Ping,
I knew seats with bumps were a thing, but is this extreme? Is that bike so fast that he will fall right off the back? Do any other riders have seats like this, or just this one. Maybe I'm just out of date with what to sit on these days.
Please advise.
?,
It’s really embarrassing for Yamaha that you saw this photo. I’m sure the team and crew tried to keep this under wraps but now that it’s out there for all to see, the truth might as well come out. This young dirt bike went out the night before the Thailand Grand Prix and did some unspeakable things with a few of the local scooters and commuter bikes downtown in a seedy part of the city. There was talk about a four-cycle four-way that leaked out on social media. Anyway, shortly after returning to Europe this good-looking race bike developed this bump, much to the chagrin of the team. Mechanics have been consulted but this might be one of those “gifts that keeps on giving,” if you know what I mean. Crews have been dosing with new transmission fluids and copious amounts of Maxima contact cleaner, but the outlook is grim. Let this be a lesson to all you mini bikes out there to keep it in your garage—so to speak.
PING
Ping,
I wrote you last season about the possibility of bringing back 500's, but in a new chassis. I intended on getting one to see what it was all about. You demanded a pic of my bike if I ended up getting one so here you go. And for the record I've taken out a good life insurance policy after riding it the first time.
Service Honda CR500AF
Service Honda,
500AF indeed. Your next move is to schedule a surgery for rubber bumper implants in both of your wrists to absorb the vibration. You thought those big boys vibrated back when they had a steel frame? Well, this is going to feel like a mix between a paint shaker and when you hit a steel pole with an aluminum baseball bat over and over. It’s interesting that your last name is White because that is going to be the color of your knuckles every time you ride this two-wheeled death contraption. Two-stroke 500s disappeared for a reason and there really isn’t a reason to bring them back. Try not to die.
PING
Hey Mang, couple questions:
- My woman wants to know where she can get a Fireman Pin-up calendar that has you featured in some month or another?
- Supercross.....who owns the dirt? If last week’s venue was short on the stuff, then who needs to get the checkbook out?
Homeskillet
Jerome, Arkansas
Mr. Skillet,
I’ll ask around and see if there is any interest in shooting a calendar within my department. I wouldn’t hold your breath on that one. As far as supercross dirt goes, that stuff is owned by Feld. In fact, the dirt is one of the biggest expenses for them when making a race happen. The soil is stored locally and used year after year to reduce cost. There have been calls for more dirt on the tracks from riders and media members this year. With the addition of timed main events, holes and ruts are working their way down to the concrete flooring and posing a safety hazard for the riders. However, adding more dirt means less net profit and Mr. Feld isn’t having that. Hopefully Feld will see the problem and allow the track builders to address it. Or maybe the whole thing gets run on concrete with wooden jumps and profits go through the roof? I don’t know.
PING
Have a question for Ping? Email him at ping@racerxonline.com.
