The new Pro Twins class

[Tim 39]

Yup, I found all those things on the stock sv too....

Makes for interesting riding at pace...

I found it to be rather unpleasant riding close while all that was going on because on my little 125 I'd get nailed if he hit me (it looked rather out of control at times)

[Denniso]

Personaly I can't understand all the bitching , the class hase'nt even gotten off the ground yet , try it , I'm going to . As for cost even if I spend $15000 on a pro twin bike IT'S CHEAP . The other bonus is that some of the pigs that are running around as F3 bikes may be finaly able to be sent where they belong , the wreckers . If you are bitching about the cost you probably don't realy want to go racing anyway as you are far too lazy to get off your ass and do whats required to get the bike you want .

[Drew]

when my mate had his in standard form, it was ok with the road tyres on it but when he went to race tyres and had more grip he started getting quite serious handling problems including squatting at the back making the front get quite loose on corner exits and also developed quite a nasty head shake when hard on the power (I was beside him a few times when all this was going on). I guess it depends on the rider and their riding style because without much adjustability its going to be better for some than others. Since he haas upgraded the suspension it hasn't been a problem, and it's been a far more friendly bike.
thats what I formed my opinion on anyway

Fair enough, I tend to move my wieght around a bike more than most to keep it planted, so they may become less stable for someone not as monkey like.

[Paul B]

Personaly I can't understand all the bitching , the class hase'nt even gotten off the ground yet , try it , I'm going to . As for cost even if I spend $15000 on a pro twin bike IT'S CHEAP . The other bonus is that some of the pigs that are running around as F3 bikes may be finaly able to be sent where they belong , the wreckers . If you are bitching about the cost you probably don't realy want to go racing anyway as you are far too lazy to get off your ass and do whats required to get the bike you want .

I kinda like my little pig and it's not going to the wreckers as long as it still occassionally beats SV650's. ha ha

[t3mp0r4ry nzr]

Personally Im getting pretty excited by this class and I MAY have a brand spankers STOCK sv650k7 to play with at the next VMCC meet, cant wait! It'll be interesting on OE tyres to say the least!

I think this will be a great class

[Tim 39]

Personally Im getting pretty excited by this class and I MAY have a brand spankers STOCK sv650k7 to play with at the next VMCC meet, cant wait! It'll be interesting on OE tyres to say the least!

I think this will be a great class

to my knowledge they dont handle too bad on the stock tyres because you cant push it hard enough to get the problems as mentioned earlier (I've never ridden one on stock tyres but I've seen it done)

[Possum41]

Its like anything when you put upgrades on of course it will go better.
When i raced my Hyosung with stock suspension i chewed through front and rear tyres like they were going out of fashion so suspension upgrades were a definate in my mind.
Then the front brakes started fading early and you had to brake alot earlier so they definately had to be upgraded now i find it hard for people to out brake me into any corner.
Drew is right though even with those issues you still raced it but you were aware of the problems and worked around them, the only thing was you couldn't keep up with the other guys with mods.
By restricting the rules like MNZ have will make this class alot more competitive. When we race against the likes of Jason Easton and Jason Nairn who have spent in the 10's of thousands on their bikes it is impossible to even get near them let alone dice with them so good on MNZ for bringing in this class.

[oyster]

Personaly I can't understand all the bitching , the class hase'nt even gotten off the ground yet , try it , I'm going to .

The class HAS got off the ground, It's an official class in the Motorcycling Canterbury 7 round series, which kicked off on 21st July. At 7 entries, small numbers, but it will grow for sure. And for those interested, the star riders were a 16 year old, first time on an ER6, and a 17 year old on an SV 650.
They not only dominated Pro Twin, but thoroughly kicked the butts of the large F3 / 125GP feild as well! A day in Road Race history for Pro Twin and rising young talent.

[Robert Taylor]

BOLLOCKS!!! They handle fine if you know how to read them, as does damn near any bike.

There are improvements to be had for sure, but saying they handle like crap is un educated drivell to my mind.

They aint scary, the limit is just there earlier than it could be.

A standard race class would be just as much fun as a modified class.

They do handle very poorly ''out of the box''. Im sorry for saying it so brutally but if you think otherwise you may be either very misinformed, in denial or you have never ridden a properly set up bike with good quality suspension.

The intent of the rules very much had safety in mind.

How can a stock standard SV650 be safe when the forks blow violently through their stroke under hard braking, causing the rear end to unload very readily?

How can a stock Hyosung be competitive when they have about the worst rear shock in history? Only the North Koreans could conceivably build something worse... I beleive I might be qualified to comment as I have built a number of shocks for Hyosungs to replace the standard issue ''gap filling device''. Evidence Possums post about the tyre life issue, in fairness an issue for all of these level of bikes, irrespective of brand name.

Just how disadvantaged is a heavyweight rider going to be with stock springing and damping?

Where is the ride height adjuster to give more cornering clearance and to displace more load onto the front and also sharpen the steering?

How are the riders going to learn set up skills and maximise tyre life if they are not allowed to adjust what isnt there in the first place? As also effectively a feeder class it is important that riders learn set up skills for when they move on.

How are the riders going to afford replacing tyres much much more regularly because the stock suspenders are not doing their job?

Etc etc ad infinitum.

I could write paragraph upon paragraph about this but it is clear that the majority accept that a level of suspension modification is neccessary for safety and tyre life. AND IN FACT IS ALSO A LEVELLER.

[Sensei]

Now thats a Burn !

[FROSTY:Me]

At no point was there ever an argument from anyone that the factory set suspension on most 650 twins is terrible.
That was the ONE modification I agree with provided the limits are firmly in place- I suggested right from the start a $ limit on rear shock and front internals
The other stuff is just nuts.Its stuff that is basicly impossible to police and I feel the class will end up gettting mixed in with F3 the difference is so small between a F3 bike and a Pro twins bike

[Tim 39]

That was the ONE modification I agree with provided the limits are firmly in place- I suggested right from the start a $ limit on rear shock and front internals
The other stuff is just nuts.Its stuff that is basicly impossible to police and I feel the class will end up gettting mixed in with F3 the difference is so small between a F3 bike and a Pro twins bike

I think they would have trouble policing the $ figure for suspension upgrades, because what $ are we talking about? retail or how much one aquired it for? no one can see inside forks without taking them to bits so who knows what's inside them?
I believe the technology has improved since 250 proddy and the like so we should go with it. A power commander doesnt cost all that much, wets are a bit of a safety issue also. The other "production" class closest to this, 600's allow many modifications also and it's doing very well (keeping in mind it's a more serious class than the 650's so hence the expense)

[Drew]

I fully respect your opinion mate, you are the guru.

What I'm saying, is that the bike is not an uncontrolable pig the way it's made out to be.

The forks do compress real quick, but it's easy to compensate by braking a tad early, but not as hard.

I'd llike to explain why I think the way I do on this subject, I come from a very different school of riding. I learnt to road ride on a 1984 GSX250, whit swing arm bearings so flogged out, I couldn't tighten my chain because it would crab down the road, I moved onto a Titan 500 Suzi, it flexed with new bearings.

You get the idea, I learnt to ride around the pitfalls of what I was on, so to me, the SV is very impressive when taking the reputation into account.

Sensie, when you comin back down here man, I'll show you what a burn is buddy.

[Sensei]

I'm sure you can Drew , have fun now adays at 42 & 56 bikes owned that I'm still here & ride quick enough to pass a Butterfly road a corner LOL , Had a great time with Deano , Jimbo600 Mikey & Fatjim chasing them through unknow roads down there on my K3 1000 then riding home the same day 1300ks there & back . May stay down there this time . Enjoy been given the learn by young skilled riders was there once myself .

[Robert Taylor]

I fully respect your opinion mate, you are the guru.

What I'm saying, is that the bike is not an uncontrolable pig the way it's made out to be.

The forks do compress real quick, but it's easy to compensate by braking a tad early, but not as hard.

I'd llike to explain why I think the way I do on this subject, I come from a very different school of riding. I learnt to road ride on a 1984 GSX250, whit swing arm bearings so flogged out, I couldn't tighten my chain because it would crab down the road, I moved onto a Titan 500 Suzi, it flexed with new bearings.

You get the idea, I learnt to ride around the pitfalls of what I was on, so to me, the SV is very impressive when taking the reputation into account.

Sensie, when you comin back down here man, I'll show you what a burn is buddy.

My riding days started in the 70s on similiar ( no ) suspension and I didnt think much about it then. But on a racetrack people do get hurt with deficient suspension.

We are no longer in the 70s, for better or worse. And despite the best efforts of the thieving control freaks ruining this country we should resist all tendency to develop third world attitudes.