Hello, new owner in Bristol

I've just bought myself a P reg thundercat. Cant actually ride it as I haven't got my license yet, but got my CBT on Friday, then module 1 on mon and if I pass I start module 2 on tuesday so hopefully be riding it soon!

I know absolutely nothing about motorbikes so was wondering if there is anything I need to know maintenance wise? I've been starting it every few days to keep the battery charged, but ny the time I get my license it will have been parked up for the best part of a month, anything I need to be aware of such as brakes etc??

Also when I start it from cold I have to give it a bit of choke, and if I rev it to quick it cuts out. Is this normal??

Sorry if I'm being a bit thick, like I say I'm a complete novice!

Afternoon mate and welcome. I'm just up the road in Chippenham but work in Devizes, don't be afraid to drop us a message if want anything. Nice to have some company around here, I think a couple other guys joined recently from around here so we'll organise a meet up sometime to introduce ourselves. You never know, we may even get to rival the Thundercat mass that is Lincolnshire



Now, about your problems. So you put the choke on full and start the bike what happens then? Do the revs rise and get quite high (3-5k) in a few seconds or does the bike start and then the revs shoot through the roof?

Also, when you say you rev it and it stalls what exactly happens? Do you give it a gentle 'blip' or do you pin the throttle wide open and then it dies?

Thanks for the reply. I give it about half choke and a little rev to start i then it revs at about 3000rpm. If I blip it gently it keeps running but if I open the throttle to quick it tends to cut out. Not sure if its just because the engines cold. I'm not really use to a manual choke, been a few years since I had a car with one of them and cant remember how I use to start my DT50!!

Hello alext, and welcome to the forum.

Good luck with your training and modules (I'm sure you won't need it).

Basic daily/weekly maintenance is mostly a common sense thing and really should be viewed/doubled up as safety checks too.
You can find basic daily checks you should be doing to all vehicles in your copy of the highway code. All the usuall suspects, lights, oils & lubes levels, tyres and preassures, brakes make sure they function. Front brakes can be sticky on the cat if not in regular use so watch out for that. Check your chain tention weekly or after about every 500 - 600 miles or so.
You mention starting every now and then to keep the battery topped up . . . . you sure that's not to satisfy the "want to rev it bug" . . . . anyway, you may want to think of a trickle charger like Optmate or Oximizer, there's a few on the market to fit most budgets.

Popping on line to one of the many outlets (ebay, amazon et al) and getting a copy of the haynes manual for the thundercat will give you all the info you will/should ever need for your bike, from simple daily checks specific to it . . . to completely stripping, repair and or replacement and re-assembly of the whole machine .
If you don't want to shop online , a trip to your local yamaha dealer, bike shop or Hellfords should get you a copy too.

You'll also find a wealth of info here on the forum in the workshop section. There's a search function at the top right of all pages in the forum, if you type a key word in there like brakes or tyres it'll bring up all topics with those words in.
We have a pdf in the workshop section titled known issues and FAQ's which has owners previous encountered problems and solutions.
You could also just post up a question, no matter how simple or complicated it may seem and someone will either give you an answer or direct you where to look and sometimes even supply a link to a solution. Please be aware of the sense of humor that is abound in these 'ere parts, so it is possible, sometimes to get a tongue in cheek reply .

In answer to your starting the bike question . . . yes if you start it the way you describe and try to rev the engine srtaight away it is normal for it to cut out.
The cat likes to be started from cold with a lot of choke (how much varies from bike to bike), but then leave it alone for a short while. The engine will after a minute or so suddenly seem to start to race up to 3000rpm - 3500rpm or so. At that point turn the choke off or close it off some (again varies bike to bike) you can blip happily away from then on .

Long winded welcome and answer, but there you are.
Look forward to hearing from you and how you get on.

Cheers

Hi Alex,

Welcome to the club.

I'm a recent newbie myself having passed my Mod 2 early December last year. Everyone on here is real nice and you feel part of the Cat movement straight away.

Best of luck with the Mod 1. A couple of tips I was given for the test:

Look where your going on the U-turn and don't try to perform the manoeuvre too quickly. Use the available test area to regulate your speed and then turn.

On the avoidance test, which is the first of the speed tests that you do, don't go in too hot and risk over-cooking it. You get 2 attempts and it's much better to complete the manoeuvre perfectly but slightly slowly than hit a cone first time round and fail. Atleast this way you will have already been round the bend and will have settled down more for attempt no. 2.

And finally:

Don't be tempted to take the Cat out for a 'familiarisation' run until your legal..........


All the best,

Chris

Just had a go at starting it the way described and it was perfect. Guess its a bad sign when I dont know how to start it properly but its early days, I'll just have to practice lots for the sake of the battery obviously, nothing to do with wanting to rev the engine!!

Thank for the advice on module 1, its really useful. Bit nervous but fingers crossed I'll get through it alright. Tempting as it is to go for a quick blast I'm being sensible.There's a police station just down the road from me anyway, and if I ride it without insurance I'm bound to fall off! With a bit of luck I'll be out and about on it in a couple of weeks.

Glad you've sorted out the starting.



So whereabouts in Bristol are you? We'll have to get you out when you've passed for a few gentle runs.

stretchie_ wrote:Glad you've sorted out the starting.



So whereabouts in Bristol are you? We'll have to get you out when you've passed for a few gentle runs.

Yeah definately, that would be cool. I'm in Fishponds, North Bristol, just off the M32 pretty much.

Welcome Alex and good look on the tests.

As soon as you've been on the cat a couple of times, post test, everything will seem fine and become second nature.

Hi& welcome. Good luck with the tests.

Fishponds eh?

Did you buy the Thundercat from Speedwell Motorcycles?

The A420 between you and me is a nice little trip for you.

Or as a round trip, go up the A420 to Chippenham but take a left towards Castle Coombe just before Chippenham and stay on that road until the end, it comes out just above jct 18 of M4, then you can go back down and over the M$ back onto the A420 towards home.

Sounds like a good route, roll on test day. Can't wait to take it out now, especially with the sunny few days we've had!

Didn't buy it from Speedwell but he's only a couple of minutes away from me. Been in there loads since I decided to buy a bike, hes got a nice Blue Cat in there and an SV650 which I was tempted with. Both were a bit out of my price range really though so I went for a cheaper ebay job for my first bike.

Do you know much about Speedwell? They seem pretty friendly in there so I'll probably use them for MOTs and servicing.

I don't but my mates used them for years before he started spannering himself, still used them for MOT's, spares and big jobs when he was living there.

He always recommends them to people around that area. So you know when the big test is yet?

Not sure yet, if I pass module one on tues morning I'll book it as soon as possible. Got a few long days coming up but hopefully I'll be able to fit it in pretty soon!

Welcome!

hi mate, be sure to check them tyre pressure's properly in this up and down weather we are having, just checked mine today and around 12 psi down on what they usually are, good luck next week on your test, seems daunting on the test but remember the tester is a fellow biker , just take it easy on the mod 2 and enjoy the ride, i was bricking it but when i got back i thought i had failed with little bits my instructor told me but she said it was a perfect ride, well happy , that was a year ago now and have never looked back, the cat is my second bike and trust me they are lovly to ride,
take care safe riding

Got my module 1 test in the morning so fingers crossed I'll be one step closer! Not to confident though, managed to fall off today on training doing my figure of 8 (!!??!) and managed to consistently hit 49kph on the avoidance test no matter how fast I thought I was going! I'll just have to try and keep my balance tomorrow and give it a bit of welly to get it up to 50kph!

Oooh, he'll be on the test now....

stretchie_ wrote:Oooh, he'll be on the test now....

.....and......

Passed! 55kph on the swerve, 65kph on the emergency stop and I didnt fall off today! Booked mod 2 test next friday so hopefully be taking the cat out soon!

Congratulations, well done.

Brilliant. Well done.

Thank you!

Well done.

Onwards and upwards

Congratulations!

Nothing like the feeling of passing your bike test. Nearly there.
Keep up the good work.

Chris