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Expert opinions on AMA 144 rule?
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[QUOTE="Eric Gorr, post: 975717, member: 17225"] I think that the whole matter is a poorly planned fiasco. Why didn't the AMA do their homework up front when the Japanese manufacturers came to them with the idea of changing the displacement to give an advantage to the 4-stroke? Thats the first question I asked because I worked for an F-1 vendor at the time and knew what kind of power could be produced from a trickle-down F-1 engine. I also questioned the reliability aspect and the cost of racing. The AMA touts the hollow promise of looking after the best interests of American riders and businesses, "keeping the cost of racing down". Thats bovine fecies! Its like nobody has any clue about technology, its ramifications, and the cost of racing. I can't tell you how many dads have just thrown in the towell and pulled their kids out of motocross because their kid downshifted over a jump and handed daddy a bill for $2,500 because the valves went through the piston and out the bottom of the cases. The advent of 4-stroke 250s has drawn a line in the dirt between Rich Daddies and Poor Daddies and significantly raised the price of racing. As the AMA allowed 4-strokes to compete with double the displacement they also pulled the 2mm maximum oversize rule and eliminated crankshaft stroking forever. The 2mm oversize rule enabled an industry to grow in America. It brought in foriegn investment, employed a lot of people, spurred new product development. Good things for American motocross. Now I agree that 2mm changed the face of minibike racing for the worse, but all it did to the 125s and 250s was drive them down farther. Do you guys have any idea how many 2-stroke 125s and 250s are sitting on showroom floors and in warehouses? And not just 2005 models, I'm talking as old as 2001 motorcycles. There are thousands of motorcycles that will have to be shipped to countries like Estonia, Slovakia, and Quator just to be sold for pennies on the dollar. Motorcycle shops are going broke at an unprecedented rate because they're stuck paying interest on motorcycles that the AMA made obsolete. I remember when the 3 companies that lobbied for this rule change, told me of their intentions. I laughed, I didn't think they had a snowball's chance. I'm glad it happened but quite frankly when the AMA yanked the 2mm rule, sales of 144s jumped dramaticly because people felt that if they were going to cheat, they were going to cheat bigtime. If they AMA really looked out for our interests they'd create a separate class. 125 2-stroke and 250 4-stroke. Forget the displacement parity, making people buy new bikes then asking them to spend and average of $1,000 to build a 144 is just plain goofy. You'd think that the AMA would want to create extra classes so there will be more amateur champs and more revenue from entry fees. Splitting the classes will give people the choice to determine if they have a rich or poor dad. I'm not putting down the dad who has financial resources to put his kid on the best equipment. There is a group of kids with enormous talent that needs to be fostered, and 250Fs are always going to be National Pro Class. If they want to be pros, they need to learn to ride 4-strokes starting at the schoolboy level. So the rule excluding 4-strokes from schoolboy and junior classes is a step backwards. It makes dads buy a 2-stroke 125 and a 4-stroke 250. And its tough for the kids because they can't make the transition between the 2 vastly different bikes. Overall I'm glad the AMA changed this rule because it legitimizes all the 144s out in the field and encourages riders to be honest with prospective owners when they sell their used bikes. On the dark side I expect to see a wave of engine tuners offering 144 conversions for ridiculously high prices, and a corresponding slew of magazine tests touting performance gains on par with the price of these kits. I've been building 144s longer than any tuner in thei business. I built the first one in 1976 with my RM125A, using a 2mm oversize Wiseco from a 1975 model. The AMA has always allowed big bore 125s in motorcycle racing like hare scrambles, enduro, hillclimb, and dirt track. We've had a strong business in the Vet classes too. A 125 chassis is the best handling mx bike and raising the displacement is a natural evolution. Its also technically difficult. Everytime a new model comes out we have to reconfigure so many variables to get the best compromise of performance and reliability. Perhaps this new rule will encourage new product development in aftermarket exhausts, pistons, heads, and reed valves. One thing is for sure, lots of people are going to shell out a ton of money with inexperienced tuners and break a lot of parts before the dust settles. And hopefully the AMA won't retract this new rule when some Japanese motorcycle manufacturers decide that it hurts their business. Here's a suggestion for the powers that be at the AMA. If you're really serious about keeping the cost of racing affordable, how about setting up an investigative commitee to analyze the effects of planned obsolecence engineering practises specific to 250Fs. There is significant evidence that SAE and JSAE standards are being violated, causing injuries to riders and raising the average operating cost per engine hour. I think its time to take a cue from NASCAR and establish some design standards on these over-priced motorcycles. [/QUOTE]
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Expert opinions on AMA 144 rule?
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