Moto-Brian

Get it done right. Repairing with a patch or a blown seam is OK with a shoe repair place, but for alterations, send it to Alexa at Spyderchick Leathers. She is easy to work with, very inexpensive and will do it right!!! Trust me, a shoe guy isn't the right guy... You need someone that knows and understands how a suit is designed and why to make changes that easy could cause integrity issues. Your skin would thank you should you test that theory...

But, compared to bikes out there, it is still pathetic power. Guys that rely on those torque numbers are funny folks. Torque is cool and all, but at the end of the day when rolling at 70 MPH and twisting the throttle, you get your ass handed to you. I know at our HD shop, we got GOBS of tuning work. The HD guys NEEEEED a good tuner and I think Brian is the right guy. I am by no means discrediting him whatsoever. Just looking at the numbers for the bike in terms of power and torque and the overall cost that gets you into that particular door. I know this is absolutley not even close in comparison and totally not fair, but Reuben at 35 Motorsports did a purely Superstock build (Even though the bike will be competing in the AMA Superbike class) on a 2011 ZX10 and got 196.70 HP at the ground. Now, it only had 84.19 ft lbs of torque, but the idea here is that the bike is MUCH lighter and the way the suspension works on sportbikes, allows it to use that power to the ground effectively and efficiently. Plus, in the hands of a guy like Brian, the curve is smooth and consistent. That's big trouble... I scratch my skull when the HD guys walk around and brag about their power, but only rely on the torque figures. Here's the big rub... That thing is 900 lbs. Literally!! Now, I understand that a heavy bike will translate into a better ride, etc. However, we had guys coming in and doing BIG builds. We had one of the best tuners in the US and an amazing engine builder. He was getting some serious numbers out of these bikes and above all, dependable power. We used to have these almost underground groups of racers that would just sit and brag and brag and offer to compete with our sportbikes. Now, the bottom line was unless you were really good, you had better watch what you were stepping into. Many if not all were really good at drag racing and would hand your ass to you even on a bike that shouldn't have a problem. In terms of today's standards, if you had a 2012 R6 bone stock, you are almost 3 times lighter and have more HP at the ground. Now, the torque numbers are shit in comparison, but if lined up side by side, even at half the torque, at launch, the R6's weight to power advantage is going to negate that mass on the HD... Again, didn't mean to derail, but am always blown away at the amount these guys put into their bikes for the return on investment. Of course, this is coming to a guy that takes a bike and doubles the money into it and goes out to run in circles so, not sure if that is good to do, but at the end of the day, as long as we all are doing what we love, it doesn't matter. I just invision a guy going into a shop and bragging about the power he has in his Ultra. I think of Justin's ZX10 and bikes like my old GSXR and try not to giggle too much...

Versus what? I have been wearing the Star since it came out and even used some prototypes. They are some of the nicest lids I have worn and that includes being a Suomy guy for YEARS. I also have worn Arai and Shoei and think all are great. You just need to trial and fit and see what feels best. You don't always get what you pay for. Understand that some of the things Arai is doing puzzles me. Glued in liners, etc... For the price, I want to be able to custom fit the lid to me and have the ability to remove and replace liners to fit better to what I like and desire. Plus, the Bell guys are really hard core on customer service. Again, I think Bell, Arai, Shoei, etc are great choices. I do like the newest HJC also... Anyways, just try them on and see what works for you. Asking what lid is like asking what the best tire is or the best oil...

Well, let's say I shared the track with them. Nicky when he raced WERA and actually also when he raced AMA (I was a backmarker of course) and Benny when he raced WERA also. I've been passed by some of the best!! Hayden, BBoz, Crevier, Kipp, etc., etc... I'm old, dude. old. Been doing this since 94...

BRUTAL!!! I'm old. Put it this way - I am over 3 TIMES older than Jake Lewis!!! But, I have had so many awesome moments such as watching Jake and racing against him. He is going to be an awesome guy (Think Ben SPies, Hayden, etc) as long as he stays healthy. Also, I actually have raced against Nicky and Ben!! Damn, I am old...

And that WAS comfortable as Evans never pressured me even though he tells everyone that he beat me because he ran a faster lap during the race...

29 actually... In a qualifying session. The 31 was on the RC8 also, I believe...

If they are GPAs, you might wanna tell everyone what compounds they are. Also, build date and how they were stored.

Higher corner speed, you want a 190 for side grip. Average rider speed, if the bike was stock with a 180, that will be perfect. However, certain race tires do not come in 180 anymore... My opinion echoes a few on here. Pures or Q2s. Q2s are what we run at the Race Orange stuff and I can run 35s on them with a good setup at Mid-Ohio comfortably. They will get greasy by afternoon at that pace, but the idea is that they are predictable and feel great. Q2 is my opinion simply due to the fact that I haven't ran the Pures a whole lot...

I think what the OP is asking is if someone wanted to put together a track day specific to new riders at the track? Meaning, a full day for novice level riders. In that regard, the cost is pretty high to use just a single group and quite honestly, you aren't going to be able to ride a complete full day even with breaks. Your body will wear out before the day is over. SOOOOOO, my thought is to get the guys from Mid-Ohio, MotoSeries or STT on the phone since they support the site and see if they would cater to a group of first time track day riders and maybe get you a discount. Now, you'd have to have a group of several novice level riders join in. Most clubs do not go over 40 riders per group and I would suggest trying to get together as many guys/gals as you could before presenting your idea to whatever organization you feel is best to you. For example, if you went to an org and stated you have 15 guys/gals coming and could you possibly get a discount as they are all new track day riders wanting to take the novice group and classroom sessions. That will be more effective than anything.

He's on a privateer BMW for the season this year...

Old vid. Cool though.

Nothing confirmed yet, guys. The crew at Mid-Ohio will announce as soon as we work it out. I cannot comment yet and probably won't know anything until next week when out in Cali.

Slap him on the ass for me.

My Avatar is the new KTM Moto3 bike... Yup. I am usually the only guy on a KTM that isn't an instructor. We provide the school with bikes...

Basically keeps a bunch of debris from getting up into the engine compartment. Not really important, but is something you probably want. How'd ya crash?

Honestly, if you want race tires, pick a color... That sounds really silly, but until you get to a point that you need to stay up front and are losing an edge, you really are going to need to work on yourself vs buying a bunch of crap to slap on your bike only to go the same speed. Now, that said, I think tires and suspension are the best things you can do. There was a guy that raced with us at Motoseries and he bought a new set of Dunlop UK DOTs. He was KILLING it and he ran faster than he ever did before at Nelson. Of course, our tight ass ideas were to get away with running old slicks that were worn through the wear marks. BUT, he did awesome and he was so impressed with the tires, he decided to try and keep as fresh of tires as he could. I think Q2s are going to be fine for you until you start to push and can actually understand the bike and when it is actually exceeding the tires. Until you do that, why spend all that money for nothing? Stone needs to go to race tires pronto. He's smooth (of course) and fast enough that I think the next level is right there. Tires are needed for that step and he is ready. What happens is that the tire will start to wear off or get greasy as you get faster. At the start, they feel good, mid way they start to get hot and at the end, they are greasy. But again, it is only when you start to roll faster and faster that you will notice this. We run Q2s on the stock RC8s at Mid-Ohio and they are awesome. Truly. We run them 2 events which is 3 groups every hour and we do at minimal, 5-6 sessions. So, up to 12 sessions on one set and they hold fine. Guys come in telling us they are spinning up the rear and that the tires feel greasy. I throw a leg over and check it out to find it's all in their head. Some words of wisdom... Tires are 80% mental. The rest is in your head. Anyways, if you all wanna get into Dunlops, PM me for the guy's info. His name is Alex Bird. I can get you his info and tell him I sent you, please. He is really a great dude and is more than willing to help anyone out.

DO NOT use warmers on Q2s if racing. Warm up lap is more than adequate as long as you get down to it and don't wussy foot around.

My opinion is if he is just starting, no matter what the year, you probably need to shy away from an 80 or 85 race bike. I had my son on a RM65 for a long time and even at 12, I am not sure he is ready for a full blown 85... We have that 65 if you are interested. It is a 97 and am willing to sell it. I don't know how much, but it is stupid clean.

Problem with that is those young fags are doing Mach 1.2...

And, a lot of guys do not do full seasons. Even AMA Privateers like Wrobel and Neyra don't as it is too much money. Or, if racing WERA and other regional events, there is no longer any money to be made like it used to be. I could win $1500 per class back in the day. It wasn't uncommon to see the likes of Jensen and Batey, etc. racing and making $10k plus a weekend... Why do you ask?

I know a guy. He's old and doesn't do full seasons anymore, but will race wherever he can as long as it doesn't interfere with regular life...

Very true. Ryan needs to get more aggressive at times. He showed a little bit of that in last year's outdoor series towards the end. But, you are 100% truthful in that. If he wants this title, he has to go through RV for sure and to do that, he needs to get some more speed, but also some more aggression.

Seriously? All those guys crashed or were in crashes and Dungey wasn't. That's called RACING! Here's the deal... If a rider is smooth and consistent and stays out of trouble, he can win a race. Now, was he the fastest? No. Was he consistent? YES! RV had to pass everyone because he got in traffic issues that put him down. Guess how you can solve that? GET THE HOLE SHOT which is what Dungey did. Stewy got in a crash from traffic also... Guess what? See idea #1... Reed crashed as a lot of guys did that night. That was rider error. Dungey didn't make any errors during the main. Ivan isn't going to podium in a SX event ever. He's MAYBE top 5. Dungey is well above Hot Sauce. And, if it is the last of the season, realize this. Dungey only won one main last year and look where he landed. So far, we've done pretty good, but thanks for being a Debbie Downer.

Actually, we are the number one off road and MX selling brand now in the US. As for Off Road competition and market share, we control on average, over 80%. Think about Off Road... None of the big 4 have anything really to compare... Now, MX is another issue and we are working rather hard at our MX presence. The sales side, we just went to number one which is a HUGE deal for us...