The Rider Or The Bike?.

[ligbee]

Looking around at the quality race machines on this site, it makes me wonder that if a certain make/type of bike would give you an edge on a moto, or does stuff like the TA tubing on the Skyway just go down as a gimmick. Personally I think if you put somebody like Wayne Llewellen or Tommy Brackens on a Tomahawk they would still walk the heat.

What do you think (no hijacking please).


ligbee.

[Zippy]

It's both. 

A good handling bike will allow you to ride closer to your limits.

They both go hand in hand.

[OrgasmDonor]

i reckon (and ive been drinkin n smokin lots n lots tonight)but i reckon if the gearing is right and the rider is happy with his bike then a bog standard burner can perfom as well as a TA, this said, if the same rider was given a more advanced bike to get happy with then the rider would improve on his own performance due to the qualities the bike has brought into the equasion. but, as this has just come to me while typing this, if you timed 1 rider going round the same track on a motomag, for example, and then on a JMC, then im pretty sure the JMC time would be quicker.

how did i do?

[wildwood1971]

you did well 

I think that if your like me 10 stone ish and what 5'7 tall getting the gearing right is a must - also think the geometry is important as you have to be comfortable.

I used to be obsessed as a kid with having the lightest bike - didn't need a really strong frame as i was and still am so light - but thinking about power to weight ratios - im damm sure id be quicker on a lighter bike. 

[stidds]

I think that it all depends on the experience of the rider involved. 

BITD, if you put Whopper, Diggens, Lynch on their normal race bike and me on my normal race bike, they would beat me 60% of the time.  Put them on a Piranah (sp) or Burner and me on my normal race bike, then they wouldn't beat me ever.  However, I think when you are at the top in racing, it makes no difference if a bike has aero tubing or normal tubing, as long as it is a quality race bike then that is all that matters.

Back to these days and put Dale Holmes on any bike in the world and he will beat me.... Everytime.  But then Dale is a great racer and I am a fat bald bloke