Jody 2-stroke, MXA at it again

[citabjockey]

There is a MXA shootout between a Yz250 and a YZ250F. The upshot was that with their test riders lap times were just about equal -- even with the 2T making tons more power, is more holeshot worthy, being a bit lighter, yada yada. Surprised me and I think the testing crew. But they did say pretty much the 2T was a better race bike.

http://motocrossactionmag.com/Main/News/YOU-ASKED-FOR-IT-MOTOCROSS-ACTIONS-TWOSTROKE-VERSU-7117.aspx

[meger z]

This is good news we should get behind Jody 100 % . I hope this helps the campaign  .

[burn1986]

I think with the AMA and the OEMs it is nothing more than the fact that it's a 2-stroke. They just don't want any 2-strokes in Pro Racing. The performance doesn't matter. There is no real logic, they just want to kill the 2-stroke. That's the only reason we haven't had any change in the rules.

[citabjockey]

I think California has *something* to do with the rules. The red-sticker registration required on all two strokes only lets you trail ride roughly 6 months out of the year. I for one want to have a bike that I can ride whenever I want wherever I want -- not just on a MX course. Quite often CA leads the way in setting policies like this for environmental reasons (note that I am not saying I agree with all of these decisions) so its possible the AMA big shot's changed the rules originally to make things interesting (get Doug and a couple other guys out there on 4T bikes) but then thought they were doing us a favor by pushing bikes that could have multiple use for the masses as the red sticker thing spread across the USA (which I gather has NOT happened).

Hasn't really worked out that way but there sure is no reason for the AMA to favor one technology over another (especially one that costs armatures lots more $$$ and therefore thins the herd). The manufactures may like it because there service shops get more business doing more expensive engine work then with the 2T bikes and they put pressure on the AMA... but again, unless there are out and out bribes going on why would and individual sitting on the AMA board want to push 4T? I think its just momentum. Hopefully the tide is changing. Boy do I detest valves these days.

Just my $0.02...

So I want to be able to go into a showroom of Yamaha, KTM, GasGas, HBerg, maybe even Honda and see a set of 2T bikes that can be used year round on trails in CA, and be taken to a MX course. But I have to pass the EPA limits to have that. That can be done but the bike needs DI to do it. Its the only way for me to have my cake -- and ride it too. Unless I move out of CA.

[burn1986]

Sure the US has an impact on the thoughts of OEM execs, but it is company pride more than anything else with the Japs. I could see Honda wanting to have a clean environment image, but it boils down to what the OEMs want. They want 4-strokes in AMA Pro Racing and 2-strokes gone. So, that's what the AMA gave them. The OEMs pay the bills, that's the way it works.

[MXLord327]

I agree that Cali has pretty much set the standard for what the factories want to sell for MX bikes in the US, but that liberal bastion of PC freaks really just needs to sink into the ocean immediately.  Off-road bikes contribute so little of world-wide HC emissions that it's like trying to warm the ocean by taking a piss at your local beach.  This article is the "Shot heard 'round the World" at Lexington Mass in 1776.  Anyone with 1/8 (liter) of a brain needs to read it with an open mind.  About lap times, back in the '80's there were studies of the best in the business on 500's (Bailey, Johnson, Ward) that showed they rarely held the throttle WFO for more than 3 seconds on even a wide-open MX track.  At the same time, most low-level pros and amateurs turned faster lap times on 125's.  I've said it here several times before that MX bikes are power-on handlers, and that if you don't have the talent to hold it WFO more than your competitors, you need LESS displacement to go faster around the track.

[meger z]

iv taken the compression out of my 500s, they have power every where . If you give people the cc s they can make a 2t do any thing a 4t can do .

[citabjockey]

The OEM big shots are bean counters pure and simple. They have limited $$$ to spend on R and D. To be required design/test/release two different engine technologies and split those among the limited customer pool is pretty nasty for the bottom line. So when the "writing was on the wall" that the racing rules would have a majority of the customers buying 4T (either because they thought it was a better bike or that their hero's rode them) then they were all over closing down 2T development. Of course it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy in that the latest design stuff shows up on the 4T and Joe Average MX wants the latest stuff without thinking about it too much so it sells even more.

The only way to break this cycle is to have some OEM sell competative 2T bikes and have the racing rules make it obvious that they clearly are competative AND have governmental organizations leave them alone (like CA's green sticker nonsense that keeps bikes from being race bikes AND weekend play bikes).

Then the OEM's will see that they can phase out the 4T efforts because they can sell the easier to produce 2T and make even more money (and it must be enough to cover the service profit they not make from all that valve gear). So the rules need to change, the government needs to stop meddling (or the 2T needs DI) and a single OEM needs to take the bull by the horns (like KTM?) and bury the others in sales for a couple of seasons. THEN we can get what we want.

Boy this is NOT going to be easy.