Have read lately of a few on the TL site that have fitted late model GSXR front ends etc but cant remember the difference in rim weight(getting old lol).Have to add that the difference when riding the TL with Carrozzerias feels way more than 6-7 kgs,am used to it now but can remember the first time i rode it andwas absolutely gobsmacked,felt a completely different bike.
Be the person your dog thinks you are...
Its all very well quoting that ''chestnut'' but I think any racer if he had a choice between light weight wheels and quality aftermarket suspension would choose suspension first, because at least you can tailor it to every track. If you put aftermarket wheels on sure you get better steering response etc etc but well tuned and optimised suspension is still a far higher priority.
The stark reality is that by and large the previous Supersport 600 and Superbike rules were very ''close''. And its not without a touch of more than a little cynicism that myself and many others heard verbally from road race commission people ''we want to align our rules closely with Australia'' Its likely in print somewhere as well.
Well then on the subject of lightweight wheels and now allowing aftermarket rear link sets the new rules are to the best of my knowledge very out of step with Australia. ( If Im wrong on that Ill profusely apologise )
Id have to question if the allowance for rear links is because of the 09 R1 link( a model with a very progressive link ratio ) In which case you cannnot blame them for pushing that but many will question conflict of interest if a Yamaha team is resurrected. Just an observation. Im helping out Tony Rees again but did not push for links as I dont want to see the floodgates opened on those nor any potential safety issues with badly made homemade possibilities etc. Moreover we would have accepted what was there but now there is another significant cost on that front. The rear link ratios on the Ducati 848 through 1198 and Triumph 675s are also ridiculously progressive but I dont recall the same people now making noise about links having in the past made noise on behalf of the riders of those models? I have all the link force curves and wheel force curves on file for all the popular 600cc class and Superbikes, courtesy of Ohlins Racing, Sweden.
Many years back ( before Biggles and many others attended road races ) we raced a GSXR1000K1 with Ohlins forks on it. The rider would have won the title that year but for an inopportune crash and aftermarket forks were promptly banned ever since. We did not make a noise about it and conceded that it was ''a bridge too far''
It would be great to sell a lot of fork sets as it would be great to sell a lot of wheel sets but the cold hard reality is it is a step too far. I can also say with total authority ( from a phone conversation late this afternoon ) that at least one major distributor of motorcycles thinks exactly the same thing because it raises the costs significantly. THAT WILL IMPACT HOW MANY RIDERS THEY CAN HELP AND BY HOW MUCH THEY CAN HELP THEM
Natural selection will occur and you have to wonder aloud if this is a DELIBERATE AGENDA to get rid of the Superbike and Supersport 600 classes? BTW I am not the first person to suggest that on this forum?
Lightweight wheels are nice but they are not top of the priority list and their allowed use is out of step with many other similiar domestic racing formulae around the world.
Given this folly I wouldnt blame the major distributors to pull the pin and say bugger you, we will support the Tri Series and Street races only.........................
I think also that if you spoke to most of the Superbike regulars they like Craig will be aghast at this folly.
Zen wisdom: No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously. - obviously had KB in mind when he came up with that gem
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity
There is way too much to answer in this post BUT I will make one point....check out the list price for standard rims from Kawasaki (as I know this brand) and then tell me the CARROZZERIA rims are too expensive! I would hazzard a guess that many stock rims are MORE EXPENSIVE than the racers deal my main sponsor is prepared to do. In fact Choppa has already come out and said it is a better option for him to buy CARROZZERIA wheels than stock. I can't talk for other wheel manufacturers but I know Rodd has put a fair margin on the wheels and he is here for the fun of it...not to make massive profits. He is a person we should be encouraging to participate in this sport through product involvement.
Also, aftermarket wheels may not be hign on your priority list but they certainly are on mine (for obvious reasons) but I think in the 'open' classes people should be allowed to choose where they spend there budget.
Zen wisdom: No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously. - obviously had KB in mind when he came up with that gem
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity
Win as much as he has and there's no reason people can't get the same deals. But that's the nature of sponsorship. However, there aren't that many sponsors around who'd been keen on lumping another $4k (arbitrary figure someone used earlier in the thread) to the cost of getting a bike on track. No matter how you look at it lightweight wheels = cheque book racing. It raises the cost of staying competitive.
Zen wisdom: No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously. - obviously had KB in mind when he came up with that gem
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity
Since when was racing a bike in the classes that one would buy aftermarket rims supposed to be cheap,its not like anybody would need to buy a new set every season there as strong as hell.Not having a crack MT but staying competitive costs i would have thought and considering the difference made by the rims surely justified.
Be the person your dog thinks you are...
Yes but the point is if the class is too open no-one will be able to compete. No one doubts the technical advantages of light wheels but even the motorcycle distributors have cost constraints and they are the most likely to purchase. Even then ( as with suspension ) there is no hard and fast guarantee that they will choose your sponsors brand. When it comes to price the unfortunate reality is that many purchasers are first and foremost loyal to their pockets because there just arent a lot of wealthy bpeople that race motorcycles, and they have spending limits. In our game we have to be very alert and flexible to that and that is exactly why we dont live the high life!
What is your sponsors forecast for wheel sales for road, road race and trackday, for example?
In the end event spending gets proriitised and it would be a brave person that carries a lot of stock. Manufacturers of product generally like forward orders and sales forecasts so they can plan their production.
as someone racing in a class with after market rims, and i have bought some before they are a MASSIVE expense, that is a huge struggle to justify. The reality is that ANY aluminium wheel is inferior to magnesium wheels and carbon fibre, so you have to look there. In all our race classes bikes are pretty well far in excess of 20k to setup from stock excluding wheels and another 3-5 grand on proper lightweight rims (per set) is a 25% increase in setup costs, which is nigh on prohibitive.
While cool there is little point to having them, outside dropping lap times. If no one has them, no one needs them.
I'm fast running out of cash and couldn't afford the 2k US for cheap marvics, let alone the 3.5-4k US for marchesini's or BST's. I got a set of Ducati 999 rims to fit for sub 600 dollars (including brake and sprocket). Thats quite a price difference. Sportbike rims are avaliable ex the USA for absolutely nothing (about 150-200USD), and theres hundreds
If you want to have after market rims, allow only aluminium rims to be legal . This allows stock rims to not be at significant disadvantage to aftermarket items, while allowing alternate rims to be used for people like mr biggles or if you want to run another bikes or style.
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