Congratulations!  You've stumbled across my Thunderace homepage!   Sit back, relax and take a look around -- you might just find something interesting.  For those of you who don't really know much about Yamaha's ultimate sportbike, circa 1997, you might want to take a look at the brief history on this site to get an idea of what all the fuss is about.  If you already have a fair idea about Thunderace history, you might be more interested in looking through the resources I've tried to pull together.  Or, maybe you're rather look at some pictures I took of my bike. 

But if you want the full story about my bike, this is the place to start.   My bike is a 1997 U.S. model manufactured in late 1996.  It was purchased in early 1997 by the sales manager of a local Yamaha dealership who wanted to have the ultimate open class tool.  After purchasing the bike he installed a few choice goodies.  At first the obsession was low key -- a Zero Gravity windscreen, braided stainless brake lines and Renthall sprockets with an EK gold chain.  At some point he spent an afternoon removing about five pounds worth of extra brackets and reflectors to generally clean up the lines of the bike.  Next the stock turn signals were removed and replaced with cleaner-looking Ducati 916 units.  Then he added a Vance & Hines SS2R 4-2-1 full exhaust system and which removed about 12 pounds of excess EXUP baggage.   A Factory jet kit and K&N filter were added to fill in the dip that removing the EXUP created.  At some point along the way the stock wheels were removed and painted white.

Then he discovered Over Racing Project.  Over Racing Project is a Japanese motorcycle tuner, specializing in creating some very trick machined-from-billet parts for Yamahas.  After a few phone calls to a friend who was heading to Japan on a business trip, the original owner found himself the proud owner of an Over Racing Project instrument surround, fairing brace, countershaft sprocket cover and top triple clams.  These were installed in the summer of '97. 

By the end of 1997, however, the motorcycling world was eagerly awaiting the stellar new Yamaha R1.  The YZF's original owner wanted to stay on the cutting edge and purchase a new R1.  The YZF went up for sale, and I became the proud owner of this very clean YZF1000, with about 2200 miles, in the spring of 1998.

I have tried to continue the tradition of adding choice parts to make the bike an individual, and personal, statement of what I think this bike should be.  The first thing I added was a carbon fiber Lochhart-Phillips USA tank protector to prevent any scratches to the delicate paint.  About the same time, I thought a braided stainless clutch line would be a good addition.  Next came a Pyramid Plastics solo seat cowl.  I was also lucky enough to find someone in Japan who was selling more Over Racing goodies.  I bought a set of frame sliders and floating rear brake kit.  The same individual was also selling his Ohlins rear shock and Duomo magnesium wheels -- this was too good to pass up! 

One area of the YZF that I always felt could use improvement were the front and rear ends.   Okay, that's two areas.  In order to improve how the front looked, I painted the front fender and the upper cowling.  At the same time I ditched the basic Zero Gravity windscreen for their Double Bubble unit.  The back was a bit more difficult.  In order to clean the rear up, I added a undertail enclosure from Eurobikes and custom fabricated a license plate and turnsignal bracket.  It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort.

Tweaking my bike is an ongoing process.  I think that when I run out of things to play with, I get bored and restless and spend too much time in motorcycle dealerships looking at the newest models.  The Thunderace is great in that respect; there's always something you can do, but you're choices aren't limitless they way they are with some more popular sport bikes. 

So, what's next?  Well, the first goal for the spring of 2000 is to get new tires -- Pilot Sports, probably -- mounted on the Duomo magnesium wheels.  I might look into a set of Helibars, and perhaps a Throttlemeister, for the long trips I'd like to make.  Harris adjustable rearsets tend to pop up whenever I think of things I'd like to add for no good reason.  Then there's the pipe.  I don't know how much longer I'll be able to hold out and resist buying a full Akrapovic system.  They make good power, they're well built and they sound great.  Is that all?  Probably not, but one benefit of owning a bike that was only imported into the United States for a single year is that there isn't too much available domestically.  That means I'll just have to look a little harder to find the parts I really want.

By now you might be wondering if all I do is sit around and think up way of improving my bike.  Or maybe polishing it ritualistically.  I'm proud to report that this bike isn't a trailer queen by any stretch of the imagination.  It's used to commute on a regular basis, it's been on a 1600 mile tour.   And, of course, it's been through my favorite twisties a time or two!  I'm hoping that I'll have more saddle time in 2000, and perhaps another tour. 

So, if I've piqued your interest by now, and you need more, check out the resources I've compiled.  Or if you want to see more pics, check out a few tasty images of my bike. 

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I no longer have a Thunderace, so these pages are updated as I have time.  They are an ongoing work in progress and reflect my own personal thoughts.  If you have any questions or comments, please drop me a line.

This page last updated: January 17, 2001