Entirely un-touched!

Ok, so here's my bike.

Entirely, totally stock. Which mods/upgrades are recommended?
Thanks!

new exhaust to start with mate, certainly makes the bike sound better. I have a carbon one and it sounds great. are the mirrors standard ones? they look different, but it might be the angle of pic. very nice bike though, had her long? rear mudguard bit looks very long too.

Check your exhaust downpipes, Yam originals are made out of chocolate and it's wise to fit some aftermarket stainless ones.
It's worthwhile investing in some R&G crash bungs, just in case, save a fortune potentially.

Agree with Prime that rear guard does look a bit elongated.

Nice example of the old cat though, loving the colour, one of my favourites.

Cheers

Steve

I had that rear mud guard extension on my Cat too. Everyone extracted the urine . . . Until I was leading them home in the hoofing rain, . . . . Then everyone wanted to be my fwrend and tuck in behind me as I had practically no throw off spray as a result.

It's only held in place with a few screws so easily ditched. Careful mind, you'll have to stick another rear reflector on to replace the one on the fender extender.

+1 on the crash bungs. was first thing I fitted ( snowcat fitted ) to mine. : )

Good evening folks (:

So, the cat works. Checked the vitals, and went for a play. Tested the instruments, both needles actuate fully....

I LOVE THUNDERCATS. This is a machine and a half! Anyway, so after fun, I took it round to a mates lockup, and started tearing it apart. I figured, it's been sat for so long doing nothing, I needed to know what kind of condition it was in. All the internal stuff (Pipework, tanks, air box, etx) is all utterly immaculate. Like, perfect showroom stuff. The exterior, however leaves a little to be desired. There are lots of little pockmarks and tiny specs of rust, and even a couple of little ones on the forks, sadly inside the travel :( All the engine casings (Alu bits) has oxidised quite badly and is slightly pitted. By no means a showstopper, just needs a thorough clean! Even the chain and tyres seem ok. There is also a bit of scratching and some shabby plastic weld work on one fairing, but that can definitely wait.

I guess my question is really, how concerned should I be of oxidised alu? It doesn't look great, but from my experience (boats and marine environments, It's what I do for a living) oxidising aluminium is perfectly ok, as it forms it's own protective layer. Do I have to clean it all off and remember to regularly WD40 the lot?

The fairing bolts and fixtures are also somewhat corroded, any recommendations about where/what to replace with? i saw a kit from probolt for £120... Seems like quite a lot for some stainless screws....

Finally! There is also a bit of oil around the seam where the starter motor fits into the casing. New O-rings or do they usually do that?

Thanks!

A lot of the standard bodywork fixings on the Cat's are a bit cheap and prone to rusting up and seizing, especially those that get hit with road spray a lot.

Tom... wrote:...any recommendations about where/what to replace with? i saw a kit from probolt for £120... Seems like quite a lot for some stainless screws...

You're paying for convenience. If you take time to measure the bolts that you want to replace, you will probably find most of them at a local supplier or on eBay at a fraction of that inflated price.

I have anodised alloy bolts on my bike that were fitted by a previous owner and they will all be replaced with stainless steel. The alloy ones chew up so easily and on some of them the hexagon socket is off centre... horrible things.

Aye, they're worse than the standard ones. (Barely a step above wooden screws imho.. )

R&G Crash Bungs, lose the fender extender at the back (they make the bike look pants imho & who cares what is going on behind you)
Stubby Orange brake/clutch levers look nice (ebay from Hong Kong )

Cheers
Rosco