YZF1000R Thunderace!

[Snakebite68]

So I'm curious...

How many people in here have (or had) a Thunderace?

How was it?
What problems did you find?

What issues do they have?

What did you do to upgrade it?
What would you have liked to do to upgrade it?

And so on...

 

I've uprated my drive chain and sprockets (I was eating my standard ones for some reason (I'm not a speed freak, honest!)).

I've been wondering about getting some uprated spark coils.

Whilst not in terrible condition, my fairings are looking their age. I've been looking at the Chinese aftermarket fairing kits. Anyone ever got one? Any good?

Our lass keeps sliding down her seat when I'm braking, and attempting to break my nuts! I bought one of those triboseat covers (I call it her 'stickybum'), it helps, but not enough to save my nuts all the time. I've been entertaining the idea of making myself some custom seats.
But, I'm having trouble finding seat material I like. The original Thunderace covers are just plain smooth vinyl and are pretty slippy but modern seat materials are (I don't know how to describe it), more material like... Any ideas where to get it from?

 

Basically, this thread is a 'talk about Thunderaces' thread!  Let's go!!!

[Snakebite68]

So, while I'm waiting for wisdom on my previous questions , I have another one about my exhaust...

I got it fitted with an aftermarket exhaust with no exup on it, it's not bad.
The can is an ART pro series II, my question is: Can I get a replacement baffle for it (did it actually ever come with a baffle?)?

[drewpy]

I guess not many posting have thunder races.

as for seat material have you tried alcantara? its like a swede but manmade

[Snakebite68]

You know, when I first came across the Thunderace again, I called them Thunder Races too! Took a while to place that mental space... lol

Does Alcantara feel like swede? I can't touch swede, it sets my teeth and fingernails on edge... eeew!!! rofl

Ack, even just the thought of it has set me off!

[drewpy]

19 hours ago, Snakebite68 said:

You know, when I first came across the Thunderace again, I called them Thunder Races too! Took a while to place that mental space... lol

Does Alcantara feel like swede? I can't touch swede, it sets my teeth and fingernails on edge... eeew!!! rofl

Ack, even just the thought of it has set me off!

I suspect it was my laptop that didn't like me putting thunderace in (had to try 3 times for the last one) 
yes its supposed to be like suede 

[Mr. B]

Hi Snakebite68, I have owned a Thunderace for 5 years now.  I replaced the coils, leads and plugs (36,000 miles) along with the steering head, swing arm and wheel bearings - the wheels were pretty scabby so I had them powder coated.  The steel headers had been patched when I bought the bike and had corroded again so I replaced with a Black Widow stainless set which works fine with no Exup.

I changed the friction and steel rings in the clutch as I could never find neutral which did make it better but the clutch is always going to be quite a pain for me with the angle of my wrists and the clip on bars.

I can't help you with seat material as I don't ride with a pillion I don't mind sliding about on the seat but you might want to think about the stuff that stops things sliding about on car dashes https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262803774020

Well worth £2 to try.

The only issues I have had were with the waterpump seal which took half an hour or so to fix.

I really do like the bike but,,,going back to the wrist pain I decided now to junk the fairing and standard bars to go for a replacement CNC top yoke from CNC Top Yokes (£165 paying bank transfer) and some standard 7/8th bars. 

The fairing had been damaged and repaired several times and I'd thought about a Chinese version but thought not a lot of good comes out of there and hearing horror stories of trying to fit one never bothered.

This brings me on to my next post that I will make momentarily... to find out if anyone can suggest a replacement radiator for me as, with the fairing off, there's a whole heap of nasty, ugly sticky-out bits that are normally hidden by the fairing.  I'll also need something to keep the wind off and to mount the clocks and headlamp so probably looking along the lines of a headlamp fairing from Skidmarks...

Good luck with the 'Ace.  Great underestimated bike.

[Snakebite68]

Funny you posted that material, we eventually got a Thunderace – Triboseat...

DON'T CUT UP YOUR FAIRING!!! See my post on your other thread..!

 

I've commuted on my Ace now for 2.5 years, it does it great, but it's feeling the pain.

Most recently the swingarm has seized up, so I've bought a V-Strom to take the strain off it and so I can strip it down and do the maintenance that it desperately needs.

 

I have heard good things about some of the Chinese fairings. If I had the cash, I'd consider it myself. 

[1 of 3]

Hi, I just joined the club as I bought a 97 Thunderace. After an initial ride I can confirm the seat is certainly slippery and I spent a lot of the 30 minutes up against the tank.

I would be interested in any opinions on improving the clutch. The bikes only done 15k miles and the clutch engages a long way out, nearly at the end of travel. Then later in the ride it got very heavy and back home I had issues selecting neutral as Mr.B said in his post. My hand was aching after that short a ride, though it was up and down the A4 in West London to get a feel for the bike, so plenty of gear changes.

Is new plates, bleeding the clutch, rebuilding the master cylinder going to make a significant improvement or is this simply down to bad design? I have a Honda CBF 1000 with a hydraulic clutch and its way better than this.

Apart from that it seems like a good bike, though I'm not sure how the riding position lends itself to the sport tourer tag the bike allegedly has earned, and it's very pretty

[Snakebite68]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but like cars, if the clutch bites high, that's good, if it bites low, that's bad...

 

Do you have the original leavers on? The originals are quite long and have a high standing. Custom leavers will bring the bite closer, however, there's the possibility that it will stop the clutch coming completely off because there's not enough throw on the hydraulics.

 

The Ace got the tag 'sports tourer' quite quickly because it was a parts bin bike that they made as a stopgap before the R1. It was just relegated early.

 

As for the slippery seat. Your ideal riding position on the Ace is with your nuts pressed up to the tank (adjust as required (preferably privately...)). If you find you're slipping around, get some tank grips for your legs. That will solve your problem.

[Cynic]

I think age has made the fluid spongy and that will increase the amount the fluid compresses which will in tern reduce the amount the clutch moves. That means more lever effort and lest movement within the clutch pack promoting clutch drag.

My first step would be new fluid and maybe treat it to a braided hose.

[Snakebite68]

7 hours ago, Cynic said:

My first step would be new fluid and maybe treat it to a braided hose.

Oh God, yes, this!
Mine came with braided hoses so I never even thought about it!
If it doesn't have them, change all your hoses to metal braided!!!

[1 of 3]

Thanks for the replies  Yes still got the original levers and I adjusted them to setting 3 as that suits my span. Looks like it's on the original hoses so after what you've both said that will be the first thing to try and new fluid obviously comes as part of that. New brake hoses as well I reckon.

Might be a while until I get to do it though. Just had a small op and I only have a garden to work in, so waiting for a spell of weather above freezing 

Once I can get out again I can get more of a feel for the riding position too. Snakebite, I take it you didn't swap your seat covering from standard then?

Edited January 16, 2022 by 1 of 3
Added info

[Snakebite68]

35 minutes ago, 1 of 3 said:

Snakebite, I take it you didn't swap your seat covering from standard then?

No.
You get used to it... But I did buy a triboseat (Thunderace – Triboseat) for the pillion seat, that stopped 'our lass' from sliding forward and crushing my nuts..!

But I am looking at seat covering materials because I want to make myself a custom pair of seats. Re-shape the rear seat to give more stability for 'our lass' and just look a little more flash...

[1 of 3]

Ok  My wife won't ride on the big bikes, so I don't have that problem to cope with. She's more comfortable on the back of the scooter with its top box as a back rest. Obviously a complete contrast in riding experience to the litre bikes, but it makes for a relaxing ride

[Snakebite68]

Our lass doesn't like my V-Strom, even though it's also a litre bike, she says it's boring!

[jcr]

another ace owner here. just starting to suffer clutch slip in the powerband at 35000 miles. bike is in original condition apart from a longer dogbone to lower the rear end a bit. i suffer from short legs   its a black/silver model from 1996.

its a comfortable bike i find, apart from the vibes through the handlebars. which are no worse than any other bike ive owned. i can ride for several hours with no issues.

the speed is stupid quick to be honest. its fun, but its also a problem when it means very illegal speeds if you want to cane it.

seriously thinking of downgrading to a plodder. Royal Enfield continental/classic, is high on my list.

i guess my age has a lot to do with it(51).

i do love walking into the garage and smelling the fuel/oil bike smell after coming back from a ride.

[Snakebite68]

Yey!
Do a brake fluid flush first, if that doesn't sort it, you're probably looking at new plates.

Yeah, the vibration through the bars caused me some problems at first, but I apparently got used to it. I did wonder about getting some heavier bar end weights made, but it doesn't seem to be a problem anymore.

[1 of 3]

Hi all, since my last post I have rebuilt the master and slave cylinders on the clutch and the front brake master cylinder. HEL lines fitted all round and rebuilt the rear brake caliper completely. New SBS pads front and rear. The results were the clutch is much better, with an easier  pull, though as the bike warms up neutral is still difficult to find (I now click to neutral just before stopping). The rear brake is now really good, and has great feel. The front brakes are good but I think they still need the caliper seals changed out to reach their full potential; one of the jobs for this year. I think I'll take the clutch plates out and see what condition they're in and clean/replace as needed. Also going to get the front forks rebuilt and check the rear suspension linkages. Has anyone tried fitting any other rear suspension units? I saw a bike on Ebay listed with a ZX10R rear shock fitted, but I'm not sure which year it's from nor if it's any better than stock. Cheers

[1 of 3]

On 6/13/2022 at 9:10 PM, jcr said:

another ace owner here. just starting to suffer clutch slip in the powerband at 35000 miles. bike is in original condition apart from a longer dogbone to lower the rear end a bit. i suffer from short legs   its a black/silver model from 1996.

its a comfortable bike i find, apart from the vibes through the handlebars. which are no worse than any other bike ive owned. i can ride for several hours with no issues.

the speed is stupid quick to be honest. its fun, but its also a problem when it means very illegal speeds if you want to cane it.

seriously thinking of downgrading to a plodder. Royal Enfield continental/classic, is high on my list.

i guess my age has a lot to do with it(51).

i do love walking into the garage and smelling the fuel/oil bike smell after coming back from a ride.

Btw don't let your age put you off. I'm 63 and still enjoy the riding. Only issue I'm just starting to find is the big bikes are getting a bit too heavy to push around the garden, but actually riding them is fine

[Snakebite68]

3 hours ago, 1 of 3 said:

Hi all, since my last post I have rebuilt the master and slave cylinders on the clutch and the front brake master cylinder. HEL lines fitted all round and rebuilt the rear brake caliper completely. New SBS pads front and rear. The results were the clutch is much better, with an easier  pull, though as the bike warms up neutral is still difficult to find (I now click to neutral just before stopping). The rear brake is now really good, and has great feel. The front brakes are good but I think they still need the caliper seals changed out to reach their full potential; one of the jobs for this year. I think I'll take the clutch plates out and see what condition they're in and clean/replace as needed. Also going to get the front forks rebuilt and check the rear suspension linkages. Has anyone tried fitting any other rear suspension units? I saw a bike on Ebay listed with a ZX10R rear shock fitted, but I'm not sure which year it's from nor if it's any better than stock. Cheers

The blue spot callipers are damn good, if you think they're not quite up to snuff, time for a service. It's not hard, you can buy a tool (pad it when you use it, so you don't scratch up the blue bit)..!

 

I've not had the guts to check my clutch yet. No idea when it was done last, but it's had some serious hammer for the last few years off me and doesn't seem to be slipping. So, I seem to be in an 'if it ain't broke, don't touch it' situation.

 

Oh, for gods sakes, service that rear shock linkage! I had all sorts of trouble with mine after my swingarm stopped... (swinging)..! lol
Ended up having to buy a new linkage, as apparently, my original one, had a machining fault. The central socket wasn't machined straight! Bloody typical!

Anyway, they pick up a whole load of road crap, taking them apart now and again won't do them any harm at all..!

There are 3rd party rear shocks out there, but unless you want to cough up some pretty serious cash, non of them seem to have the adjustability of the original. Which appears to be serviceable (by professionals).