Panic Button for Chase/Kawi?

cmotodad
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2/15/2026 7:44am Edited Date/Time 2/15/2026 7:46am

Maybe they should try putting CS4 on the last generation bike and see if results change. Of course put modern plastic on it, a la CW2. The new gen is heavier and that might be enough for those elite guys. Average joe, the KX is great.

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RG437
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2/15/2026 7:45am
On the current bike that Chase won I think 7times last year. In a current gen frame that has tons of data from its riders. Enter Kawi...

On the current bike that Chase won I think 7times last year. In a current gen frame that has tons of data from its riders. 

Enter Kawi, it’s obvious that team doesn’t have the data the other teams have when it comes to setup. 

These guys are at the edge of elite speed. If it’s not right they end up 5th and apparently they suck and the team is a complete failure. 

 

RG437 wrote:
5th doesn’t tell the full story though does it? The issue here is that he looks nothing like the rider we are used to seeing. To put it...

5th doesn’t tell the full story though does it? 

The issue here is that he looks nothing like the rider we are used to seeing. 

To put it in some context, Hunter passed Sexton on lap 10. He pulled so much of a gap on him that he lost 17 seconds in a crash and still beat him by 10 seconds. That is a complete disaster

Not from acquiring data it isn’t. This whole first year for SX and MX will be trying a different setup for each race. Towards the end it will...

Not from acquiring data it isn’t. 

This whole first year for SX and MX will be trying a different setup for each race. 
Towards the end it will get closer to the base for NEXT year. 

You can see Ducati doing the same. 

Ducati is a brand new bike from the ground up. Sexton didn’t go there to gather data, he went there to win races and championships from the start 

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2/15/2026 7:48am
RG437 wrote:
5th doesn’t tell the full story though does it? The issue here is that he looks nothing like the rider we are used to seeing. To put it...

5th doesn’t tell the full story though does it? 

The issue here is that he looks nothing like the rider we are used to seeing. 

To put it in some context, Hunter passed Sexton on lap 10. He pulled so much of a gap on him that he lost 17 seconds in a crash and still beat him by 10 seconds. That is a complete disaster

Not from acquiring data it isn’t. This whole first year for SX and MX will be trying a different setup for each race. Towards the end it will...

Not from acquiring data it isn’t. 

This whole first year for SX and MX will be trying a different setup for each race. 
Towards the end it will get closer to the base for NEXT year. 

You can see Ducati doing the same. 

RG437 wrote:
Ducati is a brand new bike from the ground up. Sexton didn’t go there to gather data, he went there to win races and championships from...

Ducati is a brand new bike from the ground up. Sexton didn’t go there to gather data, he went there to win races and championships from the start 

This is the start. Year one is the start for years two and three when they will be in championship mode. 

That’s how it works. 

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soggy
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2/15/2026 7:52am
Not from acquiring data it isn’t. This whole first year for SX and MX will be trying a different setup for each race. Towards the end it will...

Not from acquiring data it isn’t. 

This whole first year for SX and MX will be trying a different setup for each race. 
Towards the end it will get closer to the base for NEXT year. 

You can see Ducati doing the same. 

RG437 wrote:
Ducati is a brand new bike from the ground up. Sexton didn’t go there to gather data, he went there to win races and championships from...

Ducati is a brand new bike from the ground up. Sexton didn’t go there to gather data, he went there to win races and championships from the start 

This is the start. Year one is the start for years two and three when they will be in championship mode. 

That’s how it works. 

Breaking news 1 comes before 2. 

If you don’t think Chase and Kawi thought they were title threats going into the year you are crazy. 

And he’s not so far behind that he can’t get in the mix with a couple strong weekends. 

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The Shop

RG437
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2/15/2026 7:53am
Not from acquiring data it isn’t. This whole first year for SX and MX will be trying a different setup for each race. Towards the end it will...

Not from acquiring data it isn’t. 

This whole first year for SX and MX will be trying a different setup for each race. 
Towards the end it will get closer to the base for NEXT year. 

You can see Ducati doing the same. 

RG437 wrote:
Ducati is a brand new bike from the ground up. Sexton didn’t go there to gather data, he went there to win races and championships from...

Ducati is a brand new bike from the ground up. Sexton didn’t go there to gather data, he went there to win races and championships from the start 

This is the start. Year one is the start for years two and three when they will be in championship mode. 

That’s how it works. 

Elite riders at the top of their game don’t just waste years collecting data and developing the bike. Sexton signed to win and win straight away

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profmur
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2/15/2026 7:57am

If the factory Kawi "sucked" how did they win a race this season?  

Last night was a tricky track.   Chase didn't push and he kept the bike upright.   Not a great result but he remained unscathed.   Chase is in an untenable situation.  Play it safe and keep the season in mind.   Push and potentially crash out.  The pitchforks come out in either situation.

 

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2/15/2026 8:10am

Season starts at Daytona

Depends who's racing, after Daytona RC4 went into "protect Championship" cruise control mode.

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TerryB
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2/15/2026 8:22am

 Prado's turnaround, Chase is floundering, looking completely uncomfortable and out of synch...

Maybe it works for some people, but I've come to believe it really is the bike.  

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BossWool2800
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2/15/2026 8:28am Edited Date/Time 2/15/2026 8:28am

And… Chase is still making millions of dollars a year…

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ohh_454
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2/15/2026 8:31am
bestmx wrote:
Looking at Kawi since the RC days:James Stewart (2002-2008) Red Bull/ Monster gate.Ezra Lusk (2002-2003)Michael Byrne (2003-2006)Tim Ferry (2007-2009)Ryan Villopoto (2009–2015) Their best guy in recent...

Looking at Kawi since the RC days:

James Stewart (2002-2008) Red Bull/ Monster gate.

Ezra Lusk (2002-2003)

Michael Byrne (2003-2006)

Tim Ferry (2007-2009)

Ryan Villopoto (2009–2015) Their best guy in recent times continues to express a team change would have extended his career. Relationship tarnished with Kawi USA for doing the GP deal.

Chad Reed (2010) - Bad go of things.

Jake Weimer (2011–2014) Always expressed Kawi gave him RV’s set up and had zero willingness to deviate from this/ work with him on the bike. 

Fabien Izoird - (2011) fill in.

Davi Millsaps (2015) Locker gate. (Do we know what the substance was yet?!)

Wil Hahn (2016) Injury after injury..

Josh Grant (2015–2017) Fill in

Eli Tomac (2016–2021) Ended badly right?

Adam Cianciarulo (2019–2024) Injury after injury..

Joey Savatgy (2018–2019) Ended badly.

Jason Anderson (2022–2025) Has he performed better on the RMZ this year?

Jorge Prado (2025) Ended very badly 😂 bike dissatisfaction expressed. Team dissatisfaction expressed.

Chase Sexton (2026–present) Notorious for bike set up issues - is this a surprise he’s not performing as well?

Garrett Marchbanks (2026–present) If the #1 seat at Kawi has been less than desirable, the #2 certainly is.


I’m a Kawi fan, but it’s been rough to say the least and if current performances are anything to go by, it’s not getting any better soon.. 

ohh_454 wrote:
If you made a list with the other brands from the same time frame and their riders, Kawi is still probably the most successful in wins...

If you made a list with the other brands from the same time frame and their riders, Kawi is still probably the most successful in wins and titles thru all those years lol

That Kawi run from RC/Stew through RV was pretty awesome. Ktm team was pretty successful from that RV era till a year or two ago though...

That Kawi run from RC/Stew through RV was pretty awesome. Ktm team was pretty successful from that RV era till a year or two ago though (maybe this corresponds to Jett’s arrival?). 

Emig and Ward before RC, and Eli after RV, they had a good run, I think they’ll figure it out. The ktm group had an awesome run with Dung, Anderson, Osborne, Webb, and Chase as well. That’s what I mean with the list tho, Honda didn’t win a title from RC (03) to Chase (23) which was 20 years for a SX title, and Yamaha didn’t win a title for 13 years with James (09) to Eli (22). There’s been longer droughts. 

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Philly215
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2/15/2026 8:31am

Rough track. Everyone looked bad at times and he is going to really suffer on rough tracks. Smoother tracks I think he can still get a couple more wins if the stars align but yea not looking good. 

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2/15/2026 8:42am
RG437 wrote:
Ducati is a brand new bike from the ground up. Sexton didn’t go there to gather data, he went there to win races and championships from...

Ducati is a brand new bike from the ground up. Sexton didn’t go there to gather data, he went there to win races and championships from the start 

This is the start. Year one is the start for years two and three when they will be in championship mode. 

That’s how it works. 

RG437 wrote:

Elite riders at the top of their game don’t just waste years collecting data and developing the bike. Sexton signed to win and win straight away

Where did you get that from?


If it was so easy to win on a bike in year 1 everyone would be on one year contracts. 

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MOTO13
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2/15/2026 8:45am

It seems the problem with the Kawi is the same problem with the KTM and had a simiar problem with the Honda. In the immortal words of Uncle Al Jorgenson of Ministry...Connect the god damn dots. 

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soggy
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2/15/2026 8:47am

This is the start. Year one is the start for years two and three when they will be in championship mode. 

That’s how it works. 

RG437 wrote:

Elite riders at the top of their game don’t just waste years collecting data and developing the bike. Sexton signed to win and win straight away

Where did you get that from?


If it was so easy to win on a bike in year 1 everyone would be on one year contracts. 

No they wouldn’t because with longer contracts comes security. Injuries are a when not if. Longer term contracts give riders security. 

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-MAVERICK-
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2/15/2026 8:53am
Money wrote:

Chase will be at star in 2028. Let Mitch run the kawi team. 

Yeah, because the PC Kawi Team has really been killing it the last decade. 

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umagumadog
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2/15/2026 8:55am

How many of you decided not  to go out on Tuesday and purchase a new KX? 
Probably the same amount as decided to go out and buy a new KTM. 
The only thing wrong with either bike or either team is that there’s only one spot on top of the box. And they’ve both been on top this season. 

Ohh and Pradno can’t win on either sooo

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2/15/2026 9:02am
So if he wins a championship in his 2nd or 3rd year of his contract will people  still be complaining about his first year on the...

So if he wins a championship in his 2nd or 3rd year of his contract will people  still be complaining about his first year on the bike?

It’s a new team and new bike I would expect him to struggle all year working on setup. 
Go into off season with a ton of new data and work on setup. 

I guess I don’t see how else you would expect to do it. 

Maybe like Eli is doing it..

On the current bike that Chase won I think 7times last year. In a current gen frame that has tons of data from its riders. Enter Kawi...

On the current bike that Chase won I think 7times last year. In a current gen frame that has tons of data from its riders. 

Enter Kawi, it’s obvious that team doesn’t have the data the other teams have when it comes to setup. 

These guys are at the edge of elite speed. If it’s not right they end up 5th and apparently they suck and the team is a complete failure. 

 

This gen of KX450 has been on track since 2024. So it’s had two years of testing, with 4 different pro riders. 

This bike isn’t a ‘new’ bike. 

If anything, Eli hasn’t ridden a steel frame since his RM85… so he’s at a bigger disadvantage than Chase.

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2/15/2026 9:09am
Mikep147 wrote:
At what point does it start looking bad for Kawi as a brand ? I mean I am not on that train I believe it's a...

At what point does it start looking bad for Kawi as a brand ? I mean I am not on that train I believe it's a good bike I mean it's Factory Kawasaki. But Prado looking like a privateer barely making nationals and saying this bike sucks and he's been a new rider on that KTM. We know chase could win on the KTM and now he's just out there cruising looking around .Personally I think Chase looked the best on the KTM. Yes he had some phenomenal rides at HRC but he looked solid on KTM anytime he wasn't on the ground .

I agree with everything you said. 

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FIREfish148
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2/15/2026 9:12am

He rode about as good as he did last year at Seattle. The others were here this year. Maybe he’s not a fan of the track.

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umagumadog
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2/15/2026 9:13am
TerryB wrote:
 Prado's turnaround, Chase is floundering, looking completely uncomfortable and out of synch...Maybe it works for some people, but I've come to believe it really is the...

 Prado's turnaround, Chase is floundering, looking completely uncomfortable and out of synch...

Maybe it works for some people, but I've come to believe it really is the bike.  

You mean when Pradno turned around and went back to the truck?

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2/15/2026 9:16am Edited Date/Time 2/15/2026 9:23am
umagumadog wrote:
How many of you decided not  to go out on Tuesday and purchase a new KX? Probably the same amount as decided to go out and buy...

How many of you decided not  to go out on Tuesday and purchase a new KX? 
Probably the same amount as decided to go out and buy a new KTM. 
The only thing wrong with either bike or either team is that there’s only one spot on top of the box. And they’ve both been on top this season. 

Ohh and Pradno can’t win on either sooo

So bike is fine and Chase getting straight up smoked 5 out of 6 races is normal? We're almost halfway into the season and he has 1 podium in 6 rounds. Hunter passed him on lap 11 of 22. Gapped him, crashed with Kenny, untangeled the bikes, dusted off his gloves, set his googles, did a 180 in the sand, and still finished 10 sec ahead of Sexton. Last week Prado and Savatgy striaght up walked away from him. Nothing to see here

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umagumadog
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2/15/2026 9:25am
umagumadog wrote:
How many of you decided not  to go out on Tuesday and purchase a new KX? Probably the same amount as decided to go out and buy...

How many of you decided not  to go out on Tuesday and purchase a new KX? 
Probably the same amount as decided to go out and buy a new KTM. 
The only thing wrong with either bike or either team is that there’s only one spot on top of the box. And they’ve both been on top this season. 

Ohh and Pradno can’t win on either sooo

crusty_xx wrote:
So bike is fine and Chase getting straight up smoked 5 out of 6 races is normal? We're almost halfway into the season and he has...

So bike is fine and Chase getting straight up smoked 5 out of 6 races is normal? We're almost halfway into the season and he has 1 podium in 6 rounds. Hunter passed him on lap 11 of 22. Gapped him, crashed with Kenny, untangeled the bikes, dusted off his gloves, set his googles, did a 180 in the sand, and still finished 10 sec ahead of Sexton. Last week Prado and Savatgy striaght up walked away from him. Nothing to see here

Wow, you put a lot of thought into that. Show me where the KX hurt you?

The KTM hurt Pradno on the shoulder.

 I dunno man after seeing all three KTM boys get slammed so far I think I might choose the bike that’s not trying to kill me. But if you like taking hard hits and getting slammed go ahead that’s your prerogative. I prefer soft landings between big doubles. 

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RG437
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2/15/2026 9:28am

This is the start. Year one is the start for years two and three when they will be in championship mode. 

That’s how it works. 

RG437 wrote:

Elite riders at the top of their game don’t just waste years collecting data and developing the bike. Sexton signed to win and win straight away

Where did you get that from?


If it was so easy to win on a bike in year 1 everyone would be on one year contracts. 

You lack a comprehension of the the basics of the sport 

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2/15/2026 9:31am
umagumadog wrote:
How many of you decided not  to go out on Tuesday and purchase a new KX? Probably the same amount as decided to go out and buy...

How many of you decided not  to go out on Tuesday and purchase a new KX? 
Probably the same amount as decided to go out and buy a new KTM. 
The only thing wrong with either bike or either team is that there’s only one spot on top of the box. And they’ve both been on top this season. 

Ohh and Pradno can’t win on either sooo

crusty_xx wrote:
So bike is fine and Chase getting straight up smoked 5 out of 6 races is normal? We're almost halfway into the season and he has...

So bike is fine and Chase getting straight up smoked 5 out of 6 races is normal? We're almost halfway into the season and he has 1 podium in 6 rounds. Hunter passed him on lap 11 of 22. Gapped him, crashed with Kenny, untangeled the bikes, dusted off his gloves, set his googles, did a 180 in the sand, and still finished 10 sec ahead of Sexton. Last week Prado and Savatgy striaght up walked away from him. Nothing to see here

umagumadog wrote:
Wow, you put a lot of thought into that. Show me where the KX hurt you?The KTM hurt Pradno on the shoulder. I dunno man after seeing...

Wow, you put a lot of thought into that. Show me where the KX hurt you?

The KTM hurt Pradno on the shoulder.

 I dunno man after seeing all three KTM boys get slammed so far I think I might choose the bike that’s not trying to kill me. But if you like taking hard hits and getting slammed go ahead that’s your prerogative. I prefer soft landings between big doubles. 

The orange bike has won 3 of the last 5 races...

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Village Idiot
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2/15/2026 9:40am
El_Rayo wrote:
It bothered me when When Weege said on the broadcast  , chase told him “I’l be happy with a 7th or better at Seattle” No,in my opinion...

It bothered me when When Weege said on the broadcast  , chase told him “I’l be happy with a 7th or better at Seattle” 


No,in my opinion that’s a wrong virwpoint. He is a CHAMPION. He should NOT be settling for - 5-6th place. That’s being complacent. He needs to expect more out himself and do better. 

You will never hear, Tomac,Jett, or even Webb say that. He needs to grab himself by the balls, and say it doesn’t matter how perfect the bike is, always expect a podium at the least 

davis224 wrote:

I took it as obvious he was being sarcastic, and Weege calling out the irony when it was being actualized.

Except that's not what Chase said.

See my earlier post or go back to the main between the 10 - 11 min remaining window and listen for yourself. 👍

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umagumadog
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2/15/2026 9:42am

The orange bike has won 3 of the last 5 races...

The orange bike has also lost all 5 races so far. It was also beat by a yellow Japanese design that is old enough to drink in most states. The orange bike has also removed one rider from competition and attempted to remove 2 more. 

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spimx
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2/15/2026 9:47am

The best generation kx was 16 to 18 when Tomac dominated. Maybe they can start a new frame asap. Over the past 10 years all the kx did was gain weight. Maybe he can run am older frame

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soggy
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2/15/2026 9:52am

The orange bike has won 3 of the last 5 races...

umagumadog wrote:
The orange bike has also lost all 5 races so far. It was also beat by a yellow Japanese design that is old enough to drink...

The orange bike has also lost all 5 races so far. It was also beat by a yellow Japanese design that is old enough to drink in most states. The orange bike has also removed one rider from competition and attempted to remove 2 more. 

You guys are having the most retarded argument. 

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datkin128
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2/15/2026 9:54am
spimx wrote:
The best generation kx was 16 to 18 when Tomac dominated. Maybe they can start a new frame asap. Over the past 10 years all the...

The best generation kx was 16 to 18 when Tomac dominated. Maybe they can start a new frame asap. Over the past 10 years all the kx did was gain weight. Maybe he can run am older frame

Having owned the 16, 19, and now a 25 SR I can def say the 16 was the worst one.  I loved my 19 and the SR has the best overall chassis (turning and stability combo) of all of them.   

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umagumadog
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2/15/2026 10:02am
soggy wrote:

You guys are having the most retarded argument. 

Them are straight facts but damn it some body has to be the better idiot 😂

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