The Innovators and Game Changers of racing

barnett468
Profile picture for user barnett468
Posts
1250
Joined
7/19/2018
Location
Wildomar, CA US
barnett468 7/25/2018 7:58pm
7/25/2018 7:58pm
barnett468 wrote:
"Kawasaki for being the first (and only) to put an exhaust valve on a 500 (1986)" I did some of the testing on this exact bike...
"Kawasaki for being the first (and only) to put an exhaust valve on a 500 (1986)"

I did some of the testing on this exact bike when I worked for kawi in the r & d department . it pinged like an arcade game but was stupidly fast and would nearly yank ones arms out of their sockets if they got too far back from the bars.
Jbulz wrote:
Story time?
oh I have a few stories but probably none much more interesting than some that others here have.

...then there was the time that all of us from kawi got kicked off the golf course during a break at the nationals in tennesse. guess we shouldn't have been "polo" golfing with the golf cart or "accidentally" driven it into the ditch...but we did manage to rescue it AND the "beverages".
barnett468
Profile picture for user barnett468
Posts
1250
Joined
7/19/2018
Location
Wildomar, CA US
barnett468 7/25/2018 8:01pm
7/25/2018 8:01pm
Drtbykr wrote:
Mike Goodwin

Reliable, inexpensive Japanese bikes. (not so inexpensive now)
Do you mean the same Mike Goodwin that was convicted of hiring someone to murder Mickey Thompson?
Drtbykr
Profile picture for user Drtbykr
Posts
2068
Joined
10/29/2006
Location
Fredericton CA
Drtbykr 7/25/2018 8:04pm
7/25/2018 8:04pm
Drtbykr wrote:
Mike Goodwin

Reliable, inexpensive Japanese bikes. (not so inexpensive now)
barnett468 wrote:
Do you mean the same Mike Goodwin that was convicted of hiring someone to murder Mickey Thompson?
That’s the one. For better or worst, he created the circus where the $ is.
ehr400
Profile picture for user ehr400
Posts
2613
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Britton, MI US
ehr400 7/26/2018 4:54am
7/26/2018 4:54am
Kent Howerton fanning the clutch to keep the rpms up and change traditional riding technique.

The Shop

See All »
AK74
Profile picture for user AK74
Posts
372
Joined
10/2/2008
Location
GB
AK74 7/26/2018 5:48am
7/26/2018 5:48am
Giuseppe Luongo.

A game-changer for sure. Opinions vary as to whether his contributions are positive or negative.
FuzzyLogic
Profile picture for user FuzzyLogic
Posts
288
Joined
5/18/2018
Location
Minneapolis, MN US
FuzzyLogic 7/26/2018 6:37am
7/26/2018 6:37am
Social media has greatly changed this industry. Some for the better and some parts for the worse. I would argue that largely for the better in that there are guys making money in the industry (722 , Stank-dog) that would have been spit out the bottom of it long ago if it weren't for social media.
2
IWreckALot
Profile picture for user IWreckALot
Posts
8677
Joined
3/12/2011
Location
Fort Worth, TX US
IWreckALot 7/26/2018 6:45am
7/26/2018 6:45am
Ersberg Hare Scramble has raised the game of cross country racing. Love watching those guys like Johnny Walker, Graham Jarvis and Taddy Blazusiak. Those guys are some of the most under rated riders on the planet.
queen of spodes 7/26/2018 12:02pm
7/26/2018 12:02pm
Doddy wrote:
2 Things. Please correct me if I am wrong, but this is how I thought of these. -Harley Davidson. Not an expert, but my dad had...
2 Things. Please correct me if I am wrong, but this is how I thought of these.

-Harley Davidson. Not an expert, but my dad had one and if I recall correctly it wasn't very American. It was Italian. At least the motor was.

-Yamaha developing the modern 4stroke? KTM(Lance Smail) had one before that. It was Henry though, that proved it was competitive and could win.

Smail raced a massively modified dual sport. KTM hadn't yet released a production 4-stroke motocross bike, but they were absolutely an early innovator (along with Yamaha and Husaberg).


Husqvarna was close with the 1985 TC510, but the TC was a cross country bike and not used in motocross much especially not at the pro level.

The 88 TC510 was tight.

2
ATKpilot99
Profile picture for user ATKpilot99
Posts
9806
Joined
4/13/2010
Location
Lake Geneva, WI US
ATKpilot99 7/26/2018 1:53pm
7/26/2018 1:53pm
Doddy wrote:
2 Things. Please correct me if I am wrong, but this is how I thought of these. -Harley Davidson. Not an expert, but my dad had...
2 Things. Please correct me if I am wrong, but this is how I thought of these.

-Harley Davidson. Not an expert, but my dad had one and if I recall correctly it wasn't very American. It was Italian. At least the motor was.

-Yamaha developing the modern 4stroke? KTM(Lance Smail) had one before that. It was Henry though, that proved it was competitive and could win.

queen of spodes wrote:
Smail raced a massively modified dual sport. KTM hadn't yet released a production 4-stroke motocross bike, but they were absolutely an early innovator (along with Yamaha...
Smail raced a massively modified dual sport. KTM hadn't yet released a production 4-stroke motocross bike, but they were absolutely an early innovator (along with Yamaha and Husaberg).


Husqvarna was close with the 1985 TC510, but the TC was a cross country bike and not used in motocross much especially not at the pro level.

The 88 TC510 was tight.

I thought KTM had a purpose built 4 stroke mx bike in the early 90s also. And it had springless air forks.
philG
Profile picture for user philG
Posts
9706
Joined
5/12/2012
Location
GB
philG 7/26/2018 2:55pm
7/26/2018 2:55pm
Yamaha did not invent watercooling in 82.. Cagiva had it in 1980.
Hank_Thrill
Profile picture for user Hank_Thrill
Posts
4506
Joined
9/22/2008
Location
Arlen, TX US
Hank_Thrill 7/26/2018 3:27pm
7/26/2018 3:27pm Edited Date/Time 7/26/2018 3:31pm
triple post edit: see below
Hank_Thrill
Profile picture for user Hank_Thrill
Posts
4506
Joined
9/22/2008
Location
Arlen, TX US
Hank_Thrill 7/26/2018 3:30pm
7/26/2018 3:30pm
McGrath brought way more than style. He brought the approach of staying low over jumps to the sport which he adapted from his bmx background.
2
ga_pike
Profile picture for user ga_pike
Posts
2607
Joined
7/14/2011
Location
Valdosta, GA US
ga_pike 7/27/2018 5:05am
7/27/2018 5:05am
ACBraap wrote:
I would argue private factory teams started with McGrath.
Kelz87 wrote:
Which team was that?
ACBraap wrote:
His Chaparral Yamaha team. 1998 to 2002.
Perhaps... but I might argue that the first would have been Team TAMM followed later on by TUF Racing and then Honda of Troy and Pro Circuit/Peak.

I also would have to say that HRP changed the game as far as protective equipment went. The Flak-Jak is still relevant today.
ga_pike
Profile picture for user ga_pike
Posts
2607
Joined
7/14/2011
Location
Valdosta, GA US
ga_pike 7/27/2018 5:07am
7/27/2018 5:07am
Also.. Dave Coombs Sr. has to be on this list IMO.

Pit Row

See All »

Post a reply to: The Innovators and Game Changers of racing