Posts
12246
Joined
4/16/2010
Location
bossier city, LA, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/25/2012 10:17am
There are many theories on how to fix it, but here are some current probs:
Bike prices are going up.
Economy is going down.
Less riders can afford to race.
Less expensive two stroke bikes are virtually banned.
Can this be fixed? Where will it be in five years?
Bike prices are going up.
Economy is going down.
Less riders can afford to race.
Less expensive two stroke bikes are virtually banned.
Can this be fixed? Where will it be in five years?
Start seeing Chinese knockoffs like this on the line .
When he researched why that is, many attribute it to how everyone in there is taught how to drive. In order to get a license, you have to learn how to powerslide a car, how to save it while spinning out of control, etc. Basic courses for race car driving are part of the normal driving test. Which means that the average granny in Finland could probably out drift the average US fast and furious wannabe in his civic.
But the point is that motorsports are extremely successful there because so many people are exposed to it. Formula One champions there are held in higher esteem than soccer players because just about everyone follows the championship. So this gives them: 1) higher pool of people from which to extract talent, 2) more amateur involvement at the local racing level and 3) more fans following the action so more sponsorship money.
The fact is that the answer is simple: motocross has to be accessible to more people. This means several things have to happen.
1) Lower cost (duh) for everything but most importantly the bikes. I don't mean the little TTR or XR trail bikes no one uses to race other than the circus half time shows. There have to be cheaper alternatives for racers, and promoters have to work together to make racing more fair for those on a budget. They do this in car racing with different classes depending on budget, with some of the most popular classes limited to $500/car. If you can race a $500 car and have fun, why can't people find a class to race dirt bikes competitively without spending over $8000??
2) More accessible places to ride --> less noise. You and I have no problem driving 1 hour to go riding because we are already hooked, but many people won't commit to that when they are first starting and just finding out if they even like the sport or not.
3) Our attitudes have to change. Any time we find ourselves in front of someone who, for all intents and purposes, really wants to be a part of the sport, we get all high and mighty if he doesn't know the difference between fuel injection or carburation. So what if he has a flat billed hat and rides like a goon, we were all goons at some point too. No one want's to join a sport full of entitled old assholes who are too good to lend a helping hand or advice.
When the factories and regulatory agencies realize that racing at the pro level and racing at the amateur level are not the same thing, then they will start making progress. When was the last time your local ford dealership had a nascar car available for purchase? They need to start making bikes for the needs of the people, not of their pro racers.
OK, that is all.
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2000 adjusted for inflation:$7,083 (Via http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl)
2010 YZF 250: $6,990
2010 YZF 450: $7,990
Adjusted for inflation a 2000 250 is about $900 cheaper than a 2010 450. It would probably cost you more than $900 to make a stock 250 as competitive as a stock 450. So bringing up floor costs in your argument is entirely a red herring.
There are only two things you can argue: cheapness of a 125 (guess what, you can still buy them) and maintenance. Even with the more expensive maintenance, you can't overcome how much power you get per dollar. Especially if you compared HP/dollar.
The only thing 4 strokes have hurt is the 125 class, which I agree sucks bad. On the other hand, it has never been easier for privateers to compete engine-wise at the 450 level, which has made for better racing.
but 8 grand on a new bike? fuuhget about it
I grew up ridding XR's in the woods and then got into motocross in my mid 20's.
I mostly practice now but have done several races over the last 10 years, I ride MX exclusively since the first day on the track. Trail ridding is just boring now.
I totally love MX and I'm addicted to it but now that my oldest son is starting to ride I am very hesitant to take him to a MX track. I know if he gets addicted to it like me then he'll want to race and if you race long enough, odds are you will get hurt.
For me safety is the biggest factor.
People understand racing and are drawn into it, whether the 100m at the Olympics, the Kentucky Derby, or the pig races at the county fair.
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