RCH a huge downgrade for Rozcen?

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Edited Date/Time 11/5/2014 12:24pm
What you guys think? Personally a rider of Ken's caliber going to RCH has me scratching my head. I'm happy for RCH and Ken but I wonder if it was the best move for Ken. Must be some good money. Not saying that RCH is peanuts but it is a fairly new team and not as seasoned as a factory team such as KTM or Honda. Can you imagine something like this 10 years ago? Never seen riders like this at the top of there game going to a satellite team. Man, how times have changed.
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daemon616
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daemon616 11/3/2014 4:28pm
11/3/2014 4:28pm
I think he'll be better and that's scary.
Alvear999
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Alvear999 11/3/2014 4:30pm
11/3/2014 4:30pm
He said its nothing to do with the money and that he didnt feel comfortable as he would like with the steel frame on the ktms. Also AC said that kenny looked justbas fast on the rmz, except his corner speed was crazy fast now (not that it wasnt to begin with in my opinion haha)
Kyriazis298 11/3/2014 4:30pm
11/3/2014 4:30pm
Virtually the same bike is being ridden by James Stewart and being won on.

I think kenny will be fine.
Olson
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Olson 11/3/2014 4:31pm
11/3/2014 4:31pm
Carmichael and Suzuki has some titles in the bag from the past decade. He will be fine.

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Outsider
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Outsider 11/3/2014 4:32pm
11/3/2014 4:32pm
Couple guys that own RCH have been pretty good for the sport and probably have guys around them that know their shit... oh, and they money, apparently, soo...
Skippie
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Skippie 11/3/2014 4:32pm
11/3/2014 4:32pm
Does everyone not remember when RC came on they became a factory team? He will have equipment on par with his KTM stuff, the guys working with RCH have been around for a while.
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level 11/3/2014 4:34pm
11/3/2014 4:34pm
I hope it works for him and the team. Listen, I am rooting for them. i would love to see RCH do well and I am glad they grabbed a rider like Ken. I think that's amazing. I guess this season will tell. It just seems odd. I am curious about the environment he will be in compared to KTM or Factory Honda.
Crisp BRAAAP! 11/3/2014 4:36pm
11/3/2014 4:36pm
daemon616 wrote:
I think he'll be better and that's scary.
^^^This. He wanted a Suzuki and he got one. It's factory and he needs to have fun. RCH is perfect.
malachi177
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malachi177 11/3/2014 4:38pm
11/3/2014 4:38pm
Factory Suzuki= an outstanding bike for Kroc to raise it to another level.
Crush
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Crush 11/3/2014 4:44pm
11/3/2014 4:44pm
The team definitely has the staff and have been building but having said that this is still a massive year for both team and rider.

Kenny is THE guy on the team now, no more equal number one or 1B, or even 2... he has to deliver for that big ass contract. Likewise, all RCH has been building for is to have one of the true title contenders, and now they've got it. If there is a screw up that drops him from contention people will point the finger... In someways, anything less than a title is a step down... He's got a good shot at both tho!
rmartin517
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rmartin517 11/3/2014 4:44pm
11/3/2014 4:44pm
Between Ken and James there will be a lot of rmz 450s sold next year!
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GuyB 11/3/2014 4:44pm
11/3/2014 4:44pm
level wrote:
I hope it works for him and the team. Listen, I am rooting for them. i would love to see RCH do well and I am...
I hope it works for him and the team. Listen, I am rooting for them. i would love to see RCH do well and I am glad they grabbed a rider like Ken. I think that's amazing. I guess this season will tell. It just seems odd. I am curious about the environment he will be in compared to KTM or Factory Honda.
Which part?
Forza
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Forza 11/3/2014 4:47pm
11/3/2014 4:47pm
level wrote:
I hope it works for him and the team. Listen, I am rooting for them. i would love to see RCH do well and I am...
I hope it works for him and the team. Listen, I am rooting for them. i would love to see RCH do well and I am glad they grabbed a rider like Ken. I think that's amazing. I guess this season will tell. It just seems odd. I am curious about the environment he will be in compared to KTM or Factory Honda.
GuyB wrote:
Which part?
No Decoster. He is like god around here.
wreckitrandy
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wreckitrandy 11/3/2014 4:47pm
11/3/2014 4:47pm
I'm a big fan of RC but, I can't imagine he'd be good to work for. Unless of course, you're winning everything. How long is KR under contract with RCH?
newmann
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newmann 11/3/2014 4:47pm
11/3/2014 4:47pm
I like Roczen, Fox and KTM. But I like that angry little elf too so things might just work out! Saying Roczen looked crazy fast on the RMZ450 is just talking silly though. I remember him laying the wood to the 450's on a RMZ250 at the MXdN. Now that was crazy fast on a RMZ.
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Crush 11/3/2014 4:48pm
11/3/2014 4:48pm
rmartin517 wrote:
Between Ken and James there will be a lot of rmz 450s sold next year!
ha.
GuyB
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GuyB 11/3/2014 4:48pm
11/3/2014 4:48pm
Forza wrote:
No Decoster. He is like god around here.
He posts here? Wink
Skippie
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Skippie 11/3/2014 4:49pm
11/3/2014 4:49pm
wreckitrandy wrote:
I'm a big fan of RC but, I can't imagine he'd be good to work for. Unless of course, you're winning everything. How long is KR...
I'm a big fan of RC but, I can't imagine he'd be good to work for. Unless of course, you're winning everything. How long is KR under contract with RCH?
I'd assume 2 years. And as for the winning department, it's pretty safe to say you will see a lot of Roczen on the top step this year.

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dboivin
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dboivin 11/3/2014 4:52pm
11/3/2014 4:52pm Edited Date/Time 11/3/2014 4:53pm
this is a serious topic/question? not sure if you checked but RCH is floating in more sponsor money than any other team on the circuit at the moment.
Kartwheel84c 11/3/2014 4:53pm
11/3/2014 4:53pm
Roczen riding an RCH Suzuki will be just like Windham riding a Geico Honda, it will be either the same, or as close as Kenny wants it, to the same bike as the official "works" bike.
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MotoMalyDad 11/3/2014 5:01pm
11/3/2014 5:01pm
So I wonder if Ken is saying that he hopes to win his first major championship on a Suzuki ? Finished second to Moosacan in 2010 while on the Zook and won MX2 on a KTM in 20111.
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Jarid332 11/3/2014 5:03pm
11/3/2014 5:03pm
I think Kenny will do alright.
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GuyB 11/3/2014 5:05pm
11/3/2014 5:05pm
dboivin wrote:
this is a serious topic/question? not sure if you checked but RCH is floating in more sponsor money than any other team on the circuit at...
this is a serious topic/question? not sure if you checked but RCH is floating in more sponsor money than any other team on the circuit at the moment.
So you've seen everyone's books? Smile
StartedTooLate 11/3/2014 5:10pm
11/3/2014 5:10pm Edited Date/Time 11/3/2014 5:20pm
level wrote:
What you guys think? Personally a rider of Ken's caliber going to RCH has me scratching my head. I'm happy for RCH and Ken but I...
What you guys think? Personally a rider of Ken's caliber going to RCH has me scratching my head. I'm happy for RCH and Ken but I wonder if it was the best move for Ken. Must be some good money. Not saying that RCH is peanuts but it is a fairly new team and not as seasoned as a factory team such as KTM or Honda. Can you imagine something like this 10 years ago? Never seen riders like this at the top of there game going to a satellite team. Man, how times have changed.
"Huge"? I think you don't really understand how this works. Engineering expertise is much more widely dispersed in the industry today. Test time and the resources to dial the bike (new settings, new valving, new mapping, new parts) is where the real 'factory' advantage comes from. But you do not need to be owned by the corporate parent company to have these capabilities. All you need is money to hire and pay the right people.

Explain how KR will get less test track time and development with RCH. If anything, the way KTM is running around trying to get every team to run orange, he will get MORE focus with RCH. Explain how RCH can not design a new part on their own CAD system, and find an aerospace level job shop in S. CA to make the part faster than it can get shipped from Japan. 20 years ago you had to buy Catia...but today you can get seats of Solidworks / ProE / Inventor for under $10K WITH FEA. Explain how a 'factory' can re-valve forks and shocks better and faster than RCH. Explain how a factory can use custom ground offset bearings (steering tube and Arm) to change geometry slightly (changing trail, anti squat, etc) to suit a specific riders style easier than RCH can? MX is so rider specific. Where the rubber meets the ground is on the test track.

A show room bike with $10K in bolt on parts and dialed perfectly to the rider will beat a "factory" bike with no testing every time...especially in the 450 class. Recall Shorty at Oakland two years ago on a Honda he bought off the showroom floor, with bolt on parts and Enzo suspension. That was Shorty's best finish of the year...and the next race he was on a factory KTM.

It is all about the money to do the work, and RCH has plenty of it. I pick KR for the SX title, mainly because he will be better in the corners on the Zook. The only one who can stop him is James...IF he can race...and IF he has his head on straight. To many IFs.
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jeffro503 11/3/2014 5:19pm
11/3/2014 5:19pm
I can not see one disadvantage Kenny would have from going from KTM to Suzuki.

I also honestly think he'll be tough to beat in any series....weather it's SX or MX. Face it.....the kid's a stud and young dudes like him , Eli , ect......are going to rule this sport.
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WeiserGuy 11/3/2014 5:21pm
11/3/2014 5:21pm
No. Negative. Absolutely not.


He's gonna CRUSH it.
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088kawi 11/3/2014 5:29pm
11/3/2014 5:29pm
rmartin517 wrote:
Between Ken and James there will be a lot of rmz 450s sold next year!
You are correct in saying Ken will sell a lot of RMZ's, that other guy not so much
Cygnus
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Cygnus 11/3/2014 5:29pm
11/3/2014 5:29pm
I think he will be just fine on the Bazooki and maybe even better than the KTM just because he grew up on yellow. A lot of this profession is in thier heads. If he thinks the RCH Suzy is better it will be.
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Sully 11/3/2014 5:34pm
11/3/2014 5:34pm
level wrote:
What you guys think? Personally a rider of Ken's caliber going to RCH has me scratching my head. I'm happy for RCH and Ken but I...
What you guys think? Personally a rider of Ken's caliber going to RCH has me scratching my head. I'm happy for RCH and Ken but I wonder if it was the best move for Ken. Must be some good money. Not saying that RCH is peanuts but it is a fairly new team and not as seasoned as a factory team such as KTM or Honda. Can you imagine something like this 10 years ago? Never seen riders like this at the top of there game going to a satellite team. Man, how times have changed.
"Can you imagine something like this 10 years ago? Never seen riders like this at the top of there game going to a satellite team. Man, how times have changed."

I'm pretty sure McGrath did it in '98 when he left Suzuki and started his own factory-backed Yamaha team. Things seem to have worked out OK for him.
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Camp332 11/3/2014 5:42pm
11/3/2014 5:42pm
Bro, there are dudes on the wrenching side of things at RCH that worked for factory teams. RCH has Suzuki factory support. Not to mention the knowledge that RC has from testing that current bike. I think that Roczen is far better off than if he was anywhere else.

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