Moto-Brian

They never refer to the M1 or R1 as Big Bang motors... They say they were used in racing - as in what I described, but they call the new idea "Long Bang" which is new to me, but I guess it makes sense to call it that...

Layman terms: Big Bang fired #1 and #3 at the same time. #2 and #4 at the same time... R1 is a stepped type process. Almost like #1, #3, #2, #4. If you looked at a cross cut, it would look like steps to a house... Not sure the exact order, but they are close and almost the same, but not. The Big Bang motors were really used in the 500 GP era... The R1 style firing order allows the bike to be more civil under load and out of corners... Big Bang basically prevented or toned down the rear stepping out under load on those fire breathing 500cc two strokes...

It never was stated as being a big bang motor. A lot of ill informed people were and are saying that it is, but not true at all. I think, however, it is going to be the top dog this year and the only competition is going to come from the GSXR and Honda after. In person, the new GSXR looks smaller than the 600/750. Beautiful, but to many, it looks too similar in design. You need to really scope it out and see all the details. Again, I really liked the ZX10 for 2008. The Noda a close second - performance and style. This year, I have to rank style to the GSXR and Honda with performance going to R1 and Suzuki... We'll see soon enough as Daytona is coming and the bike mags have had them all and tested...

Guys. C-L-E-A-N title!! FOOK! You could have a seriously great track weapon for under $7500 in total if done on a budget. If you'd buy R6 street plastic at MAYBE $1000 with a tank, you could ride this thing for what 06s are going for...

Perfect example. Thanks, Ped... Now let's nuke this joke before it gets too stupid... Oh, I went to Mid-Ohio last weekend and ran a 1:29. It was cold and I think I can pull a better lap once it warms up... That was on a 250 Ninja with Chen Chings race compound tires...

I gotta say I agree... I tried. I really did. I want to love this bike because I think it is going to be the best open class machine. However, looks do mean something and even though I look at things in race trim, I STILL cannot get to love this bike even after race prepped... The GSXR 1000 is just too good looking to me. The ZX10 is better looking, but really looks a little older only after a year. The Honda aesthetically looks the best to me - especially in white... But, looks aside, I think the R1 is going to be the best weapon. Followed close by the GSXR... If I were to buy a racebike? Man, tough choice. I need more test results and info... R1 right now... A street bike for me? Probably the GSXR...

I guess this is my point as well. Brandon is a good rider and can do good things. Just realize it only takes one guy who "thinks" he can do what you do and he eats a shit burger while you are "taining" him... It goes down hill from there...

Hardened veteran like everyone talks about, huh? Be interesting to know what racers are saying that... Never said you didn't run :19s, but never saw the proof, either. A lot of talk commences and not anything to back it up. All the vids you took and nothing points to 19s. Maybe a high almost 20, but no low 19s or anything... I think it's great you can run so fast, but saying you are placing yourself into the experienced class of riders is a bit of a stretch, no? Especially one who would be "training" others??

Shoot me pics, homo. I'll shoot it to a few guys... STOOOOPID great price.

What constitutes a good rider? Wanna share your ability at say Bluegrass this year? If I can find an instructor we have that is faster, smoother and packed with hearty ability, does that mean he should take over? Just curious because a LOT of street guys think they are uber badass and have great ability. Until they are asked to use it...

First, learning what? Smarter riding habits? You folks can't be on both sides. As they say - you make your own bed... Todd is simply calling out that it doesn't make sense. The girl he was also calling out is a great example of where she really has no idea (been covered in other threads) why she crashed. You saying you learned on the "twisties" is comical. Sure, you may learn some things, but I guarantee that I could have taken you off the street and taught you at the track and placed you back into that twisties environment and you'd be a better rider even now. Again, helping friends is one thing. Saying you want to teach people is another. The street is no place for any of that...

You should be an example and not be associated with stunting on the street. Maybe post you do NOT condone such behavior and that your club is no longer doing that and why... Give examples. It starts with the rider these kids follow and associate with. I don't have a problem going out with some buddies and trying to get them better as riders, but if you do that and then promote stunting on the street, you can't have it both ways... All it takes is a search on You Tube... Also, advertising that you are wanting to do this and asking people to contact you sets you up for some serious issues. The fundamentals you can teach on the street can be done in a parking lot. Performance riding as seen in canyon environments and similar should be taught on a track. Kids who ride street and think they are killer riders get to the track and are usually way behind the curve. Those that see they need more training and come to the track to get it are better street riders... Point is that an MSF class is a great start. IF the riders listen and use their head and the groups around them aren't doing stupid stuff, they will excel. If they hang around poor choices for riders, they will get hurt and should go to the track to learn... I think your intentions are noble, but coming on here and promoting something like this with what you are associated with and the people that are linked to you is something that should be reconsidered...

Todd- I seriously just shot water out my nose. Christ.

I didn't, but know who did! Buddy wadded it up at Road Atlanta... His street car, too!! Good car racer, but got her somewhat out of shape and put her into the wall...

Are you doing this on the street?!?!? Please tell me you're trying to get involved in some school thing on the track or whatnot... Also, insurance is going to KILL you. First guy/gal who gets hurt doing your school and decides to hold you at fault, you're doomed. The track day school insurance is WAY high...

I also have had the honor of testing and helping in the developement of a few suits. Doesn't make me an expert, but it did allow me to understand the design and change process concerning the changing of suits and apparel to make it better as it progressed...

First, no vendetta. Dave and I have talked via outside the board. I am trying to educate people and folks like yourself are seemingly arguing with me on stupid points in an effort to justify the buying of these suits. My goal is to educate and unfortunately (as what happened on the WERA board) people who have bought the suits, have been friends with the seller, or are just plain ignorant argue against my solid and truthful points. You say you are qualified, but you mention things that make no sense and indicate that you are not aware of what goes on in the textile industry regarding the building of street apparel. Doesn't make you an idiot, stupid or a moron, but just simply isn't a base by which you understand. I can point out comments you've made that have pretty much pushed me over the edge. Points that make no sense and are pure grasping of straws. If you are trying to debate, that's fine, but use facts and not opinions. My basis of debate against these suits are simple: 1) The seller makes claims (got him to remove the 90% of suits are made in Pakistan) that he himself has stated he didn't research more on. He's been noble and removed tags that were not true. He then states that these suits are as good as other suits in that price range. Nobody mentioned (Astar, Tknic, Hein Gericke, etc) even makes a sub $500 one piece suit, but using them as examples and trying to put Spartan suits up higher in terms of how they are viewed, it gets misleading and people like yourself feel it is worth the cost when they could have bought a gently used suit of higher quality for less or equal money... 2) I know what goes into getting suits and street apparel designed and built and controlled. I know that Spartan doesn't travel to Pakistan to verify QC and the leather quality. Again, that's important because if the Pakistan company states it is full grain leather and it is never tested, who really knows? It could be for a few batches, it could also be poor grade for others. Meaning, some may be fine in a crash while others may be VERY bad in a crash and cause injury. You need QC and proper testing methods... 3) People buying these suits are typically street riders or newer track day riders. The people bitching against me on the board weren't accomplished racers and certainly not too educated as to what was available to them and understanding of the differences in suits and how they are made. The Komodo thing is simple - they use a LOT of higher end parts in building of their suits. I suspect they also import their leather. However, I cannot verify as I don't know anyone other than racers associated with Komodo... They are not top sellers around the US. 4) There are a lot of people like yourself that feel things are similar and that marketing, brand awareness, fancy paint jobs and better distribution are the only reasons why a KBC helmet is considered lesser than a RX-7RR Arai. You feel they are both the same. If anything, the marketing is being done on the other end where KBC or Vega in my example, use that SNELL rating to promote to the consumer that their helmets meet the same standards and should be worthy of your consideration. The comment "If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet" was constructed because there are so many low end helmet companies out there that have the same SNELL rating and yet are inferior in design. Do you know the difference between a thermal molded plastic shell with basic EPS vs. a Kevlar/fiberglass shell with an advanced EPS interior? Significant. Both meet a basic standard, but that's where it stops. That's why a lot of people like BSI rated helmets as they are batch tested. Know how many KBC and Vegas are batch tested? None. 5) I am passionate about this sport and this industry. It is my job to educate people because I want them to enjoy it with me. I want them to be armed with the best info they can get as many out there are not able to get the whole story on a bunch of different items. I can tell you I have tried on and even worn in action suits from AStar, AGV, Vanson, Spyke, SPIDI, Fieldsheer, Joe Rocket, Hein Gericke, SHIFT and even a suit similar to what Spartan has now. Yes, my first suit was a cheap entry level suit that I had no idea about... I can tell you also what the differences between the AStars, the SHIFTS, the Fieldsheers, the SSs, the Joe Rockets and others currently on the market. It's my job and I am around that stuff. Same with boots, with helmets, with gloves, etc. Bottom line is that apparel is very exclusive at times to each buyer and person who wears it. I can only give opinions based on what I LIKE. However, in this case, people are unsure what Spartan is all about. My feelings are that if they are armed with proper information and understand that this is a safety deal, they can go and buy what they feel is good for them. People will buy Spartan purely based on price. Others will hopefully go out and check things out that I have stated and make an assestment and buy accordingly... I am not trying to be a dick and anyone who knows me knows I am VERY civil in person and a nice guy. I just get pissed when people who have tid bits of information try and justify their side of things. When they face someone who has first hand knowledge, they get pissed and work the asshole side of things to detract from the reality they are trying to avoid. I haven't said anything negative towards Spartan or Dave. I wished him luck and even stated that the suits will fit a certain demographic of people. I am not sure where stating facts is bashing. I also don't understand why everyone thinks I need to see one and try one on in person to evaluate the suit. From the pictures, the product list and from the specs, I can tell you a LOT about the suits... The Government standards was in reference to the CE approval of the armor. That's a standard set in a governmental way. The leather testing is something that is done BEFORE the suits are assembled and advertised as such. That way should ANYONE actually test the leather post production they are sure it is what they stated it was. If you batch tested the leather from Spartan, it is likely that it will be inconsistent and not always exactly what is advertised. If you test a batch from say AStar and they have imported and tested it prior to production, it is VERY likely that it will test the same post production. Do you understand where I am taking this? I can say anything as long as you don't challenge my comments, right? Companies like AStar are established and have created a brand name in the industry. They are not going to toss it away by stating mistruths. One test and they could be sunk... There are tons of independent labs that test textiles. Oh, and back to the helmet thing. Companies DO know what helmet companies do with their helmets. It isn't any secret at all. Test results can easily be found by testing the competition and helmet companies do use it when selling their product. It isn't a secret and guess what? I have been working with a pretty well known helmet company for about 10 years now. I know what the other companies do and how they go about dealing with SNELL. my comments are NOT opinion as they are based on some facts that with some searching on your part, can easily be found. But, I have only been around this industry for over 12 years...

Porsche is a great company and builds really great cars with souls. They are amazing machines and can certainly get you in trouble as they are cars that need to be driven with respect. Otherwise, you end up doing this: Road Atlanta...

If you test drove it first and nothing and paid him for it, it's a done deal, man... Hopefully you did a bill of sale or something?? If not, it is gonna be tough, but if you take him to court or have an attorney call and tell the guy he's going to court unless he settles, he MIGHT get scared and give the money back... If no bill of sale and you paid and took the truck, you can get hosed pretty quick. He can say sure, he paid me $1000 for the truck. Dishonest, but it's his word vs. the other guy... All I can say is Bill of Sale and sign the paper and have a witness when you buy something...

Oh, you'll know if you did it wrong right away for sure. I'm saying things like not replacing the things you should have and you'll have a failure as late as 5 years depending on how many miles and what you do with the bike. YMMV type of deal... Yes, if done wrong, you'll know quite quickly...

There were issues that some experienced. For example, I dropped 2nd gear in my 01 GSXR750. Basically, I am not hard on trannies and it just was to a point it failed. No biggie. On my 05 750, I lost 6th gear and again, not hard on trannies. One thing to understand here is that you can damage a tranny and hurt it by doing things other than wheelies. You can bend shift forks by forcing the shifter into gear. Hard inputs on down shifts or up shifts can bend shifter forks. You can also low side and hit the shifter and cause a bent fork... The gear going out is not a design flaw. Constant mesh trannies are great and are like anything mechanical - they wear with time and abuse. Sometimes from both and sometimes with only one of those occurring... Another thing is that tranny fixes are easy if you are competent. First timers? Not suggested. It is very important how things are assembled and taken apart. Getting it all back together and running is fine - it's how it will hold up over another 5 years that will indicate the success of it. I wouldn't be afraid of fixing it. If the tranny is out, you should replace all the shifter forks anyways and the gears aren't really that expensive. Plus, you'll get a new tranny out of it and if done right, you'll never have issue. As far as if it were a design flaw and will be again, many times if it is a deal where it is a change in design of a part, the OEM will change it when people order the parts. They will have a superceeded number for the original part and you'll get a redone piece that should hold up better. Example - the 2000 GSXR750 had a hollow shifter rod. They were twisting and causing issues. At the tracks, you could get one from a Suzuki rep, but in 2001, they made a running change. Never told anyone, but it was changed. If you order the part number for the 2000 750, you'll get the newer solid shifter as opposed to the hollow one like when it was stock...

No arguing - I just hate when people debate w/o any real basis for their stance...

GP Plus are only below their GP Pro gloves, to me, they should have held together better. (especially better than their SP1's) They are below the Pro and the Tech. They are (again...) their entry level gauntlet glove... Nylon is a type of plastic, yes you can have slightly different formulations but there is not a big difference. I agree nylon sucks, but no thread I've seen does very well against the asphalt (even kevlar) the trick is to have exposed seams in areas that are unlikely to get hit (or have the hidden all-together). You are right about the seams, but again, there are better levels of nylon and better types of threads. What does Spartan use? Nobody knows... Certifications: You believe the 150 point certified used car inspections mean anything? Nope, just a marketing ploy to make people feel safe. Huh? Are you seriously comparing 150 point car inspection by a mechanic vs. batch testing and safety testing to meet a government standard? Dude... This isn't marketing and if you think it is, then you don't know anything about the industry. I know you don't, but quit making assumptions... I certaintly can believe his suits are crap, however I have seen no information that actually proves that. Most of the information you have given is dubious and in reguards to brand naming, certifications and the like. Dubious? How's this - I WORK for a company that makes and distributes street apparel and MX apparel. They have a VERY high standard by which they operate and they are regarded as one if not THE top of the heap in the motorcycle industry. So, the people I KNOW and TALK to on a regular basis have some pretty good facts that you the general public never hear about. Stuff like I have shared here. Don't go drinking the fucking Cool Aide from what Spartan may be selling you. I know you bought one of their suits and maybe have been feeling like you need to defend your purchase, but dude, you are really getting on my nerves with the whole seemingly knowing it all about the industry. You sharing this via email with Dave at Spartan??? I agree the fieldsheer is not very good, however the jacket, at about $150 should be crappy by the logic you get what you pay for. I've crashed in it numerous times and never busted a seam. I've worn through the first leather layer in a couple places but it still protects well. How'd you crash? I have seen people crash and break bones and end up in the hospital and their $100 mesh jacket held up fine. Others barely crash at 30 mph and blow out a hip seam on a $2k suit. What's the point of this? Helmets: Again, people pay for the name quite often. Does a KBC really not protect as well as an Arai? Possibly, but the KBC could perform better and we don't have access to the tests done to determine this. Again, your lack of knowledge is what is killing me. People like you spread mis information to the public and they end up believing (why, I don't know) your thoughts and buy junk stuff. An Arai is tested and developed and has features that overwhelm any KBC feature and testing. You are one of those guys that think more along conspiracy thoughts instead of reality... Will the spartan suit be a piece of trash? possibly, however it seems you are basing that conclusion almost solely upon the fact it's not a big name brand and the leather hasn't been inspected before use (or at least not by the owner). Do you think if other companies test and verify their leather and Spartan doesn't that it isn't case for concern? The fact that they use minimal tactics in their seams when others do better isn't a concern to you when buying a suit? I point out things that make the suit what it is - a $475 suit. Buy it if you want, but don't go thinking it is the same quality as other suits out there for more money...

It doesn't need them and it keeps cost down...

That's what I meant to say. The SV "S" will be the racer and the Gladius replaces the SV standard which was really never raced anyways once they introduced the "S"...