Two fingers down from Spain

Hello partners. I´m happy I found this forum as I´ll soon be a new owner of a 2000 Thundercat with 40k on the counter, well-used, but apparently a bit abused (from a low side at around 40km says the dealer). But the price is right and I´ll be glad to offer it a new home. Also with the help of this forum´s know-how, mixed with its touch of light-hearted wisdom from what I can see, I´ll hopefully learn how to treat it nicely. I´m returning to biking after a few years absence. But the heart grows fonder and all and all, so I´m all jazzed to be able to ride again. But the experience will be new since it will be my first time on a Thundercat and it took me like what seemed forever to get my A2 license here in Spain (and in Spanish). My last bike was a Bandit 1200 in the U.S. (nope, there´s no mutual agreement between the US and Spain for licenses, so I had to start all over again and go back to driving school in the evenings after work). My first was a Honda 125s, oh and a faithful companion it was for touring, solo and two-up, through France, Spain, England and Wales. But, it was back when I was 20 and waaay crazier than now. I´ll never forget meeting some really nice chaps over a pint in a pub in Bangor and joining them for a group ride through the mountains (tall hills actually) along the coast, doing my darndest to keep up with that fearless lot. The year was 1978.

Nice to see you mate....you'll like the Cat.
It's quick, got good range and really comfy.

Hi and welcome badboy.
Hope you enjoy your time here. Plenty of knowledgable folks on here that are happy to help.

There are a few bods on here who have frequented Spain on occasion.

I've managed from the picos in the west(ish) skirting the French border and Pyrenees over to Barcelona. Always enjoyed it.

Hope you enjoy the new steed and you treat each other well.

Cheers
Rosco

Hello & Welcome to the forums.

Nice to see you've noticed the light hearted humour    sometimes attached to spares, repairs and maintenance questions.
On some forums you'll be directed to the search button for results. Here though, mostly, you'll get there in the end with either "thee" answer needed or a link to the info you're after.

Hope you have fun. Welcome back to riding and please keep us posted with progress on the reanimation of your Cat. We do so love a good story with loads of pictures

Cheers
Tel

Hi Badboy, welcome, I might need to borrow your name for a while

You got the ole memory banks creaking when you mentioned 1978 - out popped, I had a GT750 kettle a little short of a year (bit of a monster for an 18 year old  who'd only ridden 50's!). Ah the bendy frames, Avon Road Runner tyres, Reynold chains and the Duckams grease tin we'd boil the chain in, used to get grease flung all over my Bell Bottom blue jeans (only a helmet for safety gear then) Thank goodness for progress.
I'm sure you are going to be very happy with your Thundercat

Hi & welcome. You have picked an excellent bike for returning to riding, the cat is quick for a 600 but very forgiving & not intimidating at all. Im sure you will love it.

Thanks for the welcome and the encouragement and getting right back at me along those memory lanes (ahh the bell-bottoms days when our sense of "safety" had almost nothing to do with gear...).
Anyway, I´m really looking forward to seeing the bike for the first time, (and especially crossing my fingers that the frame is straight, any tips on quick-checking?) and, once I hand over the cold cash, getting to know its ins and outs on the drive back along the coast, then over the narrow Basque mountain range to Vitoria, through Burgos, (the coldest town in Spain), across the high plateaus of Castilla-Leon and finally across the last little mountain range into Madrid.
Not really excited about commuting in MADrid though. That will be the real challenge. On the inner-city M30, most every biker not only lane splits, no biggie, but drives off-lane in the narrowest of paths alongside the guard rails. Not quite used to that idea yet...
But when it comes to the open road, from what I have can tell Rosco has it nailed: the Pyrénées routes are incredible: dryer and greyer on the southern exposure, (with the exception of both coasts that are super lush!); almost UK-green on the northern slopes. But IMHO, Spain, thanks to EU funding, has some of the best motorways I´ve ever seen. So getting from one great part of the country to another is a... breeze, . So I sure am looking forward to discovering what I can of Spain and Portugal while I can.. at least in those 11 months when it´s not too blisteringly hot

Well, here´s my update on the 2000 Cat I got in Spring of 2017. It spent a half a year that year in the shop, from July to February, because they couldn´t figure out why gas was mixing with oil and the bike was stalling almost immediately upon start-up. The problem came on rather quickly, in a matter of a couple of weeks. And especially after getting stuck in a Massive hour-long dead-stopped traffic jam in 39 degrees when the only option of moving in the end was to drive on the sidewalk.

Let´s see if this photo link will work.

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOIpqCT68qUTi6ZsW8ppX6GM3LQVSLVJ9mPwcmQ/photo/AF1QipPxxIDmcODu7J__ZyNMLP4BWnsXLiQGLLk5LOxk

First they cleaned the carbs, then installed new needles, but no change. Then after what seemed like forever they diagnosed what they said was a very small scratch along one cylinder and down which the gas was trickling and mixing with the oil. At least that´s what I understood as the explanation, since my Spanish at the time was even lousier than it is today. But how that "scratch" got remains a mystery to me.

But it´s been running perfectly since then. So in spite of the oh-so-long setback, I just wanted to say I simply ADORE the bike. It´s everything I´ve always wanted from a mid-cylinder, super smooth, fast, well-balanced and protected ride. And it´s really comfortable for 6´4" me, with lots of room to get the old arse re-adjusted when necessary. And it´s got good side and rear visibility to boot. But it´s definitely not a hot weather bike. I prefer riding from September through June anyway. I enjoy the rain, just not the way cars drive in the rain.

If I can get the links to work, here are a few photos. The Leo Vince gives it all the growl I need, and does a good job helping drivers hear me coming.

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOIpqCT68qUTi6ZsW8ppX6GM3LQVSLVJ9mPwcmQ/photo/AF1QipOr8LQEAad-4838FVSM1Loy-b6b0qunY8AnWZTE

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOIpqCT68qUTi6ZsW8ppX6GM3LQVSLVJ9mPwcmQ/photo/AF1QipPDpsNYia-w3rj7LMKLh5kIaopQ4nzj0tqSqiZ_

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOIpqCT68qUTi6ZsW8ppX6GM3LQVSLVJ9mPwcmQ/photo/AF1QipPYxGz9HgZEfRXGX4ADU8XmgQoDmVYQNn51cT7q

Finally, mah boy, a future rider? Or am I being a "baddad"...?  

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOIpqCT68qUTi6ZsW8ppX6GM3LQVSLVJ9mPwcmQ/photo/AF1QipOLNzRjshahgLQ6RT6HmYMcGdDRx-Ns3ITn35HR

Welcome to the forum

I have ridden in Northern and Southern Spain, both are blessed with fabulous roads

I used to work in Burgos too and flew in and out Madrid every week

Hi, sorry none of your links work - think it's a Google thing