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Easy litmus test is looking at consistent success and happiness if riders. One could argue Honda, seems pretty tickled pink. One could argue Yamaha is doing well. Would you say the same for Kawasaki? Not because of the drought alone. But equate both factors and you tend to find your answer pretty quickly.
Bruce or Dan? Or both?….knowing Kawi they will probably let Dan go as the scapegoat and keep the real problem in place….
I'm sure you guys know who Bimota is, but for those that dont, they're an Italian motorcycle company that focuses on street bikes, and tends to use other MFGs engines in their platforms.
For WSBK they are partnered with Kawasaki. Its a Bimota chassis, with a ZX10 motor.
It would be a wild marketing move, but if Kawasaki pulled Bimota over to do a KX450 chassis, then offered the 400 of the chassis as a catalog item to get homologated... basically it would be a smokescreen big enough to cover up the dumpster fire happening with the team.
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Does anyone remember when it seemed like the US vs Euro guys debate was on fire, and Tomac had just dominated the 2018 outdoor series, and then Kawasaki thought “You know what? Let’s put him on this all new from the ground up bike MxDN with little to no testing”.
Am I remembering that right?
I can tell you via a spanish insider that for Jorge the bike felt too soft and unstable, at some point it even felt more like an enduro bike
Are you actually saying that riders never improve or decline and wherever they were in the ‘pecking order’ of speed a couple of years ago is exactly where they are? And that they stay in that order for their entire career?
Please tell me you can see how silly that sounds.
Happiness is such a subjective measurement that it really doesn’t make sense to include it in any reference to a litmus test. And no one is claiming that the bike or the team is perfect in any way. As has been pointed out earlier by others, two (or more) things can be true at the same time. The bike can have traits that need to be adapted to. The team can be slow or resistant to change. And some riders can be stubborn and refuse to change their approach and blame everything on the bike and the team.
For Sexton, he has a strong recent pattern of ‘not gelling’ with his bikes. It would be silly to not consider that when looking at this situation also.
Does R. Feberve say he loves the KX450. I get he won the MXGP but does he openly say the bike is awesome.
What other pros ride the KX450 and think it’s a great bike?
It just might not be that great of a bike all the time. Their window is narrow, the geometry (flex etc) needs to be more tunable in response to bike balance and weight shifts.
Avg. Joe gives great reviews and loves the bike.
Your bouncing between the two. The original topic is what is wrong with Kawi. Rider "happiness" does play a role in the equation as happiness is related to team environment, progress, and comfort. All of the metrics add up to the rider being in a home they are happy with for a long stent of time, or simply a stop to the next team.
This may have been addressed previously, but do we know if Chase rode the bike before signing with Kawi?
He did. So did Prado.
The bike itself is probably ok or fixable. Just not under the current management.
Tell me what is different, because that is exactly as silly. Or actually sillier, because nothing has changed.
You could put 2024 on 2026, and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Besides Sexton.
I wanna know where all the people are who shit on Prado saying it was him and not the bike. They'll be eating more crow this summer I'm sure.
Yeah but was it the bike that quit or him…
Didn’t McGrath have lot of input on the kx450f. From 2016-2026. He (MC), is in many Kawasaki commercials.
Pit Row
No….and neither does RV now….
He could have been riding a donkey and it doesn't excuse his behavior last year
with a recent supercross and outdoor motocross title, a legendary last-to-first performance at Hangtown.
I don't think it's like he's lost his will to win, in his interviews he clearly says he is adapting to the bike and doing the best he can. Is that a head case?
Oh you mean the time that Bruce and Dan chose the MXDN as testing and refused to use the same radio comms as the rest of the team?
I called into moto:60 one day and said literally this exact thing. I am with you 1000%.
Would you rather him push and be in the hospital?
What was in Davi's locker?
Fortunately he was able to keep himself from getting hurt from the roost by riding around with one hand to block it….
A slacker sag scale. Davi was setting the sag behind their backs. Team kawi said adjusting sag was black magic and the DEVIL.
"Comfortable"...the most overused and gross term in mx these days! Chase has lived on that word on his last 3 bikes. STFU.
Maybe he needs a leather padded seat.
Dude, it's Eli freaking Tomac. One of the greatest ever to swing his leg over a bike, of course he did good at Kawi. It doesn't mean that he could've done even better if that Kawasaki team would've been more willing to go with riders preferences and ideas.
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