08 LW class rules

[weggieman]

Let's see,  a valid, constructive reason not to adopt this rule.
How about....................... it sucks!

[HAWK]

I think Eric's probably  heard that one a few times.

[L8brake731]

Hey K3, you can't possibly ignore this! The absolute possibility that the inclusion of SV SB's into the ULWSB class will drive hose guys away from racing (with CCS). How much money do these guys need to throw at their current bikes to keep them competitive? These are the bikes that will be driven to do track days; with no class to be competative in.

The playing field is never even, only if defined by a "spec" class.

There are many reasons, IMO that are not conducive to our sport growing by leaps and bounds. This decision that affects the ULWSB class is not going to help at all.

BTW--BMW made it a BIG deal back about 1994 when the R259 OIL COOLED BOXER was introduced, it's not AIR COOLED. babble,babble, babble

[Super Dave]

The playing field is never even, only if defined by a "spec" class.

[MACOP1104]

The Aprilia Shiver is going to have a serious HP advantage in Ltwt SS

[MACOP1104]

I'm so confused about all of this.  I guess I'll just wait until the spring and see what happens. 

[mwsportsimaging]

Low budget suspension may keep the Shiver from doing well in SS, but the motor sounds strong!

[Super Dave]

417# and 95HP?  So, it's gonna weight over 400# with gas and oil and make maybe 80HP.  And potentially over $10k?  Good luck!

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Hey K3, you can't possibly ignore this!

Sure I can.  I'm not qualified to comment on any of this.  I'll just go do track days.  Rosno will save you. 

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

You're right.  I can't leave it alone.

      "A-hem!"  tap tap  "Is this thing on?"

Let's just get right down to the heart of the  situation.  CCS doesn't WANT old bikes to be competitive, and they don't give a damn about providing an outlet for budget racers.  This thread is altogether too familiar.  It's been written before about 883 Sportsters, then Buells, then BMWs, none of which fit the black ink or the spirit of Lightweight rules when they were introduced as Lightweight racers.  Every new bike that comes in means the death of an old bike, especially when the rules have to be bent to accommodate the new machine.  What's that quote about those who ignore history being forced to repeat it?  How about the one that says you can't fight City Hall?
This is about money, plain and simple.  CCS as a corporate entity doesn't give a damn about making racers happy, since most will roll over and be gone in 2.5 years anyway.  What they DO care about is keeping manufacturers happy and giving them a place to showcase their products.  Manufacturers are more or less forever.  They affect the advertising dollars and ultimate bottom line far more than a few whiny little piss-ant customers who'll probably just leave anyway when their old stuff isn't competitive any more.  You REALLY don't have to like it, but that's the way it is when you get right down to it.
Anyone who wants to argue against Performance Index is a straight-up fool.  Look at how well it works in Thunderbike and MotoST.  A given bike needs to weigh a given amount and make a given amount of horsepower.  Play with those numbers for awhile and everybody's even.  Hell, you could even find a competitive class for the poor, maligned SV1000.  Yeah, it requires a dyno and a set of scales.  Seems like a professional organisation could manage that much, doesn't it?
Thing is, it's never going to happen.  Dynos and scales cost money.  Getting them from place to place and running them costs money.  Arranging class rules to accommodate factories and their advertising departments MAKES money.  The racer as an individual represents a few thousand dollars per year to CCS.  The entire "Older than SV" Lightweight crowd probably only represents $40K to CCS nationwide.  Compare that to the revenue rolling in from the manufacturers.  Plus that, manufacturers don't pay contingency for people to race their old technology.  Lastly, why even bother to provide an entry level racing class?  One already exists, and it's called trackdays.  Ride cheap on whatever you want to ride until you get good enough, then go racing.  (It's ironic that trackdays have so severely eroded racing's market share even as they've become racing's farm league.  There MIGHT be a lesson there....)
Lightweight racers don't have to LIKE any of this.  You guys can holler that you're getting screwed all day and be 100% right, but it doesn't matter.  Let's forget about CCS and think McDonalds.  If you and a small group of others think the McRib sandwich is the best-tasting food in the world, that won't get McDonalds to give it a regular spot on the menu.  You just aren't spending enough money to matter.
I realise that none of what I've just written is pleasant or popular, but you'd have to be a pretty special kind of idiot to argue  the truth of it.  As Americans, we expect things to be fair.  Nothing could be more important to racers than racing, so we expect to be treated fairly there most of all.  Unfortunately, racing doesn't have a Constitution.  It's all about the money and you don't have any rights beyond making the decision whether or not to write CCS those checks.  Sorry!  Wasn't my doing!  But that's the bottom line.

Send those cards and letter bombs to K3 at....

[Super Dave]

Sure I can.  I'm not qualified to comment on any of this.  I'll just go do track days.  Rosno will save you. 

Good luck on that.  No one listens to me.  That's pretty consistent.

[MACOP1104]

So, from what I'm reading, SVs can be up to 800cc in LTWT SB, but have to maintain 650 and SS rules for LTWT SS, and 650cc and SB rules for ULTWT???  Is this correct??