JasonYZF Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Hi guys, Firstly I'm new to the site so let me start by being polite and saying "Hello". Been meaning to join for ages but sods law the bikes gone wrong and I need help so as good a time as any. In short, I need a decent 2nd hand Thundercat engine. I've only had my Yamaha YZF-600R Thundercat for 3 and a bit months and the bloody things gone wrong. I'm pretty new to biking and didn't really know what to look out for as this is my first "biggish bike". Turns out after buying that I was getting an occasional neutral and having difficulty changing from 1st to 2nd on WOR. Second gear has now started to slip and on research this is a sure sign the transmission is failing and is a very common issue. I'm pretty hands on , But doing the tranny myself is far too much work as you have to remove the engine, split the head and basically disassemble the whole engine to get to it. I'm therefore looking at just swapping the engine as this seems far easy. Now the problem is where do I get one from?? I'm dubious about using E-bay for something so important. And the only breakers I've approached and researched turned out to be cowboys. I want to buy from someone or somewhere reliable so am turning to like minded people on the forum for help. If anyone could offer me any help or advice please let me know as it would be a great help. Ilive in Bagshot, Surrey,UK Wish me luck Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted July 8, 2010 Moderator Share Posted July 8, 2010 Unlucky, if you had dived in before you bought it...... Hindsight eh ? Anyway let me be the first to welcome you to the nutho.. . forum . You may have your work cut out tracking down an engine as the gear issue is a bit of a stinker with these. It also means the motors will most likely attract a premium. The worst bit, it comes to them all in time. The dearest bit of the problem is labour. As the motor is ok bar the gear issue i would be inclined to have a go at fixing it. Its fcuked anyway so no loss if you really screw it up. You said you are happy to take the motor out so your not scared of the spanners. Whats a gasket set going to cost you (relative). If you can fix it and scoop up a few extras in the process like a bore and some new cams maybe a clutch then you will have a motor good for another 40thou. I think it wouldn't cost you the price of another motor either and it would be one you could trust. Just my opinion like, and its exactly what i've done with my Land rover. Throwing out an engine without pulling it to bits for a lookie see is a crime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonYZF Posted July 8, 2010 Author Share Posted July 8, 2010 Unlucky, if you had dived in before you bought it...... Hindsight eh ? Anyway let me be the first to welcome you to the nutho.. . forum . You may have your work cut out tracking down an engine as the gear issue is a bit of a stinker with these. It also means the motors will most likely attract a premium. The worst bit, it comes to them all in time. The dearest bit of the problem is labour. As the motor is ok bar the gear issue i would be inclined to have a go at fixing it. Its fcuked anyway so no loss if you really screw it up. You said you are happy to take the motor out so your not scared of the spanners. Whats a gasket set going to cost you (relative). If you can fix it and scoop up a few extras in the process like a bore and some new cams maybe a clutch then you will have a motor good for another 40thou. I think it wouldn't cost you the price of another motor either and it would be one you could trust. Just my opinion like, and its exactly what i've done with my Land rover. Throwing out an engine without pulling it to bits for a lookie see is a crime. Cynic, Thank you for your in depth response. You talk a lot of sense and it's deffinatly something to consider, And yes hindsight is a fantastic thing. To be honest I researched most things and checked the shocks etc, but this is my first big bike, and had nothing to compare the transmission too and had no idea what "felt" right when changing gear. Clearly I'm a muppet. My only concern with your suggestion is my own talent, or should I say, lack of. I've studied guides and the Haynes manual in depth and am confident of swapping the engine ok, But I'm worried removing cams, spliting the head and getting to the tranny may be too much, without help anyway. I need to stay mobile as it's my only commuter. My thoughts where to buy a half decent used engine and swap. I then have no intention of binning the old one as the engine itself is perfectly sound. Instead I will then attempt to break it down and see how far I get, if only to gain spares, sell parts or generally see how difficult the job is and learn a little. Who knows I might get all the way down to the tranny in the end anyway in which case I have 2 engines It just keeps my options only, Providing I can find an engine that is Thoughts ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted July 8, 2010 Moderator Share Posted July 8, 2010 I would see whats out there engine wise. Don't commit just see whats there. Then think on this, you will get 3 months warranty tops. The second gear may well run for 6 or 12 months hell 3 years before it fails it may never, but as its struggling now you are obviously enjoying the engines performance. Its not an option to have a dealer do it as you may as well buy another bike as it will cost less. I'm sure there will be people on here who are better placed on the internals of a pussycat engine. Have you done a search to see if there is a specific owners forum for them. As i said i would be pulling it apart but thats me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonYZF Posted July 9, 2010 Author Share Posted July 9, 2010 This is my main commuter so I need it to keep getting to work. I think with this in mind I still have more options by getting a second hand engine and swapping. I would then look at maybe striping the spare as I would prefer to get that one up and running if only to learn a little from it. I think whatever fix I go for, my confidence in Thundercat's has gone. When it's up and running I will be baring this in mind and may look for something more relieable in the relative near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted July 9, 2010 Moderator Share Posted July 9, 2010 This is my main commuter so I need it to keep getting to work. I think with this in mind I still have more options by getting a second hand engine and swapping. I would then look at maybe striping the spare as I would prefer to get that one up and running if only to learn a little from it. I think whatever fix I go for, my confidence in Thundercat's has gone. When it's up and running I will be baring this in mind and may look for something more relieable in the relative near future. out of curiosity, whats the mileage? and overall condition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonYZF Posted July 9, 2010 Author Share Posted July 9, 2010 out of curiosity, whats the mileage? and overall condition? The conditions excellent. I wanted a good example so paid £1900 for a 2001 on 22,000 miles which appeared to be loved and well looked after. Now turns out despite apperances the previous owner ragged the dogs. Lucky me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted July 9, 2010 Moderator Share Posted July 9, 2010 The conditions excellent. I wanted a good example so paid £1900 for a 2001 on 22,000 miles which appeared to be loved and well looked after. Now turns out despite apperances the previous owner ragged the dogs. Lucky me Ouch, the silver lining though is its a bike worth putting the effort into. The engine will be a tricky one to find. There is one on the bay as we speak for under 150. Just wondering if a fazer engine would go in with a top end swap, you know cams and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonYZF Posted July 9, 2010 Author Share Posted July 9, 2010 Ouch, the silver lining though is its a bike worth putting the effort into. The engine will be a tricky one to find. There is one on the bay as we speak for under 150. Just wondering if a fazer engine would go in with a top end swap, you know cams and such. I can't see any on E-bay sub £400 for a Thundercat engine, have you got a link?. A fazer will be no good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted July 9, 2010 Moderator Share Posted July 9, 2010 Its gone there was only an hour or so left when i posted. I still can't help thinking that a rebuild is the way to go. Its all labour and as some of the other forums you've been on have said (copy and paste is handy eh) maybe a couple of hundred in parts. Labour rates to yourself are very competitive, even if it takes 3 times as long as a garage. Speaking from whoppingly expensive experience with 2 dud v8 engines in my old landy both proposing to be great and costing the best part of 500 apiece. Second hand, even apparently rebuilt WITH RECEIPTS is worthless. Do you want to be back here again in 6 - 12 months. You have said its your ONLY transport, my landy was at the time i lost 2 days of work fixing it. With some planning a little research and a couple of days off if need be you can have a bike you can depend on. You have a tidy 8 year old bike, i have one at nearly 30 and the 'new' one is chasing 23 and has a BAAAAAD reputation for turining its guts to shrapnel at the drop of a hat. The cat is a very solid reliable bike and if some idiot had ridden it properly you would be laughing but they didn't. So you have a problem that wants a solution. Forgive me being very direct here but you can either throw out several hundred quid and be no better off, except spending the time swapping the motor out. Or you could step up and fix the bloody thing. One thing for certain its not going to get better and the bits of junk that come off that gear are going to be causing lots of wear in the presently good stuff. And having experienced a siezed box i reccomend a prompt decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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