
Originally Posted by
slowpoke
Despite some of the invective from folks who don't understand RT's passion for what he does and how he does it, there's still some interesting info in what must be the most discussed ride report in KB history. Thanks to those who have provided informative/constructive input.
I only came back to NZ about 4 years ago after nearly 20 years in Oz, and coincidentally took the first steps down the road to bankruptcy by starting racing about the same time. The very first test day I went to at Manfeild I met a bloke on a virtually stock SV650. I was a noob on a well worn R1 but I can still remember thinking "Who the FUCK is that bloke?!" as he motored past again and again. Even then you could see the gears turning in this blokes head as he plotted and schemed the path to improvement for that plain jane lil' SV.
Then I saw some footage of him on a Superbike at Wanga's, and I didn't feel quite so bad. Of course it wasn't the common or garden variety GSXR, he had chosen that most challenging/frustrating of superbike tools, a Kawa-bloody-saki ZX10R.
And of course he doesn't take the easy way out by working 9-5 in someone elses business either, he backed himself from an early age and runs his own.
So apart from learning he's an approachable, hell of a nice bloke, it's also obvious Glen likes to take the path less travelled.
So it is with the YSS stuff I reckon. After seeing that "beige" SV morph into something Harris or Spondon would be proud of I've no doubt he will be relishing the challenge of doing something a lil' different. It will just be the salt on his chips I reckon.
Robert on the other hand is a pure and (not so) simple perfectionist. There is only one way to do something and that's the best way you know how. Take a look at his workshop sometime, no dusty shelves or bins full of useless, broke crap lying about, it's exactly how you'd imagine a minimalist OCD clean Swedish workshop to be: who knew Ikea had an industrial catalog?
Far from being afraid of change he can't seem to wait for the next revelation that allows him to pass on improvements and looks for ways to improve things to suit NZ conditions. Check out the race tracks and roads in Europe or the US, they are a far cry from what we see in NZ. That's not to say he will force the most expensive solution on everyone, I've personally experienced a tailored (Taylor-ed?) package for that tired R1 that suited my L-plate racer status (how little has changed....). It wasn't "Warehouse" cheap but it suited my limited ridng and financial needs perfectly. So I can see Robert finding it perversely frustrating that someone of Glens calibre would deliberately choose a worse starting point than he has to.
Different goals ya see: Robert would just like to see Glen go as fast as humanly possible on the "jello-express", whereas I get the feeling Glen doesn't just want to go fast, he thrives on the development experience as well. The challenge and therefore personal satisfaction would be considerably reduced if he just took the path of least resistance. It's that old motorcycling/life mantra: the journey is just as important as the destination.
Kerry is probably somewhere between the two. He's got a hell of an imagination and dreams up lots of ways to skin the proverbial cat.......some of them may involve an anti-gravity chamber, but I digress. For all the stories you hear (both from him and about him) he's a pretty smart cat himself and isn't afraid to try something left field. Which I guess is where the YSS gear comes in. He knows it's not WP/Ohlins/Penske but he'll be thinking that a lot of folks, rightly/or wrongly can't/won't justify that expenditure so in true entrepeneurial spirit he's trying to satisfy what he sees as a demand in the market place. Time will tell whether they get more, less or exactly what they pay for.
So, 3 different people tackling the road racing conundrum from 3 very different angles, usually at the same time and place. Interesting times.....
For myself, I haven't got an ounce of Glen's talent/experience, but I'm determined to improve after a crap last season floundering on a new bike. Unfortunately time is my biggest enemy and I can't get to the track that often. So as part of my plan I'm happy to pay good money for the premium products/services/back-up provided by CKT and their lil smurf-wagon/tardis. I see it as not just the fast track to improvement but insurance against more of the expensive mistakes I've made in the past. Someone else with different circumstances will try something different but that's what makes it all so interesting eh? What else are we gonna talk about over a few beers once we've finished discussing the lingerie Craig is wearing under his leathers this weekend?
I'm not gonna 'pologise for the waffle, I've got a gutful of axle grease masquerading as coffee and on my 21st 12 hour nightshift with 7 more to go, be thankful I didn't write even more shite........yes, there's plenty more crap where this came from..........
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