im a newbie too

Hey guys, my first day on here and first post, have read loads brilliant topics already ok a Little bit about myself:

Always wanted my 'big' license and started out on a chinese x'er which was ok but never ran properly,sold it for what i paid. found out afterwards the revs needed turning up.
Went with a few nifty 50's, apprillia rs 50 which i brought home on the m4 woops , a yn1oo (this was nice) and back to another chinese 125 which had a stupid name, a yamazaki ym-125=3. ill add pics at the end.
I came to have the ym125 cos a m8 had an accident in work and lost his leg. The bike in the end cost me £100. I sold it after 6months of fun and cheap riding to do the DAS.
The DAS never came about as bills and xmas came and went and so did my money

This year i decided to do it the other way round and my wife bought me, for xmas, a yamaha 600r thundercat in my fav colours, red and white.

All i want to do is ride this baby but gotta wait till i get my license. In the meantime ill just have to annoy the neighbours once a week and start her up and give her a few revs. The only mod i know she has is a viper exhaust and it sounds awesome.

Hopefully get to meet some of you guys after xmas. have a good un too. tc


My old bike,

Welcome to the forum, good luck with the test. Do you know that 'Bike' magazine are running a Yamasaki 125 on long term test at the moment to see how wellthese cheap Chinese bikes hold together

evening and welcome to the site, nice looking bike there! when are you hoping to do your DAS?

any questions about the bike just ask away, the site if full of lovely people always ready to give good advice and help

dave

Thanks Dave,
I'm hoping to do the DAS straight after xmas but want to get my theory test done beforehand, that way i can jump straight into a 3 day course if the guys allow me too.

i've read a few reviews on the bike and im a bit worried about common problem of second gear change but as i havent ridden this just yet im hoping to not to find this issue and i dont plan on red linning too often so shouldnt get this problem (fingers crossed) as other people whove done this found this out..
I would also like to upgrade the headlight to make it as bright as possible as ive heard these are rubbish too, is this true, if so any ideas and cost on brightening up the lights would be appreciated,
BTW as a previous owner of a 125 and cbt holder i have high viz etc and i do look daft but would like to look more pro like if you know what i mean lol

Hi,
Thanks for the welcome and luck.
I didnt know they were doing a test/review on this. I'll have to check it out.
As having experience with these chinese bikes, the battery doesnt last that long and they dont like being stored outside as the chrome flaked pretty much within a few weeks. Mine was a 3 year old at the time, i put it through its first MOT and she passed with no minors but i wasnt allowed to take it from the centre until i tightened up the centre bolt that holds the 2 ends of the bike together. sorry to sound inexperienced but i am lol, Im used to dealing with four wheels. i was told what it was once and forgot straight away.
As with all chinese bikes theyre great for a beginner cos theyre cheap but they dont last long. 5 years max if looked after. Only reason being is that theyre copies of honda cg's an yammy 125's but built with different materials, plus theyre mass produced, you cant buy one from the dealer, you have to buy 200 or more at a time.

Hi & welcome!


Ellie

Welcome! Nice bike.... something of an upgrade from the Yamakawazuki.

Just so you know (and maybe your insurers will ask!) it's also got a non-standard paint/decal scheme, painted wheels and an aftermarket screen and pillion hump.

The second gear problem isn't that much if one in that its doesn't happen to many at all, I think I have only seen one case of it on here in the time I have been on the site, so I wouldn't be too worried about that, just make sure the oil is changed once a year and that you keep ontop of the chain.

I adjust mine every 400-500 miles and that keeps everything in check, other thing is just Sony pin it in 2nd gear, 3rd , 4th and 5th are just as much fun!

As for the headlight they are bad but manageable, a few people have hid kits but know that one or two of them ran into problems at mot time, replacing the bulb for one of those ultra brilliance ones seems to help, though sadly its the reflector that makes the headlight crap so what ever is done to it won't make it perfect.

As for hi viz I personally don't wear it but have a bright helmet and most of my gear does have some reflective strips on it, though wearing the hi viz on a dark morning or evening commuting could make that driver stop and look twice, nothing wrong with being seen!
But u see it down to a personal choice, it's up to each individual as to what gear they wear and how they ride, never feel pressured to do something you are not sure of ot not comfortable with

Welcome.
John

Hi & Welcome

Sorry to hear about your work-mate.
Very tidy bike you've got yourself there.

Cheers
Rosco

Hi, welcome, all the best with your test. Having the bike sit there looking at you is an added incentive

Hopefully you'll be all set to join us on our Welsh ride out next year, look out for Bishops Castle or BC in the something for the weekend section, there are plenty of other places in the country we do too.

My dad's from Barry, oops let out my Welsh heritage

I've merged the welcome messages in the Thundercat Pic's area to here, to reduce confusion and duplication

Hi and welcome to the forum, we're a friendly bunch on here as it happens. Watch out for the banter though

See you got the rear seat cowl and the paint job doesn't look 100% original but it looks really nice. Good look with your tests and try not to be tempted to take her out, especially in this weather.

I did the same as you and bought the bike first as an incentive to get the tests done, best feeling in the world getting home with a pass knowing the bike is sat there waiting to be ridden, best of luck!!

Welcome to the forum & at the same time

Hi and welcome.
Cheers
Billy

Hi & welcome to the forum

thanks for the welcome and birthday messages guys, cant wait till i do my test and get out and join you guys on a ride.

Do you think any of these added extras will influence the insurance premium by much? I hope they dont as theyre only cosmetic, and its got a well trick alarm system thats thatcham approved so that should drop it by a bit.

I plan on getting the oil changed along with a service as it has been sat in a garage for 18 months. she only done about 100 miles since last chain and sprocket and service was carried out.
Its done roughly 3000 miles in the last 5 years by the previous owner with mot's to prove and i bought her for £1k.

Currently sitting at 21k on the clock.

quick question, are they as fast as my m8 makes out? as he thinks ill kill myself in a week lol.

I dont plan on canning it everywhere i go as im a sensible rider if not more nervous as i should be but i suppose confidence will grow the more i ride. Not that ive riden her yet

angain, thanks for the kind messages, going to bed now

They are frighteningly quick if you pin em, bob along nicely below about 8000rpm but after that the tame, well mannered bike becomes an animal, absolute flyer. That said because of its size the cat is very forgiving and will help you out hence it is a fantastic choice for first big bike. As for what your mate said you can kill yourself on that Yamasaki if you really wanted to, the bike only goes as quick as you let it.

When you pass and get on for the first time just take it slow and steady and you'll be fine. Remember they reckon on average it takes 10,000 hours to become completely competent and good at a brand new activity, don't try and imitate anyone else on the road or track, find your own pace, stick to it, don't try to keep up and stay safe.

You'll be fine pal, the bike will look after you

As Steve says above the cat has the right kick at 7/8000rpm it's a great rush, and the cat is a forgiving bike but It must be respected and you'll learn over time how it should feel when things are going right and when they are not, it's all learning but taking it a bit at a time , I crashed mine within 5 days of buying it as I made a right rookie mistake, that cost me, so as Steve says tale things steady and at your own pace and you'll build up and love it!
Good luck with the das and hopefully see you on a ride out next year

Share your rookie mistake so we all learn from it, may give us a laugh but at least itll teach uxs what not to do, plus you may get a numpty point for it

dont be quoting numpty points to quick, you'll be getting ya own soon!

lol

Usually on Rideouts!

Make sure you declare all modifications to insurance - the ones on there would probably not make much difference (I declare my road-legal exhaust, screen, alarm/immobiliser, crash bungs and top-box and it makes hardly any difference to a TPF&T premium).

The bike can be quick, but the throttle goes both ways y'know! It only goes as fast as you ask it to. The Thundercat has a really fat mid-range, meaning you don't have to scream it at high revs to get it moving, and you can make progress without Riverdancing on the gear lever. Ridden well it'll get to 60 under 4 seconds and will do a quarter mile in around 12 - that's properly fast. However it'll also bumble along in town in 3rd gear quite happily.

the cat is the best bike to have as a big bike very forgiving if you make a mistake a 600 kwak gixer will spit you off but the cat will let you get away with itthe cats a heavy bike with low gravity so very stable but as a fantastic low down grunt and a kick at 7000 rpmish as for a viv the old saying still works been seen be safe so the neon light is a good bet
pete

Thanks guys, interesting heads up on the cat, ill probably still kack my pants the first time i pin it but at least i'll know (sort of) what to expect.

As for insurance i'll tell em what i've been told its got but is it worth going fully comp or just go tpft?

1 last question,soz guys, if and when i pass my das, am i able to transfer my NCB onto the bike, ive got 7yrs ncb on the car which would help a great deal. I managed to collect 2yrs nc on the bike but this has expired as i haven't insured one for over 2 years.

I know im a pain but the better understanding i have, the better prepared ill be and the quicker i can get riding.

BTW loving the forum, thanks