The Yamaha YZF1000R, known outside of the US as the Thunderace, was a bit of a parts-bin bike bridged the legendary FZR1000 and even more legendary R1. It’s a bit forgotten nowadays especially as it only sold in the US for just one year, but here’s an interesting one that’s been imported from Europe.
It was basically the FZR1000 engine in the much more common YZF600R (Thundercat) frame. Normally with a 1-year only bike, you’d be scared of parts availability, but as this bike was made, in essence, with pieces from other common Yamahas, you should have no concerns. The world-beating R1 came a just a year later, so the Thunderace was only bought by riders specifically not looking for the fastest bike – in America, that’s typically a losing marketing mission. But for riders today looking for lots of power and a surprisingly comfy position, the previous “flaws” lead to an excellent bike you can snap up for cheap, despite their rarity. Want some more reading? Check out an interesting period comparison from Car and Driver featuring the Dodge Viper GTS and the Thunderace for a fun read.
This example has 37,297 kilometers (roughly 23k miles) and it was imported from Europe. It looks pretty clean at first glance and the seller says there are no issues – he notes that he will provide a title in the buyer’s name 3-6 weeks after purchase.
Find this Thunderace for sale in Miami, Florida with a BIN of $6,000 or best offer here on eBay.