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Man I wish they would bring SX back to Japan. I would totally travel down to Osaka to watch.
^^^Yeah, just swing on down there ha 😎
Went to the Osaka sx in 95. It was epic ,
I thought wsx would try again
I think that may have been the last time it was here in any large capacity, because I haven’t heard anything since I got here in ‘96.
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A few more years after that. I went to Osaka in 97. It was one of MC's first rides on a Yamaha. His rear rotor fell off and he was looking down at it hanging on the axle over the triple.
I love this track, and the racing was great with the Dogger doing no leggers. Swink looked really good in his heat and Dubach crashed really hard. Looked like it was really sandy almost like Miami SX. Does anyone notice the bike Bradshaw is riding? I remember MXA did a piece on it and it's an aluminum framed prototype similar to the 97 CR that never came to be. He crashed out of this race, but he won Tokyo so it must have been pretty good?
Thanks, for the pics.... fun to just stare at? This bike still looks good to me. Wonder why Yamaha decided to not go with this design and how Bradshaw liked it?
Probably for the same reasons McGrath hated the 1997 CR250. It just wasnt ready for prime time yet. Maybe somebody could ask Bradshaw or Emig what it was like to ride it?
I can't believe nobody mentioned this narrator. He was hilarious. Didn't know who anybody was or who they rode for at that time. Pretty funny.
Hey Sully, what brought you to Japan if you don't mind me asking.
No worries at all, man.
Originally, the US Navy brought me over. I did 4 1/2 years active duty here, then just before I got out, I met my kids' mom. We found out she was pregnant with my oldest about a month before I was supposed to get out, so I decided to stick around and get a job with the Navy as a civilian and I've been here since.
When my my kids' mom and I got divorced, I tried to move back to the states a couple of times, but as I'm sure you're familiar with, companies are hesitant to hire you when they think they'll be on the hook to move an entire household overseas, even when I'd tell them I'd take care of it myself. Since I met my current wife, and we bought our house, I'm probably not going anywhere anytime soon - unless a gig that's way too good to pass up pops up somewhere.
Thanks Sully, yup sometimes circumstance dictates our road ahead. Take care bud.
Thanks for asking Sully that, Boom, and Sully for sharing.
I've often wondered at Sully's back story.
True. Aussie Glen Bell got 3rd in one of the heats, and the commentator goes “Glen Bell, who the hell is Glen Bell?!” Had me laughing.
It's AI. I thought it sounded too much like Alex Jones.
AS for trick Yamaha prototypes, here's set of pictures (bad quality, I know), of an apparently well used, 'interesting' OWB2:
Reversed Exhaust Port engine - you can see the Case reed below the Exhaust, Concentric Countershaft / Swingarm Pivot, and, what would be an Incredibly Rigid , Unforgiving Frame. That thing, would have had Absolutely buggerall flex or 'forgiveness - the Swingarm too. The Gearshift Linkage going forward to the lever is an 'interesting' thing.
I've made many linkage Lever set ups for various 2t chassis / 4t engines Hybrids over the years , but with, generally, the Lever pivoting off the SA pivot bolt ( much like the Dubach YZ shifter kits yonks ago that some here may remember), and, a few backwards facing Brake Lever set ups like pictured here, and, as used on some ATKs. Often, different engines and frames, need 'different' ways to make them work, properly, together.
Sully - what's it say on some of those pictures - assuming you are fluent in Japanese writing?
The Chain Torque (re the drawings) I well understand, having played with such set ups, and, quite liking CCS in some usage, while noting / knowing their advantages and disadvantages, riding the BMWs and the Husky 449 /511s that used it. And, having used an ATK Torque Eliminator set up for many years on various bikes. Good, and Bad to it. I've long stopped using the ATK on my CRE, as It got a bit old in the tooth, and I was no longer making use of it's advantages, like keeping it, and my CR/XR Hybrid pinned over Roots and Rocks etc. I've long since been reduced to Plodding, Plonking and Puttering along in the scrub.
I wish I knew, but sadly, I speak somewhat passably, but can only read a little and can’t write at all. Having bilingual kids and a Japanese wife who speaks perfect English has made me incredibly lazy when it comes to Japanese.
That’s an absolutely wild motorcycle, though, so I’ll run the images through Google translate when I get the chance, because I’d like to know more about it, too.
Pit Row
I doubt I could ever work out Kanji, and the Hiragana and Katakana used by the Japanese in their writings.
My Crazy Old Mum learnt (spoken) Japanese (quite) late in life, because one of her best friends came from there. She got pretty bloody good at it too, according to her friend. Which, I found amazing - she's a clever cookie, she is.
I've been thinking of taking Crazy Old Mum over there (she's been there before) while she can still get about a bit - we've got a long standing offer for a visit and places to stay on a couple of the Home Islands through her various friends there. I went to a United States Studies Center event at Uni last night, it was focused on Australian / Japanese relations - it dealt a lot with the Mitsubishi made Mogami class Frigate deal announced the day before. Getting to have a yarn with the Japanese Consul General and various other big wigs, is quite the thing. For all their formality, they are funny / entertaining blokes and blokettes.
If you (or any of you other Aussie lunatics on Vital) ever make it to the Tokyo area, hit me up, if I can make it work, I’ll buy the first round.
I've just gotta say, Sully + Navy . . . straight of central casting!
Love the back story. ✌️
That is why it's called moto wars. Named after that nutjob Alex Jones info wars show.
Man, i've never seen this bike before. And I've followed Yamaha for a long time.
Did anybody race this bike in Europe or Japan?
Japan.
I never saw such a Yamaha as that in GP reports.
Those pictures - goodness only knows where I poached those from - come from a Japanese Magazine article, I'm fairly sure.
I used to get quite a few Japanese MC Mags - mostly with regards to Ducatis, and you'd come across some Incredible bike builds - though many, would be incredibly 'garish', ruining the build. A mate of mine imports Ducatis from Japan - he's currently got at least 60 /70 that he's sitting on as part of his 'retirement fund'. Though, many, are incredibly garish, and we have do a lot of 'de Japanizing' of them = things like $2 trailer indicators and Dayglo Striping ( eg: on Spectacular Carbon Fibre Wheel sets! ) put on an otherwise Beautiful, Trick bike .
Also, I regularly got 3 Italian magazines, and they were fantastic for real info and reporting of all sorts of MC Sport and Bike news.
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