First thundercat - what do i need to look for?

First topic message reminder :

Hi guys (and gals) I'm going to be taking my test at the end of the month, and I've decided I want a thundercat, over at tmbf, they pointed me in this direction. I have looked through the forum and the only thing I can find is that the bikes jump out of second occasionally. Is there anything else I need to look out for? I've only got about £1000 to spend on the bike though. Any pointers would be great. Thanks.

Well, bike in the link has changed hands. One very happy new owner, who is probably pampering the bike right now   

Had a brainwave to take a pic with my phone which doesn't have a flash, but seemed to prompt the seller into taking some of his own, I think under the tough exterior there was some sadness to see it in the van.


(terrible pic I know)

Karl, I wish you many, many miles of happiness on your     you just have to get it out of the cellar first   

It has been a bit of a whirlwind for you, in a week or so  you have been on the site and now you own a 'Cat. Welcome to the ownership community, I know you won't be a stranger to the site and welcome your contributions.

Will hopefully see you on a ride sometime in the future  

Wow - 10/10 Steve.

I think Karl owes you a pint.

Your foot is firmly in the door now Karl.....just get that test passed now. Good Luck.

Cheers
Rosco

Rosco wrote:I think Karl owes you a pint.

You know me Ross, a bottle of the Captain's finest, Thank very much Karl will savour it  , slightly slower than the smiley  

Cool.

Afternoon everyone! sorry for the radio silence, had a family week with the children and other half.

The bike is in my Father-in-laws basement, and that is where it has stayed since we brought it home on Monday evening. - with a massive thanks to Steve!

Here she is in the van:

and again


and here she is in the basement:


at this point i would liek to say there is a basement door at street level, it wasnt ridden down the stairs. lol

I plan on taking the swing arm off on Sunday (hopefully!) and getting that to "the man" Monday evening.
I've purchased castrol 10w40 oil (is that correct?), and an oil filter from "Halfrauds" I'm also thinking of changing the coolant and plugs too. (is it worth going for the EGK iridium or should I just put standard EGK plugs in?)
I found a "proper" exhaust that hasn't been cut and had the baffle removed so I'll be able to start the bike without waking the neighbours. - just waiting on delivery of that
Also waiting for a haynes manual which i got for the princely sum of £9.70 from ebay - almost as much as the exhaust!

Things that i still need to sort our before I will put her on the road:
Chain needs a good oiling
Rear indicators need to be re-positioned (or the top box rails need to be looked at - I'll start a new thread about that one!)
oh yeah and a slight matter of the actual test! LOL

I would like to say another MASSIVE thank you to Steve who helped, not only in looking at the bike but also with collecting it, and helping to get it in the basement, as well as everyone else on the advise that was so kindly offered when I proposed the question!

It's in the best colour also.
What's the funky dial on the yoke?

I think the stock plugs are fine, they last for ages.
I did mine at 35K and reckon they were the ones it came out of the factory with, given I bought the bike with 4,500 mls on the clock.

Shame about that butchered can.  
It looks like the Remus I have on mine, which sounds excellent 'as is' imho.

Wooster wrote:
It's in the best colour also.

Thanks, apparently these colours were used on the YZF600 in the US only, and then adopted for the R6 here. It also doesn's have a headlight pass switch, and the Head light is on permanently! - just one switch for main beam.

Wooster wrote:
What's the funky dial on the yoke?

That would be for heated grips, I don't like the controller there, I'm going to try and find somewhere else for it!

Wooster wrote:
I think the stock plugs are fine, they last for ages.
I did mine at 35K and reckon they were the ones it came out of the factory with, given I bought the bike with 4,500 mls on the clock

That's all I needed to hear! I'll pick those up next week! Thanks Wooster!

#shittingabrick with regards to the test!

10w40 is the right one, you did get for a motorcycle didn't you? I'm sure you know there is a difference.

I won't use iridium plugs again, had a set in mine when I bought it. They are not designed for the HT setup on the 'Cat, will work though, but a waste of money.
The mileage quoted on the plugs is very high and as such, appealing; but that is derived from being in a car where the plug only fires once every two revolutions, on a bike it fires on every stroke thereby halving the mileage. Also the engines rev far higher, reducing the life stated even more.

I should have just said, the 'normal' plugs are best    err and NGK brand   

All the best with getting the swingarm out and powder coated. I had thought of getting mine done with yours, but no time - I'm sure the guy can do another one sometime in the future.

Think the bike might run better with the proper exhaust on.

You may want to wait to do the coolant - it best done after you get the bike out the cellar as you'll need to run the engine. When you do, take the plastic cap off the top tank and fill from the radiator - pour slowly to allow the air to come out, you don't want an airlock. . When you can get no more coolant in, start the engine and let it warm up, the thermostat will open and the coolant will drop, keep topping up, you will see bubbles. When I did mine, it ran till the fan kicked in (think that was because I changed the engine- I was working under the guidance of a mechanic).
When rad full and no more bubbles, put the cap back on - probably wait for it to cool first - then top up the top/expansion tank and replace plastic cap.

Didn't ask you which riding school you going through, not Phoenix by any chance?

Think you can guess the colour of Alan's (Wooster) bike

lol, Yes I brought motorcycle oil, however when it came to finding the filter I couldn't find it in the "flip book" on the shelf, went to yamaha, looked for yzf, and it wasn't listed, so I asked one of the very helpful and knowledgeable halfrauds employees (:hehe:), unfortunately he was new, and not only couldnt find it in the book but didn't know where the filters were on the shelf!
After looking at the book again, they are primarily sorted by make, then ENGINE SIZE!!!, then model, which is obvious as the engine size is like the third column in the table, how obvious. eventually he found them, and got the filter out of the display cabinet, i brought castrol 10w40 motorcycle oil which with my friends discount card was reduced from £37.99 to £30 and a few pence. the filter was reduced by about £2-3 too, so cant complain about that!

Thanks for the plug advise, I was curious if spending twice the money would make a difference, but by the sounds of it it doesn't.

when it comes to doing the coolant my plan was to purchasehttp://www.halfords.com/motoring/bulbs-wiper-blades-batteries/car-battery-chargers/halfords-battery-top-up-water-1l and http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/antifreeze/halfords-antifreeze-coolant-concentrate-1-litre

and mix them 50:50, that is right isnt it?

My training is through A-Z rider training, I done my CBT with them, and they seemed very good, and incredibly helpful, lets hope so!! I believe they use Yamaha fz6's with crash rails all round. LOL. I've just been told they use Kawasaki er650n's

My father-in-law seems to think i am underestimating the swing arm job. - anyone know how long roughly it should take, that is assuming I don't make a total hash of it?