Ask Ping

Fred,

If WADA stuck their nose in the business of the fans at our beloved motorcycle races we would be on the brink of a major problem. If you are including beer, then we have a sea of Lance Armstrongs roaming the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship every weekend. At certain events we have fans who cheat on a Ben Johnson/Barry Bonds/Mark McGuire level. They show up with a cooler full of “drugs” and they don’t stop using until they are belly up on the infield burnt to a crisp by the sun like a sad, jorts-wearing piece of bacon. Let’s just hope WADA stays on the other side of the fence where they sort of belong.

PING

Ping,

Just been watching the Husqvarna ‘onsite’ Racer X video. I couldn’t help but notice that it seems you may have been through either an extensive waxing or shaving exercise with your arms and legs (don’t judge me for noticing this). As a guy that rides a road bicycle regularly I have, on occasion, taken a razor to my flesh pistons (legs) but didn’t know where to draw the line on how high up I went….any tips?

An Englishmen in Mr Reed’s country 

Guvnuh,

This is a slippery slope we’re on, my friend. You’ve just outed both of us as razor-toting hairless cats, and I’m not sure what the fallout will be. Look, I used to do a bit of man-scaping when I raced, and it served a purpose: First of all, my knee braces didn’t slide down as badly when I got sweaty. Also, road rash from low-sides or bicycle crashes weren’t as severe, and they healed much quicker. Once the trimming and shaving no longer served a purpose, I went back to a more natural look. You know, hairy armpits and whatnot, like a French girl. Anyway, I wasn’t really feeling it, and it seemed like I always had a little extra stank on me, so I went back to a high and tight setup in the body hair department. My wife likes me better this way (all that really matters). I’m not sure how high you want to drag razors… I’m more of a trimmer when it comes to the lower sections. Just don’t nick an artery trying to get a clean close shave down there.

PING

Hey Ping,

Ive been a huge moto enthusiast my entire life and one thing has been bothering me lately, so, my question to you is, how much do the manufactures pay/schmooze the magazines of the moto industry?

I ask because, after being on big bikes for the last decade I've noticed the "bike tests" are not very accurate. Certain bikes I've ridden get absolutely ragged on by magazines for being made out of junk materials and other get overly glorified like they are the only choice and if you don't buy that brand, youz a dumb dumb.

In my experience these glorified bikes require a variety of different parts being replaced DAILY, starting in the first month of ownership. The bikes that are junk by magazine standards, can run 75hrs on original parts and still run solid as ever. I'm speaking first hand, as a witness, and listening to many riders say the same, while many moto-sheep still regurgitate what they have read.

Thanks

C-diddly

p.s. I hope you haven't had this question too many times, I have a feeling you might be frequent to dummies like me asking you this.

Diddly,

I can’t speak for other publications, but I’ll tell you what I’ve experienced with shootouts and bike testing here at Racer X. It’s always difficult to give a completely honest, uncensored opinion about products when the companies that make those products spend money to advertise with you. For that reason we’ve stayed out of product testing in the magazine and stuck to project bikes and shootouts online. Nobody at this company has ever been “schmoozed” into giving a false opinion about a bike or product. We get media bikes from each manufacturer for short- and long-term use so the playing field is level. Still, theories run rampant about why one magazine will choose one bike as the best and another magazine will pick a different winner. It’s a matter of personal opinion most of the time, and you have to listen to what your test riders say. We’re going to step away from the shootout game this year to avoid the drama and try something new. Our “Dialed In” feature is a second look at many of the new models after we have some time on them and can give specific setup tips and suggested settings from the manufacturers who have spent the most time on the new machines. I think this will be a cool way to help those who just bought a new bike and aren’t sure where to start with setup, and hopefully act as a forum for other owners of that model to offer ideas that they have had success with. Check out the first installment on the 2016 KTM 250 right here at racerxonline.com and let me know what you think.

Ping