At least it concerns a Yamaha

[faffi]

 
Here’s a story: Roberts remembered the time when Cadalora, feeling like he was ready, in pre-season of 1994, had asked Team Roberts and Yamaha to allow him to ride Wayne Rainey’s 1993 YZR500. He didn’t want to ride a bike that was merely close to the spec of Rainey’s GP bikes, he wanted Rainey’s actual bike–one set-up and developed exactly for Rainey with a dump-box powerband and steep head angle. With Rainey gone from racing, Cadalora was confident that he was ready to step into Rainey’s role, and be the new Wayne Rainey. Team Roberts Yamaha brought Rainey’s bike to a Phillip Island pre-season test and even though Kenny Roberts Senior and others didn’t think it was a good idea, they fired it up for Luca.
 
Junior remembers talking with Cadalora just after the Italian had ridden a session on Rainey’s 500. They leaned on the Team Roberts shipping crates in their still soaked-with-sweat leathers.
 
“Luca’s face was as white as a ghost,” Junior remembers. “After he rode Wayne’s bike he said that only two people could ride it: Wayne Rainey and God.” He did not ask to ride that bike again.
 
Full story: https://www.superbikeplanet.com/not-bothered-kenny-roberts-jr/

[faffi]

Anybody read the biography about Rainey? The common consensus seems to be that Rainey was so much better than the competition that he could mask the inherent issues with the Yamaha 500. It may be telling that after Rainey won his last title in 1992, the next to win a title with the brand in the upper class was Rossi in 2004.
 
We have seen similar things with Stoner on the Ducati and currently Marquez on the Honda - riders able to get more out of a poor bike than anybody else, even enough to win titles. Check out the recent interview with Crutchlow over at crash.net as one example.
 
PS! Sorry if I have gone too far off topic - if so, hopefully a moderator will (re)move it.

[Mr.Puss]

Sounds good to me, I think we all like a little bike history.

[sorkyah]

I dont see a problem, unless @admin wants to create a motogp/3/2 forum/subforum

[Cruizin]

Anybody read the biography about Rainey? The common consensus seems to be that Rainey was so much better than the competition that he could mask the inherent issues with the Yamaha 500. It may be telling that after Rainey won his last title in 1992, the next to win a title with the brand in the upper class was Rossi in 2004. 
We have seen similar things with Stoner on the Ducati and currently Marquez on the Honda - riders able to get more out of a poor bike than anybody else, even enough to win titles. Check out the recent interview with Crutchlow over at crash.net as one example.
 
PS! Sorry if I have gone too far off topic - if so, hopefully a moderator will (re)move it.

 
No apologies needed. These kinds of topics are badly needed here. Refershing to get away from the typical "which oil filter makes the most hp" or "how do I wheelie" threads.
 
Talk about any Moto Gp topics, motocross topics, flat track, whatever you want to in here. And I hope that others join in. This place needs to avoid the boring old same old talk, and I am open to suggestions.
 
Rainey was the man and had balls of steel. But in my mind, Kenny Roberts SR was the best there has ever been. If Kenny was in his prime today, he would rein supreme. And I'm a huge fan of Rossi too, but Kenny SR was the man.
 
And, I miss Two Stroke racing. Screw California, screw the AMA for ruining two strokes. Can you imagine how fast and perfect two strokes would be today if they hadn't killed em off?
 
More power, less cc's required, less weight. I still ride two stroke dirt bikes.
 

[faffi]

It is very difficult, if not impossible, for us laymen to rank riders from various times. Even currently it is difficult to rate them. For instance, according to Stoner - who definitely is no Rossi fan - Michelin decided they wanted Hayden to be champion in 2006 and handed Rossi a dud pair of tyres for the race in Valencia. But they had also helped Rossi with the best tyres for many years before that. Just look at Edwards; fast through qualifying, rarely through races. In other words, there are lots of politics as well involved, not only skill.
 
If you ask riders, at least of a certain age, it seems like Hailwood gets the most nods as the best of all times. Judging Agostini is difficult because he had machinery so far beyond the competition, it ain't funny. One year he won the 500 title, the runner-up rode a private 500 single against Ago's factory multi MV Agusta. There is no doub Ago was a splendid rider - he often won my minutes - but the competition was nowhere near what it is today.
 
Kenny Roberts Sr was the first really serious, thinking rider AFAIK. He ate well, trained hard but sensibly and thought a lot. One story is that he had trouble getting enough speed around Suzuka. Instead of riding around in circles, he went back to his hotel, lay on the bed for a few hours, came back and said he had found 2 seconds. He went out and rode 2 seconds quicker.
 
Spencer is likely the most gifted talent we have seen. Fragile of mind, but oh so fast. His 500 triple was much slower and peakier than that of the competition, but he somehow found a way to race faster than everybody else. Erv Kanemoto, team boss, said of Spencer that the way to know how well a bike was set up was by watching the sweat off Spencer's forehead as the lap times were identical no matter the bike's setup.
 
Rossi combined the talent of Spencer and the mind of Roberts, it has been said. I cannot tell. But that he's still competitive in his 22nd season is pretty amazing. I still doubt he has the raw speed of Spencer, Stoner and Marquez, but his racecraft may be second to none.
 
But back to Roberts - he is still very, very fast!

 
Compare that to Ago - who, however, is still faster than most of us!

 
 
 

[Beemer]

Anybody read the biography about Rainey? The common consensus seems to be that Rainey was so much better than the competition that he could mask the inherent issues with the Yamaha 500. It may be telling that after Rainey won his last title in 1992, the next to win a title with the brand in the upper class was Rossi in 2004. 
We have seen similar things with Stoner on the Ducati and currently Marquez on the Honda - riders able to get more out of a poor bike than anybody else, even enough to win titles. Check out the recent interview with Crutchlow over at crash.net as one example.
 
PS! Sorry if I have gone too far off topic - if so, hopefully a moderator will (re)move it.

No apologies needed. These kinds of topics are badly needed here. Refershing to get away from the typical "which oil filter makes the most hp" or "how do I wheelie" threads. 
Talk about any Moto Gp topics, motocross topics, flat track, whatever you want to in here. And I hope that others join in. This place needs to avoid the boring old same old talk, and I am open to suggestions.
 
Rainey was the man and had balls of steel. But in my mind, Kenny Roberts SR was the best there has ever been. If Kenny was in his prime today, he would rein supreme. And I'm a huge fan of Rossi too, but Kenny SR was the man.
 
And, I miss Two Stroke racing. Screw California, screw the AMA for ruining two strokes. Can you imagine how fast and perfect two strokes would be today if they hadn't killed em off?
 
More power, less cc's required, less weight. I still ride two stroke dirt bikes.

1. I still want an RZ 350! 2. Kenny Roberts TZ 750 ... original awesome mad man! (hence, King Kenny)
3. Refer-shing over refreshing any day!
 

[DewMan]

[HASH]Beemer I remember when the RZ350 in KR yellow was the bike to have... a buddy of mine went from a CB750 to the RZ350.

[Cruizin]

The thing about Kenny Roberts is that he was an american who was safe right here in the USA racing bikes. But he had the balls to go over and race in Europe by himself. The only American at that time to just go wander over across the pond and take on the best riders in the world. Not only did he compete well, he won the freakin world championship that very first year! And, he also won the next two world championships as well! Against the worlds best riders, with their race teams and sponsorships, he just shows up and kicks their asses three years in a row. And the Europeans were so mad, tey wouldn't talk to him, some refused to even pay him. They wouldn't let him buy their new rain tires, and he still kicked their asses.
 
He may or may not be the greatest bike racer of all time, but he certainly is the greatest american bike racer of all time. I can't imagine an American just showing up at a Moto GP event and winning. But if he were in his prime today, who knows? They called him King Kenny for a reason
 
He won 28 USA National Championship races. 28!!!
 
Young Yamaha guys, get to know your roots. Watch this video about King Kenny!
 
https://youtu.be/cXDR140G2sA
 

[faffi]

There are several stories about how he became King Kenny. One is that someone mistook him for a royal person, another is that he got a crown on his head during a celebration and people shouted King Kenny. What is quite certain is that the title was not given to him by the press or by fellow riders for his splendid riding, but the designation stuck simply because it really was fitting of his talent and achievements.

[Beemer]

Yup! In the cycle world, Roberts going to a foreign land and taking the title was about as big a deal as Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon first and whooping Russian ass. It was all on him as well, Yamaha didn't make him want to do the things he did and they surely didn't make him race with a broken back. Geez! That tuff sob! He's the guy I looked up to growing up and a big reason I'm a Yamaha guy today. How many people have a motorcycle made with their name on it??? Hats off to King Kenny!
 
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=88
 

[faffi]

Mike Hailwood

 

[faffi]

Kenny Roberts Sr 2nd edition
 
 

 

 

 

[faffi]

Christian Sarron
 

 

[faffi]

AMA
 

 

[faffi]

Eddie Lawson

 

[faffi]

Valentino Rossi
 
 

 
image hosting
 
 

 
free image hosting
 

[faffi]

Kevin Schwantz
 
 

 

[faffi]

There are probably many more factory replicas that I've forgotten about - have any to add?

[sorkyah]

You guys are posting porn pic after porn pic.... im in love... kinda