ajd187, on 22 March 2012 - 09:22 AM, said:

I'd love to hear what Trey says about that Honda!

off_road_4_me, on 22 March 2012 - 02:31 PM, said:

That is so much different at that level. As an amateur, the bike does not need to be tuned as well. Stock, it will work nicely. At the speeds that they go at, everything must be in perfect condition for them.

off_road_4_me, on 22 March 2012 - 02:31 PM, said:

Yeah, it's funny how people will post how the top riders on any bike would still win. They point to Dungey on the KTM and say he would have done the same regardless of the make. Ditto for RC, but when it comes to James the formula changes and the bike is the big issue. I guess that just makes all the other top riders that much more capable than JS, since his bike has to be a world beater for him to win. I say put em all on identical Cannondales and let em go. The proof would be in the proverbial pudding. No one would have an advantage because of previous experience and they would all be riding a roach. If the theory is true, they should still be at the front of the pack.

No doubt the bike makes a difference but why can JS7 post fastest or near fastest lap times on his bike? Does the bike only go fast on every other odd numbered lap?

Part of the problem is his position is generally not riding from the front. The other part of the problem is he is JS7. He isn't a consistent rider. RD is whether he is on the KTM or Suzuki. RV is pretty mechanical out there as well. Watching him come back to manage a 5th place it was pretty clear he is a very good rider. For the record RV isn't my favorite rider, he seems like a corporate robot and I am not a Chad Reed fan either but RV,RD and CR are in a class above JS right now because they can turn in a good consistent lap time after time.Call it dedication, training, fitness, focus or whatever but don't blame the bike.

meyermetal, on 21 March 2012 - 07:17 AM, said:

I didn't start this post because I think Im a hot shot who can see things others can't. I started it to let you uniformed folks out there know everybody in the industry knows about how Yamaha has screwed up and already bad handling bike. If you listen to James himself talk he basically says he can not get the bike to work for him. He says his L&M bike sucked but this redesigned one is like starting all over. Time ferry was hired to test it and said its "not rider friendly" and hes a sick tester.
I also had a 2006 POS Yamaha 450 and trust me it almost made me quit riding because everyone rode underneath me. I also bought a 2008 YZ250 two stroke and this guy is dead on it sucked too. I just got done testing all of Yamahas 2012 line up in Daytona and rode a few of Jason Raines GNCC Yamaha's and those didn't impress me either.
I now own a 2011 Honda and besides two wheels and suspension they are not even close to the same thing. James signed for the money and he knew the Yamaha sucked that's why he spent the whole summer riding a Suzuki. He even said I figured if I rode a Yamaha at least we would have been able to bring some knowledge over from the L^M bike but was surprised to say none of that works because the bike is so different. IM QUOTING HIM.

ajd187, on 22 March 2012 - 09:22 AM, said:

He complains publicly about his Yamaha. Download the Pulp MX podcast Daytona and they have James on as a guest.
I know someone who works in the JGR rig and Big James grabbed Coy by the throat. Even James talks about how they have all got into it with each other over there. They are frustrated with the Yamaha PERIOD.

as i have said time after time. james probebly figures out how to crash and burn sitting at home on his couch.

choppertown, on 24 March 2012 - 09:05 PM, said:

He probably sits at home and learns proper spelling, grammar and punctuation.

if its true about the asault on coy, then mr. stewart should be kicked out of racing

campdirt, on 24 March 2012 - 09:12 PM, said:

BIG JAMES = His dad

All I know is I wish I could sit at home on my ass and talk about racing over the phone with the commentators and still make more money than 90% of the guys who were actually out there racing and giving it their all. Milk it James, milk it for every cent you can get out of it because I believe your gravy train in SX racing is slowly leaving the station without you on it!

djtroy, on 24 March 2012 - 09:10 PM, said:

hows your spelling in polish and russian? seeing as polish is my native tounge and i lernt russian wile in school in poland, and i have only been using english for give or take 5 years, i think im doing pretty &%$#@!in' well.
Thankyou come again.

The Yamaha is fine. JS is no long the fastest man on the planet RV is.  Simple as that.

If the YZ was junk JGR would change the geometry to what ever would work just as the Carmichael Team Guys did when Ricky went to Zuki.

Just watch R Dungy get that KTM fitted for him during the outdoor season.  No crying or sniveling by RD.  They are building a bike and once
they get the KTM where they want it to be they very well may not be able to beat RV.  It will not be the bikes fault or Roger D. fault or RD fault for
that matter because at this time RV is just Flipping Fast and RV has a Team that works.

Put RV on the Yamaha with the Gibs Race Team and with in a year they would have the Yamaha winning just as many races as the Kawi.

The fact is this.  Stewart was given arguably the best suspension guy in the world to set up his bikes. He has tracks tailor made to match
race tracks they race on. Stewart has the full support of a NASCAR Team with a Owner who is a proven winner and will win Motocross races
in the future with or with out JS riding his equipment, JS moves about with out any of the problems a guy like Boggle or Regal deal with day in,
day out. I doubt JS even cleans his own goggles or breaks in his own boots.

JS is no longer the Fastest Man on the Planet and it is that simple.  Most people would see lining up at the gate for a night race in Supercross
as a victory in itself.  Maybe JS is the 2nd 3rd or 4th fastest guy on the planet and maybe that should be good enough instead of blaming
everything under the sun because the guy does not win every time he lines up on the gate.

Edited by 95843, 25 March 2012 - 01:01 PM.

Like I stated before, if the bike was the problem then James would not win almost every heat race and would not get the fastest qualifying times.
Sure the bike needs to be tailored to his liking, but this is true for any rider and make.
The engine being moved forward to get more weight on the front tire is a real issue and probably the Pirelli tires aren't the best. These are known issue but are no excuse for a bad bike or he would not be that fast in heat races.
James is his own worst enemy and can NOT handle the pressure of the competition in the main.

"The engine being moved forward to get more weight on the front tire is a real issue and probably the Pirelli tires aren't the best".

I have to disagree with this.  Look how high the riders have their folks set in the triple clamps to get weight  to the front wheel of the bike which allows them to cut off the turns at will.  The motor is not the issue.  JGR has their motors pulling as hard as the PC Kawi and Gieco Hondas.

Tires?  Pirelli just made a tire to JS Specs.  

Here is my question?  Is it OK for JS to be a top five rider?  It does not matter what bike JS is on.  He is not going to win 3 out of 5 races with the competition in the sport today

For the JS fans out there.  You guys need to be OK with this and not be Band Wagon Jumpers.

Even as a top 2,3,4 or 5 rider.  JS still has a ton of talent and he is good for promoting the future of the Sport.

95843, on 25 March 2012 - 12:58 PM, said:

You are exactly correct, and people do need to realize that he is now a true top 5 rider. Really no shame in that at all, however James needs to start this realization too. There are, and have been many great top 5 riders that have been fan favorites over the years. Some still currently race. 3 years and no dice, this should not be a surprise to anyone who has actually taken the time to follow his career from the early days at Kawasaki. Any rider ONLY HAS so much time at the top. And for JS7, his prime time was when he rode 125's and 250's for Kawasaki. He was imo, quite possibly the most exciting rider ever from a spectators point of view. I don't think anyone really denies him of having blinding periods of speed in 2012. But putting it all together......We know the story.

tucker78, on 25 March 2012 - 04:18 PM, said:

I believe most people realize he is a top 5 rider.  I don't see many people on here saying he is the fastest guy on a bike.  For JS...  Well, he probably isn't ready to admit it.  Most professional athletes who were the top of their chosen sport, have a hard time admitting they are not the best anymore.  I don't care if its football, basketball, hockey or badmiton.  The world of sports is filled with athletes who stuck around too long, Joe Namath, Michael Jordan, Willie Mays, Lance Armstrong.  Hopefully, JS doesn't fall into this category one day.

JS is still competitive and is capable of winning a race on any given day.  He will never dominate the field again.  Then again, one day neither will RV.  At least JS had a day... So, many in our sport never do.

djtroy, on 24 March 2012 - 09:00 PM, said:

If that is all true then he needs to find a new team with a new bike and ride that.  And then we he sucks on that, he can blame that bike too...

Sipe3, on 25 March 2012 - 05:02 PM, said:

Wasn't there an episode on that stupid show of his where his mechanic was removing the number one plate from the bike an JS got upset about it? He hadn't raced at all and he still wanted it on his bike. He is having a hard time adjusting to being just a potential winner and not the favorite. Welcome to the real world James, where age reaches out and slaps in in the face in the form of slower reflexes, less endurance, and hungrier competitors. On the bright side, in a few years you can join the Over the Hill Gang and come race with the rest of us that time left behind. Try that taking out the other riders crap though, and you're likely to get an ass whooping from a cranky old dude.

I am not the biggest JS7 fan, but I do respect him, I think he has had it rough comin up with so much attention and so much pressure to win, that when he started making bigger mistakes, it slowly messed more and more with his head. I think the move to JGR was a bad one for him as well, not financially by any means lol, but mentally, signing with a HUGE well known race team like that has gotta stress him out. I think he personally would have done better if he stuck with a smaller team, or heck, started his own team, something to help bring his own passion back into his racing. Idk... maybe I am just rambling.