MotoGP 2013

[Drew]

Who cares? Whinging about those rules on here is as futile as...well...whinging on here.

Anyhoo, the Suzuki should be competitive I think. The example of what not to do is quite obvious in their four stroke past, and the Ducati present.

[tail_end_charlie]

Who cares? Whinging about those rules on here is as futile as...well...whinging on here.

Wasn't whinging, just asking why they enacted the rule in the first place? And when?

Anyhoo, the Suzuki should be competitive I think. The example of what not to do is quite obvious in their four stroke past, and the Ducati present.

Knowing what does NOT work doesn't necessarily mean that you will know what WILL work. I suspect they will probably be pretty much on par with Ducati if they ever come back.............at least for the first couple of years.

[tail_end_charlie]

At least Furusawa doesn't beat around the bush and comes right out and says I have no idea what might happen......

[DidJit]

Possibly not quite the right thread to post this link in, but I'm sure you'll forgive me this once. The latest Cycle News is a gem — some really great interviews with Josh Hayes and Tom Sykes, and Casey Stoner talks about his bikes (see, there is some MotoGP related material in there).

[tail_end_charlie]

Possibly not quite the right thread to post this link in, but I'm sure you'll forgive me this once. The latest Cycle News is a gem — some really great interviews with Josh Hayes and Tom Sykes, and Casey Stoner talks about his bikes (see, there is some MotoGP related material in there).

Cheers for that, some good reading in there.

[tail_end_charlie]

Sounds like Jerry Burgess isn't exactly thrilled about going back to Yamaha

He's presenting the idea that maybe big changes will happen at Ducati over the next couple of years. They have a three good riders with an interesting mix of expierence, plus a bit of a wildcard in Iannone. So maybe if they actually start listening to them, they may make some progress.

I kinda think they need to get away from the Al twin-beam chassis and go for something else. They should be able to come up with a way to make up a trellis frame that has the same consistency between all the frames. Or figure something out with carbon fibre.......

[Mental Trousers]

I kinda think they need to get away from the Al twin-beam chassis and go for something else. They should be able to come up with a way to make up a trellis frame that has the same consistency between all the frames. Or figure something out with carbon fibre.......

Fuck the trellis frame, even Stoner said the monocoque was a big step forward from that. The problem has always been the engine's weight distribution and harshness.

Now that Preziozi has been moved sideways put a totally redesigned (probably narrow angle v4) in the monocoque and life will be good.

[pritch]

There is a post in the MotoGP 2013 thread where an engineer (IIRC?) pointed out that the basic layout of the Ducati is wrong. The drive sprocket is way too far back making the thing handle liike a chopper. This relative to the Honda and the Yamaha which have the drive sprocket exactly half way between the front and rear axles.

I was wondering if that was something to do with the "triangle of power" that Furusawa talked to Preziosi about?

Trellis frames won't make a comeback until there is a one-bike rule. There are just too many welds (40?), none of which are exactly the same, for the bikes to be identical. Stoner has commenbted on this previously, set up changes to one bike did not necessarily relate to the other.

Ducati need to start with a clean sheet of paper.

[Mental Trousers]

There is a post in the MotoGP 2013 thread where an engineer (IIRC?) pointed out that the basic layout of the Ducati is wrong. The drive sprocket is way too far back making the thing handle liike a chopper. This relative to the Honda and the Yamaha which have the drive sprocket exactly half way between the front and rear axles.

I was wondering if that was something to do with the "triangle of power" that Furusawa talked to Preziosi about?

The Triangle of Power is a triangle formed by the front and rear contact patches and the Centre of Gravity. I believe that Furusawa says that should almost form an equalateral triangle for best balance and weight transference. Having the sprocket below the CoG ends up happening partly because the engine is forward in the frame. I can't remember why it's beneficial to have it there though.

[denill]

Sounds like Jerry Burgess isn't exactly thrilled about going back to Yamaha.

Thanks. That's a very interesting read - and it sorta fits with what I think is probably the reality of the saga.

Woulda liked to have seen another couple of years of Rossi & Burgess under the Audi umbrella.

[tail_end_charlie]

Thanks. That's a very interesting read - and it sorta fits with what I think is probably the reality of the saga.

Woulda liked to have seen another couple of years of Rossi & Burgess under the Audi umbrella.

Yeah, so would I. I really do think that Rossi and Jerry could have made something happen in the next few years if they had stuck around. But viewing it from the other standpoint, it's gotta be a slap in the face for Ducati to know that the GOAT couldn't get anything happening on their bike, and maybe they have to do a bit of a rethink on some isssues that they haven't wanted to budge on.

[tail_end_charlie]

Anybody want to start arguing over the use and reasoning behind the The Leg Wave?

[denill]

Anybody want to start arguing over the use and reasoning behind the The Leg Wave?

Call me old fashioned - but I shudder every time I see it.

No doubt the top riders of the past era, Geoff Duke et al would also..................

[tail_end_charlie]

Call me old fashioned - but I shudder every time I see it.

No doubt the top riders of the past era, Geoff Duke et al would also..................

There is a video that I've seen that I think is Rossi and Lorenzo, where JL has passed Rossi on the inside on the straight, but Rossi comes back on the outside on the brakes into the first turn. Rossi has his leg out as far as he can get it, then tucks it back in to slide by JL, and sticks it back out again once he's past. Don't really see any change in the stability of the bike when he brings it in or anything like that, but its kinda interesting to watch.

[denill]

There is a video that I've seen that I think is Rossi and Lorenzo, where JL has passed Rossi on the inside on the straight, but Rossi comes back on the outside on the brakes into the first turn. Rossi has his leg out as far as he can get it, then tucks it back in to slide by JL, and sticks it back out again once he's past. Don't really see any change in the stability of the bike when he brings it in or anything like that, but its kinda interesting to watch.

Interesting. The foot up by the front wheel spindle is a technique that seems to help in off-road cornering. Dunno if it's in the same category?