2004 Open Class Shootout
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Good Times Fellas.. Good Times... I was given the opportunity to ride those test bikes too.. But I was having so much fun on my little 04 GSXR600, and the fact that none of the test bikes were on Dunlops.. I chose to stick with my 6. I did get a chance to dice around a bit with MikeE on the 10R, and Will on the R1 (and the Triumph)..
Good luck on the Gix1000 and 999 guys.. Hope ya'll didn't get into TOO much trouble over that.
Good luck on the Gix1000 and 999 guys.. Hope ya'll didn't get into TOO much trouble over that.
SA the Lionhearted
While Sean and I enjoy exchanging the occasional friendly jab, in all sincerity the MO readership should know that this guy showed some true grit both mentally and physically in salvaging a slightly "extra crispy" test from the scorching flames of a comparo gone all kinds of wrong.
After inadvertantly punching the entire front end off of a Gixxer with his fist, I watched this guy commandeer his brother's jumbo-sized gloves because his swollen paw no longer fit into his own, duct tape his fingers together and tear around Buttonwillow the next day. Anyone who feels they didn't get their measly $12 worth out of Dirty can discuss it with me in the alley behind Hooters.
That having been said, back to the friendly jabbing!
"So SA, about that last sesh where you and Emery couldn't pass my fat, old, slow ass in 20 minutes of trying.....
While Sean and I enjoy exchanging the occasional friendly jab, in all sincerity the MO readership should know that this guy showed some true grit both mentally and physically in salvaging a slightly "extra crispy" test from the scorching flames of a comparo gone all kinds of wrong.
After inadvertantly punching the entire front end off of a Gixxer with his fist, I watched this guy commandeer his brother's jumbo-sized gloves because his swollen paw no longer fit into his own, duct tape his fingers together and tear around Buttonwillow the next day. Anyone who feels they didn't get their measly $12 worth out of Dirty can discuss it with me in the alley behind Hooters.
That having been said, back to the friendly jabbing!
"So SA, about that last sesh where you and Emery couldn't pass my fat, old, slow ass in 20 minutes of trying.....
eBass, you dog
"Ebass is widely rumored to be popular with ladies though the rest of us saw no immediate evidence of this. A particularly scurrilous rumor has Ebass dating Sean's mother, which, if true, explains...."
Enjoyable article. I admire the engineering of all the motorcycles, but particularly like what Honda is doing these days.
MO...well worth the twelve bucks.
Hey eBass I saw you wearing (or maybe you stole it) a USC shirt, you a USC grad? That would be too bad as UCLA has much nicer colors.
"Ebass is widely rumored to be popular with ladies though the rest of us saw no immediate evidence of this. A particularly scurrilous rumor has Ebass dating Sean's mother, which, if true, explains...."
Enjoyable article. I admire the engineering of all the motorcycles, but particularly like what Honda is doing these days.
MO...well worth the twelve bucks.
Hey eBass I saw you wearing (or maybe you stole it) a USC shirt, you a USC grad? That would be too bad as UCLA has much nicer colors.
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1,538 Posts
I'm not sure where you got the impression that we thought it was even remotely funny. In all seriousness and in complete sincerity, everyone who was there thought it was a horrible experience and to this day we have deep regrets about the accident. As for our feeble attempts at humor in the rest of this test, they have little to do with the accident and are merely indicative of us trying to make the best out of a bad situation. -Sean
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3,415 Posts
Re: If someones gotta do it..................
Why no VFR test, were you afraid it'd win?....And WHERE THE HELL IS THE 600 SHOOT-OUT YOU'VE BEEN PROMISING ?????????? This site blows I want my money back, How come blip and minnie-me and hack-fu are gone? I could go faster on an SV 650 than that over-weight pig Honda P.O.S. you call a winner.................
I think that should cover it.
Why no VFR test, were you afraid it'd win?....And WHERE THE HELL IS THE 600 SHOOT-OUT YOU'VE BEEN PROMISING ?????????? This site blows I want my money back, How come blip and minnie-me and hack-fu are gone? I could go faster on an SV 650 than that over-weight pig Honda P.O.S. you call a winner.................
I think that should cover it.
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3,415 Posts
I wouldn't worry Sean you in particular and the rest of the guys in general did an outstanding job, clearly one of the best multi-bike test's I've read online or in print, a real bang-up (?) job
I was surprised to see the CBR1000RR at the top of the pile, as the first thing you usually read about it is overweight, down on power, blah blah blah, Like you said, you have to actually ride the bikes to form an opinion.
I like your comments on the Triumph as I'm a completely biased Triumph fan and a real world street rider, not a wannabe racer.
Hope your hand heals soon, glad it wasn't worse, great artical.
I was surprised to see the CBR1000RR at the top of the pile, as the first thing you usually read about it is overweight, down on power, blah blah blah, Like you said, you have to actually ride the bikes to form an opinion.
I like your comments on the Triumph as I'm a completely biased Triumph fan and a real world street rider, not a wannabe racer.
Hope your hand heals soon, glad it wasn't worse, great artical.
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209 Posts
That was a great review, and I really like the concept of putting ALL the 1000cc-ish bikes to the test. It seems that there's a tendency to include only the "Big 4 with Inline-4 Engines" in these comparisons, and I can't think of a reason why. So congratulations on breaking an industry-wide pattern that has been annoying me for a while.
The qualitative comments were highly relevant to racetrack and realworld performance expectations, particularly with respect to the demonic ZX-10. I was a bit surprised at the lap times posted, but I suspect that there's some noise in there from the conditions, which you thoughtfully highlighted.
Despite the injuries and the broken bikes, which were a massively unfortunate set of circumstances, I applaud your efforts for even attempting to do something this audacious. The fact that you mostly succeeded in your plan ensures that my subscription will be renewed.
Keep up the good work.
The qualitative comments were highly relevant to racetrack and realworld performance expectations, particularly with respect to the demonic ZX-10. I was a bit surprised at the lap times posted, but I suspect that there's some noise in there from the conditions, which you thoughtfully highlighted.
Despite the injuries and the broken bikes, which were a massively unfortunate set of circumstances, I applaud your efforts for even attempting to do something this audacious. The fact that you mostly succeeded in your plan ensures that my subscription will be renewed.
Keep up the good work.
Re: SA the Lionhearted
And on top of all that Sean still set the fastest lap times! What a he-man!
So, Eric, how come you and Pete and Will and Dale didn't get to express your opinions? Or get a vote? Nice write-up otherwise.
Oh, and I can't resist: Martin, the Aprilia's suspension is "taut", not "taunt".
"Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!" - MPATHG
And on top of all that Sean still set the fastest lap times! What a he-man!
So, Eric, how come you and Pete and Will and Dale didn't get to express your opinions? Or get a vote? Nice write-up otherwise.
Oh, and I can't resist: Martin, the Aprilia's suspension is "taut", not "taunt".
"Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!" - MPATHG
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295 Posts
Ballsy, very ballsy. Testing the entire crop at one time. A good, balanced, fair appraisal of all of the bikes. As for the accident, well, things can happen. Too bad it was the Ducati. But I was glad the other loss wasn't one of the top tier bikes. (Ooooooh. I can hear the keys a-tappin' now.)
Cheers to Sean for riding with a broken wing.
Francis
Cheers to Sean for riding with a broken wing.
Francis
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1,538 Posts
Re: SA the Lionhearted
EBass says: "So SA, about that last sesh where you and Emery couldn't pass my fat, old, slow ass in 20 minutes of trying....."
To which I must publicly reply: EB you snivelling, chair sleeping, multi-time rider-stranding, back-marker. If you and I started a 10-lap race, you on an RC-211V and me on a Buell Blast, you already KNOW be looking over your shoulder waiting for me to lap you for the second time.
In all seriousness folks, Mr. Bass has vastly improved his track-day skills and is now capable of lapping within :20seconds of my fastest lap times (when I'm riding one-handed) -Sean
EBass says: "So SA, about that last sesh where you and Emery couldn't pass my fat, old, slow ass in 20 minutes of trying....."
To which I must publicly reply: EB you snivelling, chair sleeping, multi-time rider-stranding, back-marker. If you and I started a 10-lap race, you on an RC-211V and me on a Buell Blast, you already KNOW be looking over your shoulder waiting for me to lap you for the second time.
In all seriousness folks, Mr. Bass has vastly improved his track-day skills and is now capable of lapping within :20seconds of my fastest lap times (when I'm riding one-handed) -Sean
rank order voting
Hey, what's up with the rank-order voting system for determining final standings? It's the 21st century, get with the program and use a Condorcet variant (hyped as "true majority" in March 2004 Sci. Am).
Fortunately, there are no circular preferences this time around, but I get slightly different results for #4-7, less affected by the outlier votes:
1. Honda CBR
2. Yamaha
3. Kawasaki
4. Aprilia
5. Honda RC
6. Ducati
7. Suzuki
8. Triumph
The big advantage of pairwise-comparison schemes is that the presence or absence of a particular bike doesn't affect the ordering of the other bikes. For instance, if you'd omitted the Kawasaki and the Triumph (and all the other preferences remaining the same), your scoring scheme would switch to the RSV beating the RC51.
Hey, what's up with the rank-order voting system for determining final standings? It's the 21st century, get with the program and use a Condorcet variant (hyped as "true majority" in March 2004 Sci. Am).
Fortunately, there are no circular preferences this time around, but I get slightly different results for #4-7, less affected by the outlier votes:
1. Honda CBR
2. Yamaha
3. Kawasaki
4. Aprilia
5. Honda RC
6. Ducati
7. Suzuki
8. Triumph
The big advantage of pairwise-comparison schemes is that the presence or absence of a particular bike doesn't affect the ordering of the other bikes. For instance, if you'd omitted the Kawasaki and the Triumph (and all the other preferences remaining the same), your scoring scheme would switch to the RSV beating the RC51.
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