I think you should restore it to original condition, not modify it. I think it should reflect the way it looked when it was an active member of your family, and you were riding on the back. Let it be a mirror to your memories and reflect those good times.
I think you should keep it original. I only say that because those bikes are super rare (in the UK anyway) Yes I think restore it and keep it in the family for another 20 years
I had a 96 P reg and I absolutely love these bikes. I would want to restore it and bring it back to its former glory, they're such a pretty bike to my eye.
As a serial Yamaha fan, I would restore it to standards. I've ridden one, they're great bikes. I'm slowly restoring an FZR1000 Genesis and ride a FZR600R daily.
Really, lucky you. I need a bike to get me to church every week. That's not a joke. I can't afford £25 a month for bus fare. It's a lovely church I just don't live in the area.
Fantastic bikes! Back to original is my vote. The more of these 'Older bikes" restored the better - before its too late. So much nostalgia and memories for a lot of people, so in a way you wouldn't just be restoring it for yourself. Looking forward to it!
I’ve got one of these thunder aces it’s awesome use it all the time and it’s in top condition and original.. every one says how smart it is so restore it it’s worth the work 😉
I loved my Thunderace. Very comfortable by modern sports bike standards, quick enough for the road and decent handling. Shame there is no modern equivalent, nearest is a Hayabusa.
Yes. it is something Busa over it, very aerodynamic. Yamaha made a masterpiece. I have a heavily modified Busa gen1 turbo. The Busa its a beauty in its own way, but not compared to the Ace
It's an import, has a dinged frame, so don't try to make it mint.....it won't be money well spent. Make it into a usable classic track bike / fun road bike, it could be a great budget fun bike 👍
this bike is what inspired you , i remember seeing this bike in your dads garage , and you going on and and on and on about it , when i see the headline , i knew you were taking on your dads bike , good luck will def watch the progress on this one , bet you cant wait to start riding it , Gd luck . Tye
I get a fair amount of weird comments... started reading this and was thinking who the hell is this freak now!? Then I see Tye at the end and it all made sense! Hope you're all good its been a very long time
@Bikes of Rye I purposely wrote it like that so you would think wtf .. lol . Yeah all good mate .. 👍 If you ever want some drone footage for your channel let me know . Could get some good shots .....
The problem with changing the frame if you do go that route, is that it will have to be inspected and reregistered, meaning basically it's not the same bike anymore and have a different reg plate. That might not bother you but if I was close to my Dad and it was his bike, I think it would bother me personally. Definitely worth researching to see if it can be repaired properly and not just filled in or changed.
@@culturalpubwalks No it doesn't work like that, the frame will not match the engine etc, it has to be inspected by an engineer and reregistered, so it will be like a whole new bike as far as the new V5 is concerned.
@@culturalpubwalks Well as you say it's an FZ that means you are not in the UK, rules may be different over there, get in touch with the DVLA equivalent which I believe is the DMV in the US(?), and tell them what you have done and ask if you need to get it inspected and/or reregistered. Usually the frame is the main vehicle identifier, so once that is changed it's no longer the same vehicle.
Part of what I appreciate about your channel/approach is the restoration. Not just about making it pretty with knockoff fairings, but actually getting the bike as close as possible to factory. Please restore, TH-cam has plenty of creators wrecking beautiful bikes already.
Keep it as original as you can. The engine has very little mileage and should be started carefully. It’s an old family friend and deserves your attention. Looking for to your re carnation of this bike. They were cracking bikes of the time. 😊
Please keep it original (I would be interested in buying it after the restore). My first big bike was a thundercat (600) and I have had two thunderaces in the past - awesome all rounder.
Get it restored / fixed up In the red white and black it deserves . Double bubble screen ,white wheels . Not sure how to fix that frame but could always fill it tidily and put a yamaha sticker over it . Don't streetfighter it mate
Has to be put back to original as one day it will probably be worth a few quid. I have an 89 fzr1000 exup that I've owned for around 24 years that I hope to restore one day.
Seems its a nostalgic bike to you, definitely restore it back to how you remember it but obviously with some tasteful upgrades like brake/clutch lines, exhaust system, led converted indicators & rear light, colour matched solo seat cowl.
I had one of these 22 years ago... served me well and never let me down. Burned oil.... but I never took that against it, it was just engine personality I thought. Please don't make it a street fighter, if you have memories with that bike you owe it to yourself to restore it to its proper glory, make it all original mate, please
I believe once those frames get dinged they are written off. Repair w or get it through a mot. That is what I’m led to believe. Would be interested to know if that is true.
From memory they were pretty much a re dressed FZR1000 but great bike to get for free. The dent in the frame maybe an issue at MOT but I'd try to get it pulled put if possible. Looking forward to see what you do with it but please, don't streetfighter it.
Those four-cylinder, five-valve Yamaha engines are lovely motors and are probably more relevant for most road riders than the current crop of 200bhp screamers. If that frame ding is from the bar end weight, has it also broken the lock stop from the steering head I wonder? Best of luck with the project.
The only difference with the 200hp bikes of today is that they have a better top end, some of their 0-60 times are slower than my 23y/o ZX9r stock, makes me laugh, waist of money lol
100% streetfighter it. I say this because I've also got a 1000cc Thunderace motor shoehorned into a YZF750R frame, Ohlins front and rear, ducati biposto 916 seat unit, renthal bars and extended lines.
Had one of these as my first litre bike. Ran like a dream despite being very thirsty on oil consumption. Great find. P.S. I'd the same end can, sounds like a 90's F1 car on full chat!!
Save yourself a lot of agro and send the carbs off for refurbishment or get another set off good running bike. You can mess around for months with them and your bike may still run rough. I will be following 👌.
Had a Thundercat back in the day. Went to view a Thunderace as replacement, only to find it was in three different shades of blue. Never looked at them again.
wonderful moto. He would definitely need a reset because his condition needs (slight) improvement, but what would you say about turning him into a training model? in the sense that the performance would remain but it was enclosed so that it could stand up after a slide and teach something. It is mainly aimed at educating ambitious young people who do too much electronics. let them feel power but without support?? what do you think about it?
Absolutely fantastic bikers. The fzr range are brilliant shared more with fzr than yzf only in name and brakes. Edit/ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ joker below don't believe it's Rye watch out for this look at name
I don't know about Mr rye , I remember these thunder ace yamahas ..wasn't there a 600 version too ?? I was probably 16 back then ..blast from the past love your content dude !!!
Please don't street fighter it. IMO bikes of this period are amongst the best looking, without the hard angularity of todays crop of machines. I'd say Street fighters are a way of saving a bike that's gone beyond returning to original spec and yours certainly isn't that far gone. You've got a few red flags for this bike with the odd wheels, frame damage etc, but being a family bike you should be able to find out what occurred. What colour will you go with? I have to admit I'm a bit partisan, I have a 1997 blue and black model 👍
Whatever you decide to do with it ............ please please please keep the Exup valve, so many cant be arsed to maintain it, take it off when it gets seized and then wonder why it doesn't run so well, no matter what end can is on.
Not entirely correct. The ace was never meant to replace the FZR, it was a stop-gap bike, meant to fill in while they developed the R1. It was made from pre-existing parts and was never intended to become a special bike or a flagship model. Despite this though, it's a great bike. I still got mine.
I would restore it's original appearance and upgrade the rest of the bike like suspension, r1 brakes and so on To show that you don't have to spend 10 grand for a sports bike. Whatever you decide i wil watch the video from my German living room 😊
I've had one of these, unfortunately, I had nothing but bad luck with it, had the younger brother, the thundercat, now that is a fantastic bike, didn't do well in winter, but over all loved it.. My personal opinion, looks sporty.however, not as good as the Blackbird overall.
Defo put it back to it's original look, but maybe upgrade brakes and suspension. If you want to make a street fighter / naked then take a VFR1200 engine, remove the restrictions from the ECU and boom, one homegrown V4 super naked ;-)
Clearly a glutton for punishment taking on another restoration, great to watch you rather than doing it ourselves though. Used to ride with a chap who owned a 2001 version, great looking/sounding bike, will look forward to see what you do with it :)
The bike came out in some fantastic colors, unfortunately your bike is not among those. Of course what matters is how YOU like it. The bummer is the 5-speed gearbox. But you didn't even tell us if it runs!!
I think you should restore it to original condition, not modify it. I think it should reflect the way it looked when it was an active member of your family, and you were riding on the back. Let it be a mirror to your memories and reflect those good times.
Not sure he has the skills for that, as he would probably admit.
I've learnt a lot so far on the Blackbird build plus all the advice on here... I'd give it a good go!
Whoarrr, valves all over the shop!
'stylish' looks 😂 still a decent bike though.
Make it as light as possible and have it as a track bike.
I think you should keep it original. I only say that because those bikes are super rare (in the UK anyway)
Yes I think restore it and keep it in the family for another 20 years
I had a 96 P reg and I absolutely love these bikes. I would want to restore it and bring it back to its former glory, they're such a pretty bike to my eye.
I bought one of the last of these brand new in the early 2000's and loved it, awesome bike!
Definitely restored back to original. I owned one of these for a few years and they’re a great, future classic 👍
As a serial Yamaha fan, I would restore it to standards.
I've ridden one, they're great bikes.
I'm slowly restoring an FZR1000 Genesis and ride a FZR600R daily.
Keep it original and rebuild it back to it’s formally glory
had 2 of these beauties excellent bike and it deserves a proper restore to its original condition you wont regret it...
Really, lucky you. I need a bike to get me to church every week.
That's not a joke. I can't afford £25 a month for bus fare.
It's a lovely church I just don't live in the area.
Fantastic bikes! Back to original is my vote. The more of these 'Older bikes" restored the better - before its too late. So much nostalgia and memories for a lot of people, so in a way you wouldn't just be restoring it for yourself. Looking forward to it!
I’ve got one of these thunder aces it’s awesome use it all the time and it’s in top condition and original.. every one says how smart it is so restore it it’s worth the work 😉
I loved my Thunderace. Very comfortable by modern sports bike standards, quick enough for the road and decent handling. Shame there is no modern equivalent, nearest is a Hayabusa.
True that.
Yes. it is something Busa over it, very aerodynamic. Yamaha made a masterpiece. I have a heavily modified Busa gen1 turbo. The Busa its a beauty in its own way, but not compared to the Ace
It's an import, has a dinged frame, so don't try to make it mint.....it won't be money well spent. Make it into a usable classic track bike / fun road bike, it could be a great budget fun bike 👍
Restore it to original, contact Thomas Frederick Allen he has 8 aces and very knowledgeable top bloke. Keep up with the great content 👍
Nice one
this bike is what inspired you , i remember seeing this bike in your dads garage , and you going on and and on and on about it , when i see the headline , i knew you were taking on your dads bike , good luck will def watch the progress on this one , bet you cant wait to start riding it , Gd luck . Tye
I get a fair amount of weird comments... started reading this and was thinking who the hell is this freak now!? Then I see Tye at the end and it all made sense! Hope you're all good its been a very long time
@Bikes of Rye I purposely wrote it like that so you would think wtf .. lol . Yeah all good mate .. 👍
If you ever want some drone footage for your channel let me know . Could get some good shots .....
Love the looks of these, put it back to original. Cool story behind it!
Definitely try and restore it to ‘factory’ they are a rare motorcycle now!!!
My mate had one of these , same colour too , it was a great bike , I love em
The problem with changing the frame if you do go that route, is that it will have to be inspected and reregistered, meaning basically it's not the same bike anymore and have a different reg plate. That might not bother you but if I was close to my Dad and it was his bike, I think it would bother me personally. Definitely worth researching to see if it can be repaired properly and not just filled in or changed.
Yeah that frame damage is a nightmare if it wasn't me dads old bike I'd run away 🏃🏿
How so? if the new frame comes with V5 then you can 'just' reframe it along with the associated number plate. Only inspection will be MOT afaik
@@culturalpubwalks No it doesn't work like that, the frame will not match the engine etc, it has to be inspected by an engineer and reregistered, so it will be like a whole new bike as far as the new V5 is concerned.
@@HalfdeadRider . I'd better get my Yam FZ inspected then. I just amended the V5 of the new frame to match the engine. Where do I go?
@@culturalpubwalks Well as you say it's an FZ that means you are not in the UK, rules may be different over there, get in touch with the DVLA equivalent which I believe is the DMV in the US(?), and tell them what you have done and ask if you need to get it inspected and/or reregistered.
Usually the frame is the main vehicle identifier, so once that is changed it's no longer the same vehicle.
Part of what I appreciate about your channel/approach is the restoration. Not just about making it pretty with knockoff fairings, but actually getting the bike as close as possible to factory. Please restore, TH-cam has plenty of creators wrecking beautiful bikes already.
Keep it as original as you can. The engine has very little mileage and should be started carefully. It’s an old family friend and deserves your attention. Looking for to your re carnation of this bike. They were cracking bikes of the time. 😊
Please keep it original (I would be interested in buying it after the restore). My first big bike was a thundercat (600) and I have had two thunderaces in the past - awesome all rounder.
Get it restored / fixed up In the red white and black it deserves . Double bubble screen ,white wheels . Not sure how to fix that frame but could always fill it tidily and put a yamaha sticker over it . Don't streetfighter it mate
I would go for a full restoration, the mileage is low. And a lot rarer than the R1. I am on the lookout for a Suzuki TL 1000 to do the same with.
I'd love a TL1000R. For sure a future classic in my opinion
Has to be put back to original as one day it will probably be worth a few quid. I have an 89 fzr1000 exup that I've owned for around 24 years that I hope to restore one day.
Fantastic bikes!
I'd do what looks like a restoration but, in fact is better. USD forks. Light wheels. Better brake system, dyno jet stage 3 etc
Back to standard..good luck with parts 🤞🏼
I would say to repair it and keep it as close to its original condition as possible, and keep it in the family.
Definitely restore it 👍🏼
Seems its a nostalgic bike to you, definitely restore it back to how you remember it but obviously with some tasteful upgrades like brake/clutch lines, exhaust system, led converted indicators & rear light, colour matched solo seat cowl.
I had one of these 22 years ago... served me well and never let me down. Burned oil.... but I never took that against it, it was just engine personality I thought.
Please don't make it a street fighter, if you have memories with that bike you owe it to yourself to restore it to its proper glory, make it all original mate, please
One a bice of the 90s bountiful bice bountiful years. Greetings of the Greece.
Great video! I really wanna see this “fun-to-race” back to its glory! Cheers!
Deffo,back to an original spec. 😊
I believe once those frames get dinged they are written off. Repair w or get it through a mot. That is what I’m led to believe. Would be interested to know if that is true.
I remember ZZR1100’s getting written off for less of a frame ding than that when folk put aftermarket cheep crash bungs into the top fairing mounts.
From memory they were pretty much a re dressed FZR1000 but great bike to get for free. The dent in the frame maybe an issue at MOT but I'd try to get it pulled put if possible. Looking forward to see what you do with it but please, don't streetfighter it.
Those four-cylinder, five-valve Yamaha engines are lovely motors and are probably more relevant for most road riders than the current crop of 200bhp screamers. If that frame ding is from the bar end weight, has it also broken the lock stop from the steering head I wonder? Best of luck with the project.
The only difference with the 200hp bikes of today is that they have a better top end, some of their 0-60 times are slower than my 23y/o ZX9r stock, makes me laugh, waist of money lol
What a great project! And what great memories and how cool to work on a family bike!
You know the provenance of the bike, restore it m8.
It’s knackered with that dented frame
Nice looking bike. It deserves some ❤
100% streetfighter it. I say this because I've also got a 1000cc Thunderace motor shoehorned into a YZF750R frame, Ohlins front and rear, ducati biposto 916 seat unit, renthal bars and extended lines.
I agree with pbofan, restore it to original. It's value as a classic can't be overstated.
I bet that dent hasnt made one bit of difference to yhe structural integrity. Looks as solid as s rock
Classic collectors bike - My favourite bike...
I'd go full restomod, I'd do a R1 Face-lift, new breaks, suspension etc.... probably spend far too much money, but love every minute
I have a 1997 YZF 1000R in my shop now. The plastic looks sad and the carb is fouled. I will be watching your progress for inspiration.
You made me laugh.
"Headers look ok "
My 2nd favourite bike
Had one of these as my first litre bike. Ran like a dream despite being very thirsty on oil consumption. Great find. P.S. I'd the same end can, sounds like a 90's F1 car on full chat!!
Hi enjoying the videos. get yourself a "breaker bar" to undo those very tight nuts. Halfords sell them for around £15 Good luck with the project
Good stuff. I would say put back to a standard mint condition bike.
Save yourself a lot of agro and send the carbs off for refurbishment or get another set off good running bike. You can mess around for months with them and your bike may still run rough. I will be following 👌.
Had a Thundercat back in the day. Went to view a Thunderace as replacement, only to find it was in three different shades of blue. Never looked at them again.
Please restore to original it deserves it
Yes! Full restoration 💯
Keep original 🙏🏍👍
Subscribed, I enjoy your content.
My ownership riding history.
82 XJ-650
86 FZ-750
88 FZ-750
89 FZR-1000
96 YZF-1000
98 YZF R1
2005 YZF R1.
Front end took quite a wacky at some point. The dent in the frame is prb from the left clip-on.
Definitely restore to original condition ,any bike that can be restored should be good luck 👍
Definitely restore back to original
Back to the Original but mebee with some upgrades to the suspension ?
wonderful moto. He would definitely need a reset because his condition needs (slight) improvement, but what would you say about turning him into a training model? in the sense that the performance would remain but it was enclosed so that it could stand up after a slide and teach something. It is mainly aimed at educating ambitious young people who do too much electronics. let them feel power but without support?? what do you think about it?
Its my bike 😍 Or its the same as mine.. its a beast. Love it 😍
Absolutely fantastic bikers. The fzr range are brilliant shared more with fzr than yzf only in name and brakes.
Edit/ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ joker below don't believe it's Rye watch out for this look at name
Was it written off in crash and what's the mileage?
Nice 1 Ryan street fight. Your project mate do wot you think. Be with you all the way 👍❤️🤢🏍🔧
Appreciate you! thanks mate
I hope you try your skills with turbo-charging, either this one or the Blackbird.
I don't know about Mr rye , I remember these thunder ace yamahas ..wasn't there a 600 version too ?? I was probably 16 back then ..blast from the past love your content dude !!!
The 600 was a thundercat
Please don't street fighter it. IMO bikes of this period are amongst the best looking, without the hard angularity of todays crop of machines. I'd say Street fighters are a way of saving a bike that's gone beyond returning to original spec and yours certainly isn't that far gone. You've got a few red flags for this bike with the odd wheels, frame damage etc, but being a family bike you should be able to find out what occurred. What colour will you go with? I have to admit I'm a bit partisan, I have a 1997 blue and black model 👍
Whatever you decide to do with it ............ please please please keep the Exup valve, so many cant be arsed to maintain it, take it off when it gets seized and then wonder why it doesn't run so well, no matter what end can is on.
Not entirely correct. The ace was never meant to replace the FZR, it was a stop-gap bike, meant to fill in while they developed the R1. It was made from pre-existing parts and was never intended to become a special bike or a flagship model. Despite this though, it's a great bike. I still got mine.
I would restore it's original appearance and upgrade the rest of the bike like suspension, r1 brakes and so on
To show that you don't have to spend 10 grand for a sports bike.
Whatever you decide i wil watch the video from my German living room 😊
Those brakes on it are immense if they can be bought back to life, OG Sumitomos, remember Fast Bikes doing endless stoppies with this bike.
yeah, make it original - have you tried painting before? well hear is your chance - go for it
I've had one of these, unfortunately, I had nothing but bad luck with it, had the younger brother, the thundercat, now that is a fantastic bike, didn't do well in winter, but over all loved it..
My personal opinion, looks sporty.however, not as good as the Blackbird overall.
upgrade the suspension, put an Ackra can on it and some YZF 750 bodywork - will look banging :)
See my latested upload 😇
I'd say a frame is in order, that dent looks bad
Personally I’d restore it to more or less original but maybe with a tasty full system and some brake/suspension mods.
As itnhas memories restore but keep some of the character like the scratches and small things.
Original.... Got to be.
Restore it!
Defo put it back to it's original look, but maybe upgrade brakes and suspension. If you want to make a street fighter / naked then take a VFR1200 engine, remove the restrictions from the ECU and boom, one homegrown V4 super naked ;-)
Oh and suffice to say, I'm looking forward the Yamaha (re)build once the Honda is done :)
Those brakes are the original one piece units precursor to the R1, they're brilliant if serviced.
@@BRMCaptChaos didn't know that! Excited to see how it's gonna turn out 👌🏻
Very fast bike
This bike could potentially be a decent track bike
Clearly a glutton for punishment taking on another restoration, great to watch you rather than doing it ourselves though. Used to ride with a chap who owned a 2001 version, great looking/sounding bike, will look forward to see what you do with it :)
It`s been in the family since new, restore it, Would be a shame to make it into a street fighter.
Have you got the money to restore it? If not hooligan street fighter.
Return it to 100% stock, frame dent a tricky one
How could they stop produce this beaty?
Street fighter it,make it all black then put a turbo on it.
😈
Is this in luton at newbuild industrial ?
Why? Planning on nicking it?
@@trevorphillips3055 who would Nick that thing lol
@@chukzn17 🤣
Yep on the A505 heading towards Hitchin
@@chukzn17 a stylish thief with a notion of modern classic about him/her (probably her)
Restore it to original condition ( ish ) not streetfighter it will look great, good luck 👍🏍🏁
Streetfighter sounds interesting! I think you should definitely modify / modernize it as much as possible.
What's it called "Fundraiser"😅
Look up the OWO1 replica group they use these as a base bang a yzf750 swingarm on it and OWO1Body work they look mint
Restore to high standard, could look great.
If you restore it to very good standard, it probably won't be worth more than £3K, so always keep that in mind when you spend money on doing it up.
The bike came out in some fantastic colors, unfortunately your bike is not among those. Of course what matters is how YOU like it. The bummer is the 5-speed gearbox. But you didn't even tell us if it runs!!
Next vid might be a first start 😉
Cor blimey, I forgot they even existed.
Just restore it. Looks easy to do
Hybrid the two 😉 ThunderBird 😂
That would be a cool mashup!