Yamaha Thundercat, tourer or quiet sports bike?
Discussion
Still thinking about my first bike I have widened my view and started thinking away from the SV. I plan to do longish trips on the bike so it has to be faired, but I don't want anything too relaxed, and I thought about that bike. I can't quite decide which category it falls into though?
What are those like re: fuel consuption, reliability, etc?
What are those like re: fuel consuption, reliability, etc?
Edited by Alex@POD on Tuesday 13th March 20:58
How about the CBR 600 then? is it more sporty as it looks very soft too? Did they ever make CBR600Rs? I can only seem to find Fs, much less appealing than the 900... I thought an R6 might be too extreme for a first bike, but a Bandit not extreme enough for my liking (if you see what I mean)...
Alex@POD said:
How about the CBR 600 then? is it more sporty as it looks very soft too? Did they ever make CBR600Rs? I can only seem to find Fs, much less appealing than the 900... I thought an R6 might be too extreme for a first bike, but a Bandit not extreme enough for my liking (if you see what I mean)...
They certainly did make a CBR600/FS,sport alongside the CBR600/FZ, year 2000, onwards.
The sport was supposed to cater for the more committed rider.
Sorry not sure of all the differences, old age creeping in.
John.
Thundercat is an absolutely brilliant bike.
I now have a 2002 CBR6 F Sport, and to be honest, I would rather have my cat back. Miles more go in the midrange, you really need to wind the CBR up to get it to perform. It is also far more comfy and a much better prospect for all day in the saddle.
Yes the suspension is soft, but it is also much more adjustable on the early ones than anything available today. A visit to a suspension specialist will soon have it as a match for most of the modern tackle in the average rider's hands. The main problem is that the standard shock is not particularly long lived, but can be rebuilt. To be honest - it is criticised for being soft - but unless your a riding god or doing a load of trackdays, that makes it a better roadbike than a CBR-RR.
Oh, and when I was finished with mine as a roadbike, I threw a new shock, some sticky tyres and a race fairing at it and it made for an awsonme trackbike that more than held it's own in the fast group.
I now have a 2002 CBR6 F Sport, and to be honest, I would rather have my cat back. Miles more go in the midrange, you really need to wind the CBR up to get it to perform. It is also far more comfy and a much better prospect for all day in the saddle.
Yes the suspension is soft, but it is also much more adjustable on the early ones than anything available today. A visit to a suspension specialist will soon have it as a match for most of the modern tackle in the average rider's hands. The main problem is that the standard shock is not particularly long lived, but can be rebuilt. To be honest - it is criticised for being soft - but unless your a riding god or doing a load of trackdays, that makes it a better roadbike than a CBR-RR.
Oh, and when I was finished with mine as a roadbike, I threw a new shock, some sticky tyres and a race fairing at it and it made for an awsonme trackbike that more than held it's own in the fast group.
6x6 said:
Thundercat is an absolutely brilliant bike.
Early in our riding careers, my mates 'cat used to walk away from my Ducrappy. Was happy at an indicated 165 (apparently). It might lack the some of the midrange torque of an SV but will be considerably faster as the revs rise; about 90bhp versus 67 IIRC. It is more torquey in the midrange than modern 600 supersports.
And they are available so cheaply. £2K should get a choice of very tidy low-milers.
Alex@POD said:
Still thinking about my first bike I have widened my view and started thinking away from the SV. I plan to do longish trips on the bike so it has to be faired, but I don't want anything too relaxed, and I thought about that bike. I can't quite decide which category it falls into though?
What are those like re: fuel consuption, reliability, etc?
What are those like re: fuel consuption, reliability, etc?
Do be careful of ‘grouping’ different bikes into arbitrary categories like tourer, sports etc. I have seen ‘touring’ bikes run rings round ‘sports’ bikes on twisties and I know of people who tour big distances on modern supersport tackle. It’s all down to the rider!
Try lots of different bikes before deciding which one is for you. Don’t be blinkered by image or engine size/configuration. If a bike does what you want and you are comfortable with that bike, then it’s the one for you.
6x6 said:
rsvmilly said:
It is more torquey in the midrange than modern 600 supersports.
Totally agree. No 600 I've ridden since has come close.
I'd argue that you'll find a better fazer because the cat is more enclosed to keep the weather out and would have been built from much better components in the first place.
Great bike and I made a huge mistake 'upgrading' to the 6r.
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