Not sure if it’s widely known, but Yamaha started out making Pianos before they attempted motorcycles.
Hence the tuning forks logo.
2025 Silly Season
- Thread starter mikesbytes
- Start date
Hence the tuning forks logo.
I'm actually reading Newey's book, How to build a car, at the moment.
He has a long passion for bikes, that I didn't know about.
How great would it be if at the tail end of his illustrious career, if he would pitch in some ideas to HRC, before they build their 27 bike.
He has a long passion for bikes, that I didn't know about.
How great would it be if at the tail end of his illustrious career, if he would pitch in some ideas to HRC, before they build their 27 bike.
I'm pretty certain that the development freeze is based on reducing the costs of the factory teams.
Kawasaki, and then Suzuki's withdrawal should have Dorna on the edge. I can't see them being passive about losing any more factories.
Isn't the 27 changes coming to WSBK also tied to cost cutting?
Joined Nov 2012
997 Posts | 1K+
I expect to read 'Acosta is getting too horny with the steering again' in upcoming live discussions of races.
I knew it!
Joined Oct 2008
6K Posts | 5K+
In Cider
Yeah that was an awesome video, thanks for sharing Synn.
My avatar kart is a 125cc shifter. Similar to the one Acosta is running but I have a Honda engine. Let the jokes begin...
My avatar kart is a 125cc shifter. Similar to the one Acosta is running but I have a Honda engine. Let the jokes begin...
Credits go to @AnnoyingTwit who shared it!
#22 went to Geico to get on track insurance and they said “We don’t insure against natural disasters”.
I must confess to having many years under my belt before knowing this.
The video made a comparison of a shifter to a "standard 100cc cart." Is that right?KZ class shifter karts. Hard to see the engine closely, but likely a IAME which are 175cc.
Joined Oct 2008
6K Posts | 5K+
In Cider
Correct. The standard or basic stages of karting (for 2 strokes) are:
Cadet (8-12yr old) - 60cc
Junior - (12-16yr old)100/125cc restricted, fixed gear
Senior - (16+) 100/125cc unrestricted, fixed gear. 125cc Shifter.
Shifter are basically 125cc Motorbike engines on karts. They also have front brakes. so they are considerably faster than 100cc karts. I top out about 112mph on road courses on my 125 Shifter. The 250's can do 150mph.
Cadet (8-12yr old) - 60cc
Junior - (12-16yr old)100/125cc restricted, fixed gear
Senior - (16+) 100/125cc unrestricted, fixed gear. 125cc Shifter.
Shifter are basically 125cc Motorbike engines on karts. They also have front brakes. so they are considerably faster than 100cc karts. I top out about 112mph on road courses on my 125 Shifter. The 250's can do 150mph.
Someone should plonk an old RD350LC engine into a Kart and see how it goes.
Joined Nov 2012
997 Posts | 1K+
Joined Oct 2008
6K Posts | 5K+
In Cider
No need, the Division 1 Superkarts for a long time used 250cc GP bike engines and even then put out over 100hp. These days there are dedicated engine manufacturers. Look how pretty this PVP is.
I raced Div 2 superkarts for years (single cylinder 250), only drove a twin once and....jesus christ.
I raced Div 2 superkarts for years (single cylinder 250), only drove a twin once and....jesus christ.
I’d rather not hit escape velocity, thank you very much.
Why Yamaha’s rumoured radical MotoGP shift is bigger than just an engine
A touted shift to V4 development for Yamaha is hoped to bring it further up the MotoGP field. But it’s the shift in mentality that will yield its biggest boost
The article itself is rather ho hum as most Crash articles are, but the title image caught my attention. Thats a MASSIVELY braced swing arm, the likes of which I’ve never seen on the M1. I wonder what the science behind it is.
I agree completely.
If they can race baggers, they can race anything.
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
King of the Baggers is one of the most batshit race series I have ever seen.
I've ridden Harley baggers, and I can tell you those things are probably the SLOWEST bikes to get tipped over because of how ...... up the weight distribution is. And you also have almost no lean angle clearance on the foot boards. I had the bike out for maybe 20 seconds before I was scraping the floor boards.
Joined Nov 2012
997 Posts | 1K+
I'm never sure what classes are basically racing road bikes. From Superbikes (closer to MotoGP, I feel) to Supersports (not sure of rules), to other classes.
Having a bit of a check around, British Supersport seems confused. How is a (presumably) 995cc Panigale V2 equivalent to the 600s or so. And what are Honda-engined old Moto2 bikes doing in there?
With modern 1000cc bikes being over 200hp at the extreme end, I'm not sure that's sufficient lack of power to slow things down too much. When I watch various series, it's the racing I want to see. Not the outright speed. I don't feel Moto3 is 'too slow' for example.
I've never seen one of these Asian scooter races before, so I'm going to watch one now. That's much closer to what people in Asia actually ride.
EDIT: That did look very slow. But, there was some very competitive racing. And the overtakes were easy to see because of how long they took. That must be the biggest jump-start I've ever seen. I'm used to jump-starts just being a metre or so before the rider stops themselves. I've not seen anyone ride away like that with the rest of the pack still waiting.
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Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
I read the history of Yamaha about a zillion years ago. Great story in the book about how a handful of the company guys literally carried their first product, a harpsichord from the workshop - along railroad tracks - a trip of something like 20 miles - to get approval from a quality control board, to get a certificate that would permit them to export harpsichords. They did it three times before being granted approval. Actually - that might have been an excerpt from Kenny Robert’s bio.
