"Why I Left"...JS7 ESPN Interview

mx5471
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mx5471 5/14/2012 10:15pm
5/14/2012 10:15pm
OK girls. Here it is. He's on the bike he wants, and everyone has to wait and see what he does with it. It will be interesting, and fun to watch. It's all up to him now, no excuses. We will see. If he doesn't crash and burn early, I think he will be better in the later races, as he will be in better shape for them. He has a shot at winning the Championship, but it's not a gimme. I'm looking forward to this season. I do think he chose to ride because the other top riders are injured, but it's his decision, and the rest had nothing to do with him.. Can't wait for next weekend.
ocscottie
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ocscottie 5/14/2012 10:29pm
5/14/2012 10:29pm
"I do think he chose to ride because the other top riders are injured"

Lets revisit one little fact, the last time he won a SX title, guess what he did the summer before?

Ok now go back and read the end of that interview (2nd to last question)

It all makes perfect sense in the grand scheme of things.
CR250Rider
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CR250Rider 5/14/2012 10:30pm
5/14/2012 10:30pm
why can't any of "our" journalists say he said the YZ450 is a dud.
nevermind YZmatt dares to say it
Hank_Thrill
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Hank_Thrill 5/14/2012 10:39pm
5/14/2012 10:39pm
Awesome interview!

Way to go James!

The Shop

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kong0036
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kong0036 5/14/2012 10:45pm
5/14/2012 10:45pm Edited Date/Time 5/14/2012 11:07pm
I think its a very smart move to get that bike wired and to get a full series under his belt for fitness and to work out any bugs that need to be done before he really steps up to the real goal and that's the 2013 SX series. If James gets through the outdoors un injured and maybe taking the title holy shit watch out 2013 James will be so hard to beat
Mr. G
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Mr. G 5/14/2012 10:56pm
5/14/2012 10:56pm
There's a new sheriff in town.
BobbyM
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BobbyM 5/14/2012 10:57pm
5/14/2012 10:57pm
maybe james has left the stratosphere and came back down to earth...a grounded and happy james is deadly. live and learn..we all have or will do it. good luck to james and crew.
daveoevo
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daveoevo 5/15/2012 12:21am
5/15/2012 12:21am
Why did he decide to race a bike that he new didnt work for him? Its been basicly the same since 2010 and he has riden it for three seasons.
TannerMxer
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TannerMxer 5/15/2012 12:31am
5/15/2012 12:31am
daveoevo wrote:
Why did he decide to race a bike that he new didnt work for him? Its been basicly the same since 2010 and he has riden...
Why did he decide to race a bike that he new didnt work for him? Its been basicly the same since 2010 and he has riden it for three seasons.
If you read the interview (and listened to the PulpMx podcast/radio show interview), it was stated that JGR was very, very close to going with Suzuki's after James had already or was close to signing with JGR. Then JGR signed with Yamaha and they claimed they could fix anything on the bike for James. So James was expecting a JGR Suzuki and got a JGR Yamaha.
WhKnuckle
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WhKnuckle 5/15/2012 3:11am
5/15/2012 3:11am
A bike that won't work for James Stewart in pro supercross isn't necessarily going to be a tough bike to ride for the average guy on the average outdoor track. If I was in the market for a four stroke - which I sure as hell ain't - I would give the Yamaha just as much consideration as any other bike.
DrSweden
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DrSweden 5/15/2012 3:29am
5/15/2012 3:29am
Good for him! I think he will turn things around, and since RV isn't around that task if it's the bike or whatever is much easier. So glad he's doing MX again. That's what's all about for me at least...
MDMCG
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MDMCG 5/15/2012 5:08am
5/15/2012 5:08am
Racer92 wrote:
Wow what a good interview. Riding the Nationals for free?!? Thats is love for moto right there.
g0rd057 wrote:
Where was the love for moto when he chose JGR last year instead of picking Suzuki's lesser offer? Maybe the ball is in Suzuki's court and...
Where was the love for moto when he chose JGR last year instead of picking Suzuki's lesser offer?
Maybe the ball is in Suzuki's court and the contract says no money until he gives them good results.
Maybe he really thought they could fix the bike enough for him to win? there is a thing called "pride" within racing, where most people think they can get over a bad bike, etc if they jsut work hard enough.
Crashinskinoff 5/15/2012 5:20am
5/15/2012 5:20am
Glad he is racing and on a different bike, it's been a tough ride but I stayed on the bandwagon this whole time, I'm surprised he didn't mention me in the interview though...
tbanks
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tbanks 5/15/2012 5:24am
5/15/2012 5:24am
Racer92 wrote:
Wow what a good interview. Riding the Nationals for free?!? Thats is love for moto right there.
g0rd057 wrote:
Where was the love for moto when he chose JGR last year instead of picking Suzuki's lesser offer? Maybe the ball is in Suzuki's court and...
Where was the love for moto when he chose JGR last year instead of picking Suzuki's lesser offer?
Maybe the ball is in Suzuki's court and the contract says no money until he gives them good results.
MDMCG wrote:
Maybe he really thought they could fix the bike enough for him to win? there is a thing called "pride" within racing, where most people think...
Maybe he really thought they could fix the bike enough for him to win? there is a thing called "pride" within racing, where most people think they can get over a bad bike, etc if they jsut work hard enough.
Also remember that he did win on that bike every season that he has raced it. For not being comfortable on the thing, he still rode with enough speed to win races and that has to count for something IMO.

It seems like he tried to do everything to be competitive on that machine, and he succeeded at times and failed horribly at other times. After 3 years of the same stuff, I probably would feel that the machine(YZ450) was the problem as well.
daveoevo
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daveoevo 5/15/2012 6:32am
5/15/2012 6:32am
daveoevo wrote:
Why did he decide to race a bike that he new didnt work for him? Its been basicly the same since 2010 and he has riden...
Why did he decide to race a bike that he new didnt work for him? Its been basicly the same since 2010 and he has riden it for three seasons.
TannerMxer wrote:
If you read the interview (and listened to the PulpMx podcast/radio show interview), it was stated that JGR was very, very close to going with Suzuki's...
If you read the interview (and listened to the PulpMx podcast/radio show interview), it was stated that JGR was very, very close to going with Suzuki's after James had already or was close to signing with JGR. Then JGR signed with Yamaha and they claimed they could fix anything on the bike for James. So James was expecting a JGR Suzuki and got a JGR Yamaha.
He still chose a team and what ever package they offered brand JS7 over the bike. It just seems daft that he say's the bike is no good so he signs for a team that has a long relationship with yam but might change to suzuki.
Still JS7 is doing the Nats and thats what I have wanted to see for a long time. GO JAMES!!!
burnside
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burnside 5/15/2012 6:49am
5/15/2012 6:49am
James Stewart is very good at saying the right things in interviews, you only need to dig up the JGR press conference to watch his ear to ear grin and admiration for the YZ.. . But, I don't think this is a good move. Even if its just a placebo effect, sometimes thats all competitors need.
Friday
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Friday 5/15/2012 7:30am
5/15/2012 7:30am
I don't even read most of this stuff anymore. How many times do you hear them say at the races,"I was feeling really comfortable on the bike"? They go faster for at least one lap than anyone out there.Then,get poor results,fade,crash or whatever and then change their stories. I don't care what Dungey,RV,James,Alessi or any of the guys say anymore.RV and Dungey do 99.9% of their talking on the track. Best way to speak,IMO.
jtomasik
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jtomasik 5/15/2012 7:36am
5/15/2012 7:36am Edited Date/Time 5/15/2012 7:38am
I design products for a living, and with every product there's usually a demand to do something innovative to set the new product apart. Some of the ideas I've come up with worked, some backfired. I can imagine that the new design Yamaha must be having the company, and particularly their engineering group, wondering if it was a good idea. Tough to swallow when you've invested so much time and money. Even tougher is accepting that the company might have to scrap all of the tooling/manufacturing behind the new bike and go to something more conventional. Personally, I'd like to see that design work. Maybe a shift in the frame would do something for it.

I wonder what they're working on now....


Hopefully Stewart does good on the Suzi. Without RV there, maybe he can back off just a tad and stay off the ground. That young man has hit the dirt way too many times.

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Outsider
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Outsider 5/15/2012 7:48am
5/15/2012 7:48am
Racer92 wrote:
Wow what a good interview. Riding the Nationals for free?!? Thats is love for moto right there.
I pay to ride nats,,,, ok vet nats.... but still!Tongue
jtomasik
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jtomasik 5/15/2012 8:00am
5/15/2012 8:00am
Outsider wrote:
I pay to ride nats,,,, ok vet nats.... but still!Tongue
Same here. But, if either of us rode like Stewart, we'd have something worth complaining about, right? Wink
Outsider
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Outsider 5/15/2012 8:04am
5/15/2012 8:04am
Outsider wrote:
I pay to ride nats,,,, ok vet nats.... but still!Tongue
jtomasik wrote:
Same here. But, if either of us rode like Stewart, we'd have something worth complaining about, right? Wink
yessAngry Blush
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Bill_Carroll 5/15/2012 8:14am
5/15/2012 8:14am
Ah yes, No more excuses........now.

I remember when Bob Hannah had a POS Yam and still stuck it out. never quit because of lack of performance. Whats the problem going to be when he doesn't start winning by mid summer? Oh that's right, injury's do happen even when they don't.

Good luck JS
normanmx
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normanmx 5/15/2012 8:24am
5/15/2012 8:24am
He might just be the monster million winner this year,that would be his bonus.
We will see how this outdoor season unwinds,,,looks to be a good one.
Uncleof2
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Uncleof2 5/15/2012 8:27am
5/15/2012 8:27am
Racer92 wrote:
Wow what a good interview. Riding the Nationals for free?!? Thats is love for moto right there.
Maybe JGR already paid him so he isn't riding for free, but just not paid by Suzuki. I know Yamaha is glad he switched bikes
because he was the worst PR for there bike ever. Everyone is happy with what happened if they all got what they want. I am
glad he switched bikes, I work for a Yamaha dealership and I am tired of hearing "its the bike". Good luck to Suzuki and JS7,
if he wins it will be him and the bike, but if he loses? It should be interesting this summer and if James is happy and comfortable it MAY be a long summer for the rest of the guys. I do think RD5 will win the championship.
Boarddesign
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Boarddesign 5/15/2012 8:28am
5/15/2012 8:28am
madmaxperformance wrote:
The thing I hate about getting older, is that I find that I cheer for every rider now. I hope this is the right move, and...
The thing I hate about getting older, is that I find that I cheer for every rider now. I hope this is the right move, and we get a happy, agressive, and SAFE JS back. I will be rooting for Dungey, but James candid interview here tilts me back to him a bit. I hope he trades a few wins with Dungey, stays safe, and just narrowly loses to Dungey... ha ha... J/K. --May the best man win.
I think the same way, I really like Moto and as a BIG fan I have really grown to like all the riders. While I have a preference to who I would like to see win, I like to see them all get a day of celebration.

I now take my 6yr old to the races and lately I'm showing favoritism to the riders who show some love to the little guys, I've been shocked a few times as to who hangs out with them and who ignores them. At Pala last year Metty (who I never gave much credit) hung out with a pack of kids for a few hours after the race, it was really good of him and the kids loved it. Wilson, Trey and many others made themselves really available also... It's hard to not root for them after seeing the love they show for the fans.
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jimmie 5/15/2012 8:33am
5/15/2012 8:33am
Kind of awkward saying "the Yamaha just don't work for me no more"...

Being "the worlds fastest dude on a motorcycle", and knowing his potential via past seasons, seems like if anyone can over come some design quirks, James would be the man. He is badass, but we have discovered his "achilles heel" I guess?

Sort of makes Yamaha look like they are out of the loop with their R&D (testers) team.

Davi seems to like it.

Good reading right there, and I wish James all the best.
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WhKnuckle 5/15/2012 8:44am
5/15/2012 8:44am
Racer92 wrote:
Wow what a good interview. Riding the Nationals for free?!? Thats is love for moto right there.
Uncleof2 wrote:
Maybe JGR already paid him so he isn't riding for free, but just not paid by Suzuki. I know Yamaha is glad he switched bikes because...
Maybe JGR already paid him so he isn't riding for free, but just not paid by Suzuki. I know Yamaha is glad he switched bikes
because he was the worst PR for there bike ever. Everyone is happy with what happened if they all got what they want. I am
glad he switched bikes, I work for a Yamaha dealership and I am tired of hearing "its the bike". Good luck to Suzuki and JS7,
if he wins it will be him and the bike, but if he loses? It should be interesting this summer and if James is happy and comfortable it MAY be a long summer for the rest of the guys. I do think RD5 will win the championship.
I have a friend who's a Yamaha exec and I think it's fair to say that...let's just say he's happy everyone found a solution that works.

I still think "it's the bike" is probably the truth in James' case, but it's probably not true for everyone. I think a guy could go buy a YZ450F at a dealership and love the thing if he wasn't racing pro supercross at James Stewart level. If I was looking for a bike, I'd strongly consider that one for the suspension and reliability factors, and it's pretty light by comparison to the rest of the group. If I could get a good deal on one, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.
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jeffro503 5/15/2012 8:54am
5/15/2012 8:54am
I was on the side of the fence in which believed that there was no way it could have possibly been the bike itself for James.....but my opinion changed. There are a few guys on this planet that may ride the bike fast enough and with a certain style where it just wouldn't work for him. It "does work" for davi.......but James isn't Davi.

I hope we see him comfortable and having fun.....and I think that is what most fans want to see as well. This has been brought up a bunch of times as well , but it's worth repeating.....Reed couldn't stand the Kawasaki....so he got the hell off of it. The Honda did him wonders......and I'll bet James feels more at home on that Suzuki. He already looks good from what we're seen.
G-man
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G-man 5/15/2012 8:57am
5/15/2012 8:57am
WhKnuckle wrote:
A bike that won't work for James Stewart in pro supercross isn't necessarily going to be a tough bike to ride for the average guy on...
A bike that won't work for James Stewart in pro supercross isn't necessarily going to be a tough bike to ride for the average guy on the average outdoor track. If I was in the market for a four stroke - which I sure as hell ain't - I would give the Yamaha just as much consideration as any other bike.
I know a couple average guys that race in our club with the new Yami's.
One parked it after not being able to race it comfortably (now races a YZ250) and his buddy who is a good rider had to do considerable mods to "get it to turn".

This is what they told me--don't shoot the messenger. Woohoo

btw good interview, thanks for the link.
If I was Yami, I would scrap the design and start over.... Dry
Mr. G
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Mr. G 5/15/2012 9:03am
5/15/2012 9:03am
Last sentence. That is what a smart company does to survive and prosper. You don't dig in your heels just to be "right". Their call. Now on the plus side it is good to see a company willing to try new things, so that should be commended.

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