MotoGP 2018

[WALRUS]

Kwakka's factory efforts always looked and sounded brilliant, but its hard to tell if it was the tech/development that kept them behind everyone else, or the riders they had. They tended to have good bookings but not proven premier class front runners, like de Puniet & Jaques, Hopkins and West, Hoffman and Nakano, Pitt and Yanagawa. All awesome riders but they showed the majority of their prowess in different classes such as 250's, WSS, and WSBK. Nakano got them a couple of podiums from memory but no wins.

They looked fuckin' sick though!!



I'd be happy to see them back but I still reckon they're having too good a time and focusing on production racing to get back into GP's.. But, never say never..

[Crasherfromwayback]

They looked fuckin' sick though!!



..

Yep. Purchased my first Kawasaki because of the Lime Green colour. Looks great on a race track.

[EJK]

Kwakka's factory efforts always looked and sounded brilliant, but its hard to tell if it was the tech/development that kept them behind everyone else, or the riders they had. They tended to have good bookings but not proven premier class front runners, like de Puniet & Jaques, Hopkins and West, Hoffman and Nakano, Pitt and Yanagawa. All awesome riders but they showed the majority of their prowess in different classes such as 250's, WSS, and WSBK. Nakano got them a couple of podiums from memory but no wins.

They looked fuckin' sick though!!


I'd be happy to see them back but I still reckon they're having too good a time and focusing on production racing to get back into GP's.. But, never say never..

That is an awesome photo. Looks really great!

[Autech]

Dorna would have to make room for them too I think as it's a pretty crowded grid now. At least no bikes are getting lapped now like the CRT/Open class days. Lets hope they keep the formula as it is now as it's working a treat

[malcy25]

Never heard that name before I'm afraid. Fill me in on him please wise one

Never saw that bike when it was a proper factory effort just when it was Marco on his own and he chucked it on the podium in the wet before buggering off the wsbk.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Radar is a legend. He started in about 1979 with Heron Suzuki and was one of the two mechanics looking after the works RG500 Suzuki Hailwood won the 1979 IOM Senior on, then went on to spanner for Crosby for 3 years until Croz retired, then with Marlboro Yamaha, working with Roberts, Lawson, etc, hes run the Aussie Yamaha superbike team and is a suspension expert. He's worked a lot with Ant West who rode the Kwaka Motogp bike, helped with the Yamaha R6 that Westie put on the podium in Aussie 2 years in a row in SSP600.

He's well connected into the motogp world still and good mates with all the kiwi and Aussie GP mechanics that have been there over the years. He's here in NZ so much helping Team Helicraft and their MV that he was given an "honourary NZ passport" on the weekend at the motofest.

Done enough that hthere's an article in Classic Racer on him!

[pritch]

Everybody is looking really skinny... except for Iannone who in his own inimitable style has chosen to plough a different furrow and see if extra helpings of pasta can improve his race pace.

Not sure about the pasta, might be the Chianti going by his latest effort.

That reminds me, I was thinking I should have a nice drink of something to go with the first race and I have a ten year old Chianti here.

[pritch]

Kwakka's factory efforts always looked and sounded brilliant, but its hard to tell if it was the tech/development that kept them behind everyone else, o

To help the bike turn Yamaha went to making the engine run backwards for Rossi's first season. I think Honda have since followed suit. Kawasaki didn't and just kept making the fork angle ever steeper which made the bike a twitchy unstable beast of a thing to ride. Can't recall where I read that, I just checked Kevin Cameron and the Kawasaki of that era doesn't even rate a mention.

[Autech]

Not sure about the pasta, might be the Chianti going by his latest effort.

That reminds me, I was thinking I should have a nice drink of something to go with the first race and I have a ten year old Chianti here.

Nothing I own ever lasts longer than the week it arrives in my cupboard

To help the bike turn Yamaha went to making the engine run backwards for Rossi's first season. I think Honda have since followed suit. Kawasaki didn't and just kept making the fork angle ever steeper which made the bike a twitchy unstable beast of a thing to ride. Can't recall where I read that, I just checked Kevin Cameron and the Kawasaki of that era doesn't even rate a mention.

Was it an L4?

They're doing so well in WSBK I can't see them getting back into Motogp, though there was a time I used to be excited to watch WSBK then meh about Motogp, it's done a full flip now to the point where i'm not even watching WSBK regularly as Moto3/2/GP is fulling my cup rather well, so maybe they'll want to get back into Motogp to get their brand in front of the masses?
Kawasaki PR if you are reading this you need to convince the bosses to build a Motogp bike.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Was it an L4?

.

It sure was.

[Autech]

It sure was.

Headbanger shit

[Crasherfromwayback]

Headbanger shit

It was a fucking screamer!

[Reckless]

Yep. Purchased my first Kawasaki because of the Lime Green colour. Looks great on a race track.

Wasn't my first that was a 250 F11 @15 but my first real Kawaski love was a coffin tank.
Still got it, never sell it even a new tat to go with it, crazy old coot that I am LOL

Love to see them back in Moto GP but they may be thinking with the success in superbike being down at 10th on the grid as a start up team in moto GP might be doing more damage than good.

[Crasherfromwayback]

my first real Kawaski love was a coffin tank.
Still got it, never sell it

Love to see them back in Moto GP but they may be thinking with the success in superbike being down at 10th on the grid as a start up team in moto GP might be doing more damage than good.

ZIR?

Ditto. Maybe they'll decide they're missing the real party one day.

[Reckless]

ZIR?

Ditto. Maybe they'll decide they're missing the real party one day.

Yeh Crasher Z1R since 1990 had the old girl. Getting a resto Atm bits everywhere. Still trying to decide how far to go nice original or complete resto??

Dont often show off but this lady is a real artist! year old now, Quite a good result if I do say myself but each to their own LOL.

Hi jack over back on subject

[Crasherfromwayback]

Yeh Crasher Z1R since 1990 had the old girl. Getting a resto Atm bits everywhere. Still trying to decide how far to go nice original or complete resto??

Dont often show off but this lady is a real artist! year old now, Quite a good result if I do say myself but each to their own LOL.

Hi jack over back on subject

Looks good. You got the small tank for the bike? So much sexier than the large tank. The Z1R is still one of THE sexiest Japanese bikes ever built, and I wish to this day I still had my TC. And it's not a hijack, it's an interjection.