Total Randomness

A little more than a month ago, September 9th to be exact, I said something about not regurgitating motorcycle news or racing updates. I guess I should add some terms to that statement: If it really excites me, then I will bring you motorcycle news and racing up dates. Although, it’s been silent on those fronts up till now.

Yamaha’s YZF-R9 replaces the R1 in Europe, but we (US) get the R1 AND the R9. Wait a minute, you’re saying we get cool bikes that Europe doesn’t? It’s about time! An 890cc three cylinder, with 117hp. The current Kawasaki 636cc four cylinder makes 122 hp. Even Honda’s 600 (599cc inline four) has 121 hp. Yamaha must be betting on its torque for the race tracks; accelerating out of the corners. That loss of one cylinder and the uneven firing order; which it has to have because its crankpins spacing (in degrees) are not evenly divided into 360 degrees. This allows the tire to grip in between power pulses, when traction is low, and/or lean angles are high. This is why most dirt bikes have one cylinder. Imagine how controllable a V12 dirt bike would be in the dirt?

I’ve been a Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (I know… just call him Toprak) fan since he won the championship on the R1. It’s hard not to like “Stoprak”, always entering his pit box on the front wheel. This year (2024) he won the World Superbike Championship on a BMW. His first year on a BMW and the first year BMW has won the World Superbike Championship! Sounds like the beginning of a World Superbike legend.

Another World Superbike legend, Ben Spies, is on a recent podcast. My two biggest take-aways from this podcast are:

• You have the most feel from the bike when it’s sliding around.

• Ben Spies talks about the differences in riding styles needed between Supersport/SuperBike vs. MotoGP. This is awesome, because Yamaha Champions Riding School (YCRS) and Ken Hill always say, we teach/do what the best riders in the world do. You guys need to be a little more specific with that statement. Best in the world in MotoGP or WorldSuperbike/MotoAmerica? Because Ben points out that one way is not compatible with the bikes the average Joe rides. This is another reason why I don’t follow MotoGP much. Their bikes are so far fetched from what the normal person rides.