Casual observations of pro riders bikes.

mox69

Member
Mar 26, 2007
236
0
After attending Millville this past weekend I was surprised to see a lot of the pros in the MX class riding Honda.

It was my assumption that the "factory" riders obviously don't have a choice, but I assume most privateers probably more or less get their choice of bike to ride.

Of course if your sponsored by Red Valley Honda and Polaris, you will probably be riding a honda.

I just went and counted, 27 of the top 40 riders last Sunday rode a CRF450R.

There were 4 people on RMZ450s and 2 riders (both factory) on a 450sx.


If there was any doubt in my mind on what 450 to buy (if and when I do purchase one) that stat pretty much just made up my mind.

I have no idea why most privateers pick Honda. Maybe Honda has better privateer support, maybe 67% of all the power sports dealerships in the U.S. sell Honda. Maybe it is simply they all like the color Red.


The one thing I do know is that this statistic tells me that Honda CRF450s don't suck. I don't give a crap if the #1 rider of all time was on a Suzuki. He is super human and riding a factory prepped bike. He has access to resources I as an average rider / racer will never have.

These privateers on the other hand resemble the racing I do much closer. They don't have factory engineers to talk to. They just have aftermarket companies.


I guess the bottom line is this; At the end of the day the factories are out there to sell their bikes. When making a bike purchase, I could care less who comes in #1 the most. I want to be riding what the majority of the pros ride. The logic being that they have a lot more knowledge than I do.



Anyone agree / disagree? Maybe have more to say on the topic?


P.S. After a casual glance at everyones contingency programs I concluded that Suzuki has the best, but everyones is really close. So it cannot be explained away with that.
 

DougRoost

~SPONSOR~
May 3, 2001
720
0
I noticed the same thing last season, too, in both SX and outdoors. There certainly are Honda privateer teams, but even that only accounts for some of that large number. Honda has always made quality bikes and I think the overall quality/reliablity/durability is part of it. But even when Honda has been down on power, they've always had some of the best suspension, which is really what makes you go faster. So that's my guess.

That said, all the manufacturer's have made great strides in the last 2 years, with most improved probably going to the RMZ and KXF.
 

XRpredator

AssClown SuperPowers
Damn Yankees
Aug 2, 2000
13,510
19
from what I can gather, the Honda is the easiest to ride fast. The YZF is a beast, and the Suzuki and Kawasaki are still a little wet behind the ears. KTM doesn't have the dealer support (same as Suzuki and Kawasaki, for that matter).

Besides, when you think 4-stroke dirt bikes, what's the first brand that pops into your head? For me, it's Honda.
 

mox69

Member
Mar 26, 2007
236
0
I guess another point I was trying to make was that instead of signing a $XX million dollar deal with Ricky C. or James Stewart (not that they don't deserve it), why not sign the top 20 or so guys who consistantly make it to sunday for $XXX hundred thousand.

It just seems to me that seeing 25-35 people out there on Suzuki's would be much better than seeing 3 guys.

Also, I realize that all 5 of the big brands are not bad bikes. Obviously the top riders can probably run with any brand and do well.


Maybe I should apply for a marketing research job at Honda :)
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
~SPONSOR~
Oct 19, 2006
8,129
2
Merrillville,Indiana
To me,when I tear into any part of the hondas they are always better designed. How many 450's have separate oils? Who has the strongest clutch? Who stands behind their products the best? Even when their bikes are not the best to the first corner,I know a guy to take care of that! RC was so good he could even do it on a suzuki,probably even a ktm! The contingency program has always been lower than the others,unless you finish top 3 at national events,they take care of winners!
 

mkelly04

Member
Jul 27, 2007
196
0
Seperate tranny and engine oil is not the be all end all technology, sure it looks good on the surface, but in reality you just cut the amount of oil you have to cool and lube the engine in half, So you have a hotter running engine and you have to change the oil more often.


But I do like the idea of a unicam engine, it seems more elegant then the twin cam engines even if there is no real performance advantage.
 

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks
Sep 26, 1999
11,790
34
What the pros ride is not the best thing on which you should base your buying decision, unless you ride like a pro.

Not too long ago when pros were all on two strokes, it was not uncommon for them to ride bikes with violent top-end only powerbands. Becuase they were good enough to keep the RPMs up where the engine shined, those bikes worked for them. For an average person, they were a terrible choice, though.

Honda suspensions seem to work better the harder they are pushed. For casual and/or beginnner riders, they have always seemed harsh to me. I have not ridden 05-07 CRFs, but that was true of all of the CRs/CRFs I rode between 89 and 04.

My choice is Honda because of my perception of their quality with Yamaha being a close second.
 
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