Scott Redmond, Insidebikes’ man on the market, brings us a 21 year old Yamaha sportsbike in this week’s trawl of the internet…

Once the road test reports started to roll in from the motorcycle press back in 1996 it was clear that the ThunderAce wasn’t quite sharp enough to blunt the reign of the ‘Blade.

The Ace wasn’t all bad, there’s plenty about the bike that can make you smile, but in extreme terms it wasn’t quite a match for the featherweight Honda.

The engine was pretty much a FZR1000 EXUP motor and, with a reputed 145bhp on tap, it’s got plenty of oomph. The chassis was based on the YZF750R superbike, so handling was also respectable for the time. Styling wise it’s got the ability to divide opinion. A year later and the YZF1000R ThunderAce (to give it its full title) had been rebranded a sports tourer, while the new R1 became the flagship of the Yamaha fleet.

A ThunderAce is one of the best biking bargains on the market, with prices hovering around the £2K mark. This red and white 1997 bike is a one owner machine, it hides its 21 years extremely well. There are only 13,930 miles recorded on the speedo, although for some reason the panels are lacking their original graphics. Mind you, that’s not a bad thing when you remind yourself of the ‘Aero Super Sport’ acronym on the seat panel, or ‘ASS’ for short.

The standard exhaust can looks to be long gone, instead there’s an aftermarket race can fitted. Flicking through the pictures doesn’t throw up too many other areas for concern, with an asking price of £2,295 it’s plenty of go for not much dough.

What to look out for when buying a ThunderAce.

• EXUP valves can be a sticking point. They are situated in the bowels of the exhaust downpipes and need regular fettling to stop them from seizing up. It’s an easy enough job to keep on top of, though.
• The engine will like to drink a bit of oil, amounts can vary between bikes but don’t be alarmed. Just remember to keep an eye on it!
• Taller riders often complain about the height of the pegs, it’s not the comfiest bike ever to carry a sports tourer tag.

See this example up for sale at: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F292830232755

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