Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

letters to the editor should be sent 10 Voices, Cyde News, PO Box 5084, Casla Mesa, CA 92628-5084; foxed 10 714-751-6685 or emoiled 10 edilor@cyclenews.com. Published letters do nol necessarily reflect the position of Cyde News, Inc. letters should nol exceed 200 words, and all are subiect to editing. Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. All letters should contain the writer's nome, address and daytime phone number.,. Editor. Engine Rules .. If you saw him on the podium at Red Bud after the second moto, he didn't look very tired." MotoGP will lose at least one major player, maybe two. So who wins? Well, Honda, of course. Your readers might want to consider these few issues when they try to agree or disagree with the new MotoGP engine rules. But I think the real question is who loses? In a recent issue of Cycle News, you did an You do, I do, and all of the rest of the milinterview with the head-of-HR€-. He actu_-1ions of viewers who watch every two ally told you and the readers indirectly of weeks, arguably, the best racing that we will one of their engine plans. They built a see in our lifetime. Can anyone honestly say counter-rotating, twin-crank V-four, most that they have ever seen better road racing probably with the exact same bore, stroke competition? Even when Rossi wins, which and valve train as the 990cc V-five. It is so is most of the time, it's still exciting. obvious why Ho'nda pushed for the 800cc Brian Sheridan limit. If you take away one cylinder from West Bend, WI the V-five, you get an 800cc V-four. By using twin cranks you could set up any firing order that you wanted, because the engine is essentially two twins running in opposite directions. As in, it flops over in the corners, or in engineering speak - transitional gyroscopic energy is all but eliminated. In fact, they could easily change the firing order for different tracks. There is one more important engineering plus: They would have eliminated the offset between the front and rear banks, thereby narrowing the engine about 15-20mm. The package size would be very small. So what about the horsepower? Well it will be lower, probably about 10 percent, maybe 15 percent. By my calculation, the rpms will go up 20 percent. That still does not put them at 20,000 rpm - more like 18,000. Those kinds of revs do put you in the range that needs pneumatic actuation, but remember, pneumatic valve springs are only valve retainers with linear motion seals on them. Heck, we built small block Chevy heads in the 1980s that had pneumatic springs on them. I would venture to say that the Desmo setup on the Ducatis cost way more to build than a pneumatic valve train. Just call Del West in California - they have the parts in stock. There is a small accumulator, a regulator and a small pump to replenish the system, but not much else. I think the real issue is money and time. Honda seems to have almost an unlimited amount of both. Remember this is the same company that is bUilding its own jet and jet engine! Honda has a long history of getting rules changed when they are not doing well. We just have to look at our own Formula Xtreme. The marketing department has to have something positive to advertise. It also throws everyone else off balance. Everyone else has to start with a clean sheet of paper. That's time and money, and my best guess is that 8 JULY 20, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS No Daytona I just wanted to write and let you know that I think making the Daytona 200 a Formula Xtreme race again is a huge joke. Between the changes to the so-called road race portion of the track and your continued insistence on using the Formula Xtreme, I will not be attending next year's events. I am really tired of you kowtowing to the France organization. To call the 200 your premier event of the year is beyond belief! I am a long time attendee, but I won't be there next year. Turn the whole Bike Week thing into a Harley rally and leave the road racing to a real course. Lowell R, Ulrich Sault Ste, Marie, MI RC Rules Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki. 125, 250, 450. Two-stroke, four-stroke. Supercross, motocross. [In] 1997, 2005, or any year in between. It really doesn't matter to Ricky Carmichael - he just keeps on winning. In Cycle News several years ago, the inimitable Bob Hannah said it best: "Ricky's not going to lose until he's tired of kicking your ass." If you saw him on the podium at Red Bud after the second moto, he didn't look very tired. Randy Olson Yucaipa, CA RJ's Eyes I just had to comment. Have you looked at the Dunlop Legends Posters? The one of Rick Johnson alter his victory at the Motocross des Nations is amazing. The look in his eyes tells it all. The caption must be "take that" or some variation with a few epithets. What a picture. john johnson via the Internet CgcleNews Volume XLII Sharon Clayton - President Michael Klinger - Publisher EDITORIAL Remembering Wes Regarding the recent Archives article on Wes Cooley, I remember him. It was 1991, I think, and I was riding a whoopedout 1986 GSX-R750 with an I 100 motor and alJinge~ tbe-flliddJe._lt was a latenight stint at the Willow Springs 24 Hour (remember those?), and I was wobbling around in the dark trying to figure out which way the track went. All of a sudden the track got so bright I could actually see my shadow in front of me. I thought to myself, "Okay, with lights that bright, it has to be one of the Valvoline Suzuki guys, just hold your line and .. ." Whoosh, Wes Cooley comes flying by, going just as fast as he did in the daytime. Donny Schmidt via the Internet TV Complaints I can't see how haVing motocross on at two different times makes it easy for the viewers. Why not have it like before - back to back on the same day. I was just at Red Bud, which was great, but I have to wait until the end of July to watch the replay. That's not cool. Comcast charges extra for OLN in my area and motocross isn't even listed in its lineup on its website. Maybe one day we will have at least next-day, back-to-back coverage. That's all we ask for. I'll just keep looking for my next Cycle News, which comes regularly. Thanks for that. jimmy Holub via the Internet TV Complaints II am very dissatisfied with the motocross series moving to OLN, because it is not on in my area. Put it back on ESPN. I have been associated with motocross since the mid-I 960s, both as a participant and a true fan. This move to OLN I know will cut out a lot of followers of the sport. I think it should be available to entire public. Would you respond? Merle Rowan via the Internet I hate to say our readers love to complain, but they do love to complain about motorcycle racing on television. When ESPN had the races, our readers said the announcers sucked. Now that OLN has the races, the announcers rule, but the timing sucks. The baltom line is this: Motorcycle racing still doesn't have enough pull to get the coverage we all think it deserves. /t is not on EPSN anymore. It is on OLN. Those are the (acts... Editor Paul Carruthers - Editor Kit Palmer - Off-Rood Editor Scott Rousseau - Managing Editor Blake Conner - Associate Editor Brendan Lutes - Off-Rood Assistant Editor Henny Ray Abrams - Contributing Editor Alan Cathcart - Europeon Editor David R. Holther - Regional Events Editor Kimberly Pellman - Copy EdItor ADVERTISING· WESTERN STATES 7141751·7433 Terry Pratt - Notional Accounts Monager Mark Thome. Forrest H3yashi. Dan Legere - Western Soles Managers Rhonda Crawford - Ad\tertising Coordinator Ashleigh Klein - Assistant ADVERTISING· EASTERN STATES 17701279·0304 Cana Allen - Office Manager & Advertising Coordinator Sheri Russell. 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GA 30044 (770) 279·0)04 • FAX (770) 279·0)60 E-MAIL· INTERNET www.cyclenews.com editor@cyclenews.com subscribe@cyclenews.com advertising@cyclenews.com Cycle NeViS IUSPS 141·3,w) IS pUllhshed weeilly e~cepllhe lasl two week~ 01 the calendar year for 558 00 per year by Cyde News. Inc. J505·M cat1ilfac Avenue, ClJsta ~lesa. CA 92626 f'eri(x,hcals Postage Paid al Costa Mesa. CA aAd at alXlilional mailing office, Canada f'iJSl fnlemationa.l f'ullhcal55 00. Inal sub liS iSSuesl, S4l 00 Cycle News welcomes unsoliCited edi10liai materoal oncfu(jlng StClfJeS. cartoons. photf)~ etc Such rolillellal. II publ,shed becomes the e.clusl'.e properly 01 Cycle IlflVS RfproroMg on wMle 01 part ~nly by perm,ss,on .11 lh~ publ;,ller Adiefl,s,ng ralES and clfculatiOn or.founallO \\'111 be s~nl upon requffi See 5 R0 5 ..,.....-/BPA •• ,. ••.•• \1 P11l!> I 11(( l f ~11(l'.. Printed in U.s.A. Copytigl,t ro Cycle News. fill; 2005 Tliloemark Cycle News reglstereo U.S. Paten' Orlice, All rights reserved

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