Jody Weisel racing

Xavier wrote:

Jody is a Legend ! Understands how a motorcycle technically works - more than 99% of the Industry people... Unparalleled experience. Not afraid of telling the...

Jody is a Legend !

Understands how a motorcycle technically works - more than 99% of the Industry people...

Unparalleled experience.

Not afraid of telling the (at least his) truth about any bike-product-person.

Last, and not least, best writer/story teller in the business.

PS : is he right 100% of the time ? No. Who is ?

Robgvx wrote:

1. Testing bikes is all about experience. How can you say that bike X is better or worse than bike Y unless you've ridden both? 2...

1. Testing bikes is all about experience. How can you say that bike X is better or worse than bike Y unless you've ridden both?

2. Speed of the test rider is less important than experience in my opinion. A flawed bike reveals it's flaws to any level of rider. Equally a good bike is a good bike, irrespective of the speed of the rider.

When I did test riding, which I did for many years, the good test riders (even if they were slower) drew the exact same conclusions about the bike as I did. However if we ever brought in a guest pro they often wouldn't have a clue because they only had one brand (their race bike) to compare against. More often than not they would also invent some issue with the performance - one that was at odds with every other test rider's opinions - in order to make it seem like they knew what they were doing.

Hence I consider the opinions of a vastly experienced slower rider far more credible than those of a less experienced fast guy.

Incidentally, in my experience you can tell whether a bike is good or bad within a couple of straights. Bad bikes don't get better the more you ride them, and vice versa.

3. It's not just Jody that tests the bikes. MXA have plenty of faster test riders too, just in case, by some miracle, a bad bike turns into a good one for a faster rider.

4. JW has forgotten more about motocross than most people on this board will ever know.

5. He's ridden - no, probably raced - practically every bike that's ever been built. No other person on the planet has that experience.

6. He's still racing in his mid-60s. To bag on him is ridiculous.

FreshTopEnd wrote:

God bless you Xavier, I'll go with anything but best writer. His writing is horrible, and sometimes the message he's conveying is, too. IMO, and I...

God bless you Xavier, I'll go with anything but best writer. His writing is horrible, and sometimes the message he's conveying is, too. IMO, and I know people disagree. MXA was a far better magazine before Hinz and Jody controlled it.

But that doesn't mean he's not a good dude or a loyal friend, and anyone who finds something wrong with staying on a dirt bike as long as you can needs his head examined. Props to Jody for that.

watson wrote:

Racing the over 60 Expert class. What would someone be smoking to be under the pretense that the guy lights up the track every time he...

Racing the over 60 Expert class. What would someone be smoking to be under the pretense that the guy lights up the track every time he throws a leg over a bike? After racing for a lifetime, nonetheless.

Even if you disagree with everything the guy says, you at least have to have respect him for:

1. Racing at age 60+. How many of you can say you will still be racing then? Or even riding? I know I won't.

2. Speaking his mind.

mx317 wrote:

It always seems funny when people say it was better before Jody came on board. It was about the mid-seventies when he became editor, so it...

It always seems funny when people say it was better before Jody came on board. It was about the mid-seventies when he became editor, so it was only 2 or 3 years with Dick Miler and the Baz. Most people that have read MXA have only read it since Jody was in charge.

andymoto wrote:

Never liked his columns, but he's gotten to ride, race, test all the OEM and best factory bikes around as well as bench race with the...

Never liked his columns, but he's gotten to ride, race, test all the OEM and best factory bikes around as well as bench race with the best riders and industry folks among other stuff he contributed at MXA..

Neat he's still able to ride and race in his 60's and still employed coming up to 40 yrs at MXA. Good for him he's still eating, sleeping, dreaming moto as long as he has.

andymoto wrote:

Never liked his columns, but he's gotten to ride, race, test all the OEM and best factory bikes around as well as bench race with the...

Never liked his columns, but he's gotten to ride, race, test all the OEM and best factory bikes around as well as bench race with the best riders and industry folks among other stuff he contributed at MXA..

Neat he's still able to ride and race in his 60's and still employed coming up to 40 yrs at MXA. Good for him he's still eating, sleeping, dreaming moto as long as he has.

BobbyM wrote:

hey andy, remember he was the only factory HODAKA racer there ever was...i believe.

Rooster wrote:

Say what you want about the magazine, but bagging on a guy who's raced damn near every weekend for 40 years and is still racing at...

Say what you want about the magazine, but bagging on a guy who's raced damn near every weekend for 40 years and is still racing at 60 is being pretty damn pissy.

I can only hope to still be on a bike at his age and have nothing but respect for the years he's put into the sport.

englishman wrote:

He's 60 and still races every week for free, he's better supported than any factory rider in the history of the sport has been, he rides...

He's 60 and still races every week for free, he's better supported than any factory rider in the history of the sport has been, he rides any bike he wants, he says what he wants, does what he wants and makes money doing what we'd all love to do.

Say what you will but anyone that can pull all that off is the smartest guy ever to throw a leg over an MX bike.

kwebster447 wrote:

Whether you like their opinions or not, you have to hand it to MXA for having real opinions. Most of the other magazines prefer to simply...

Whether you like their opinions or not, you have to hand it to MXA for having real opinions. Most of the other magazines prefer to simply tell you how great everything is.
Not sure the last time I saw an honest review in Transworld...

BobbyM wrote:

how you dicks can bag on jody is fucking hilarious.

mx317 wrote:

It always seems funny when people say it was better before Jody came on board. It was about the mid-seventies when he became editor, so it...

It always seems funny when people say it was better before Jody came on board. It was about the mid-seventies when he became editor, so it was only 2 or 3 years with Dick Miler and the Baz. Most people that have read MXA have only read it since Jody was in charge.

FreshTopEnd wrote:

It's not funny at all to someone who remembers a much better magazine. I can remember sitting outside the liquor store with my friends reading issue...

It's not funny at all to someone who remembers a much better magazine. I can remember sitting outside the liquor store with my friends reading issue No. 1. Zilagyi, Bazzer and Miller built the brand. Jody didn't dominate the magazine until after Miller left, which was around when Hinz bought High Torque. Hinz and Jody took it in a different direction, and I hated it then and don't buy into it now. The snarky arrogance and crappy writing and fact checking on the editorial side stinks.

No one disputes they provide a lot of testing and set up information that is valuable to people. The mag is worth its salt for that. And, like I said, he may be the coolest guy to his friends, and anyone who talks crap about someone who still loves to get out and ride no matter how old or fast or slow has got rocks in his head. Riding bikes is always a good thing and hopefully the last best thing we all have in common no matter what our other differences were.