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Two things that really crack me up are when average joes think that because the bike is great for them, it should work for a pro. And the other is when people start listing weights of the bikes in an effort to show that the Yamaha isnt a heavy turd.
You guys are not pro's. You dont push the bike's limits. And secondly, production weights and race bike weights are completely different. Ive already had this argument on this forum and was later proven correct when Matthes ran an article on the comparisons between the factory level bikes weights. The Yamaha, due to its inherent flaws, is the most heavy of the bikes (at the factory level) by about 15+ lbs. Combine that with a frame that doesnt flex and an awkward front end and its just too different for any rider to adapt too. Besides, the best drivers dont adapt to their bikes, they make their bikes adapt to them through proper set-up.
That is not to say that the Yamaha isnt an absolute GREAT bike for the consumer. Despite its weight, it has a light feel. And it is reliable as they come and very powerful. It's a very good bike for joe-consumer.
You made yourself sound clueless when you said that a podium in gps is equivalent to a 9th in the ama
'We're not talking about top 10's, we are talking about the ELITE guys, the FAB 5 so to speak. Those guys need the best equipment and James is just not on equipment even close to the level of his contemporaries'
if that was the case, then why has james won heat races AND main events on the bike? milsaps has been in the top 5 on it, frossard has won gp's on it and paulin won a moto at the mx des nations on a new generation 450 yam just last year!
If the bike wasnt good enough to win at that level, then how did that happen?
And yes, the AMA is more competitive than the GP's. Im not a flag waiving American. I love Europe more than you would know. I hold no bias when comparing the two series. At the very top, the talent is equal, but outside the GP's top few guys, the talent drops off considerably compared to the AMA, thats just a fact.
Why James does so well in practice and the heats is because he is that talented. Why he cant make it work in the main is honestly a mystery. Look, Im not going to sit here and say that Bubba doesnt have his own issues, unrelated to the bike. BobbyM alludes to them here on the daily and he isnt wrong in what he knows. But those distractions have always been there, its nothing new and would not explain his sudden fall to mediocrity. I do know one thing about the Yamaha as it pertains to practice vs mains, I havent seen one set up that can both be good off the line and handle. Its a pick your poison sort of deal when dealing with that rear shock and funky front end.
Everyone from the outside looking in wants a black & white explanation for the whole Bubba/Yamaha disaster of a marriage but its just not a simple thing to explain. There are many factors in play here.
Oh, and as for the GP/MXdN results... here's another fact for you... the difference between AMA tracks and GP tracks is pretty significant. The Euro tracks suit the Yamaha's characteristics. That might have something to do with why the Euro's have had success on those bikes in their home turf.
It goes both ways you know. And I can think of very few people on this forum that arent biased. AMA vs Euro fanboyism is no less a problem than the Bubba fantards, the RV nutsuckers, or the RC mob of drones before it.
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Can you say POSER !!!!!! Wannabe !!!!! Vagina!!!
JGR is doing pretty good actually, looks like they are going to finish second in the points..
James on the other hand, is in a bit of a slump.
I understand I'm a nobody and desert has nothing to do with AMA SX.. But you, along with 500BRO saying there's sometime of tragic flaw with the bike is laughable.
I think the point of this thread by 500guy is valid. Like it or not, the new generation Yamaha has not been well received (with exceptions, like yourself, of course). At what point would they consider going back to a more conventional design? If anyone other than Jay would have asked the question, there probably would have been some intelligent debate. But because it's Jay, we have to suffer through insult-riddled tirades like yours that completely miss the mark.
So here you go dipshits.
BDW photo 2011
Awesome. That front number plate is not going to win anyone over here.
ForumBoard101 says that its generally not a good idea to get baited into posting pics of yourself or gf is generally a bad idea.
What's even more funny, is that I just showed that pic to my roommate and he instantly started busting up and said, "THATS 500guy!"... my roommate doesnt read the forums very often but considering he recognized who you were from just that pic and without me saying anything, is pretty funny.
Pit Row
No-one around here is any-where near the R&D types that work at the OEM's...
Right?
Honda CRF450...........231
Yamaha YZ450F.........238
Kawasaki KX450.........242
KTM 450SXF...............243
Suzuki RM-Z450.........244
If we looked back to James crashes this year, most all of them were 100% James.. There were a few where the bike got away form him in the whoops, or he spun the back tire and tossed himself.. Even then, everyone wants to blame the tire if he looses traction..If there really are tires that never loose traction, let me know where to get a set.. I would almost never crash ever if I never lost a tire..
And I find it hilarious that guys would argue about the relative performance of bikes that they rarely even get wide open for more than a second or two. There are about 10 guys in the world who could really, really discuss relative 450 performance, and none of them post on VitalMX.
Post a reply to: When will Yamaha admit failure and go back ?