31
Open Forum / Re: Hey Charles... you alright down there?
« on: April 20, 2011, 12:18:45 PM »
Glad to hear it Dirty Girl...
All the best!
All the best!
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32
General Two Stroke Talk / Re: Another great article by MXA's Willy Musgrove
« on: April 20, 2011, 12:16:59 PM »
I love it!!
33
General Two Stroke Talk / Re: TMracing graphics???
« on: April 20, 2011, 12:15:10 PM »
Talk to Rich at Titan MX. He created graphics for the late model TM's...
http://www.titanmx.com/08/
Tell him John sent you...
http://www.titanmx.com/08/
Tell him John sent you...
34
Open Forum / Hey Charles... you alright down there?
« on: April 18, 2011, 04:55:02 AM »
Just heard on the news that VA was hit by some tornados...
Want to make sure you guys are alright.
Want to make sure you guys are alright.
35
General Two Stroke Talk / Re: 2t vs 4t Debate Thumpertalk
« on: March 23, 2011, 08:10:27 AM »Our #1 hurdle is getting, ourselves included, everyone to understand and to compare cc vs cc. Almost every debate I go see, it says my 450F is great bla bla bla, compared to my old 250 2 stroke.
I agree 100%!
36
General Two Stroke Talk / Something Nice in the May 2011 Dirt Rider
« on: March 23, 2011, 07:56:25 AM »
I like it! 
37
General Two Stroke Talk / Re: Maico Int'l Brand to UK
« on: March 21, 2011, 09:24:32 AM »
I thought it was helping the situation, could be wrong...
Stuck my foot in my mouth yet again!
If I redirected the Maico wrath to myself because of what I wrote about this subject... well that's fine. If I was really concerned with what others thought, I would never post on the Internet.
Maybe slanderous was the wrong word to use. My comments were not meant to chastise or stop any and all comments, I meant to say that some of what had been written was wrong, negative and less than helpful. Some of it appeared to be a roast of MI.
As mentioned before the criteria you use to choose a bike is yours.
Ford, please don't take this as an attack on you. Clearly if you have questions, ask. My only suggestion is to ask those who can answer those questions...
(ex.) When I have a question for the Governor of NY the only way to get the answer is to write to him, not post it on a forum. When posted on a forum, even if you know that person sometimes reads that forum, comes across as calling someone out. This is the biggest reason that nearly every Pro Motocross racer who starts posting on a forum ends up stopping. It's frustrating, because if you don't answer every single "call out" the rest of the rank and file jump onboard and start talking crap about them. A real lose-lose situation.
It's awesome that we can talk about this stuff, whether we agree or not and be civilized about it. Never mentioned that everyone had to believe and agree with me, just that there might be more to the story.
Thanks!
Stuck my foot in my mouth yet again!
If I redirected the Maico wrath to myself because of what I wrote about this subject... well that's fine. If I was really concerned with what others thought, I would never post on the Internet.
Maybe slanderous was the wrong word to use. My comments were not meant to chastise or stop any and all comments, I meant to say that some of what had been written was wrong, negative and less than helpful. Some of it appeared to be a roast of MI.
As mentioned before the criteria you use to choose a bike is yours.
Ford, please don't take this as an attack on you. Clearly if you have questions, ask. My only suggestion is to ask those who can answer those questions...
(ex.) When I have a question for the Governor of NY the only way to get the answer is to write to him, not post it on a forum. When posted on a forum, even if you know that person sometimes reads that forum, comes across as calling someone out. This is the biggest reason that nearly every Pro Motocross racer who starts posting on a forum ends up stopping. It's frustrating, because if you don't answer every single "call out" the rest of the rank and file jump onboard and start talking crap about them. A real lose-lose situation.
It's awesome that we can talk about this stuff, whether we agree or not and be civilized about it. Never mentioned that everyone had to believe and agree with me, just that there might be more to the story.
Thanks!
38
General Two Stroke Talk / Re: Why I care - Maico International - Project Two 50 - TSM
« on: March 20, 2011, 07:29:46 AM »
Ford - I will gladly answer your questions about Project Two 50 over a beer, but I can't write about it on the Internet. I know this is not what you were hoping for (or anyone with an interest in what happened) But the truth is no matter how little I say about Project Two 50 it would hurt other people and not really help the situation.
Let's just leave it that it didn't work out the way that I planned.
I truly appreciate the support on Project Two 50 from all of you, it means the world to me. Thank you!
As for the Maico International situation, I do understand your frustration and concern. As mentioned in the other thread I must respect Vince's method of doing business even if I don't agree with his ways of handling the situation.
The only point of this thread is to say that some of the harsher comments were hurtful to me. Not to mention how I know they would hurt my friend.
I never have a problem with people speaking about how they feel, but when that crosses over to making statements that border on slander, I disagree. Not attempting to be a jerk about it, just expressing how I feel.
Let's just leave it that it didn't work out the way that I planned.
I truly appreciate the support on Project Two 50 from all of you, it means the world to me. Thank you!
As for the Maico International situation, I do understand your frustration and concern. As mentioned in the other thread I must respect Vince's method of doing business even if I don't agree with his ways of handling the situation.
The only point of this thread is to say that some of the harsher comments were hurtful to me. Not to mention how I know they would hurt my friend.
I never have a problem with people speaking about how they feel, but when that crosses over to making statements that border on slander, I disagree. Not attempting to be a jerk about it, just expressing how I feel.
39
General Two Stroke Talk / Re: Maico Int'l Brand to UK
« on: March 20, 2011, 07:13:41 AM »Quote
Do you think MI should let potential buyers know what is going on?
Do you think it is fair that we expect this to come in the way of a press release given it appears it is their preferred mode of communication?
Can you appreciate why people are dissapointed the release of these bikes are so late?
The simple answer to your question is YES. Because honestly I feel it's important as well.
It's true that Vince and I are friends but we don't always agree on how to handle certain situations. At the same time, I respect him and his take on how to handle his business.
What I have a problem with is nearly slanderous statements from my friends on here when all the information has not been made public. It's not that he is being secretive, but careful about the information he releases. This is damaging to all involved.
Believe me, I'd love for the information to be released immediately just as all of you do.
As for the bikes any of you choose to buy, I would never under any circumstance interfere with that. It's a completely personal.
40
General Two Stroke Talk / Re: Maico Int'l Brand to UK
« on: March 19, 2011, 12:34:35 PM »
SachGS - It's not that I don't understand your concerns, because I do understand.
Even though we see things differently, I appreciate that we remained respectful during our interchange.
As for Rich Winkler, he currently owns a company called Dirt Wurx. His company builds the Supercross tracks for Pro racing. Also does the tracks for Monster trucks.
Check out his web site.
http://www.dirtwurx.com/
Even though we see things differently, I appreciate that we remained respectful during our interchange.
As for Rich Winkler, he currently owns a company called Dirt Wurx. His company builds the Supercross tracks for Pro racing. Also does the tracks for Monster trucks.
Check out his web site.
http://www.dirtwurx.com/
41
General Two Stroke Talk / Re: Maico Int'l Brand to UK
« on: March 19, 2011, 09:30:19 AM »
Strange as it may seem, there are no "legal" battles brewing. The Maico trademark ownership is known and it's not by whom many people think.
Maico International began as a distributor of Maico motorcycles. Vince cares about the brand and has a passion to see it grow and for R&D to be invested in the machine.
The machines that Koestler sells are from the parts that he purchased way back when. Nothing has changed on those machines. Yes you can still buy them.
The machines that you can buy from Maico International are updated in many ways, with options to customize the machine they way that you like it.
Rich Winkler is the US Distributor for Maioc International. Do you really think that he would sign an agreement without knowing what's important?
You say that there is no honesty when dealing with MI. Could you please explain that in a little more detail? For instance did you contact them and they were not honest with you? Just curious.
Maico International began as a distributor of Maico motorcycles. Vince cares about the brand and has a passion to see it grow and for R&D to be invested in the machine.
The machines that Koestler sells are from the parts that he purchased way back when. Nothing has changed on those machines. Yes you can still buy them.
The machines that you can buy from Maico International are updated in many ways, with options to customize the machine they way that you like it.
Rich Winkler is the US Distributor for Maioc International. Do you really think that he would sign an agreement without knowing what's important?
You say that there is no honesty when dealing with MI. Could you please explain that in a little more detail? For instance did you contact them and they were not honest with you? Just curious.
42
General Two Stroke Talk / Why I care - Maico International - Project Two 50 - TSM
« on: March 19, 2011, 09:17:10 AM »
In another thread I defended Maico International. For the record there are many reasons for this.
One of the few companies in the world that manufactures two-strokes is Maico. The others are KTM, TM Racing, Fantic, Gas Gas and Yamaha. Sure I'm missing a couple of the smaller ones, but Maico is a two-stroke ONLY company.
I've been in that position where every move I made was criticized, analyzed and roasted on the Internet. Starting with the Two Stroke Motocross and then later Project Two 50.
Both had a tremendous backlash of negativity and naysayers at the beginning. Of course there were some awesome supporters, some who have become wonderful friends.
With Project Two 50 it's easy to see the impact negativity can have on a low budget attempt to promote two-strokes. Almost right away Internet Keyboard Jocks thought they knew the best way to accomplish this task and their first "suggestions" were to hire James Stewart or Ricky Carmichael to race the two-stroke.
Of course this would have been awesome if the Project Two 50 budget was $20 or $30 million dollars, but the Project Two 50 budget was less than what you have in your wallet right now. With some really hard work we were able to secure some help from amazing sponsors. A few donated a limited amount of cash, some free parts, but most offered deep discounts on the parts we bought.
The end result was that Project Two 50 cost me big time. Money, time and energy that could have been spent with my family, friends and relaxing. But I was hard-headed and I had a passion to get a two-stroke to qualify for the MX Nationals.
Once we made some waves on the internet and the press, a couple of racers offered their services for a price, which was more than we could afford.
The lack of success of Project Two 50 is documented on the Internet so I won't bore you with the details here.
All we had was a passion to see two-strokes at the Nationals. While we gained some notoriety there were problems in our team.
The easy way out for me would be to list all the problems and throw other people under the bus. But the fact is that I put my reputation on the line and failed. I take full responsibility for Project Two 50 and it's lack of success.
Like I said we had some support, but even well-meaning folks in the two-stroke camp were busting our balls. We could have used some serious help from these folks but it was not the case. According to them, they knew better than we did and we were screw ups.
When supporters are criticizing your every move and the only benefit you could possibly expect to gain is the knowledge that you promoted something you believed in, things become very difficult. Everyone on the team thought the they knew the correct way to fix the problems and no one agreed on the same solution.
What's the old saying, ask 10 people their opinion and you get 11 suggestions.
Now some of you claim to be two-stroke supporters and yet you accuse Vince and Maico International of deceiving people or not moving forward in the "correct" way. Do you really think you are helping anyone?
Do you really feel you are helping the two-stroke cause by badmouthing something you know little or nothing about? Sure everyone's entitled to their opinions, but do you feel your criticisms will help in any way?
The answer is no.
I feel very fortunate that I have become good friends with Vince at Maico International. I have earned his trust, so he shares information with me that he is not ready to share with the rest of the world. The only reason I mention this fact is because some of what was written in those other Maico threads was complete bullshit.
Do the folks that wrote such crap have some kind of agenda? Do you really think calling someone out on the Internet is a manly thing to do? It's not. It's cowardly.
Do something positive for yourself, two-strokes and those people who are passionate enough to put their money where their mouth is. Should you desire to purchase a Maico (or anything else for that matter) contact the people that can answer your questions. Don't be a jerk and call someone out on a forum.
Please consider supporting those who are passionate about two-strokes. People like Charles Owens and Vince Page go out of their way to support the cause. At least give them the benefit of answering your questions directly before you rake them over the coals.
Speaking of Charles, he is the best person to bring TSM into the future. He puts himself out there and supports all you two-stroke fans. It takes a great deal of work to maintain the web site, write articles, moderate a forum, post updates on Facebook and answer e-mails. Plus it costs him a great deal of money to keep it all going.
Charles your passion and enthusiasm are contagious. TSM is a great place with you at the helm.
Thank you.
One of the few companies in the world that manufactures two-strokes is Maico. The others are KTM, TM Racing, Fantic, Gas Gas and Yamaha. Sure I'm missing a couple of the smaller ones, but Maico is a two-stroke ONLY company.
I've been in that position where every move I made was criticized, analyzed and roasted on the Internet. Starting with the Two Stroke Motocross and then later Project Two 50.
Both had a tremendous backlash of negativity and naysayers at the beginning. Of course there were some awesome supporters, some who have become wonderful friends.
With Project Two 50 it's easy to see the impact negativity can have on a low budget attempt to promote two-strokes. Almost right away Internet Keyboard Jocks thought they knew the best way to accomplish this task and their first "suggestions" were to hire James Stewart or Ricky Carmichael to race the two-stroke.
Of course this would have been awesome if the Project Two 50 budget was $20 or $30 million dollars, but the Project Two 50 budget was less than what you have in your wallet right now. With some really hard work we were able to secure some help from amazing sponsors. A few donated a limited amount of cash, some free parts, but most offered deep discounts on the parts we bought.
The end result was that Project Two 50 cost me big time. Money, time and energy that could have been spent with my family, friends and relaxing. But I was hard-headed and I had a passion to get a two-stroke to qualify for the MX Nationals.
Once we made some waves on the internet and the press, a couple of racers offered their services for a price, which was more than we could afford.
The lack of success of Project Two 50 is documented on the Internet so I won't bore you with the details here.
All we had was a passion to see two-strokes at the Nationals. While we gained some notoriety there were problems in our team.
The easy way out for me would be to list all the problems and throw other people under the bus. But the fact is that I put my reputation on the line and failed. I take full responsibility for Project Two 50 and it's lack of success.
Like I said we had some support, but even well-meaning folks in the two-stroke camp were busting our balls. We could have used some serious help from these folks but it was not the case. According to them, they knew better than we did and we were screw ups.
When supporters are criticizing your every move and the only benefit you could possibly expect to gain is the knowledge that you promoted something you believed in, things become very difficult. Everyone on the team thought the they knew the correct way to fix the problems and no one agreed on the same solution.
What's the old saying, ask 10 people their opinion and you get 11 suggestions.
Now some of you claim to be two-stroke supporters and yet you accuse Vince and Maico International of deceiving people or not moving forward in the "correct" way. Do you really think you are helping anyone?
Do you really feel you are helping the two-stroke cause by badmouthing something you know little or nothing about? Sure everyone's entitled to their opinions, but do you feel your criticisms will help in any way?
The answer is no.
I feel very fortunate that I have become good friends with Vince at Maico International. I have earned his trust, so he shares information with me that he is not ready to share with the rest of the world. The only reason I mention this fact is because some of what was written in those other Maico threads was complete bullshit.
Do the folks that wrote such crap have some kind of agenda? Do you really think calling someone out on the Internet is a manly thing to do? It's not. It's cowardly.
Do something positive for yourself, two-strokes and those people who are passionate enough to put their money where their mouth is. Should you desire to purchase a Maico (or anything else for that matter) contact the people that can answer your questions. Don't be a jerk and call someone out on a forum.
Please consider supporting those who are passionate about two-strokes. People like Charles Owens and Vince Page go out of their way to support the cause. At least give them the benefit of answering your questions directly before you rake them over the coals.
Speaking of Charles, he is the best person to bring TSM into the future. He puts himself out there and supports all you two-stroke fans. It takes a great deal of work to maintain the web site, write articles, moderate a forum, post updates on Facebook and answer e-mails. Plus it costs him a great deal of money to keep it all going.
Charles your passion and enthusiasm are contagious. TSM is a great place with you at the helm.
Thank you.
43
General Two Stroke Talk / Re: Maico Int'l Brand to UK
« on: March 19, 2011, 07:25:22 AM »
Thanks Dirty Girl.
I can't believe I'm so riled up... but I have a bunch more to say, but I'll start another thread for that one.
Please let me know when you have the date set for the ride day, I'd love to come down and take photos.
I can't believe I'm so riled up... but I have a bunch more to say, but I'll start another thread for that one.
Please let me know when you have the date set for the ride day, I'd love to come down and take photos.
44
General Two Stroke Talk / Re: Maico Int'l Brand to UK
« on: March 19, 2011, 06:37:59 AM »
Such hostility... honestly I'm surprised...
Have any of you called or written to Maico International about your concerns? Have you contacted Rich Winkler from Dirt Wurx if you live in the states and want a Maico? Have you contacted Koestler in Germany?
Because from some of the questions stated here, Maico International should run their business the way you see fit. Some of what was written on this thread is very destructive. I thought we were all two-stroke lovers and wanted to see more manufacturers, not less... maybe I'm wrong...
For those that say there are no photos of the new Maico, have you become a fan of Maico International on Facebook? If so, you may have seen this photo taken on Thursday with a cell phone....
But I'm sure there will be all kinds of speculation and additional negativity no matter what is shown.
Like I said there's more to this story. A big monkey wrench was thrown into the works in late December. This has been the biggest setback...
But just a little question for you... who thinks Koestler ever owned the Maico brand name?
Have any of you called or written to Maico International about your concerns? Have you contacted Rich Winkler from Dirt Wurx if you live in the states and want a Maico? Have you contacted Koestler in Germany?
Because from some of the questions stated here, Maico International should run their business the way you see fit. Some of what was written on this thread is very destructive. I thought we were all two-stroke lovers and wanted to see more manufacturers, not less... maybe I'm wrong...
For those that say there are no photos of the new Maico, have you become a fan of Maico International on Facebook? If so, you may have seen this photo taken on Thursday with a cell phone....
But I'm sure there will be all kinds of speculation and additional negativity no matter what is shown.
Like I said there's more to this story. A big monkey wrench was thrown into the works in late December. This has been the biggest setback...
But just a little question for you... who thinks Koestler ever owned the Maico brand name?
45
Open Forum / Re: Smoking Cigarettes and the Battle Against Nicotine Addiction
« on: March 19, 2011, 06:23:52 AM »
Jetz wish him the best from me... he can do it!