I have more, but I don't want to make the thread unfriendly for those with slower internet performance...
wow long weekend, still don't know what happened to Ryno (DNF) 2 moto. Cairoli rode in 3rd gear without a shifter...for the last part of 2nd moto. As for the forks this is not prod racing many bikes have Ohlins, Solva, and Zokes besides the KYBs and Showas. Pietro from Marzocchi was there so the zoke factory tuner was there.
I see Tony Cairoli & Mike Alessi came in first and second in MX1 over the weekend. Both on the KTM 350.
different mindset and priorities these days...plus this GP is way early in the US Nats scene and the risk of injury and subsequent forfeiture of the nationals probably is the main reason....I sure wish it was like the heyday when the big names came out.
Yeah, your right. I really didnt think that they're only one race into the Outdoor Nationals. A Reed/Cairoli battle would be nice to see. I was lucky to the see USGP at Hollister in 1986, with Johnson, Ward, Bailey vs. Jobe, Thorpe, Goebers. Good stuff, I still have the pictures my sister took.
Wow and the Aprilia also .... Except no engine cradle .... But both these bikes have chopped down seats! I gotta do a chop job on my seat now for sure Thanks for the pics!
step seats are to stop the pilot from sliding back on the seat. not nessesarily cut down for lower seat heights.
interesting thought Bikes racing included the usual big 4 from Japan, HON,KAW,YAM,SUZ 3 brands from Italy!! APR,TM,HUS 1 brand from Austria KTM Sorry England no CCM (at least I never saw them) Not by unit numbers but by brands that is 50% Euro bikes and 50% Japanese machines, times have changed again. PS the Vertemati bros are in work again.
See the Joh Coppins Aprilia MXV450 above. Davide from Aprilia ( the lead engineer and neighbor to someone I know) gave me the rundown on the MXV450. Interestingly the only bike lighter is the CRF450 from the Honda Martin squad. They use the Lambda sensor in their data aquisition program on the race bike as well as the other standard heat sensors and even strain gauges. The pipe is Arrow 2 into 1 into 2, with equal length headers(power) primarily for noise reduction but also for rear balance. The new single arm swinging arm is lighter than the first design dual section version. The bike is filled with ultra light carbon bits including the entire airbox. The main crackcase is Al alloy but all the attaching side covers are Mag (@ 40% lighter than Al) the footpegs are Ti (like all the other bikes) as well as most all of the fasteners. Kite Performance supplies hubs, triples, all the little caps and cover items. Kite Performance are some of the nicest and coolest folks Ive met in the moto industry and are at the far end of perfection in design and execution of their parts (High end Italian artisan shop). When I told him I have ridden a 550 (2008 model) he said there is no comparison to the new machine and of course this works machine. Standard print stuff is that the Alloy frame center section is forged and the remainder chassis sections are CrMoly that are interference fitted and bonded with aero bond but also for security they do fasten the structure with screws on the inside (hidden). You can see the KYBs and also its a KYB shock. FYI Kite http://www.kiteperformance.biz/
Re ZipTY Huskys TC450s of Ty and Bobby, now that you guys got some fotos up look at the Ty and BG TC450s for the Oil cooler set up assy coming off the oil filter location. both setups were mechanically and located the same behind the RHS radiator, but they varied a little bit in finish and the heat exchangers were both different in color and slightly in size as well. The ZipTy machines also have heat sensor tapes all over the motor.
Just finished watching the four hours of live TV coverage I recorded over the weekend (1 hour each MX1 & MX2 moto). Unusual for us to have better TV coverage here in the UK, especially when the race was in the US! Some good racing too, and gotta love the size of some of those hills. Our commentator didn't believe Cairoli was actually stuck in third gear and thought it was some kind of stunt, but if he really was in third all that way the 350 coped pretty well with it (still, lucky it was third and not first).
Believe me when I say that no television or magazine coverage can give you the feeling of actually how steep those hills are. Our Nationals loss was surely the FIM's gain with this facility. If you can get the money together it would be well worth it to watch a GP at this track.
I got some feel for it by how hard they were struggling to get up them! Reminded me of Foxhill in the UK, only a bit taller in places and not so wet and muddy. Of course, it would have been short notice to get there from the UK this year, what with the US "borrowing" our very own MXGP weekend at the last minute! Hopefully we'll still get a GP later in the year if everyone can get their act together, and with any luck I will make it to that one to cheer on any Huskys I can find.
