First contact: San Sebastian-Madrid

Well, last week I finally picked up the 2000 Thundercat with 46,000 km on the clock, at the "dealer." The place was more like a warehouse stuffed to the gills. A clearing house, apparently, for trade-ins that straight-up dealers aren´t interested in fixing up. So that´s how I discovered a pretty orphan in need of some TLC.

The previous owner had low-sided. The slider wasn´t enough to protect the left side of the bike, so the frame is pretty beat up on that side. The store had thought it a good idea just to slap on a couple of Castrol stickers to cover some of the most visible damage...

Once I had secured the luggage I had brought by train for the trip back, it was time for the ride back to Madrid and first contact.

The bike immediately felt roomy, which is great given that I´m 6´3", but as they had waxed the seat, slippery too in my rain gear. So I relied on my knees to stay put.

I had never ridden a bike with clip-ons at such an angle, so I had a good laugh at newbie-me when, in the first turn at low speed, my hand simply slipped right off the low-side bar.

Since the bike came with a near-empty tank, the first stop came just a few minutes into the trip, at the petrol station, where a few readjustments were made. (Don´t have good photos, I was pretty focused on the ride, but I´ll try to post a couple.)


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Over the next two days on the way back to Madrid, I found out that, more important than the cosmetic issues, the sticky front brakes certainly needed looking into, and the temperature gauge didn´t budge. So I kept it below 130 mph.

Had good weather overall, just a half-hour or so of rain after Burgos, followed by a big drop in temps. Still, I was surprised I only saw one other rider on the entire trip back. We chatted in a petrol station. The guy was Portuguese and he and his wife were bringing a spanking new Triumph Tiger back from the UK. He said that even with the 500 euro cost for the import paperwork, it was cheaper for him to go buy the bike abroad.

Anyway, the whole way back, the ride felt solid. Whatever vibrations there were, were just the pleasurable ones related to the bike´s power. Like you guys said, it is clearly very comfortable on long hauls. You have enough room to take several different positions, so it´s easy to keep your blood circulating.


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My overall experience was that the Thundercat is an amazing bike. The engine felt so much more powerful than I would have expected from a 600cc. And smooth as butter.What impressed me most is just how sporty it feels compared to my previous bike, a 1200 Bandit. Also, the power band, which goes so high in terms of the rpm´s I´m used to, is smooth and use-able the whole way up.

Once the brakes and the temp gauge are taken care of, I´m eager to get to know the Thundercat beyond this first road trip and really learn to ride it. I´m already feeling respect.

It's a lovely looking bike for the mileage, even with the minor damage.
And a cracking first ride as well..

 . . Plus what a corking looking pussycat you have there . . nice one, look after one another