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7327
Joined
7/17/2007
Location
TX
US
Edited Date/Time
4/17/2012 7:28am
I saw this paragraph in the May MXA, in a comment about having tested both RC and James' bikes:
"James' YZ450F setup is dominated by forks so stiff that they don't actually move. James has proven that he can go faster on the test track with his ultra-stiff front end than with forks that actually go up and down. But, in the heat of a race, when you can't always get the best line or are trying to make cuts that aren't in the play book, those rigid forks result in a very slack head angle that tends to wash the front end out. James doesn't have tire or bike issues - he has a fork issue. He has begun to soften up his suspension as the season progresses."
So will a Suzuki with forks that don't move going to work better than a Yamaha with forks that don't move?
"James' YZ450F setup is dominated by forks so stiff that they don't actually move. James has proven that he can go faster on the test track with his ultra-stiff front end than with forks that actually go up and down. But, in the heat of a race, when you can't always get the best line or are trying to make cuts that aren't in the play book, those rigid forks result in a very slack head angle that tends to wash the front end out. James doesn't have tire or bike issues - he has a fork issue. He has begun to soften up his suspension as the season progresses."
So will a Suzuki with forks that don't move going to work better than a Yamaha with forks that don't move?
Now will a switch from Yamaha to Suzuki stop him from crashing IMO no. But hopefully it will let him win more than he crashes.
However it all works out, I'd sure like to see James riding outdoors again, on a bike that he believes in.
The Shop
Don't take this kind of thing so personal. The Yamaha works fine for some, and not so good for others.
I think getting on the Suzuki would be great for Bubba but would have been even better if DeCoster was still there. It just appears to me his whole program is out of control. Kind of like the Alessis but opposite. No direction, no focus, no motivation. Along with struggling with the bike.
If he doesn't believe in the bike, then he should get off it. Reed did the same thing, but it didn't mean the bike was bad, just not for him.
Pit Row
the walmart of MX
They also write for the "every man". So when they say forks are "stiff" they are just trying to get the point across to their reader. They aren't saying any other pro's are any softer.
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