Could this be the difference between Spies

Lately,Superbike riders who have had a chance to ride a GP have all said how easy they are to ride compared to a SB.All you hear is how once they get used to the electronics mental barrier that allow a hand full of throttle midturn and the carbon brakes,they will be good to go Not Spies. Is his understanding and feel that much different than other pro SB riders and is this what sets him apart. These comments makes it sound like he believes you have to have more of an understanding of mechanical grip than electronic wizardry to ride these bike fast. He was pleased with what he accomplished but realizes he is not an alien,yet.

I raced a World Superbike just two weeks ago in Portugal and when I rode the MotoGP bike on Friday here it was like I’d not ridden a road race bike in four years," he said.

"It was a massive difference and it's hard to wrap your head round the amount of grip you get from the front end. In the race I didn’t have any moments that made me nervous and it is hard to understand where the limit is.

“Coming and racing against these boys I was ready for a reality check and that’s what I got. I’m seventh and that’s obviously not a result I’m used to looking at but it is going to be hard to move up from that.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (povol @ Nov 14 2009, 01:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Lately,Superbike riders who have had a chance to ride a GP have all said how easy they are to ride compared to a SB.All you hear is how once they get used to the electronics mental barrier that allow a hand full of throttle midturn and the carbon brakes,they will be good to go Not Spies. Is his understanding and feel that much different than other pro SB riders and is this what sets him apart. These comments makes it sound like he believes you have to have more of an understanding of mechanical grip than electronic wizardry to ride these bike fast. He was pleased with what he accomplished but realizes he is not an alien,yet.

I raced a World Superbike just two weeks ago in Portugal and when I rode the MotoGP bike on Friday here it was like I’d not ridden a road race bike in four years," he said.

"It was a massive difference and it's hard to wrap your head round the amount of grip you get from the front end. In the race I didn’t have any moments that made me nervous and it is hard to understand where the limit is.

“Coming and racing against these boys I was ready for a reality check and that’s what I got. I’m seventh and that’s obviously not a result I’m used to looking at but it is going to be hard to move up from that.

Which Superbike riders have made these statements? I've not heard this sentiment before.
Also - I don't get your point. Are you saying that Spies is more aware and that all the other superbike riders who've moved to GP bikes are insensitive to the nuances of GP bikes?

And which SBK riders have ever gone well enough to give any credence to such things?

And whats the difference between Spies and Toseland?


Lets just wait and see how he goes before all this bull wastes precious bits or even bytes

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BarryMachine @ Nov 15 2009, 04:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>And which SBK riders have ever gone well enough to give any credence to such things?

And whats the difference between Spies and Toseland?


Lets just wait and see how he goes before all this bull wastes precious bits or even bytes
Win ratio, world title in first year, has already demonstrated he can ride bridgestones etc. Did not beat bayliss in wsbk so your questioning of the level of competition he faced for his title is a fair point although I don't agree with you about his motogp potential in general.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (povol @ Nov 14 2009, 11:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Lately,Superbike riders who have had a chance to ride a GP have all said how easy they are to ride compared to a SB.All you hear is how once they get used to the electronics mental barrier that allow a hand full of throttle midturn and the carbon brakes,they will be good to go Not Spies. Is his understanding and feel that much different than other pro SB riders and is this what sets him apart. These comments makes it sound like he believes you have to have more of an understanding of mechanical grip than electronic wizardry to ride these bike fast. He was pleased with what he accomplished but realizes he is not an alien,yet.

"I raced a World Superbike just two weeks ago in Portugal and when I rode the MotoGP bike on Friday here it was like I’d not ridden a road race bike in four years," he said.

"It was a massive difference and it's hard to wrap your head round the amount of grip you get from the front end. In the race I didn’t have any moments that made me nervous and it is hard to understand where the limit is.

“Coming and racing against these boys I was ready for a reality check and that’s what I got. I’m seventh and that’s obviously not a result I’m used to looking at but it is going to be hard to move up from that.
Sorry Pov, I'm also not seeing a clear point to debate here... can y'all qualify the post?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BarryMachine @ Nov 14 2009, 10:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>And which SBK riders have ever gone well enough to give any credence to such things?

And whats the difference between Spies and Toseland?


Lets just wait and see how he goes before all this bull wastes precious bits or even bytes

talent. as in, a fair bit more.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mastodon @ Nov 15 2009, 07:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>talent. as in, a fair bit more.

Yes I can see that two WSBK championships and 1 place better in his debut GP does look a fair bit more talented. But really If Spies had stayed WSBK he may have won another WSBK title too. SO I think they are of pretty similar talent.

Perhaps in the end it comes down to which one is worth more in gathering sales and new fans for GP? And its pretty obvious the US fans want a win. Toseland on the other hand was allways going to have hassles getting Brit. fans as most of them are Rossi-Boppers.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BarryMachine @ Nov 15 2009, 04:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Yes I can see that two WSBK championships and 1 place better in his debut GP does look a fair bit more talented. But really If Spies had stayed WSBK he may have won another WSBK title too. SO I think they are of pretty similar talent.

Perhaps in the end it comes down to which one is worth more in gathering sales and new fans for GP? And its pretty obvious the US fans want a win. Toseland on the other hand was allways going to have hassles getting Brit. fans as most of them are Rossi-Boppers.

In general it are the 250 riders who say a Motogp is relatively easy too ride compared to a 250, never heard an SBK rider about that.

[quote name='Keshav' date='Nov 14 2009, 03:12 PM' post='218886']
Which Superbike riders have made these statements? I've not heard this sentiment before.
Also - I don't get your point. Are you saying that Spies is more aware and that all the other superbike riders who've moved to GP bikes are insensitive to the nuances of GP bikes.

Im talking about guys who get wildcard rides. Hacking said it
“It’s going to be tough,” said Hacking. “Like I said, the brakes and the electronics are the hardest things. Everything else I think I can pretty much handle, but the electronics and brakes are going to be the toughest things

Roger Lee
Hayden commented openly that his GP teammates were seen in the data to grab a handful of mid-apex throttle far earlier than he was used to, requiring some "mind-over-matter" thinking to ride as aggressively in the turns. After the discussion with Casonato, it seems clear that team regulars Randy DePuniet of France and Anthony West of Australia were already riding while knowing that electronics would help keep an overeager throttle action from biting too hard.

You hear stories, so in my head I was thinking how scary a MotoGP bike is, and how unbelievable the power's going to be. But my first couple of laps riding, I thought, 'Man, this thing's a nice bike.' It shifts good, it was smaller than my 600. Yanagawa was there, so that was nice. He helped me with a few things, like carbon brakes. That took a little while to get used to. One thing that helped me was that I'd been to the track before. It was just a fun bike. It was almost like riding a 250, almost. It's so small and so nimble, and the power's so smooth and easy to get to the ground. Honestly, the thing was easier to ride than my Superbike, I felt like. So we got a little bit more than a half day, and everything seemed to go pretty good. My lap time was pretty good.
Hayden went on to say that if you whacked the throttle mid corner on a Superbike,you would end up in the 3rd row of the grandstand.
Duhamel never came to grips with the electronics in his wildcard ride

]Are you saying that Spies is more aware and that all the other superbike riders who've moved to GP bikes are insensitive to the nuances of GP bikes ]

[


Basically yes,the other SB riders talk about having to get used to brakes and electronics and Spies says the hardest thing is the mechanical grip on the front. Just an observation.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BarryMachine @ Nov 15 2009, 03:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Perhaps in the end it comes down to which one is worth more in gathering sales and new fans for GP? And its pretty obvious the US fans want a win. Toseland on the other hand was allways going to have hassles getting Brit. fans as most of them are Rossi-Boppers.
Great point, BM. Yamaha already have one popular American and the most popular rider in the world, it's clear for everyone to see that Spies was brought in as a marketing gimmick to exploit the US market. And that money that the team gets from Dorna for keeping a Brit in the series? Poncheral doesn't need that money, everyone knows Tech 3 is swimming in money.

Its all about waiting to see how he goes in 2010, on other tracks, different set-ups, his ability to adjust set-ups to suit conditions etc etc. Its good he gets the chance though and I sort of hope he goes alright because it keeps the door open to get into Moto2/MotoGP through Supersport/Superbikes but he won't be winning races in 2010.

Povol
Basically yes,the other SB riders talk about having to get used to brakes and electronics and Spies says the hardest thing is the mechanical grip on the front. Just an observation.
[/quote]

Interesting. I'd not seen the quotes from R. Hayden and Hacking. In RRW there's
an interview with Spies where he goes out of his way to point out how much advantage
there is to the guys who are coming from 250 - but then this isn't exactly front page news.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Keshav @ Nov 17 2009, 11:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Povol
Basically yes,the other SB riders talk about having to get used to brakes and electronics and Spies says the hardest thing is the mechanical grip on the front. Just an observation.


Interesting. I'd not seen the quotes from R. Hayden and Hacking. In RRW there's
an interview with Spies where he goes out of his way to point out how much advantage
there is to the guys who are coming from 250 - but then this isn't exactly front page news.
I think the advantage the 250guys have is the fact that they grew up on European tracks, and developed a riding style for the flowing European tracks, compared to the point and shoot tracks of America. They will always have the advantage regardless of what bikes they come up on.Just take Moto 2,how many Americans are confirmed for that series compared to Europeans. This is the side of bike racing that irks my ..., sure your fast,but you dont have the right passport and the customers of our sponsor dont know who you are.Now if your willing to ride for free,we will build you a bike.

So now it's first and foremost abour europeans vs americans, not 250 vs superbike? Confusing

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Austin @ Nov 16 2009, 09:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Great point, BM. Yamaha already have one popular American and the most popular rider in the world, it's clear for everyone to see that Spies was brought in as a marketing gimmick to exploit the US market. And that money that the team gets from Dorna for keeping a Brit in the series? Poncheral doesn't need that money, everyone knows Tech 3 is swimming in money.
Expect a thumbs up from Talpa. Oh wait, you put the rolleyes, so maybe this time he'll get the clue.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Babelfish @ Nov 18 2009, 08:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>So now it's first and foremost abour europeans vs americans, not 250 vs superbike? Confusing
I would expect you to miss the point. Nothing new.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (povol @ Nov 18 2009, 02:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I think the advantage the 250guys have is the fact that they grew up on European tracks, and developed a riding style for the flowing European tracks, compared to the point and shoot tracks of America. They will always have the advantage regardless of what bikes they come up on.Just take Moto 2,how many Americans are confirmed for that series compared to Europeans. This is the side of bike racing that irks my ..., sure your fast,but you dont have the right passport and the customers of our sponsor dont know who you are.Now if your willing to ride for free,we will build you a bike.

Yeah I reckon its a difficult situation for non-Europeans, Stoner had to pack up and leave his home country at 14/15, then show he could ride the European tracks just as good to get their confidence in signing him up. Im thinking thats the probably one of the best ways to go about it. You just need parents with a bit of cash and interest in racing to take you over there. A young kid to do that means he must be keen, thats why I like Stoner a lot - also because he's Australian who can ride a bike very well

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumkie @ Nov 19 2009, 06:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Expect a thumbs up from Talpa. Oh wait, you put the rolleyes, so maybe this time he'll get the clue.


Well I don't get a thing about what you or Austin have said in reply ..... so what chance for Talpa

Austin WTF did you mean by your post, I think you are trying to be ironic ...... but its difficult for others to see the irony when it is based on what at this present time seems "faith" or "fervor" .

You have to remember, to many USers Spies is "the next big thing" ..... to some others its difficult to see that? Especially when all we have to go off is comparisons with past examples ....... when the past examples don't look as amazing as is being touted, well obviously one has to assume that in the equation:

How will Spies go = Past examples + fervor

then obviously the value of "fervor" is pretty high from some.

if you have a reason for this value of "fervor" being so high, I would gladly like to see it, otherwise I have to assume a lot of it is just parochially based. Though an admirable quality, to some extent, it doesn't necessarily accord with an unbiased view of things

I understand Jumkies rejection of the "cheerleaders etc. ..... but hey guys beware you aren't doing the same, especially since the guy has had only one race and that was pretty much in accord with what we have seen in the past from ex-SBKers.

I'd rather wait and see, but to date ..... meh .... there's nothing "startling" about Spies ....

Next season will be fun if you are right ... is about all I can see.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Keshav @ Nov 15 2009, 07:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Which Superbike riders have made these statements? I've not heard this sentiment before.
Also - I don't get your point. Are you saying that Spies is more aware and that all the other superbike riders who've moved to GP bikes are insensitive to the nuances of GP bikes?


That statement was (obviously) from all the WSBK riders who've been winning motogp races...oh, wait...that can't be right

They should be embarrassed to say things like this. The bike is easy to ride but where are they, trying not to get lapped, battling for that last point in 15th... bloody easy that is.