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My thoughts Exactly
What could ever be more advanced then the steam engine they said.
Do not get me wrong, I love so much the pit bits pictures that I regularly save some on my pc, but the true factory bikes, breakthough innovations, like we could see in the 80s, are costing so much that I would prefer to see more riders and their mechanics making a living with the factory money. Bikes must remain affordable too !
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Realistically, all the production rule is holding teams to is production-based frames (there's still gusseting and other mods being done) and production based engines. So manufactures can't go out and build one-off engines and frames... Engine wise, it's an absolute hassle and immense expense to create a limited run of different race engines that won't truly make it to production. Especially because some of the processes used to create one-off or limited run components is not how you would go about creating an actual production run. So it's not even as simple as going "cool, this works, order 10,000!".
If your frame is cracking and breaking every other month and you keep welding new gussets
to keep it together you'll be changing the frame until you solve that problem.
At some point you call it good.
That may be all well and good for some things like the swing on the front porch maybe....
But I have a feeling it is not the way the manufacturers are looking at it, KTM for example has gone on a rampage the last 10 years while the Japanese have been saving money on design..... I don't know the sales figures but somehow I sense they may be moving towards the top.....
And as far as the race teams - something also tells me they are not going to reach a point where they say, ok, it works, so lets just leave it alone.
Anyone here know anything about what is in the head of Roger DeCoster? Would you think he would buy the "if it is not broke, don't fix it" path to success ?
So, what would you design into the 2018 bikes that would make the 2016 be as outdated as what happened to me in 81?
Are you thinking of 23 inch front wheels? Soft springs and air assist forks? Falling rate, uni-track suspension? KX 420? Can Am? Shock under the fuel tank? Boost bottles? Back then, they tried a lot of new innovative things that were bad ideas, or never caught on. The "Update" to my 82 yz 250 and 490 opposed to the 79 yz 465 comes to mind.
Lots of people left riding, back then, just because switching bikes every year became too expensive. Plenty bought Hodaka super rats just because they could race other Hodaka super rats and not be a a disadvantage. The 125 and 250 class meant you needed a bike every six months.
No one wants to risk falling backwards and I think someone will have to see innovation and thought like we did back then.
Also, is being able to race a nice 06 bike, in 2016 a bad thing? The fact the 06 is still worth something. It sounds pretty good for aftermarket suppliers.
Design trick engine cases on a computer, hit enter, then a crazy mill cuts it out of a hunk of expensive metal.
Seems easier than the foundry way of the '70's
Pit Row
They are opened the sport up in the first place to all the teenagers throughout the USA.
And it was not necessary for the Japanese too much for those bikes that resulted from those $100 000 factory bikes.
But The KTM's have become reliable, lightweight - and have had electric start for what - about eight years whereas the Japanese are still jerking around with their kick starters.
I imagine I am missing some of the KTM developments that the Japanese have not yet caught on to,,,, or ??
Pinnacle of engineering in 1967. These guys were probably saying we have reached the limits of technology and R&D budgets.
Golden years of racing only happens once and the 70s and early 80s was it for mx. In the 70s Don Jones and his boys developed and built the first Yamaha prototype YZS in their garage. Today you have a dozen people that may not even ride bikes, and a bunch of computers to figure out how to design an air box to flow air more efficient.
It was awsome going to a national in the 70s and checking out the works bikes. Also the excitement of the new production models each year. Nowadays all bikes are competetive.And a 5 year old bike is still fast. In the 70s you had to be careful what bike you chose to buy or you could spend the year racing at a diadvantage. Ask the guys that raced a 79 CR125, or an 82 YZ250.
I would like to see a 125 support class, 250 class (2 and 4 stroke ). And an open class with no production rule.
Make a mandantory equalized weight limit, add weights for the rider/bike combo before each race to be weighed right before they enter the gate so that everyone has a fair chance.
I just think true works bikes (and we have not had them since 85 in the States, we haven't) push the boundaries of design and we'd be seeing some amazing creativity.
I agree with Julian, let some engineers follow the Steve Jobs approach and raise the Jolly Roger flag above their own small shop and just see what they can come up with. Again, pragmatically it may not make sense (we don't have the advertising capital of Formula One) but revoking the Production rule would be an exciting turn for the sport, because at least the factories would have the option if they wanted to try.
The Battle of the Twins roadrace at Daytona during Bike Week started out that way; just a group working to develop the twins outside of the AMA. About the only rule was it had to be a twin cylinder motor. Used to see some neat twins in those events; Ducati developed their 851cc 4 valve using it and John Briton ran his phenomenal machine in it. But there were also H-D's, BMW's and Guzzi's too, all small team efforts with minimal factory support.
Win on Sunday, buy on Monday.
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