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Look at Chad Reed. Last year he was struggling hard to make it into the top ten outside.
This year he has two 10th place finishes.
Call it a placebo effect if you want, but at that level, the bike has to make a difference.. It's only logical.
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Can Reed get win's on his Kawi when he feels up to speed ?
Will JS ever find a setup on the Zook with the new stiffer frame ? Desalle, Clement is killing it..
JG on JGR looks good and bad.
Trey seems to make the Honda work but is quite a bit back from the top guys... is he just that gritty ?
Does bike matter? I think how much the bike is dialed in matters in any class in any event but in the 450 class I don't think brand matters. In the 250 class where HP is king I think bike matters big time. The Y2014 Z250F won the shootouts and was applauded by the testers for a motor that absolutely rips.
"In Auto Racing it's more machine, in Cycling it's more man but Motocorss is the ultimate balance of man and machine."
You really couldn't be anymore wrong about the auto racing being all about the machine.
A good example is McGraths 02 KTM 250sx
IMHO, I believe Reed, although his bike was not where he wanted it to be, was a little mentally done last year. He is the STRONGEST willed rider out there. BAR NONE. He believes himself to win, just like I think he doesn't help himself when he gets in a rut.
Barcia will struggle on whatever bike he rides. He rides it like a little bike, revs it. He has always ridden like that and I don't believe you can ride and be successful on a 450.
Take a guy like Peick. He will do as good as he did without the ride. But now he will get to actually enjoy it and bank some money. I don;t think his results will get way better then they have in the past, it will just be easy to string more of them together.
A talented rider, hen mentally right can and will do good on any bike. You can't replace talent.
I am not fast by any stretch of the definition. But one time I was riding/racing an 05KX315F with full ENZO susp and RPM tuned big bore. I thought I was as fast as I could go till I rode my friends 05 CRF 250 with a pipe and suspension. Because the CRF250 actually handled and did nothing weird under me I was much faster. Sold the 315 a week later.
So I can only imaging how much more sensitive a top rider is.
It can certainly break a season or two - which in turn can lead to a period of trying to rebuild former confidence. A classic example would be Mike Larocco going from Kawasaki to Suzuki in 96 (McGrath of course in 97). With that said idk how common a situation like that is these days. All the modern bikes seem fairly good without any critical design flaws carried over from stock, and only minor issues depending upon personal preference. (Edit: Though of course at this level where every fraction of a second is vital, those minor issues may equal something quite serious if unsolved).
In regards to success; it depends on what you mean by "make". I think new found confidence and belief in a bike can certainly send a rider over the edge to a new level if they're somewhat close to it to begin with. Obviously, as with any single aspect, it can't do it alone. Chad Reed going to Suzuki in 09 seemed to elevate his performance significantly for that season.
Pit Row
He has always been good. He will continue to do good. He has shown what he is capable of before and will continue to show he deserves his ride.
Barcia?
He has always been good. He will continue to be good. His results will be the same. Which are great. I never said they weren't. However, you can sit back and see he is struggling or maybe I should have said "his bike isn't suiting him well" as you did? I stand behind what I said. I guess we will see, next year if the YAMAHA "makes" him huh? It is in my opinion that his "bam bam" style of over revving and riding a 450 will have him getting the same results. Sometimes he will win, sometimes he will look like a fish out of water. Just as he does now. I hope he kills it. I like him and his new team.
You sure did take everything I wrote and completely twisted it, as you typically do.
To get back to the OP's question. I do not think the bikes, at the top level will make or break you. A bike or team may make a rider more comfortable and it may make the riders results a little better, but NOBODY is going to lose so much or gain so much that it makes or breaks them. That just doesn't happen and if it does it isn't because of the bike.
...freakin Vitards. Gotta love 'em...or not.
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