another example of how light motoGP bikes really are...
 

ok, a little OT, and yes, you have to watch a short video of dani bulldoza when he hurt his knee. but watch the honda crew "move" the bike after he gets off of it at the end. these things are LIGHT!!! so their power to weight ratio must be insane. i am trying to figure out where they shave 100lbs. or more when it compares to street machines we get...nevermind the increase in HP they have. just advance to the 1:20 mark of the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spi59ZuSJ1I&mode=related&search=

repoe3

...starter, battery, magnesium wheels and frame components, carbonfiber body parts, exhausts etc. to name the main components...

Go and check out
http://www.proitalia.com/ncr.html

...and see how much weight is left on this bike... pay attention to the components, it's fascinating!

and for a track report on the bike, go to:

http://www.biketestusa.com/Article_Page.aspx?ArticleID=1840

Oh, if I'd just have the extra coin to spend!

You ain't lyin'...
 

I think my sisters could have picked that up and put it in a van ( and delivered it to me presumably)

The vid of the highside was painfull to watch....can see why he was massaging his knee..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn5XVmw2AKg&NR
YouTube - Dani Pedrosa crash in sepang 2006

gee I gotta get ME one of those "getongetoff" blocks o' wood!

Damn! MotoGP racers are about the size of jockeys.

no, just that one...and capirossi...aside from that, they are on the short(er) but average height. but the comparison to jockeys is not far off. the hayden are all about average height and lean, well trained to boot. was at red lobster in danville, va last year after a day at the AMA VIR event. tommy hayden was having dinner with a a special friend. we all left at the same time. i was at first surprised to see eye to eye, in fact i might have had a coupe inches on him..both in height and waist ;) his hand was still swollen from breaking it in laguna. he had a few visible scars from ops. but still, you could tell how lean his body mass was.

repoe3

there is a scene in the follow-up movie to FASTER, where a honda tech is moving the RCV into the paddock, he is walking it by the handle bars like we all would to turn it around, but then he lays it over on its side and is able to do a hairpin turn with it, all the while just holding onto the bars. i was shocked. you can read weight figures all day long on these thing, but seeing them handled is what really makes you relate or at least appreciate the weight of these things. which actually begs the question...why they are not that much faster than the superbikes are laguna seca? i know, LS is a technical course...it would be interesting to see a motoGP event run VIR FULL!!! even mortals like me see higher top speeds. some hopped up literbikes are seeing nearly 200mph on the back straight.

repoe3

tire grip and laguna is a small course. the tires are the limit right now. they can easily dial in more power.

Honda actually built one of their RCVs to a smaller scale for Pedrosa (I think it was him) because he's so tiny so the bike he is riding is actiually smaller than Haydens.

Not true, Hayden, as development rider, is riding an EVO bike which is the difference between the 990 and the 800. Nick has been on the smallest, lightest(not really as its at the limit), most powerful Honda all year.

Freaking overweight, overpowered, bloated beasts.

Check out the ave spds and times for the various classes.
125's are not a whole lot slower and do it with 1/4 the HP

http://www.cpixel.com/sickz/125_assen_2004_racehl.wmv

using 2004 as an example, because thats what you chose to highlight, the pole for 125s was a 2,18.592 vs pole for GPs of 1,58.758. I'm thinking 20secs a lap(6027m)is a whole lot slower. the 125s would almost be lapped three times at race distance.

It's a vid clip I happened to have a link to. Some tracks are going to be more or less, that the way it is.

Mgp sepang fastest lap
2:02.127 101.62 mph

125's
2:13.118 93.229

at least 180 more HP and less than 10 mph ave speed difference?

I find that interesting.

Turn signals (Hondas Winkers are especially heavy), catalytic converter, and emissions equipment.

1 Second on a racetrack is eternity let alone 10 seconds or more a lap. In a 30 lap race a second a lap puts you down 30 seconds and that might as well be all day. 125s are about cornering speed and they have very high cornering speed but I believe the 250s are almost as fast or faster. The big bikes are about controlling too much power, accelerating withit and then controlling the tremendous braking. Look how many guys actually make it to MOTOGP and are successful. Can really count it on the fingers of one hand. Troy Bayliss and Troy Corser are both great riders but they did very little in GP racing. It is truly the major leagues of motorcyle racing