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Every motorsport in the world has taken steps at one time or another to slow the equipment and tracks down, except for motocross
Tracks are an issue
Suspension is an issue
Horsepower is an issue
This sport needs to figure out whatever it is and fix it fast, or the Fed will step in and do it...and that will not be pretty.
If you do not believe me, look up "ATC's and the CPSC"
450s produce to much usable power for your average rider. They have become too easy to ride for the average rider, your average rider can ride over his head on a 450 without even knowing it and get himself into trouble. An old 500 2 stroke wasnt as easy to ride above your head because the power was so unusable for your average rider, it made more power but was harder to ride.
I am not going to blame bikes for a rider getting hurt, but 450s do tend to give a guy more confidence in something he wont normally do.
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It's no argument the bikes are faster... do they cause more injuries? That is not for sure but its a good place to start pointing fingers.
Before fourstrokes the a persons limits were defined by their ability and bike performance, now the 4 strokes fill the gap of ability with tourque and lots of it.
Around here I feel like the jumps haven't got any bigger, most tracks have small jumps and high speed. I usually find myself wanting more jumps.
there are way more jumps compared to the old days
My point is, if you can fall, or hit something/someone, you run the risk of a spinal cord injury, no matter what the sport.
Which begs the question, what causes the majority of crashes? They seem to be classifiable. Gather data and break it down from there. Then address the individual causes. It would be complex but maybe a worthy study. The data doesn't exist now and would take years to compile but it could address a lot of things; dangerous riding, fast bikes, poor tracks, bad suspension; flaggers; safety gear (neck braces). Do a sampling and extrapolate. Volunteers?
I remember when Bailey was paralyzed, I rode 80's at the time and Bailey was (and still is) my hero. I remember riding after I heard the news and thinking as I was riding, "Man, that's pretty scary, anything can happen." I also remember thinking, "If I am going to ride like this and think about that (what happened to Bailey) I might as well hang it up." I realized then that we all take chances and riding dirt bikes was worth the chance to me -- I never looked back and I don't ride thinking about those things.
Well, well something has to be responsible so say the whiners out there and since blaming an injured rider is never appropriate, let's blame the bike.
In interviews with many riders with irreversible injuries most after a while say "I used poor judgement".
alessi said he rode over his limit and he paid the price
5 years ago i rode over my limit on my 125 and paid the price broken tib and fib and crushed t6 and t7 yep i was lucky no permanent damage
2 years ago i rode over my head on my 250f broken femur
people have been hurting themselves always.
the risk is one of the things that makes motocross attractive after i busted my back i went and raced cars......boring it was like a cocoon in there all the roll cage and everything i no longer got the rush even though i was doing 3x the speed
450 are not the problem YOT didnt have a team for half the year and they were not running 450s
It is up to us the rider the person who twists the throttle and no one else pros and amateurs make mistakes and now with the supercross style tracks the one mistake usually is a bigger result than back in the old scrambler type days but i like to ride tracks with jumps to me it is more fun and that is the risk I am willing to take
Pit Row
The type's of injuries and the frequencies I hear the guys on here talking about having are much worse than most of the ones we had when I was racing. Back then you could race 5-6 years and expect to get off without a serious injury. Can you say that now?
Tiki I can't say exactly when it changed, but it has. It's not just the power of the bikes, it's what they can do over all. Just like Dave said.
Sure the tracks have changed a bit, but they are way behind on adjusting for how much better the bikes have gotten.
All the bikes, all the way across the board have gotten way too fast.
Kids on 50cc bikes are jumping stuff C riders weren't jumping 15 years ago.
If a rider started out on a 125cc two stroke they were limited by their ability to use the clutch and keep their speed up.
Now any 15 year old can hop on a 250f (or even worse a 450) and get an trouble very quickly.
The powers that be have failed this sport in so many ways, but letting the bikes get so fast at the amateur level will be one of our most serious regrets down the road.
At least the AMA has finally seen the light and are holding firm on 150Fs in the mini classes.
We are getting away from the sport I fell in love with 30 years ago.
We used to be able to tell people that it wasn't as dangerous as they thought.
That it was a sport where technique and practice were the most important.
That it was the motorsport that favored rider ability more than any other. We have all heard 90% rider, 10% machine.
That it was the most affordable racing.
None of this is as true as it once was.
In an sx crash you land like a lawn dart
In an mx crash you ragdoll for a while
When your momentum comes to an abrupt stop its more likely to do core damage.
When its dispursed over a long tumble it is more likely to do limb damage.
Nothing to do with the bikes. A poor handling 500 two stroke is twice as powerful and handles twice as bad as a modern 450. Difference being they were ridden in open rough tracks, not a stadium full of jagged aligator teeth.
Need more proof? Go dig out some racing tapes from the 80's or 90's....compare the track from 15 or 20 yrs ago to what is common now- they looked like special test grass tracks with a few knolls to hop thrown in for good measure. Maybe not so much in the 90's but you can see the progression toward more jump oriented, technical tracks.
Personally I love tricky jumps but the truth is that loads of confidence inspiring power and large tricky sx style jumps can make for a much worse crash than what may have happened 20 yrs ago on a 35 HP 235 pound 2-stroke ridden on a much tamer track
Example: My 9y/o son and I went riding at a track with some friends this weekend. I had not been to this track in a long time and I was shocked at what they changed it into. It used to be a nice long MX track with huge bowl turns and decent straights with some minor jumps mixed in. It was a novice track but it was fun and had some pretty good flow. I figured it would be a perfect track for him to increase his skills and confidence. Fast forward a few years and now the track is a 1/4 the size it was and filled with jumps I wouldn't attempt on my 450. The thing that really got me was there were only 2 other big bikes out there; the rest were 60s.
We spent our time on the old track even though it was overgorwn with weeds and only had one line. It was still fun just being able to ride with my son but I doubt we will be going back. I find it's getting harder and harder to find a decent track to coach my son to ride on. He's still getting used to the powerband and clutch so it looks like for a while we will just be riding figure 8s in an open field.
For the first time, I'm actually not too wild about him racing because of the tracks.
I think what we need is better protection for our bodies. The neck brace was a good start, now they need to work on something to protect the back and stomach area.
http://www.motocrossactionmag.com/...&type=news&mod=News& mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=A206F396F0134C4A950B361256260C33
It is the tracks more so than the bikes.
Course design in both SX and MX needs to change IMO. At the top of the sport the factory teams' practice tracks take out their riders on a regularly basis and SX tracks have gotten way out of hand.
SX obstacles have no business on a outdoor track. We lose amateur riders all over the US because they just have to try this double or triple meanwhile increasing their corner speed is not even considered since they're so jump focused.
Ought to be a law I tell you........(spoken in crotchety old voice)
Problem is the industry seems convinced that the crowd needs the carnival type thrills of seeing riders triple a section. While it is cool & fun to watch (when they make it), it isn't worth what can happen when they don't. Unfortunately, while few admit it, many spectators love seeing the gnarly crash, just as in any motorsport. It's just 'heavy' for them when the rider/driver doesn't walk away.
It will take me a week or two but I will get a picture of the back protection that is mandated in Sweden.
BTW, I am a RXR wearer and couldn't feel safer when I ride.
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