Ask Ping!

JW,

Don't get your panties all bunched up on this one, J-Dub. There are many, many individuals who have the ol' battle axe up their ass every time they load a bike in the back of their truck. Maybe it's the estrogen or maybe its because women have smaller brains than men [it's science, you can't argue with it] but ladies often fail to understand that we need to get out and ride our bikes once in a while, or a couple times per week. One solution would be to invite her along, encourage her to ride and then push her to jump something way above her talent level. Nothing frees up your schedule like having your lady in ICU with multiple bone fractures. If that seems a bit extreme just throw her a few bucks and tell her to hit the mall while you're riding. If that isn't an option due to financial hardship [which is due to your dirt bike habit] then maybe it's time to re-think this whole marriage thing. You think things are going to change for the better once you lock it down? Not even close, pal. Good luck.

PING

 

Dear Mr Ping,

Good day and many good morrows. Whilst discussing, with an elderly person, an era when men were men; (apparently we are metrosexual sissys way too in touch with humility along with our emotions to the point of being a Thai operation away from being a wife), anyway... The discussion with the grumpy old codger led onto an era of what is now MotoGP, moto500 and the days of Sheen, Schwantz, Rainey, Lawson, Gardner etc.. Aside from our differing age and alphaness, we agreed that those bikes, the 500cc two's with horse power numbers exceeding their weight in KG, were unrideable.

In all of your lifetimes, has there been a mirrored era of unrideable bikes in motocross? You know, before four-strokes, KX launch control and talentless proofing of off-road motorcycles. Come on own up, they've made the awful riders bad, the bad average and the average good. Thankfully the awesomes are unaffected and remain awesome. Speaking of which is James Dobb still racing?

Pleasent futures all round sissys...

Regards

Andrew
@SuzukiStalwart
United Kingdom of aged grumpy Englandshire.

Andrew,

No question about it: Four-strokes have made better riders of everyone. Two-strokes were more difficult to ride and required much more technique. That said, the one bike that would have rivaled the big bores of road racing are the monster 500cc machines of the off-road variety. To think they used to ride those in supercross is just laughable. Those bikes were a handful for the best riders in the world and, according to those around in those days, most of the testing was spent trying to tame the power down and make it more rideable. True fans could appreciate how hard they were to ride but to the average spectator it looked like Bayle, RJ, Bailey, Ward and the rest of the heroes of motocross were just cruising around the track at a low RPM. Getting rid of that class was a good move. The current crop of 450cc machines are also too powerful, particularly for supercross racing, but the power is at least more manageable. Thanks for the note from the land of folks with bad teeth. And, no, Dobb doesn't race anymore. So sorry, chap.

PING

 

Dear D-Pizzy,

This whole season the Supercross Fan Club, RC, K-Dub, Jeffro, (any rider on the IR), and especially Ralph Sheheen, have been stupefied by a few riders that have dared to take on the almighty quadruple.  After looking at the Vegas animated track, the question everybody wants to know is...

Who is going to hit the quintuple first?  

Your Friend and Mine,

@ChubbyChad