Are bikes really better every year?

vetmxr
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vetmxr 10/17/2011 6:37pm
10/17/2011 6:37pm
Hallzilla wrote:
I'm still riding my 08 CRF450, I've had opportunities to ride newer bikes and every time i do, my bike feels as good or better than...
I'm still riding my 08 CRF450, I've had opportunities to ride newer bikes and every time i do, my bike feels as good or better than the new bikes. Having said that, i would not mind owning any 2012 bike !
Like you I haven't found a bike I like better than my 08 crf.....I just rode my buddies full modified 12 CRF 450 and couldn't wait to get back on mine....for some reason my 08 is just easier to haul ass on....very forgiving.....i won't get a new one till it can prove itself better than my CRF .....they got that year right ....

Sean
machine
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machine 10/17/2011 6:42pm
10/17/2011 6:42pm
CamP wrote:
I bounce back and forth between a '08 CRF450 and a '95 CR250. I go about the same speed on either one.
machine wrote:
Can you go the same speed on both for the same amount of time/laps?
CamP wrote:
Yep, about three laps before I drop anchor.
glad too see i'm not the only 3 or 4 lap wonder out there....Grinning
CR500Rider
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CR500Rider 10/17/2011 8:06pm
10/17/2011 8:06pm
No, quite often, they've gone backwards.
Hallzilla
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Hallzilla 10/17/2011 8:39pm
10/17/2011 8:39pm
Hallzilla wrote:
I'm still riding my 08 CRF450, I've had opportunities to ride newer bikes and every time i do, my bike feels as good or better than...
I'm still riding my 08 CRF450, I've had opportunities to ride newer bikes and every time i do, my bike feels as good or better than the new bikes. Having said that, i would not mind owning any 2012 bike !
vetmxr wrote:
Like you I haven't found a bike I like better than my 08 crf.....I just rode my buddies full modified 12 CRF 450 and couldn't wait...
Like you I haven't found a bike I like better than my 08 crf.....I just rode my buddies full modified 12 CRF 450 and couldn't wait to get back on mine....for some reason my 08 is just easier to haul ass on....very forgiving.....i won't get a new one till it can prove itself better than my CRF .....they got that year right ....

Sean
yep !

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ME686
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ME686 10/17/2011 9:22pm
10/17/2011 9:22pm
Having a great chassis in any form of motorsports is an advantage. So yes, in this case the bike appears to be much better with the new frame. Plus years of testing on a similar base package. Why you think the old carb yamis were rippin holeshots at the nats with an "old" engine? Testing and setup. Also, they didnt have fuel consumption issues like other manufactures this season.
iRidePhotos 10/17/2011 9:44pm
10/17/2011 9:44pm
Daniel blair swears his 07 crf450 is still the best bike he has ever owned. in fact he raced it this weekend at the MEC
twizzler
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twizzler 10/17/2011 9:49pm
10/17/2011 9:49pm
I have an 01' RM125 I paid $800 for. I pass many guys on late model 450's on a fast outdoor style track. It's not the bike. I also get passed by some guys on 450's, again it's not the bike.
Cancerman
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Cancerman 10/17/2011 10:00pm
10/17/2011 10:00pm
Yep, I have an RM 125, RM 250, CRF 450. This weekend of testing suspension setings, my riding buddie was timing me against the other riders, and guess what, I was fastest on the 125, and way more aggressive. I was slowest on my 450. I can ride twice as long (which isn't very) on the 2 smokers. The 450 wears me out in 2 laps or so. Sad The 125 has fresh FC suspension with new springs, so the set up really matters in how far you feel you can hang it out. Next is fresh legs on the 250..........and try it some more.........Woohoo
Premixed
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Premixed 10/18/2011 2:18am
10/18/2011 2:18am Edited Date/Time 10/18/2011 2:19am
there isnt a single bike on the planet that handles better than the last generation RM250. dont think there ever will be, unless somehow they start making japanese, steel framed two strokes again.


this guy seemed pretty happy with his???



its got a midrange hit that'll make you take a shit in your pants though.
Erick
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Erick 10/18/2011 4:20am
10/18/2011 4:20am
ando wrote:
Numerous small tweaks are common - exhaust shape, power characteristics, spring rates, slight frame/geometry changes etc. Sometimes the changes may or may not be improvements depending...
Numerous small tweaks are common - exhaust shape, power characteristics, spring rates, slight frame/geometry changes etc. Sometimes the changes may or may not be improvements depending on personal preference - a move to a faster turning but less stable geometry may be an improvement for some people and a step backwards for others.


Also remember that sometimes in the quest for an advantage they get it wrong and go a few steps backwards, then spend the next couple of years on "improvements" that are really only restoring the bike to where it was previously.

If you look at the improvement of a given model over say, a 10 year period, then yes they do get better. Whether that improvement is actually noticeable year on year might be debatable.
Well said
Racer92
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Racer92 10/18/2011 4:23am
10/18/2011 4:23am
Premixed wrote:
there isnt a single bike on the planet that handles better than the last generation RM250. dont think there ever will be, unless somehow they start...
there isnt a single bike on the planet that handles better than the last generation RM250. dont think there ever will be, unless somehow they start making japanese, steel framed two strokes again.


this guy seemed pretty happy with his???



its got a midrange hit that'll make you take a shit in your pants though.
This !

There isnt a bike out there that handles better than my 2005 RM250. I have yet to find a person who has ridden it that didnt agree.
2strokerider 10/18/2011 5:15am
10/18/2011 5:15am Edited Date/Time 10/18/2011 5:17am
Premixed wrote:
there isnt a single bike on the planet that handles better than the last generation RM250. dont think there ever will be, unless somehow they start...
there isnt a single bike on the planet that handles better than the last generation RM250. dont think there ever will be, unless somehow they start making japanese, steel framed two strokes again.


this guy seemed pretty happy with his???



its got a midrange hit that'll make you take a shit in your pants though.
Racer92 wrote:
This ! There isnt a bike out there that handles better than my 2005 RM250. I have yet to find a person who has ridden it...
This !

There isnt a bike out there that handles better than my 2005 RM250. I have yet to find a person who has ridden it that didnt agree.
i agree- i've got an 2010 rm 250 with an eric gorr 300 top end (with high comp head and ported for smoother, broader power) i love it! Awesome bike.

I love the way the suzuki 2 strokes handle in the corners!
Hallzilla
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Hallzilla 10/18/2011 8:02am
10/18/2011 8:02am Edited Date/Time 10/18/2011 8:03am
Premixed wrote:
there isnt a single bike on the planet that handles better than the last generation RM250. dont think there ever will be, unless somehow they start...
there isnt a single bike on the planet that handles better than the last generation RM250. dont think there ever will be, unless somehow they start making japanese, steel framed two strokes again.


this guy seemed pretty happy with his???



its got a midrange hit that'll make you take a shit in your pants though.
Racer92 wrote:
This ! There isnt a bike out there that handles better than my 2005 RM250. I have yet to find a person who has ridden it...
This !

There isnt a bike out there that handles better than my 2005 RM250. I have yet to find a person who has ridden it that didnt agree.
2strokerider wrote:
i agree- i've got an 2010 rm 250 with an eric gorr 300 top end (with high comp head and ported for smoother, broader power) i...
i agree- i've got an 2010 rm 250 with an eric gorr 300 top end (with high comp head and ported for smoother, broader power) i love it! Awesome bike.

I love the way the suzuki 2 strokes handle in the corners!
Agree they handle great, but comparing this bike to new generation 4 strokes, is a joke. As soon as the 1998 Yz400f came out, The 2 stroke began to die ! R&D money started going in another direction. So if were comparing this bike to a 2012 bike, I'd say there is no comparison. See what James thinks at 2:25 into this video.


http://js7.com/2011/09/stewarts-new-ride/
bullpen58
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bullpen58 10/18/2011 8:23am
10/18/2011 8:23am
Anyone that denies that the bike matters at ALL levels of racing is smoking crack. Of COURSE the bike matters. Of COURSE the bikes get better every year. Is this really a question? No offense WORCSracer, but I know you have ridden a bike (and even RACED!) but this question makes you sound like a couch-jockey. Come on dude. Wink
ehr400
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ehr400 10/18/2011 8:35am
10/18/2011 8:35am
CR500Rider wrote:
No, quite often, they've gone backwards.
EXACTLY! ^

I have alot of fun beating other guys on their new 2011's or '12s when I am riding my 2007 still. I also dont mind grabbing my 1997 CR 125 and ripping around on that also. Rider is a large percentage at our level of how fast you go, very little in the bike.
ehr400
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ehr400 10/18/2011 8:44am
10/18/2011 8:44am
I know alot of guys who where real pissed off in 1997 when they sold their '96 CR 250's and bought the '97. Some never would ride a honda again. Lol.
wow123
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wow123 10/18/2011 9:10am
10/18/2011 9:10am
mxpunk wrote:
I'd say a bike gets better when they redesign the chassis, and not every year. Expect bikes to stay the same for quite sometime due to...
I'd say a bike gets better when they redesign the chassis, and not every year.

Expect bikes to stay the same for quite sometime due to the economy.
Premixed wrote:
i hope you arent referencing the US economy, because that has little to no bearing on what Japan does with their product. japans bottom is getting...
i hope you arent referencing the US economy, because that has little to no bearing on what Japan does with their product.


japans bottom is getting ready to fall out hardcore in the next 12 months. at that point, look for 2-3 years of BNG bikes and a KTM take-over. japan can't keep a prime minister in office for more than a year, and they are pumping money into the economy into an effort to stimulate it. its not working. the only reason they havent completely fell off the map is because they own their own debt, where as china owns ours.

japan is a mercantile economy, that is an economy that survives from exporting a lot of good, but importing very little. so an economy that survives like this can not have a strong currency, it makes their goods more expensive. well, japans currency has been the strongest currency on the planet for the last 4 years, and as a result, no one is buying their good like they were. combine that with a stagnated local economy, and political turmoil, and you've got a country ready to implode.

you'vee seen the MX bike price hike. its exchange rate driven, not technolgy driven. the exchange rate today is 75:1 on the dollar. thats a 25% "tax" on everything you buy from japan. doesnt make a difference on a pack of gum, but a 7,000 dollar CRF becomes 9,000 dollars really quick.
An economics lecture on vital?

Who woulda thunk? :D

But I disagree with your assessment

Where I live, most make MX bikes out of scooters and late 90's mx bikes.
Zildjian
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Zildjian 10/18/2011 10:10am
10/18/2011 10:10am
Premixed wrote:
i hope you arent referencing the US economy, because that has little to no bearing on what Japan does with their product. japans bottom is getting...
i hope you arent referencing the US economy, because that has little to no bearing on what Japan does with their product.


japans bottom is getting ready to fall out hardcore in the next 12 months. at that point, look for 2-3 years of BNG bikes and a KTM take-over. japan can't keep a prime minister in office for more than a year, and they are pumping money into the economy into an effort to stimulate it. its not working. the only reason they havent completely fell off the map is because they own their own debt, where as china owns ours.

japan is a mercantile economy, that is an economy that survives from exporting a lot of good, but importing very little. so an economy that survives like this can not have a strong currency, it makes their goods more expensive. well, japans currency has been the strongest currency on the planet for the last 4 years, and as a result, no one is buying their good like they were. combine that with a stagnated local economy, and political turmoil, and you've got a country ready to implode.

you'vee seen the MX bike price hike. its exchange rate driven, not technolgy driven. the exchange rate today is 75:1 on the dollar. thats a 25% "tax" on everything you buy from japan. doesnt make a difference on a pack of gum, but a 7,000 dollar CRF becomes 9,000 dollars really quick.
"the only reason they havent completely fell off the map is because they own their own debt, where as china owns ours."

No. False.

China owns 8% of our debt. 8. That's it. The sky is not falling.

American's own the vast majority of their own debt, period. It's not up for debate, it is a fact.

Pit Row

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flyinb501
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flyinb501 10/18/2011 10:56am
10/18/2011 10:56am
ehr400 wrote:
I know alot of guys who where real pissed off in 1997 when they sold their '96 CR 250's and bought the '97. Some never would...
I know alot of guys who where real pissed off in 1997 when they sold their '96 CR 250's and bought the '97. Some never would ride a honda again. Lol.
Yeah the first years of the aluminum frames were terrible. My first 125 was a '98 CR 125. The thing was a dog. I went from pulling almost every holeshot on 80's to not being able to buy a holeshot.

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