New member Alert!

Hey dudes! I am anew member and bought my Cat a couple of months ago!

MyCat is a 1998 Silver Orange and Black colour scheme and I live in Cambridgeshire. I have seen a couple of Cats in my area in the last few weeks including a silver and yellow model on Sunday out by Sutton! and a couple commuting through Clapham in London.

I have a few queries but I thought I would put it all down here in one spot!  

Riding Position:
I have read on a few forums that peoples wrists hurt when riding the Thundercat and this is also something I am experiencing.
I'm 6ft and hold my arms out straight which I think is a touring position but this angle has my wrists bent back and makes them ache.  
Changing my riding posture by bending my elbows and making an 'L' shape with my arms solves this problem but changes my riding posture to more of a racing style and means I lean over the bike more and is not as comfortable.

Now reading a few other forums / feeds I have heard adding the bar risers help with riding position and wrist aches, is this true and would anyone recommend it? or is it a waste of time and money? If it does solve my problem does any one have any for sale?

Lean Angle and Knee Pads  

My previous bike was a cruiser so I could not lean over much and I would have looked stupid sticking my knee out when going round corners.
When I am on the bike (especially roundsabouts) I now get down quite close to the floor and am wondering if its worth upgrading my leather trousers to ones with knee pads? to get my knee down  
Or am I not actually that close to the ground and do not need them at all? its hard to tell when you are on the bike. Whats do you guys have/ do?

 Thundercatf

Here is a link to another members thread on bar risers . . . . There are others if you peruse the workshop area.

As for knee sliders on leathers, or indeed "Getting your Knee Down", is very subjective and a personal choice . . . Good first topic to get people talking though  

 
cheers & welcome again

Hi and welcome.

I'd say that riding with your arms slightly bent is preferable to straight out. I ride with loose, slightly bent arms and at 6'1" I don't find it uncomfortable. Your arms shouldn't be locked -if they are you are putting your weight onto the handle bars and possibly the reason for the wrists aching. You really need to be holding your body with your core (stomach) muscles. Use your knees against the tank to keep you in place.
Bar raisers have been discussed here and seems like everyone who has fitted them found an improvement.

I'm not a knee down person, so can't say whats good and what's not. My leathers have the velcro for sliders, but I've never bothered buying any. My personal view on knee down is that's something for the track.

Thanks for the advise dudes I appreciate it.
Btw, I know there is no fuel gauge accept for the low fuel light, I have ridden over 170 miles and still no fuel light, there does not seem to be much left in the tank so I have refuelled, how many miles do you get out of your tank? I am wondering if my fuel light is broken.

The rev counter would be going crazy if the light had blown.

Depends on how you ride, I would expect a light on from 180-200 miles and probably 30 miles from when it comes on (have done more, but it not worth the clothing expense).
You'll see my MPG in my sig - it not doing very well at the moment, used to be around 60mpg.

Yes your icon is what reminded me, I am used to only getting 120 miles ish out of a tank but this tank is a bit bigger. Well thats good to know, I could have ridden it a more economically so Ill be interested how many miles she will do.

Hello and welcome! I agree with the advice given above so far, getting your knee down is a personal preference and not ideal for on the roads, if the police catch you doing it you can be done for dangerous driving.

Cheers

Paul

Thanks Paul,

I did not realise it was not legal, I was thinking more from my own safety aspect.
I think its safe to say I do not need knee sliders cheers guys.

thundercatf wrote: I did not realise it was not legal,

I don't think GYKD is illegal . . . it's just that usually you need to be going at a fair lick to get the lean angles going.
It's probably the sort of thing that attracts plods attention to your riding in the first instance, and from then on they are just waiting for you to stuff up, at which point it'll be added to the list of things they'll site you for.

0ldcat wrote:

thundercatf wrote: I did not realise it was not legal,

I don't think GYKD is illegal . . . it's just that usually you need to be going at a fair lick to get the lean angles going.
It's probably the sort of thing that attracts plods attention to your riding in the first instance, and from then on they are just waiting for you to stuff up, at which point it'll be added to the list of things they'll site you for.

Yeah sorry It's not that it's illegal... it's like filtering, it's ok as long as your not doing it recklessly and at speed! I have done it at only 45mph on a roundabout which isn't that fast but obviously too fast for a roundabout so could be seen as dangerous or careless riding.

Ah ok understood.  ta

I have been told the gear indicator is synonymous for not working properly i.e when I am in 6th the indicator says I am on 4th. Is there a way to get it working? Or is mine broken and it was something the guy made up who sold me the bike?

thundercatf wrote:I have been told the gear indicator is synonymous for not working properly i.e when I am in 6th the indicator says I am on 4th. Is there a way to get it working? Or is mine broken and it was something the guy made up who sold me the bike?

This combined with your heated grips issue sounds like the previous owner was an electricians nightmare.

It's your rev counter (tacho) that will show up certain types of fault, not the gear indicator, which has been retro fitted (poorly by the sounds of it), it's that or your electrics are fubar somewhere along the line . . .

Right, sneaky fecker! I thought it came as standard on the Thundercats.
This does not sound like its going to be a quick fix, I am going to my local garage tomorrow so ill ask them in their as the manager recommended the Thundercat to me as he has one himself.

The Thundercat is a great bike, and fairly bomb proof, . . . . sadly it's not nugget proof, so if the last owner was a bit of an electrical wuck fhit as well as a sneaky fecker this may be the problem.
If your workshop manager is a cat owner, point him/her in the direction of the forum . . . Never know, if they sign up, could be a source of free insider info

Welcome aboard

Welcome ThunderCatF,

I haven't got my Cat any more but you are quite local to me, if the weather doesn't go down hill too much and you fancy a ride out sometime.

Hi & Welcome.

I'd say the most important thing to ease your aches is to relax and grip the bars gently.

I've tried and failed to get my knee down and I've followed people who put their knee down (on the road) and just wanted to overtake them as it appeared to be a slower and more awkward way.

Fine for the track.....I wouldn't bother on the road though.

Cheers
Rosco

Hi and welcome.

Cheers
Billy

Hi and welcome , never seen the point in gykd , and with the tank range it depends or riding style and also if you have a baffle fitted, I get 150 miles till the light with no baffle or 190 with it , I also done a sensible ride ( following a 125 ) 200 miles to Ipswich and still had fuel left with no light. Just to check your fuel light works , try start your bike with it in gear and stand down or with kill switch off and fuel and oil lights should come on

Welcome aboard  

Nice colour scheme!