Race bikes and rider aids (electronic)

[codgyoleracer]

They are here to stay - but do they spoil the fun and make it less of a specatacle ?, Or do they simply refine going "fast" even further ?. Thats the question. Ime writing an article on the matter, - what are your thoughts ?

[MIXONE]

Probably showing my age here but I much preferred the days of the bucking,snorting semi out of control 500 2 strokes.

[Danger Dave]

Personally i like watching bikes on the limit of control, the sliding, wheelstanding goodness of it all, the electronics are good for lap times but not for watching, in my opinion.

[Kiwi Graham:Me]

Glen , Ive got a foot in both camps.

1. As the spectator the more dramatic the spectical the better. Sliding bikes, wheel stands and the obviouse effort to control a massivly powerful bike get its power through two small patches of rubber on to the circuit so the less aids the better.

or

2. As a rider I like the technical apect of getting these aids to work for you. You cant just plug them in and away you go, testing, tweeking, adjusting, adopting a different riding style and the ability to modify the whole package for individual circuits even corners on circuits is fasinating too.

[Mental Trousers]

In my job (part Sys Admin part programmer) I'm working with computers every day. Given the time and money I'd love to sit down and create my own fuel injection + ignition module. But I don't have any interest in creating or using any sort of traction/wheelie control or other rider aid.

May have something to do with my bike having a modest power output with decent chassis, suspension and tyres meaning I fire it out from the apex at full throttle at full lean, but I don't know. If someone were to put me on a Superbike I might feel different, however I don't think so. I actually love making the thing slide around and squirm.

For me, the best era in modern GP racing wasn't during the 500 2 strokes, it was the 990's. Loads of torque everywhere and power to burn with only the rider to blame if he lost the back.

[Grumph]

The best riders will always come out on top regardless of electronic assistance.....

BUT the aids available now and, projecting forward a little, those coming, will enable the "just off the top rung" riders to compete at least most of the time with the greats.

Whether this is a good thing or not is of course dependent on where you stand....Sponsors may love it, spectators may hate it.

Personally, I love watching the really good guys (and the odd girl) wrestling with really evil overpowered and undertyred machinery - don't even care if they beat it into submission or not - it's the battle that you watch.

[budda]

The best riders will always come out on top regardless of electronic assistance.....


Personally, I love watching the really good guys (and the odd girl) wrestling with really evil overpowered and undertyred machinery - don't even care if they beat it into submission or not - it's the battle that you watch.

Still daydreaming of me on the Mighty Horace I see ................. Hurry Up and finish Daves 4fiddy for me !

[Maido]

But with rider aids you can just wack the throttle on mid corner and it does the rest.....

This is my favourite statement on bike racing.

The thing people forget is that there is probably more lap time made up into and through a corner before traction control kicks in and you drive off.
Pushing the front into a corner is all rider, sure abs might stop the brakes locking, but the rider dictates how late he/she brakes, and more importantly lifts off the brakes. A computer cannot do that.

[crazy man]

But with rider aids you can just wack the throttle on mid corner and it does the rest.....

This is my favourite statement on bike racing.

The thing people forget is that there is probably more lap time made up into and through a corner before traction control kicks in and you drive off.
Pushing the front into a corner is all rider, sure abs might stop the brakes locking, but the rider dictates how late he/she brakes, and more importantly lifts off the brakes. A computer cannot do that.

easy one is find out motor gp times before traction control and then with it . anyone want to find out. l would like to know

[JayRacer37]

easy one is find out motor gp times before traction control and then with it . anyone want to find out. l would like to know

Given that it was accepted Honda was messing with TC on the latest NSR's, and certainly the RC211V in it's first iterations, it would be a hard comparison indeed to see specifically the affects of TC/Wheelie Control/Throttle management mapping without taking into account, power/chassis/tyre updates.

From reports I have seen from riders, the best won't go faster, they will just be more consistent. And perhaps crash a little less. Consistency (or the ease of obtaining it) is what creates the current poor racing spectacle. Look at WSBK, where a different, less extreme tyre spec means the bikes move a little more, and the 'ideal' line can be a little less strict. That means two (or three, or more) guys can be on different lines and corner solutions, but the same pace, creating opportunities to pass. Also you can see the bikes move which is awesome! WSBK is a good example also as their electronic aids are very nearly (if not completely) on par with MotoGP.

Flexi chassis or skinny tyres would give the racing back and keep the electronics...

[HenryDorsetCase]

They are here to stay - but do they spoil the fun and make it less of a specatacle ?, Or do they simply refine going "fast" even further ?. Thats the question. Ime writing an article on the matter, - what are your thoughts ?

the cream will always rise to the top. mmmmmmm creeeeeeeam.

If Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Rossi and Marquez and the rest of the grid were riding Vespas round the Basin Reserve, those four would be out front. Except Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden might be a tad closer.

People bleat on about "spectacle" and all that. The spectacle they are talking about is slides turning into highsides and then your favourite rider getting drilled into the track like a depleted uranium shell fired from an M1A1 Abrams. Shit's not cool, yo.

And if racing is a team sport, then the best team will win, right? and in 2011 that team includes the electronics guy. And if my electronics pack and setup is better than yours on the day, all else being equal then I will win. How is that wrong, or unsportsmanlike?

Not only that, but if racing improves the breed then electronics MUST continue and continue to be improved. Think about the trickle downs from racing over the years: disc brakes, MOAR Power, EFI, now ABS, and you can buy a bike with ABS and TC and some bikes with the full suite. That is progress.

Nah, I am all for it, and I completely disagree that it has in and of itself made prototype racing boring. What is needed is more factories and more money .... and more electronics. And no fucking control tyres. We want Pirelli Michelin, Goodyear and Dunlop back. Bridgestone can stay if they want. It also needs less carmella Soprano Ezpezeta.

[HenryDorsetCase]

easy one is find out motor gp times before traction control and then with it . anyone want to find out. l would like to know

not comparing apples with apples though.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Given that it was accepted Honda was messing with TC on the latest NSR's, and certainly the RC211V in it's first iterations, it would be a hard comparison indeed to see specifically the affects of TC/Wheelie Control/Throttle management mapping without taking into account, power/chassis/tyre updates.

From reports I have seen from riders, the best won't go faster, they will just be more consistent. And perhaps crash a little less. Consistency (or the ease of obtaining it) is what creates the current poor racing spectacle. Look at WSBK, where a different, less extreme tyre spec means the bikes move a little more, and the 'ideal' line can be a little less strict. That means two (or three, or more) guys can be on different lines and corner solutions, but the same pace, creating opportunities to pass. Also you can see the bikes move which is awesome! WSBK is a good example also as their electronic aids are very nearly (if not completely) on par with MotoGP.

Flexi chassis or skinny tyres would give the racing back and keep the electronics...

Why not just watch dirt track out of the states or speedway here if you want to see the bikes move round? Plus you get the benefit of close racing, AND crashes. No TC or anti wheelie or anti spin there.

[Robert Taylor]

They are here to stay - but do they spoil the fun and make it less of a specatacle ?, Or do they simply refine going "fast" even further ?. Thats the question. Ime writing an article on the matter, - what are your thoughts ?

Bring it on, the more technology the better.

[wharfy]

They are here to stay - but do they spoil the fun and make it less of a specatacle ?, Or do they simply refine going "fast" even further ?. Thats the question. Ime writing an article on the matter, - what are your thoughts ?

I don't think they spoil the fun - Electronics or not I think anyone who even throws their leg over a MotoGP bike and turns up the wick is fuckin' awesome !!

I've been to ONE MotoGP event (Silverstone 2010, the round after Rossi broke his leg ) IT WAS AMAZING !!
Watching it on TV or you tube clips of the top guy's is cool, but you don't REALLY get an idea of just how fast they are going unless you are there.

Going fast is what it is all about who can go fastest on a motorbike, who makes the fastest motorbike, which team can adapt to the different circuits and keep up the effort for a whole season and win the title.
The "spectacle" is not diminished (in MY opinion)

There is plenty of stunt riding/drifting etc. to be found if you want to watch that sort of thing (and I do )
I've been in the Computer bizz for 1/4 of a century and have some appreciation of just how clever the electronic aids are and how much computer "horsepower" they require (and how clever a human being is to even ride a motorbike with/or without them).