Darryl Mocek

Anyone watching the move by Ben Spies from AMA Pro Racing to World Superbike racing has noticed how serious he is about getting to MotoGP. There were rumors of him going to MotoGP last year, and he even rode the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R at the 2008 Laguna Seca round. However, he ended up in World Superbike...probably so he could prove himself on the world stage before going to the premiere class of motorcycle racing. What's been so impressive is that he's come out of the shoot with the Superpole (fastest lap times which means a start at the front) for two of two rounds so far, on a new bike (he's sporting a Yamaha R1 this year where he's been a part of the Suzuki team over the past several years in AMA) and at tracks which he's had no previous experience! Impressive. It is nice to see an American racer at the front of the pack again. Out of the four World Superbike races (two per round), he's won three of them. I believe the only reason he didn't win the first round was because he was pushed off track by Max Biaggi at the beginning of the race.

I believe if Spies does win the World Superbike title this year, especially if he continues to win every Superpole and every race (not likely), he's a shoe-in for MotoGP next year. I'm not sure if he'd end up in a factory team or satellite team, but at least he'd be there.

I just read this article on Speed TV's website about MotoGP rider John Hopkins getting upset with Kawasaki because they haven't made enough progress with their engine development to make the bike competitive in MotoGP. I applaud him for this. Clearly Hopkins wants to win races. At a minimum, he wants to be battling for the front. I have no doubt that Kawasaki would also like to see their bike on the podium. I only hope this really gives Kawasaki a kick in the pants to really up their game. As a Kawasaki owner, I'd like to see them to better.

Recent years in AMA pro racing have seen two veteran motorcycle racers, Mat Mladin and Ricky Carmichael, come under pressure by younger, equally hungry competitors. Mat Mladin lost his AMA Superbike streak to Ben Spies and Ricky Carmichael finally has someone able to run with him in both Supercross and Motocross in the form of James Stewart. Mladin, this year, is out to prove he is still a champion. He has stepped up his game, looking at every possible aspect of motorcycle racing he can to leave no stone unturned in getting ever faster. This past race at Miller Motorsports Park, Mladin proved why he has been so dominant in Superbike racing. On lap 6, he high-sided on Turn #1, causing a red flag. It looked like Matt would be out of the race as not only was his bike smashed up some but he was holding his leg, clearly in pain. However, his pit crew was able to put the bike back together for the re-start and he toughed out the pain to get back to the pit. Because he caused the red flag, he was relegated to the back of the grid for the re-start. Mladin had a great re-start...by the time he got to the first turn, he was already up to ninth. Curing the course of the race he had made it up to third place at one point, but Miguel DuHamel got the best of him on the last lap and relegated Mladin to finishing fourth. This kind of effort is why Mladin is a six-time champion...and why Spies should be worried.

I watched the latest AMA Motocross race this weekend, and as expected, it was a a great battle between the two rivals of Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart. Ricky Carmichael is still proving he's a dominant force in Motocross racing while James Stewart is fighting to take over the reigns. The great thing is these two keep fighting to prove they're the best in the sport. They keep pushing as hard as they can. This is what makes great champions. It also will cause mistakes as each rider continues to ride on the absolute edge. This is what happened to Stewart as they neared the end of race #2, letting a hounding Carmichael pass for the win. I'm really going to miss this kind of racing when Carmichael retires. Without him, Stewart will continue to win easily. Hopefully someone else, like Villopoto, will step up when they hit the big class to at least provide us fans with some interesting racing to watch. Run away races are never fun to watch.

I've been looking for a nice exhaust system for my 2004 Kawasaki ZX-10R and I've finally found not one, but two! I first found Micron's new GP exhausts. These are really nice looking hydro-formed exhaust systems. Because they're hydro-formed, they can get the diameter of the pipe just right and every point in the exhaust. This allows for the most horsepower available. They don't have one for the ZX-10R yet, but one is supposed to be forthcoming. The Bostrom Brothers (Boz Brothers) have an even nicer looking exhaust coming out which stops at the lower fairing. This is really what I've been waiting for. An exhaust like the Buell's...all underbody. The only downside to this is that it is really loud, around 115-120dB. You can get a "muffler" insert, which will reduce the dB's by about 5, but this still isn't enough. They supposedly have a quieter muffler to be released soon. If they can get the dB's down under 100, this is the exhaust for me.

Oh, please say it isn't so. I just read this arcticle on Kawasaki ZX-10R (I say real because it doesn't look like the pictures have been Photoshop'd) with big honking (yes, that's the technical term) cannon underseat exhaust pipes. This is in stark contrast to the previous '06 Kawasaki ZX-10R "sighting" (in which the pictures look Photoshop'd) with the sweet under belly exhaust (see my previous post). Well, I guess the good new is now I don't have to sell my '04 and get an '06.

I recently saw an article in Motorcycle News on the 2006 Kawasaki ZX-10R entitled "Walker tests 06 ZX-10R". It reports that the new 10 may have an underbelly exhaust. Take a close look at the picture and note the slash-cut exhaust tip in the lower fairing. This is the exhaust I've been waiting for! I'm not sure who pioneered the design. I first saw it on the Buell, but this is (IMHO) the perfect design. The exhaust system is lighter due to the shorter pipe length. It is also better performing as it carries the weight exactly where you want it...low and in front. Finally, it is the best looking as it cleans up the back-end of the bike perfectly. I hope the new 10 has this design when it is released (well, maybe not...I may have to sell my 04 and get an 06).

You have to hand it to Valentino Rossi...the man is a student of the sport of motorcycle racing. At this point he has equalled the #3 MotoGP racer of all time, Mike Hailwood, in number of races won, 76. Now he is chasing after the two all-time leading MotoGP winners: Angel Nieto with 90 wins and and Giacomo Agostini with 122 wins. The amazing thing about Rossi is how he doesn't make the same mistake twice...he is constantly learning. For example, it wasn't that long ago that Rossi just couldn't win in the rain. I remember him crashing out of many rain races. This year, he won two rain races: The Grand Prix of China and the British Grand Prix...both with a commanding lead. Moreover, he has won the championship with both Honda and Yamaha. He seems to conquer rivals...first Max Biaggi, and now currently Sete Gibernau. Relagating these great riders to no-win status. I hope Rossi's next great rival is Nicky Hayden. Hayden won the U.S. Grand Prix (OK, no surprise since he is a former U.S. Superbike champion who has raced at Laguna Seca many times before), but he took pole at the Alice Moterrad Grand Prix of Germany at Sachsenring and claimed a podium spot there. He seems to be doing what it takes to get to the top, only time will tell.

Anyone interested in being the best, or better, the best of the best, should study Rossi. He does what it takes to win, time and time again. He studies where he is weak and removes that weakness. He may not take pole at every circuit, but he seems learn during a race and ends up taking the top spot at the end...he knows how to win races. He is most certainly the best there is today, and maybe the best there has ever been.

For those of you who missed last weekend's MotoGP round at Laguna Seca, you missed some spectacular racing. Last weekend saw AMA racing from the Superbike, Superstock, and Supersport classes, plus the first time ever MotoGP has come to the U.S. (and even SuperKart racing). Yes, it was packed, especially, as expected, on Sunday with the big MotoGP race. I've been to Laguna Seca several times watching AMA races and have never seen this many people...even the Saturday crowd was the largest I've seen. There was reportedly over 200,000 people with both Saturday and Sunday tickets being sold out. But getting to see Nicky Hayden take pole and win his first ever MotoGP race here at home was great.

My favorite spot was near turn 4, near the Dunlop bridge. Watching the MotoGP bikes come around turn 4 (I wore ear plugs being that close to the muffler-less MotoGP bikes), every bike sliding the rear as they came around, watching the bikes wiggle as the riders stood the bike up and rolled on the gas...spinning up the rear tires and shooting towards turn 5. Awesome. Yes, the corkscrew is also a great place to watch, but I think I've spent too much time around the corkscrew crowds and I'm looking for some other action.

There was a lot of action in the pits. Laguna Seca has a new area for the MotoGP pits. The vendor area had the big 4 Japanese motorcycle manufacturers giving away ear plugs, shirts, hats and other stuff along with signings from Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden, Max Biaggi, Miguel Duhamel, Jake Zemke, and more.

I heard a 5 year deal was signed with Dorna, the company which manages MotoGP, to bring MotoGP back to Laguna Seca. I can't wait.

As you may have heard, MotoGP, the world's premiere motorcycle racing series, will introduce new rules which require the motorcycle engines to be no more then 800 cc's in 2007. The reason this is happening is that the motors in the current 990 cc bikes are becoming too powerful. Rumor has it that the 2005 Honda RC211V bike, being raced by the likes of Max Biaggi and Nicky Hayden, are putting out 260 H.P.. That's a lot for a 350 lb. two-wheeled vehicle. My guess is that we'll be seeing a resurgent 750cc class in racing elsewhere (e.g. AMA) coming up in the not too distant future. The current 1000 cc big bikes being raced in the AMA Superbike series are putting out a reported 230 H.P. at about 360 lb.. Not as powerful and light as MotoGP, but getting there. Suzuki will look like the smart manufacturer being just about the only manufacturer left still producing a 750 cc class sportbike (Ducati still produces a 750cc V-Twin).

Although it looks like the Motoczysz C1 will not race at the upcoming 2005 USGP at Laguna Seca from July 8 through July 10, it will be there. The word is that it will make 8 laps around the world renouned race track. I can't wait to see it in action.

I was *very* disappointed to read in Cycle World that the Motoczysz C1 will not make it to the upcoming 2005 USGP at Laguna Seca from July 8 through July 10. I was looking forward to seeing this revolutionary motorcycle in action, competing against the best bikes in the world. I can only hope the USGP will return in 2006 to Laguna Seca and that the bike will be ready to race by then.

Part 3 of a MultiPart Series

This is part 3 in a multipart series on the Motoczysz C1, an american built motorcyle scheduled to compete in MotoGP. This entry discusses the first technical aspect of the the Motoczysz C1 which makes it different...the front forks. First, a bit about current fork design. Current superbike forks perform two duties: 1) They provide support for the motorcycle over the front tire. 2) They provide the front suspension. We'll take a look at each of these.

As a support for the front tire, the forks are submitted to a fair amount of stress; mainly when the motorcycle is braking, but also when it is cornering. When the motorcycle is braking there is a great deal of stress placed on the front forks. Just about all of the weight of the motorcycle (roughly around 350 pounds for a MotoGP bike) and the rider (roughly about 160 pounds for a MotoGP rider) are shoved onto the front forks while it is braking. Keep in mind that motorcycle racers try to brake as late as they can (to keep as mutch speed as they can in the straights) and therefore brake as hard as they can. This means that the front fork is subjected to a lot of pressure.

Just about all motorcycle forks are round. The round shape provides a good structure for handling all of this stress. However, this is contradictory to what would make a good cornering fork. While cornering, a rider wants the front end to move left and right to absorb some of the bumps and to provide a good "feel" for the front end. Round motorcycle forks work best if the bike is standing straight up because, except for the flex in the forks, the suspension components only move up and down. The further the bike leans over, the less the forks move up and down and the more the bumps in the road move the tire left and right. So the farther the bike is leaned over, the less the front suspension works. A rigid structure, like a round fork, provides a lot of rigidity for braking, but it also provides a lot of rigidity for cornering...which means less suspension while leaned over and less "feel".

The Motoczysz C1 deals with this by making the forks oval, with the long part of the oval pointing to the front and back of the bike. This is a better design because is solves both problems described above. 1) A rigid structure, the oval with the long areas pointing in parallel with the bike, is provided for rigidity during braking. 2) A flexible structure, the short area of the oval, is provided for cornering. When the bike is leaned over far, the oval flexes left to right. This provides some suspension while the bike is leaned over far and it also gives the rider a good feel for how the front tire is moving over the pavement. So the rider gets a more rigid fork while braking and also gets better suspension and feel while cornering.

Now, on to the suspension part. Inside conventional forks is the suspension. You'll find fork springs, fork oil, gaskets, shafts, and holes. I won't go into how forks work, but suffice it to say that you typically have telescopic forks in which one part of the fork is smaller in circumference and moves up and down inside the larger circumference part of the fork, like a telescope. The biggest problem with this is that the fork binds. Binding occurs when the fork bends, which the fork will do under stress, and the movement of the forks is restricted due to the bending. So the more stress you have on the forks (e.g. the harder your braking and therefore the more the forks bend), the worse they work.

The Motoczysz C1 deals with this by removing the suspension components from inside the forks to a single shock outside the forks. Instead of having the fork springs, fork oil, gaskets, shafts, and holes inside the forks, there is a single shock between the bike and the forks. Now, the forks only contain bearings so they can move up and down freely. Any bending occuring in the forks will not affect the shock and how well the suspension works. In short, binding doesn't occur. Moreover, there should be a weight decrease as there is no need for two sets of fork springs, gaskets, shafts, and twice the amount of fork oil.

Another advantage of the Motoczysz C1 front forks is the ability to change the rake and trail of the bike. This lets racers change the handling characteristics of the bike far quicker and easier then conventional methods, making it easier to test different configurations for different racers and tracks.

Part 2 of a Multipart Series

In my previous entry regarding the Motoczysz C1, I raised the question "With so many top manufacturers constantly improving their bikes, why hasn't anyone put these features in a bike before?". The answer is American ingenuity. Our American culture promotes "building a better mousetrap". And when we think of building a better mousetrap, we don't think of refining the mousetrap (this is the Japanese way of thinking) we think of completely re-designing the mousetrap.

If you look around, you'll see American ingenuity and Japanese refinement everywhere. Who invented the radio? Nikola Tesla an American. When was the last time you saw an American radio? Who invented the television? Well, who exactly is still under debate, but Americans. When was the last time you saw an American television?

The fact is, Americans are good at making these leaps in technology and design while the Japanese are good at taking those ideas and refining them to make them better. It is, however, more difficult to make leaps then it is to refine, even though leaps can make greater strides. As a result, it is hard to stay ahead of the "refiners" if you're a "leaper". Because once you've leaped, the refiners can follow...and refine...while you're trying to leap again.

In the motorcycle world, this means that most of the motorcycles sold today are Japanese built. The Japanese bikes are excellent and they aren't very expensive compared to American counterparts. Consider that the average Harley-Davidson cruiser is around $18,000 while the average Japanese cruiser is around $10,000 (and more reliable). So in racing, naturally, the Japanese bikes dominate. Their bikes are less expensive and more reliable and naturally, a racer will choose one of these bikes when deciding which bike to race. But that doesn't mean Americans aren't interested in building a competitive racing bike (Harley-Davisdon recently had a racing effort). Eric Buell, namesake of Buell Motorcycles is racing two of his American motorcycles in the AMA Superbike races. He, like Czsyz, also has pioneered some new designs like housing the motor oil in the swing arm and housing the fuel in the frame. These two features lower the center of gravity of the bike, promoting better handling.

I would love to see an American motorcyle race competitively (or even win) in the MotoGP class, and I think Michael Czysz has a good chance of doing this with his Motoczysz C1. I wonder, however, how long it will take. And I wonder how long it will take the Japanese manufacturers to catch up...and refine. Regardless, I will enjoy seeing this bike race at the upcoming MotoGP Laguna Seca round here in the U.S.

BTW, there are talks a production version of the Motoczysz C1 for you and me.