Yamaha YZF-600R Thundercat 600

this was my first bike after passing my DAS course so i was on the hunt for my first proper big bike and along came a thundercat.

It really is a superb bike, just cant fault it.

The upsides -

. loads of grunt, far more than needed. its pulls in 2nd gear pretty bloody hard and will take you well over 100mph.

. its a good looking bike, everywhere it goes it gets comments, mine is all red, and to be fair, it does look the bizz!

. it corners brilliantly and is very smooth on the way out of bends. you can lean her over with confidence and pull hard on the way out of the bend.

the downsides -

. the gearbox is quite notchy, not just on mine but all the ones i have tried. 1st to second is the worst. it just clunks, but always goes into gear every time and never missed a beat. from what i have heard most bikes this sort of age of new sports bikes suffered from this. that said though, it still pulls away smoothly and dosent get on your nerves.

after 2nd the rest of the box is super smooth.

. my bike was quite hard to ride at slow speed when i bought it and found it very jittery and jerky at speeds below 20mph. i just found it hard work.

i then booked it in for a full bacon and egg service and she runs sweet as a nut now. Apparently my valve clearances were out so they readjusted them and balanced the carbs and she is super smooth now!

. My clutch cable snapped on 31000 miles while pulling out of a junction in 1st, which i cant blame the machine for, that's just general wear and tear. with a basic assortment of tools a new one took about 30 mins on the drive to fit and i have never touched the bike before.

overall? i would have another in a heartbeat, but would also like to try the thunderace!

I've owned my Thundercat for just 4 months, bought her from a chap who owns a bike shop so she's in great condition, I'm the 8th owner but she feels like I'm the first. First gear a slow steering is like dragging a truch trough treacle, but get her in second and she purrs through all other gears, mph, corners like shes dancing on ice.

I almost contemplated selling her, as i've started doing track days, but..... Don't know if i could live without her. Honestly, if your contemplating buying one, and you've found one in good condition, just buy her.

Future classic, considering the most iconic superbike series being the "R1 etc" came from this very bike, you bet cha.

A keeper for sure, might still get a track tool though.

The biggest flaw of this bike: gearbox.

Bikes of this generation are very notorious for their 2nd gear issues. The dogs on the 2nd gear cogs wear out pretty soon than many other bikes, which leaves it exposed to grinding every time you shift. I had been jumping from 1st to 3rd to avoid this, but my neighbourhood is traffic-less,nothing like a typical neighbourhood. I can manage many turns in 3rd gear, barely able to keep it from stalling. A few times while shifting down from 3rd to 1st directly, my gearbox jammed. You heard it right, "jammed" in the middle of the road. Thankfully it was a stop sign. I muscled my bike to a parking lot nearby. Embarrassing! Shame on you, Yamaha! At least make the replacement parts cheaper!

Eventually, you WILL have to replace the 2nd gear. Here is another nightmare! To open up the gearbox, you have to take the whole engine apart. That means that you have to takes the plastics off, wiring off, carburettor off, chain, sprockets, dismount the engine off the frame, open up the engine, the clutch AND THEN access the gearbox! Silly, isn't it?

I have had my Cat for 11 years black orange and silver, bought her when she was 12 months old in 2001 with 1200 on the clock it was love at first sight, now has 20,000 and still excites me when I stab the starter button to go for a blast,fitted Motad stainless steel downpipes only 2 years ago with Quill exhaust (sounds awsome) fast, comfortable, reliable, beautiful,gears can be a bit lumpy in 1st but after that silky and smooth, clutch nice and light changing up or down is so easy, acceleration is ballistic given the right gear,and she just loves corners, moving her around can be a little tricky in tight places,poor turning circle, been riding bikes for around 45 years have had Norton's BSA Triumph's Honda's even two stroke's with villier's engine's (you young uns wont remember) I just love my Cat I will keep her as long as I can ride, this is the best bike I will ever own.

I had been looking at all the makes in the 600 bracket and was on the verge of buying the very popular Suzuki Bandit.. Found myself passing a local bike shop and called in for a browse. A friend had previously mentioned the 600 Thundercat but I had set my heart on the bandit. In the corner of the shop was a very smart blue sport style bike. On closer inspection it turned out to be a 1996 YZF 600 R in R1 blue. My jaw nearly hit the floor and fell in love immediately and knew I had to have it. The Bandit idea dissappeared instantly.. The bike was rolled outside and fired up. I couldnt believe how quiet the cat was compared to the bandit and idled like a Swiss Clock, not a bang, rattle or any other nasty noise could be heard.. Now 1 year on and to be honest she has been a revelation. Commuting, weekend tear ups with the boys (all on 1 litre bikes), 2 up days out.. Sounds kinda nice too with full race viper exhaust system now fitted.. She does the lot and comes back for more, starting first push of the button every time. I had planned to keep the bike for 12 months and then move on, but to be honest nothing I have seen has taken my eye and do prefer the 600s.. People suggested FZ6 but that has less power and to be honest nowhere near the presence of the cat.. The R6 appeals but hey not exactly built for comfort and is down on low and midrange grunt compared to the cat.. If you are looking for a do it all bike with comfort, reliability and plenty of useable power on a budget, then look no further than the cat.. Shes going to be in my garage a little while longer than I had expected. Only the desire to buy a newer model will see me part with the bike, and yes it will be another Yamaha..

Having owned close to 40 bikes since 1980, the thundercat is my favorite.I have had every type of bike,This bike absolutely does it all. It is bloody fast when wound up, Excellent two up, Handles, Looks lovely in black( which mine is)Is reliable,Mega comfortable( since turning clip ons upside down!)Last may did first long trip with mate, france and spain. Travelled 2500 land miles, taking 1 wk.did 400 miles some days, he couldnt walk at times after getting off his honda cbf600, I had no such trouble. Every fill up bar one the cat was more economical!!!! We swapped bikes at times, GLAD to get back on my cat. Highly recommended( from someone who has back and wrist problems from previous bike accidents)

this is the best bike i ever had, i had few biks bfor this one, but this is the best so far, fast powerful, and very confortble, yamaha one of the best bikes ever, had an fz6 wonderful too, but im in love with my yzf 600, rapid response on the roade, like every thing about this bike, the fact of the matter is i love it, recomend this bike to every body, it is a bike for all levels of riders, profestionals, begeners, etc, bfor buying my bike did my reserch and all i found was wonderful things about it, plus my friends own them too

I've had my Tcat for 1 yr, first big bike since my vtr250. Straight away I rode this bike like I'd been riding a bigger bike for years. It is so much fun. It's very forgiving, and holds very well braking fast into the bends. Actually the brakes are awesome overall. My partner loves the comfort of the wide pillion seat. The weight of the bike is good for stability at top motorway speeds in high winds with a pillion. This bike gets lots of looks and is ultra reliable. My yoshi pipe compliments very well. I'm a 5' 5" female and just fit this bike. The only things i dont like are - 1 I

minimize manual maneuvering due to its size, and 2 the clutch is heavy on the wrist after about 4 hours ( both pretty minor really). Apart from that, I love my Tcat sooooooo much!

Back in 2003 I was riding round on a tired H reg CBR 600 when my next door neighbour brought home his brand new T-Cat. I immediately took it for a spin and fell in love with it vowing to get myself one. I've now owned my S plate for 2 1/2 years and love every ride either going to work or a quick ride to the shops. Budget is a big priority for me and these are generally cheaper than the CBR's/R6's. Passed my test back in 1988 so it wasn't my 1st big bike. I'm now an advanced rider with a fair bit of experience and ride a BMW R1200RT for work.If you're after a middle weight bike for not a lot of money you will not be disappointed. Great on the twisty bits of Lincolnshire. Get one now :-)

First big bike after passing my test. Was worried at first but the bike is easy to ride and sticks to the road very well. I have had new dunlop sport tyres fitted which are excellent. Had to replace the manifold as they tend to rust. Brought a venom one on Ebay for £129.99 (bargain). Bike is very fast and keeps pace with my mates R6!!! OverallI would recommend this bike to everyone new rider or old as it is the perfect all rounder. I use mine for work and pleasure and copes with both very well. Very comfy bike and looks great especially with the single seat made by fitting a cowl for the rear. Looks bigger than a 600cc, always getting mistaken for a 1000cc. Thanks for taken the time to read this and hope this helps you decide to buy one of these beautiful machines.