Impact of Stock Bikes Ridden Well

I think it tells more about the riders and their respective competitors than the bike.

It certainly shows how good new bikes are these days.

It shows the depth of the field, obviously the bikes are better these days however a big reason why we haven't seen this in the past is that all the good guys are on factory bikes. 

This is why our sport is so great, it's about the rider not the machine.

Colt45...

It also shows that the factory bikes are or can be overkill. Flex is ok when it is

So much money wasted on the hype products.  Buy it, ride it.  When you can finish 11th overall at a National, then we can talk about some mods....    

So if you cant qualify at a national, you are wasting $$ on cool parts to build bikes?   I bet the aftermarket companies disagree with you, building cool bikes is half the fun. Doesnt affect you 're bank.account. Who cares..

I don’t necessarily think it’s where the bike finishes that makes the argument of how good a stock bike is. I think it’s more who is riding it. For example if JS7 or ET3 were able to achieve what they have on factory equipment on a stock bike instead, then it really would show what the bike can withstand/how well it can perform!

Only the factory riders are even fully prepared for a race through testing, facilities and travel / training. If they swapped their factory bike with a non factory rider, they would still finish ahead of them. (Sans Maybe Masterpool, who has a facility, preparation/training in time off and probably testing)

Looks like there is a push by Yamaha to show stock bikes can compete (nothing new e.g they always wanted boring stock looking color schemes on Reed and DV's bikes so they look somewhat stock)

*Where did the comment go that said he has A-kit internals?

**The most important thing is actually having a FACTORY mentor / race craft trainer. Someone like Jeannie, Aldon, John Tomac or Dazzie. Its embarrassing seeing factory guys try and compete with no one in their corner.

***post Ricky - you can't just grip it and rip it (pre RC you could just do lots of laps and be good almost - apart from MC that had head game)

****I'm looking at you AC, your "trainer" couldn't organize a piss up in a brewery

If that works for you, sweet, that is the smart option 👍

The other way to look at it...

A bad dude like McElrath could ride an 85 around a track faster than I could ride a factory 450.

He has the skill and experience to ride around any shortcomings / setup differences and the knowledge to know what these are, by feel.

A squid with none of this skill, knowledge or experience, good predictable setup and having things how you like to inspire confidence maybe MORE important to you than a fast guy... even if it's just a confidence thing or even if it's just in your head.

The other argument, car guys will spend 10's of thousands on making something look pretty to simply park it in a car lot or field so other dudes can look at it.... Shit look at SEMA builds that don't even run 😂 

If you wanna build a badass bike as a hobby, because you just like how it looks/feels, or simply because you can and you want to, then fair play to you, it's often not about a 'need'.

Do you need it? No.

Is it totally fine if you want to bolt it on? Yes. Support the industry, enjoy your hobby, build a sweet scoot.

It also makes a factory rider look bad when they do poor because they "missed the set up". So accordinly it was the bike not the rider at fault.  A factory guy has every advantage over a privateer, and if he finishes behind one, the factory should be looking to get a new rider.  Its either, "its the bike" or " its the rider" or can it be both?

Rider ability is X

Bike is Y

Part set up is a little number , let’s say z 

X • Y(z) = lap time

Im not a mathematician. 

It's tough because some guys like Kenny are sensitive to bike setup and some guys will bulldog and haul ass on any pile of bolts.

Obviously the level of speed changes drastically, but I think this still applies to the average dude.

One guy can be fast (for their skill level at least) on their bike which they have gotten absolutely dialled in, but struggle massively on another bike or if something is a bit 'off'.

Another dude can ride at their usual max pace with ruined swingarm bearings and the front tyre at 8psi and the sag at god knows what after pulling the bike out of the garage to ride for the first time in 3 months 😂

A fresh stock 450 which has the suspension well dialled can no doubt be competitive.

The issue might be over time keeping it fresh & reliable. The factory guys have so much extra support, spare parts, testing, coaching & general information, no budget stress they can get a edge just from that.
 

it might be worth seeing a same day comparison. maybe Vital (and they’ve probably already done this) can bring a factory bike and a stock version to a track, get them both dialed in for the test rider, then test and compare back to back. not so much power delivery and chassis but actual lap times.

No impact..

Folks will still spend money on modifications, which is good. Personalize your bike. Majority of them know the mods wont necessarily make them any faster, but that’s not the point. 
 

That being said, If you get your suspension done and you think your bike handles/rides better - that may actually give you the confidence to ride faster. It’s more mental than actual performance improvement..

If I only bought what I needed. I would live in a tent in the woods.

Well said.