Posts
237
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
La Vista, NE, USA
Edited Date/Time
11/22/2012 9:48am
Before you send me any death threats let me say that I have loved MX racing for close to 40 years. I've worked in the industry for close to 30 of them. In that time I've watch the sales of offroad bikes plummet. Fewer participants does not bode well the health of the industry.
The following idea is based on conversations have had with fellow people in the industry.
Is it time for the Factory teams to pull out of professional races and use the resources to promote riding at the local level?
I truely believe that the $$ spent on RV or JS7 could be but to better use if the oems pooled their resouces and started private riding facilities around the country. Facilities that catered to both MX and trail riding that focused their efforts on getting new riders into the sport. Facilites that held not only races but training classes. Facilities that focused on getting families riding together.
By working with states and the National Forest Service to secure long term leases and by working with groups such as the AMA and Blue Ribbon Coalition to maintain the facilities we could have numerous riding areas throughout the country for all of us to enjoy without fear of them being closed. In a relativly short amount of time this would increase bike sales substantially allowing the sport to continue to grow.
Having a sport with just a few people making most of the $$ is not a model that will sustain success.
Thoughts?
The following idea is based on conversations have had with fellow people in the industry.
Is it time for the Factory teams to pull out of professional races and use the resources to promote riding at the local level?
I truely believe that the $$ spent on RV or JS7 could be but to better use if the oems pooled their resouces and started private riding facilities around the country. Facilities that catered to both MX and trail riding that focused their efforts on getting new riders into the sport. Facilites that held not only races but training classes. Facilities that focused on getting families riding together.
By working with states and the National Forest Service to secure long term leases and by working with groups such as the AMA and Blue Ribbon Coalition to maintain the facilities we could have numerous riding areas throughout the country for all of us to enjoy without fear of them being closed. In a relativly short amount of time this would increase bike sales substantially allowing the sport to continue to grow.
Having a sport with just a few people making most of the $$ is not a model that will sustain success.
Thoughts?
People get all gung-ho on racing & spending $$$ on the latest & greatest. After years of racing & being involved in track & national operations, some of my best memories are just riding in a dirt field as a kid with my dad, riding easy trails with friends crusing around.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
this is the answer, it coudl be sold for 5g all day long and would be a great entry level full size bike that could be capable of anything, woods/mx etc and wouldn't deter the rider because of the power (450, 250 2 strokes) easy cheap to fix, and wouldn't make people want to leave the sport like so many are doing now because of the costs involved in maintenance
exactly, the old mx/yz yamaha's are a perfect example. not everybody needs a 40 hp 250f 50+ hp 450 50 +hp 250 2 stroke. you can do just as well on a kdx200 type bike as you can a 250f or anything else out there especially at the local level
kx/kdx200 hybrid
Something to consider-
Sports take time to evolve. Such a huge switch in direction would basically kill what has developed and not replace it automatically. You might just kill pro MX and have nothing left to show for it.
You can't plan on government cooperating or being part of your plan. Think Occam's razor-too complicated (and risky)
OEM money for SXMX is basically a subsidy for the racing entertainment business by providing it with free talent to showcase week after week, anywhere they go. The goal is having the best brand identification for the longest time in front of the most people. Ego is a huge incentive, and so is tradition.
Take that away and there is no way to know how much of that ego and tradition will roll over to a more practical ground-up approach.
It's fun to think about what holds back the local racing. There isn't shit around Memphis.
Who keeps tiny auto speedways going all over America? Small operators, and auto parts retailers seem to be not too far away.
There are probably moto supply companies that would boost their bottom line if they could plan out and manage a network of tracks put in all over, but small MX tracks are a liability-a lawsuit waiting to happen. That's the nature of it. The track I grew up on, on Army land and open to anyone, died when someone got killed out there.
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/ride/home.aspx
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/events/dynamicevent/2/1644/yamaha_a…
http://www.nohva.com/News%202011/yamaha-awards-NOHVA-grant%202011.htm
http://powersports.honda.com/experience/colton-rider-education-center.a…
Additionally, motocross has never been a profitable venture in the short-term. Teams spend much more money on racing than they will ever recoup in YZs, CRFs, SXFs, etc... The purpose racing serves is the all-important "Branding." In other words, Honda is content to lose a little money on racing when measured against CRF450R sales, as long as Joe Moto Fan leaves the supercross in his Accord, Pilot or Ridgeline, goes home to ride that CRF the next day and uses his Honda generator at the desert. When Justin Barcia wins a race, Honda's brand value goes up a little bit, and the ripple effect is felt throughout their products.
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