Posts
131
Joined
5/27/2011
Location
Youngstown, OH, USA
Going through the Loretta’s roster. I might be wrong and I’m sure someone will point it out if I am, but I see 1 suz and 1 Kaw in all of the 85cc classs including supermini 1 supermini 2. This is an absolute failure by Team Green on many levels. You’re telling me they can’t give 5 fast kids bikes with a guaranteed 250 contract? It’s over team green. Make some changes immediately. I bet they’re happy they just released an updated model and spent a ton of money on development, just to see 1 bike on the track in all of the 85 classes.
Just another example of Kawasakis failure in the current US motocross's system
I think they've shot themselves in the foot with their amateur to pro contracts over the past few years. I could be wrong, but the last kid I remember with a direct am. to PC contract was Forkner or maybe Hammaker. These families have to see the way Adams and Temmerman have been treated with pro contracts and not want anything to do with it.
Where did you see the roster for the National? Please post a link. I'd like to see it. There should be a few more than that in each 85 and Supermini class this year. The 26 model had lots of chassis upgrades that will make it more competitive. I'm sure there will be a few Team Green riders in the hunt for Championships at the Ranch this year. Its not the glory days of old in motocross, but Kawasaki is doing something right as they sold more motorcycles in the U.S. last year than any other brand.
They really should have totally revamped the 65 and 85, and released a 125, instead of the 327. Their 65 and 85 are not competitive. And the 125 market is ripe for the taking with Austrian 125s being efi only. For these reasons, blu cru is really gaining spots on the gates in all those amateur classes.
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Free shipping: VITALMX
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
True dirt bike enthusiasts from moto, to hare scrambles, to enduro, to cross country have been asking the Japanese brands to develop a big bike 2 stroke for two decades now. Kawasaki is the only Japanese manufacturer to listen and put real money and effort into revitallizing 2 strokes for many variables of offroad competition racing.
They also have recently spent money and development in their 85cc and 112cc mini/super mini.
Kawasaki will see strong sales of it's new KX327 and is dedicated to all of it's offroad racing programs.
https://mxsports.com/rider-roster
You are getting downvoted for this but I agree with you. The KX minis are essentially useless at this point. Yes its nice to have a cheaper option but even for local racing a KX65 is literal decades behind the austrian and even the Yamahas. It doesnt make a whole lot of sense for their am program to have basically bikes from 1998 competing against the KTM 85s that are better bikes than what James Stewart won the 125 class on lol.
The average rider thats going to buy the 327 is going to be oblivious to the facts that I stated. Which is fine. And im not saying they should not have made the 327, hopefully they continue with other sizes but it looks like they won't?
Jmart 6 is racing a 125 on am day if it’s sat there’s usually 34 on the gate. A bunch of videos & free advertising for Yamaha. 125 class 65,85 hv big gates what does Kawi do. Release a bike with no specific class to race in. As if they knew there not capable of building a good 125. What was going on 3 yrs ago at team green that the top riders quit ? No I don’t want the free 8 bikes i,ll buy my own.
Steinbrecker started the year with Team Green, was even in their mini ads, and after a couple of months he Prado’ed his contract and bought all of Pappas’ old Gas Gas minis. That tells you something.
One of the top mdra kids we race with also bailed on his Kawi deal. Went to 2023-24 Austrian 85s. Actually I think 2 top kids did in that region.
To me it seems like the lack of full support for amateur riders in the 65- Supermini classes may stem in recent years from Star Racings ability to buy the top riders when they get to a 250.
If you look through some of Team Greens last riders that they brought from 85/ Supermini to a 250. As soon as they proved themselves on a 250, Star spent a bundle on them. Landen Gordon and Carson Wood are two recent examples.
Without the overhead of any mini riders and developing mini bikes you can afford more 250 riders. There's no longer a benefit for most brands to make a competitive mini. Yamaha and Honda being two key examples.
Looks like other teams are following suit.
So what your all are sayin' is...
Wait til Team Teal gets them all on Factory Kove.
I thought RVs kids were signed to ride Kawis but they stay on their Cobras because the Kawis are so slow
I flagged at a recent LL regional. My son's been off 85s for over a decade, so I haven't really followed those classes or bikes. So I was surprised to see only a handful of Yamahas and Kawasakis in the fast 85 and supermini classes. All the top contenders were on orange, red or white bikes, and I'm here to tell you that, especially for the top kids, those 85 and 112 Huskies were barking!
Even with the recent changes to the bikes, the Kawi's are sadly pretty far behind the Yamaha's and especially the Austrian bikes. And of course, the big/fast kids are riding Austrian so naturally every mini dad looks at that and thinks JR needs to be on one as well. The Yamaha's are good but are still a bit off of the Austrians. They are good enough and Yamaha/Yamaha dealers give enough help and support to keep kids on their bikes. Kawi has to really make big changes to the engine to get themselves back into the mix in the 85 class, but I have to think they are looking at it and may think it isn't worth the R&D time and money which I see as a big mistake if true.
Same with their 65... The bike is basically the exact same as it was when they released it in 2000 and it's so far behind the YZ and Austrian 65's.
Kawi is either full of idiots or they have weighed the options and find 65/85's just aren't worth the time and effort to redesign engines and more.
The rate at which mini dads buy new bikes for their kid racers, id have to think it would worth their investment. The kx65 engine doesnt even have a power valve. And it's ergos are similar to a couch.
A modern alu frame, CARBURETED 125 would be an absolute slam dunk guaranteed.
Pit Row
All those 65 and 85 KTM/Husky/GG bikes contributed to KTM going bankrupt again. Has Kawasaki ever gone bankrupt? I was told by different reps from manufacturers that they dont start making money on bikes until 250s. Hard to believe but thats what they say. Even a Ninja 500 is called a “loss leader”. A loss leader is a bike they dont make much money on but its to get people on the brand.
Kawi should save 100sof thousands of dollars on an am program and then just poach the best guy like every other team
So maybe everyone complaining (rightfully so) that the amateur system is broke and not preparing kids properly for the pros are correct, Kawasaki agrees, and is thus "voting with their wallet" and not willing to put in the time, money, and effort to support a failing system anymore?
Yeah, I agree. I don't know if it can be considered a "failure" if someone in corporate crunched the numbers and intentionally decided to just concede those classes to the Austrian brands. The only part that is confusing is, why bother at all with producing these bikes (i.e. Honda)? I guess the MSRP is lower enough that they have carved out an adequate budget-minded market? I do see a lot KX65s on Facebook marketplace.
If you don't focus on considering it a racebike, but a much better suspended, lighter, and more powerful playbike option to the TTR/CRF-Fs/KLXs, you understand a large portion of the market for the KX65, CRF150R, and KX112.
Think of them like a KDX200 for kids, teens, and small women.
Yeah, that's the impression I get looking through used bike ads. The little KXs appear to be mostly pre-owned by more casual riders.
But even from a racing standpoint, if the kid is a beginner/novice level rider, where their lap times won't likely be any different, KX85 vs. SX85, the price differential is enticing on the Kawi side. I didn't realize until just now that the KX is approximately $1700 cheaper?!
I applaud Kawasaki for taking a bold strategy to developing the youth by making them race inferior bikes, they'll be much better riders in the future because of it.
Maybe somebody should call KHI in Japan and tell them how much money they are losing and how they know better the business plan. My daughter stopped at the local Kawi / KTM dealer because the little one has out grown the lil 4 stroke and she said they are looking at the KX’s. Not every buyer is looking to race. They don’t give 2 shits about racing. What they are interested in is saving that nearly $2,000 difference.
Even with a revamped 65, 85 and new 125, I'd be surprised if it brought Kawasaki a better ROI than the 327/327X will. Off-road riding and racing is growing, where MX...not so much,
Kawasaki is a giant ship building company. Probably don’t care about LLs
Kawi issues aside, I regularly hear that you have to be on an Austrian 85 to be competitive, meanwhile the world title was just won by an Aussie kid on a Yami.
As far as supermini's go. Kawasaki has made a lot of changes to the 2027 model KX85 & 112 most notably the chassis and rider triangle which was horrendous on the KX BUT these can't be ridden as they won't allow the next years models to be raced at LL's.
Yamaha for memory can't bore out the 85 to 105/112 due to the power valve. They have got the 85 going quite good though. They just won the Jnr World MX titles with the young Australian kid.
Tace Morgan and Cooper Johnsnon on the Yamaha's are one of the favorite's to win the supermini class.
Post a reply to: Team Green Failure