Cant afford another huge repair :( Any ideas lads??

Just an update in case this thread helps anyone else in the future with a similar problem. Had the bike serviced and looked at over the weekend. Turns out the problem was indeed the chain, there was a tight spot where some links were kinked out of alignment and there was also a slack area. Guess the chain had worn unevenly. Had the chain and sprockets replaced, knew the sprockets were getting worn out anyway! Guy who fixed the bike said that whoever owned the 'cat before me had not fitted the chain back properly; the chain required a special breaker tool which obviously hadnt been used and as such it looks like the chain was incorrect joined via the rivets. Anyway, rides as sweet as a nut now. Better than when I first bought her - has put that smile back on my face and thats the main thing - even if it did cost a small fortune to get there Thanks for the advice lads, most of you hit the nail right on the head!

Hmmm, its a possibility. Tried to clean up and lubricate the chain links at the weekend and took it for a quick spin. Still a slight knocking, though seemed to reduce/disappear as I got up through the gears (4th at about 50/60mph). Still quite noticeable when tootling round town at 30 in 2nd and 3rd. Think I am goign to have to book it in for a once over, would love to be able to try and fix it myself but seriously lack the skills and balls to start dismantling the 'cat. Pity really as it sounds like it might cost a fortune

Yeah its not half bad, bit soggy in the front suspension department if you push it hard but other than that I have no real complaints.

You may be on to something here! I vaguely recal after having a quick look over the bike yesterday afternoon that there might have been a chain link slightly out of align with the others. Shall have a better look at the weekend and perhaps drench the chain in a bit of oil, has had quite a lot of rain/dirt on the chain in the last few days and probably could do with a clean up/lubrication again. Shall also check out the carrier bearing if the chain makes no difference. Cheers lads - knew someone here would be able to offer some advice

Long time lurker here... Love my Thundercat - great bike for commuting and the odd blat out into the countryside. However I have noticed over the last couple of days a very distinct knock has developed from somewhere near the middle/back of the bike, think it is only noticeable in 3rd gear - dont get much change to push it into 4th around town on the commute so cant be sure if its in all gears. Its a very rythmic knocking, speeds up with the bike and is slightly less noticeable as speed generates - possibly not enough revs?? Though never had the problem/not noticed it in nearly a year so far. Can feel the knock very low down, as said it feels as though its towards the rear wheel but could be just being transmitted out by the foot pegs. Anyone have any similar experiences/suggestions on what to check before I book it in at a grage for a once over?? Cheers guys....

Have contacted the dealer and popping the bike there at lunchtime today, bet they cant find anything wrong with it Would be just typical for it to behave whilst they test it.

Did it again on the way to work this morning, almost as though it fails to engage the gear correctly as there is an awful noise of gears grating against each other Shall have to go the dealer and see what he says - any thoughts/advice from you lot though?? Ta

Ello all... Now I probably know the answer to this question but wanted to pick the massive brains on here anyway. Well I purchased a 1999 Thundercat last week, all was fine until Friday on the way to work. Whilst going round a roundabout it popped out of second and made an awul mechanical noise - sort of noise that a chain rattling against something would make. Immediately thought - un oh its the infamous 2nd gear problem! On my test ride before purchase I checked as well as I could for this, accelerated hard in 2nd and no problems. Well it hasnt fallen out of gear again since but has been a bit "clunky" changing into 2nd from 1st (no problems going down from 3rd though) and on occassion has made the same rattly noise whilst in 2nd gear. There is also a noticeable whine whilst in 2nd, sort of like the noise a worn car gearbox makes whilst in drive. The bike has done 23,5000 miles and I starting to think that the 2nd gear might be worn or the selector is duff. Dpes this sound likely to anyone here, or would a simple adjustment of the clutch cable or similar help the problem?? The bike has a 3 month warranty and I will more than likely pop it to the dealer on Tuesday and express my concerns; my question is does this sound like the 2nd gear issue I have read so much about on the inter-web and what sort of likely repair bill will this have? Am hoping can at least get some of the cost paid by the dealer if not all! Thanks again guys

Thanks for the reply, lots to think about there. What sort of mileage is deemed high? How many miles can you realistically expect from such a bike, bear in mind that I dont think I shall be doing more than 3k a year. I certainly hope to keep the bike for at least the next 3-4 years. Thanks again, your help is appreciated

Hi, new member here though long time lurker!! Having just passed my Direct Access test I am looking at moving on from my current Honda 125VT Shadow and having been a long admirer of Yamaha bikes I have come across a 1999 'T' Yamaha YZF 600R Thundercat for sale at a local dealer for £2,195. The bike has done about 22k miles and having had a quick look one lunchtime seems to be in relatively good condition. Having read up on the bike over the last few days the general consensus seems to be that the bike is a realtively good 600 sports/tourer with little in the way of mechanical problems. What I am asking of you good people is, does anyone here have a list of things to look out for when I properly view the bike. Does anyone know of any good online guides for viewing this type of bike or even better a checklist style guide?? Worth a shot I suppose!! Essentially I am loooking to find out what are the main things I need to check/be aware of when I view the bike. I know that the downpipes are liable to corrode and rot and that the brakes can seize on over winter, would a decent cleaning routine help combat these problems in the future? I have also read that parts can be hard to come by, this confused me as I would have thought that the general spares would easily enough to come by. Finally, and yes I know its been a mass of questions!; what sort of general service price would I be looking at for the bike each year? Many thanks, any help is greatly appreciated and fingers crossed I shall soon be the owner of a lovely Yamaha!