heihachi Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest attila Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 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! Hi and welcome to the forum from one newbie to another. 1 YZF 600R Thundercat is a great bike quick and comfortable to ride and easy to maintain. 2 A good cleaning routine is always helpful in keeping rust at bay, and it also gives you the chance when cleaning to sort minor things out before they become a bigger job. 3 Brakes will stick on most things if they are stood for months on end over the winter months, if you ride all year round this should not be a problem 4 I have had a quick look around other sites and the prices for YZF 600R Thundercats seem to be between £1700-£2500 with lower mileage than the one your looking at, so i suggest that you shop around before you buy as you could get a younger bike with less miles for your money (don't fall into the "it's shiny and i must have it now"trap 5 There are no end of second hand parts around on ebay and sites like these and from breakers yards, or you can always buy new from yamaha (once again shop around it always saves cash. 6 I suggest that if you are not confidant about checking a bike over the AA will come out and give it a once over and supply you with a check sheet of things after looking the bike?car that you are looking at (this will cost you but can be worth it)unless you know someone who is good with bikes and haggling take them with you. 7 service it yourself it really is not hard to do a minor service on a bike, just have confidence and a manual to hand. Hope some of this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heihachi Posted August 18, 2010 Author Share Posted August 18, 2010 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest attila Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 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 AVERAGE mileage is between 3-5000 a year imo But you will find bikes with far less and far more out there i guess it all depends on how the bike was used and if it was the former owners only mode of transport. I.E. if it belonged to a weekend warrior expect low mileage. IF it belonged to someone doing courier work expect high mileage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest attila Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 There are no hard and fast rules for checking a bike over before you buy it here are some that i look for, i guess others will also add a few i might forget. 1 check brake pads, for wear to see if they are due to be replaced. 2 check headstock for excess movement 3 check front and rear tyres for wear and uneven wear (may mean the the rear wheel is not alined right) 4check for cosmetic damage on sides and barends to see if it has been dropped ( run your fingers over any stickers to see if you can feel any damage underneath it) 5check the chain and sprockets for wear (and is adjusted correctly ) 6 check fork seals for leaks and look for any leaks from the engine 7 check that there is not excess smoking from the exhausts at tickover 8 check all lights and horn are working 9check that the serial numbers on the log book (v5) match the bikes 10 check that it will select all gears at a stand still and go back into neutral with no problems 11 check that the clutch cable is not adjusted to the max on the clutch, also check the cable as some bikes have a second adjuster half way down the cable 12 check the oil is half way up the viewing glass. 13 check the brake fluid is full in the viewing glass 14 if it is fitted with an alarm check it works and can be put into service mode. 15 listen to the engine for any noise or knocking sounds that you do not think should be there IF your then happy with all these things buy it and ride it like you stole it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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