ricky beats record

[IDkTm]

Okie you really nailed it right on the head with saying Kawi is having trouble moving bikes. My local dealer still has 1 or 2 2000 models and probably 4 or 5 2001's.

What a terrible heartbreak for Grant Langston. Think of the desire that this defeat could light in him. He really showed what he was made of this year and is definitely the rider to watch in the 125 class next year.

 

[biker]

I was a supporter of RC dropping down to race the 125's. I was curious to see how he would do against Langston and Brown. I don't think he likes how he won the overall any better than some of us do. He's such a hardcore competitor that I'm sure it bothers him some, even though he was the fastest bike on the track by far.

 

[mx547]

some of you guys are funny; brown moves over so you flame rc. rc was in front where he needed to be. if brown moving over bothers you, flame him or the team but not rc. i for one, am glad that both brown and rc won (and i've never had a kawasaki).
now, if stewart wins everything like so many are predicting, will you call him a sandbagger too?

way to go rc and brown: two true champions.

 

[Treejumper]

Originally posted by biker
he was the fastest bike on the track by far.

Your not joking! Going from almost dead last in the first race to third. Now that fast. When he past by me on the first lap, i thought no way. Then as i watched RC pass 2 guys on the straight, then 3 more on next. By the time RC hit mid track he had passed a total of 7 guys! Then he kept knocking them down one by one. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

He definitely is a great rider but as for a great or even good person, i'll pass! :( I heard alot of young children at the track complaining about RC. One in perticular was alittle boy crying to his parents because RC wouldnt sign the kids hat. He had alot of other signatures he got that day. The kid told about a pretty girl asking for a jersey and RC gave it to her and signed it. The kid was next and had his own hat and RC wouldnt sign it. He skipped to the next pretty girl. I heard complaints about not signing things from several other kids that day while in the pits. What a nice guy? :think I do think he needs to start watching how he comes off to the fans. I quickest way to loose them is to start acting like a big jerk! I'll support Pastrana anyday. :cool:

 

[nephron]

They need all the help they can get, cause they sure can't sell KX's ... I hear you can get a smokin' deal on a KX at just about any dealer in the country. Maybe the titles will help them sell-off the dusty 2001's, before the 2002's get here?

Okay, Okie. Let's see some data...

If you're talking about your local Kawi shop with dusty 01 models, then I guess anectdotal evidence rules!!;) In that case, my local Kawi shop is empty, so I guess that makes it a 1:1 situation.

Hmmm, on the other hand, there's an 01 YZ426 still sitting in the local Yammerhammer shop. I guess that bike must SUCK...:think (Although I was personally woo'd by it :) )

"Observation" &/or "anectdotal" opinions are shameful. For instance, your local bias might be the result of an excessive number of Kawi shops in your area--in which case their marketing folks are to blame.

By the way, how's the new job at MXA?;)

(Okie, don't get mad. This is all in good fun. I appreciate you....USUALLY...:confused: )

 

[JimmyD2]

Originally posted by Tree jumper
He definitely is a great rider but as for a great or even good person, i'll pass!

I agree 100%. The guy also needs to learn to stop whining about slower riders getting in his way. That's what happens when you get a bad start. We know he is the fastest rider. He doesn't have to remind us all the time.

But boy is he fun to watch! :)

 

[XRpredator]

Originally posted by Okiewan
As far as Ricky and his title, hope he enjoys the way he got it. Don't ya just hate "yeah, buts"?

Will we see an asterisk in the record books? I hope so.

Speaking of pull-offs, reminds me of when Hannah got the "let Broc by" sign, or the time he was on Team Honda and smoking everyone, but Bailey needed the win to clinch the title. Hannah kept rattling off lap after lap, the Honda bosses kept giving him "pull off" signals, but he ignored them. Until the final lap, then he pulled over, adjusted his goggles, fiddled with the carb, and followed Bailey in to the finish.

He's still the greatest there ever was (and Bailey's the second greatest :) )

 

[JimmyD2]

Hmm, I don't remember ever seeing an asterisk next to Bailey's name anywhere...

 

[Rider 007]

Nephron,
Okie is dead-on with the Kawi info. If you need an accurate, unbiased source, go to Cycle Trader and do a nationwide search for '01 KX250's. There are scores going for more than $1000 off original list from dealer listings. I've seen them as low as $4100.
If that isn't enough, call some of those dealers. I spoke to mine, whom I used to work for when I was in college, and he said many dealers are having the same problem.
So guys, since this is a real condition, why wouldn't (or haven't) you bought a KX250 and what would Kawi need to do to it to make you want to walk in and plunk down your cash for one?
Just curious as to what's causing this. We ought to get a decent sampling of responses.

 

[nephron]

Same thing. No data. You think I'll take your damn word for it based on what you "hear" or what you've seen on CycleTrader? :silly:

Did I NOT make myself clear? :think

 

[mx547]

i occasionally race with the kawasaki area rep here. about a month ago, i asked him how sales had been since kawasaki had been winning so many championships. he said that sales were poor and that they were disappointed that they hadn't greatly increased because of their race results. no data, just the word from someone who's livelyhood depends on it.

at the local mx tracks, i would estimate that 70-80% of the bikes are yamahas or hondas. again no data, just a casual observation.

 

[Rider 007]

Like I said, pick up the phone and call them. Or do you believe it's some sort of massive conspiracy to make it appear this way?

Since you don't want to accept what you can easily obtain as "data", I move we elect you to get the numbers from Kawi as to how many KX units were made and how many have been sold. Obtain it however you can.
Find out how much they listed for and how much they were actually sold for.
You can break it down by country, continent, state, county or however you see fit.
Then you'll have your "data" and when we get back from riding we can analyze it.
So Nephy has my vote to be the Market Analysis Man for KX's.

Anyone want to second it?

Good day to all!

 

[JuliusPleaser]

Originally posted by Rider 007
So guys, since this is a real condition, why wouldn't (or haven't) you bought a KX250 and what would Kawi need to do to it to make you want to walk in and plunk down your cash for one?
Just curious as to what's causing this. We ought to get a decent sampling of responses.

It's that God-awful green color....that's why they are languishing in the showrooms.

 

[mx547]

Originally posted by Julius Pleaser

It's that God-awful green color....that's why they are languishing in the showrooms.

i kinda like the looks of the kawies.

 

[Rider 007]

The stock green like on my old KX 500 (and DX 200) looks a little faded right off the showroom, but the neon green like the factory bikes is a real eye-catcher!
Perhaps there's an idea for them! :)

 

[JuliusPleaser]

It may BE the color, but...

I'm just f'ing with ya, Ted. I have one of those chartreuse things myself. After a while, the color grows on you. Kinda like a fungus.

 

[stormer94]

God awful green??? It works for John Deere, 7up, Mountain Dew...etc...

I've got a ttr125 rider that's going to get a kx100 for Christmas, so you guys find me a new for like $1000 of retail and I'll be a happy man!!!! :)

 

[nephron]

007, I actually tried to find that info. That information is either classified, or you have to pay for it. A database/investment company wanted 100 bones for the info. :scream:

Interestingly though...making my way over to KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries), their company profile says they netted around 20 or 30 billion yen, whatever that amount is. I would guess that's a lot of U.S. Dollars. I haven't looked at their stock to see what it's doing. But going further, I found a whole host of KICK ASS motorcycles they sell in Japan that you cannot get in the USA.

I've had all colors except KTM. But if all the 2 strokes ever go by the way of the axe, I'll probably buy a KTM or a VOR, just to try one out for a while. These are ALL great bikes & (soap box) we're all just lucky enough to live in the USA where anyone can afford one. I've never had a problem with any Suzuki, Kawi, Honda or Yamaha, including 3 RM's. I simply don't agree with the biased attitude.

 

[XRpredator]

Oh yeah, well, Yamahas are the best.

MXA said so!:confused:

 

[Rider 007]

Nephron,
bear in mind that KHI includes earth moving equipment and a whole host of incredibly expensive products. Motorcycles are a very small part of their business. So, I'm not sure that the overall company condition represents their MX line sales.
I can't speak for Okie (I believe he had a KX250 until not too long ago), but I don't believe he was being biased, just reporting observations. When you can find a slew of certain models nationwide and bargain-basement prices, and dealers are telling you that it's not good (and they have access to the info), my guess is that it isn't going well. It wasn't bias if someone told you that the XR600's weren't selling well a few years ago. It was a fact. You could get a leftover one for like $3699. Honda even tried going a year without making anymore because they were overstocked and it caused quite a stir because people thought they were discontinuing it permanently. It wasn't bias when you could walk into a Honda dealership in the late 70's and early 80's and find leftover MX models. They didn't become popular until DeCoster arrived and turned the CR model into one worth buying. These were just the real market conditions that existed at those times.
When I worked at dealerships, if we were sold out of our allotment of a certain model and still had people requesting them, we would call other dealerships to see if they had any they would sell us. If it was a particularly hot model, sometimes we would pay retail and sell it for that just to make the sale and initiate the relationsip. Other times we were told "no way!".
So again, I don't think Okie was exhibiting bias, but you'll have to ask him to be sure!

Later:cool:

 

[Okiewan]

So again, I don't think Okie was exhibiting bias, but you'll have to ask him to be sure!

No brand loyalty here, like I said, I've had red, green and blue, loved all of them, in fact the "mamba" (99 KX250) was a favorite. Just saying that the championships don't always equate to good sales figures.

 

[Rider 007]

Gosh Okie, try to conceal that blatant "bias", would you?
;)

 

[super rat]

RC is the man. He was awsome this weekend, way fast and smooth. I have seen RC ride a 125 before and he has smoothed out so much I only saw him swap once this weekend the first lap of saturday practice. You can say what you want about his personality, although it seems to me that its only the people who want somthing from him and dont get it that bitch, but I think he is the best MXer to ever put a leg over a bike. I hope that asterisk says how he came from 37th to third in the fisrt moto:p B talent, come on man, there is no B talent on the line of a national. Hey tree jumper nice to meet you sorry I cut the line:o

 

[Treejumper]

Super Rat,

Hey isnt that how we all got in line! Some of us just cut farther ahead of the other. :eek: Sorry we couldnt meet up inside the race, i looked for ya while making the rounds but with no luck.

That was a pretty good come from behind by RC! You have to give him that. He is one hell of a rider! :cool:

 

[Strick]

Originally posted by dirt bike dave

Fact: RC did not 'fix' today's 125 national.

That's not what I saw. What I saw is Mike Brown (125 national motocross champion - 2001) pull over and let his factory teammate by. That is not a 'fix'?

Ricky is IMO one of the true greats in motocross/supercross, and he deserves the accolades that he is receiving. However, IMO he was aided in the win.