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General SportbikesThis area is made for sportbikes in general. Posts that dont really belong anywhere else besides here. Questions can be answered and addressed to fully understand certain aspects. If your question is Manufacturer specific please post it there.
Gotta cut down on the international series anyway. Drop WSB and move to MotoGP.
Too many series so the rider talent gets split up for one. But also, the manufacturers are split into which series to back, so you're not seeing the real battle of brands that we should see. With one series there is Honda, Yamaha, maybe a Ducati or two. In the other Kawi runs, Suzuki runs, but Honda and Yamaha have a token presence. Makes you wonder what would happen if we combined WSB and MotoGP. Leaving one international series and one national (AMA) series.
I think the competition would be better, you'd see less dominance by one rider/brand, and we'd have less scheduling conflict.
The problem with this theory is that the bikes in MotoGP are not created equal. 6 Honda's, 4 Yamas, 2 Ducs, 2 Kawis, and 2 Suzuks, 10 of those sixteen bikes are some what competative. Yamaha would have been an as ran this year if it wasn't for Rossi. The last three factory machines have 2 podiums on the year between them. The other teams WCM, Proton and Aprilla were completly uncompetative this year.
So if we drop WSB altogether that means we probably would never see Haga race again or Bayliss, Hodson, Corser and other past and future champions.
My point is there are not enough quality rides in GP, but the other teams are improving race by race. Next year Yamaha will have Colin Edwards and the Bridestones are making improvements in every race and some races they are beter than the Michelins.
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My point is there are not enough quality rides in GP, but the other teams are improving race by race. Next year Yamaha will have Colin Edwards and the Bridestones are making improvements in every race and some races they are beter than the Michelins.
Good points, all... And figure Suzuki to be more of a factor next year as well.
Pole postition threats thru much of the later half of this year.
Erv Kanemoto is back working with KR Jr.
Good points, all... And figure Suzuki to be more of a factor next year as well.
Pole postition threats thru much of the later half of this year.
Erv Kanemoto is back working with KR Jr.
No Doubt, at the Japan GP I was so proud of Hopper for sitting one man behind Pole Position, then Capirossi had to F&ck everything up by taking out all of the American's on the first turn. Hopefully the Zuke and the Kawi engineers fix their reliability problems over the winter.
That would have been a joke, America doesn't suck but we play 15 fiddle when it comes to international motorcycle racing.
Maybey if Datona eliminates the infield all together then they will be able to fill the stands with 100,000 of the half a million people at bike week.
That would have been a joke, America doesn't suck but we play 15 fiddle when it comes to international motorcycle racing.
Maybey if Datona eliminates the infield all together then they will be able to fill the stands with 100,000 of the half a million people at bike week.
Hmm...some really nice suggestions coming in, especially the one about replacing 125 and 250 races with 600 and 1000 SBK. The 125 races are mind blowing fun though. Plus, as already pointed out, these act as banks for future MotoGP riders.
SBK races are necessary for the companies to show off their road prowess. MotoGP is essential if you want to raise the bar of motorcycle racing. After all, I doubt if we'd have had someone like Rossi come thru the SBK channel.
Hmm...some really nice suggestions coming in, especially the one about replacing 125 and 250 races with 600 and 1000 SBK. The 125 races are mind blowing fun though. Plus, as already pointed out, these act as banks for future MotoGP riders.
SBK races are necessary for the companies to show off their road prowess. MotoGP is essential if you want to raise the bar of motorcycle racing. After all, I doubt if we'd have had someone like Rossi come thru the SBK channel.
Dude Rossi is one of a kind. Well maybe one of two of a kind we'll see what happens to that little kid Pedrosa when he moves up to MotoGP bikes in a couple of years. He seems to be the robot form of Rossi, rides as good or better (125 & 250 champion in consecative years) but has the personality of a talking rock.
I think I will be moving to Spain because they seem to be the best country going according to DORNA and WSB.
To add insult to injury the US race was replaced by a race in Qatar. I don't know if anybody watched the MotoGP race in Qatar this year, I did and there were only 4000 spectators on race day. Now Qatar gets two World class races at the same track, one at the beginning of the season the other at the end.
Hey when you get to Spain, you can ride with me to Valencia this weekend and watch RossiŽs victory lap... Or roll to Jerez next spring...
Also Qatar dropped alot oŽdough to get those races... They do not care how many spectators they have... They just want the attention...
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Sportbike: 1996 Yamaha FZR600 and 2 WERA Vintage: 1994 FZR600 and 1978 CB750F2
MotoGP, WSB and AMA Superbike are all fundamentally different. They are after different things. AMA and WSB are close in intent but different in execution. The control tire and cost control measures in WSB have hurt the series from a factory perspective but has made for some awesome close racing. I hardly watched WSB in 2003 but thoroughly enjoyed it in 2004.
AMA Superbike racing is just different. It is merely the top end of the ladder that racers progress through and it is sad that such talented individuals are scarcely known outside of M/C racing circles. I just think the average American motorsports fan can't deal with keeping more than one thing in their head and complex things elude them. Hence the fascination with left-turns and brute power. Throw right turns and race strategy beyond simple drafting and changing tires every 100 miles and your average fan just can't keep it all straight.
I would like to see MotoGP 125s and 250s shift to four strokes and encourage advanced development in these smaller classes. The move to four-strokes in the top tier has pushed development forward immensely. Although the current GP 250 machine sounds small, it would hand a modern production 600cc SS its ass. Nearly the same power at the rear wheel with 100 pounds less weight.
Imagine advanced 225-250cc and 450-500cc four-stroke race engines in those chassis? Then imagine a production bike inspired by such a machine. Look at the success of the 600RR and 1000RR that use GP-derived technology (chassis and suspension). I would love to own an RS250RR or CBR500RR. People cry about the lack of modern, small-displacement bikes. I'd love a 75-100hp 500cc sportbike. Past racers produced some spectacular bikes. It's time for it to happen again.
Imagine advanced 225-250cc and 450-500cc four-stroke race engines in those chassis? Then imagine a production bike inspired by such a machine. Look at the success of the 600RR and 1000RR that use GP-derived technology (chassis and suspension). I would love to own an RS250RR or CBR500RR. People cry about the lack of modern, small-displacement bikes. I'd love a 75-100hp 500cc sportbike. Past racers produced some spectacular bikes. It's time for it to happen again.
It would take too much money for Aprilla and Honda to develope those types of bikes. Yea it sounds great on the internet for fans like you and me, and if they decided to make them into streetbikes they may start retreiving some of the money back, but the fact is the MotoGP class is so big and has so much pull that no matter what they run in the support classes fans will be there to watch (except in Quatar) as long as they all race on the same day.
Dam Munky!
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