Ask Ping!
Friday, September 24, 2010 | 7:18 AM
ODI dates back to the 1980’s as the leader in grip manufacturing. Focusing primarily on the bmx and mountain bike industries through the 90’s and early 2000’s, ODI re-entered the motocross scene when they developed the patented lock-on grip system that eliminates wire and glue. Continuing to advance the way riders hold on to their bikes, ODI has worked closely with the teams they support such as Troy Lee Designs to create the product that is now being used by some of the top teams in the industry.
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PrintDear Ping,
I love your section on Racer X Online. But, I particularly enjoy your comments about quad riders. I'm not here to defend, but I myself have been an avid ATV motocross racer for the last five years. I compete at an A class national level and even get to compete on some of the same tracks as the AMA Motocross pros like Millville and RedBud.
I recently purchased my first dirt bike and have put twelve riding hours on it. I can compete locally at an A class level also. It’s safe to say I have more fun on my dirt bike than my quad because of all the tracks to ride.... BUT have you ever noticed how ridiculously easy it is to ride one?
Guys locally ride four fast laps and practically have to be hooked up to an IV. I can ride 30-minute motos and truly almost not break a sweat. Could it be true that riding a dirt bike takes less from your body than a quad does? I suppose it'd be quite unruly to say you have to be in better shape to ride a quad than a dirt bike.
P.S. You should have your own talk show someday.
Bart Grundey
Wisconsin
Unruly indeed, my friend. I can’t really speak on this because I’ve only ridden a quad on a motocross track once and it wasn’t fun…at all. Every natural instinct I had on a motorized vehicle was wrong and a rollover or ejection seemed imminent. I felt like a monkey trying to hump four footballs. I did exactly one lap and pulled her in, ending my quad riding career. I’m sure the quad guys are fit, just like the motocross guys. But the key here is that you had more fun on a motorcycle. At the end of the day that is what it’s all about. Welcome to the club.
PING
Hey Ping,
Huge fan here! Wanted to write to you now that the MX season has ended to ask you about supermoto. I was one of the few people I know that followed it until it recently fell off the face of the earth. What the heck happened? 17" wheels on a CRF450 look sweet!
P.S. What brand and offset triple clamps were you guys typically using back when you competed?
Keep up the good work!
Thank you
Justin Johnson
It’s just a shame what happened to Supermoto. Back when the sport got started here, less than a decade ago, there were big names and big sponsors and the sky was the limit. The second or third year was probably the peak of the sport here in the States. Then it slowly ate itself. There was contention about the use of Red Bull’s sponsorship money and they pulled out. That was a huge blow to the sport. There was no grass roots series in place to get people involved in the sport on an amateur level, which didn’t help. And once guys like Wardy, Burkhart, Herfoss, Anderson and others started specializing in the sport, and getting really good, it chased away top motocross and road race guys because they could no longer step in and win at X Games or select events. They were struggling to hit the podium the last few years. And as great as the Supermoto guys were at what they did, fans didn’t recognize them and they didn’t show up to watch them. The economy was the last straw and things pretty much ground to a halt when they pulled Supermoto from the X Games. There are still cool events around the world and pockets of racing here and there. Maybe someday it will make a comeback and they will get the promotion and growth part of it right. It went away and came back once so it could happen again.
P.S. We used Pro Circuit clamps.
PING
Ping,
From the standpoint of an ex-pro and a current team manager, is it beneficial for an American pro to come race the Canadian Nationals when he has limited options in the States? Does a team manager down south look closer at a rider like Teddy Maier because he has won the MX2 title here? Or is it just a way for them to extend their career as a pro rider being a big fish in a small pond?
From a Canadian perspective, I think it has pushed our riders to be better than they were in the past. It takes them more time to get there, so it is not a surprise to see a rider from the States win the MX2 class year after year. It is just nice to see our guys have a chance once they all hit the big bikes. And BTW, I was actually at the Phoenix SX in '02 when your bike decided it wanted to be a pair of unicycles. After seeing that crash, I think that you are one lucky S.O.B. to be still able to walk, let alone ride today. Glad you are still around; it is always enjoyable reading your ramblings.
Keep up the good work,
Jim Numbers, #123
(seriously, that is my last name!)
Your last name is numbers and your number is 123? For real? You should just go for the four-digit number to put an exclamation point on it: Jim Numbers #1234. I think going to Canada can be beneficial if a rider goes up and does well. There are going to be a lot of riders searching for jobs down here this year and probably for the next several years and the Great White North would be a good option for some. There are older riders that use it as a way to keep racing and make a little bit of money as they wind things down. There’s nothing wrong with that, either. I think a lot of people underestimate just how fast the Canadian riders are on their home soil though. Klatt, Facciotti and the boys haul the Canadian mail and there are some fast MX2 kids too. We actually tried Teddy Maier out last year and we were going to hire him, but due to budget issues we couldn’t add a third rider. Teddy is an awesome rider and I wish he would get another shot down here because I think he could do great.
Glad you got to see my Phoenix crash in person… I’m all about entertaining the fans. If you want to see that footage again and relive it in your own living room you can pick up a copy of my new instructional motocross video, Motocross 101, at www.motocross101.com. I’m just sayin’.
PING
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I'm a guy who enjoys most forms of motorcycle competition (dirt or pavement), and I thought supermoto was a cool addition (or resurrection). The combination of the racing, the big names that stepped in to give it a go, and the ability to wander amongst the riders (kind of like Nationals used to be) were all part of the draw. I went to each of the CT rounds of the Nationals and thoroughly enjoyed them. Even got to yell at Ping when he and the other riders came out to sit in the stands with the spectators. It's a shame to see it disappear.
Riding a quad is no where near more physically demanding than a motocross bike, period. Any schmoe can jump on a quad and ride it around, but not everyone can ride a mx bike. Quite honestly, at least in my neck of the woods, quads are the biggest problem with OHV sports. Most of the guys are more concerned about how loud they can get them as opposed to actually riding them. Every track I ride at has now banned them, except one. Not to mention those goobers destroy all the good lines on the track. Quads are for hunting or plowing snow, stay off the tracks.
Nicely said Slim !!!
Ping that was a really nice answer about the quad issue, usually not your style but very clever. I heard your last podcast with Matthes which was very entertaining. Why don't you start your own blog? We would really like to know about your insider opinions on MX/SX. Good luck with your new project but please don't get away from the scene, people like your sense of humor. I'm just sayin...
which is easier to ride.. mx or atv? i've always considered the following exercise. place a 12yr old girl whose never ridden either on both. she'll be doing donuts in the parkinglot on the quad in about 15 minutes while the bike lays on the ground where it fell as soon as she turned the throttle
Ping, You had the goods laid out but pulled your punches. Need to channel your inner Dennis Miller! I'm just sayin'.
I have a handful of friends who gave up their dirtbikes to get quads. Because they are easier to ride. That was thier answer not mine. I have a couch, oops, I mean a quad. I mostly use it for chores around my property. Or in the winter. Most problem here where I live is EVERYONE owns a quad. In the summer while the parents are at work, every teenage guy takes the quad riding and is smeaking into someones property and tearing up everything. I caught a handful on my property. I have trails on my land. But they ignored the trails and rode whereever they felt. Running over small saplings and tearing up all the ground where there werent any trails to begin with. I asked them why they just didnt stay on the trails and I wouldnt have really card if they where there. They just stared at me like I had three heads. So I ran them off and threatened to beat the crap out of the one who I knew, who was 20 years old. I also told him to grow up a little.
I have to jump in on the quad thing. Slim riding a quad is way different than racing one. I raced them for about 6 years any redneck farmer can jump on one and ride it around but when it comes to racing motocross that is a whole different bag of cookies! My little brother races dirt bikes and he rode my quad at sunsetridge mx just to try it once and he made about 3 laps and pulled off because he was worth out and said how u ride that for 5 laps is beyond me! They both require different sets of skills as i myself can not jump a dirt bike to save my life. So to sum it up they are easy to ride but to race and not look like a goon is much much harder than most dirtbike riders think. I will never say riding a dirtbike is easy or easier they just both require different riding styles.
I agree anyone can ride a quad but the guys who race at the national level are really good. The pros had faster lap times than the bike pros at Red-Bud this year and the AMA official said it was the exact same track. I have raced both and they both have their advantages. I think quads are less forgiving cause they don't have as much suspension and they are heavier. But on the other side they stand on their own. Either way i love both of them and follow them both very close.
pizza:::: The MX quads are all 450cc machines just like the bikes...they don't have a "250cc" pro series....
Quads vs bikes..... I'm a quad rider, I've raced ATVs in the woods...but put me on a dirt bike? And I'll be on the ground in thirty-five seconds.....I'm horrible.....its not like a bicycle at all....I know.... I raced BMX as a kid...and I still cannot ride a dirt bike......I can only look at what bike riders do and enjoy because it is a special skill.....I'm just glad to have a quad so I can get out there and watch the bike riders up close....I try to say out of the way...see ATVs are great for guys like me who love riding in the dirt, but cannot ride a bike....I really hate to compare the two things because IMO they are so different...the only thing the same, is that they have foot pegs and handle bars, and they go in the dirt...I would hope that by now ATVs have gotten some measure of respect from the bike world.... they are not the same old clunky machines they used to be....My Suzuki is not as quick as the bikes I ride with, but its not that much slower either.... I'm just glad for quads, so that I can play in your world..... I'll leave the bikes to the pros....
Wrong place to hype Quads Bart and the likes, been there done that with you guys that say it's harder to ride a quad and takes more skill, it is Bart, and the more wheels you add the more skill and the harder its going to get, so why not six wheels, or maybe twelve, shout it out dude, but your not faster and never will be faster than a bike,that's why we ride bikes. I was playing poker with these guys that said that their Quads would kick ass on any bike at Glamis 'I thought these guys must be wicked fast!! I lost that bench race with my tail between my legs until we got to Glamis, armed with a CR500 it didn't take long to realized that they belonged on the couch. I never rubbed it in, but it seemed as though that I had more to talk about back at camp...IMHO