YouTube - Kenny Roberts and the Indy Mile (2009)
The baddest, nastiest, most ill tempered motorcycle ever raced
The baddest, nastiest, most ill tempered motorcycle ever raced
"The don't pay me enough to ride this thing"
- Thread starter Mesa
- Start date
Kenny roberts is one of my heros and this only helps to reinforce that. Nice to see rossi there.
Paul Thompson 'Hooligan'
Admin
One word -
AWESOME!!
2-Strokes are GREAT...:thumbsup:
AWESOME!!
2-Strokes are GREAT...:thumbsup:
Jack Houpe
GT40s Supporter
That was wonder!
Mesa,
loved it!
Now I never really got into bikes, but these guys are awesome.
If you'll bear with me it reminds me of something that happened to me whenI was about 18.
I and a group of college friends used to watch speedway together, now they were all bike mad, and one had a miniature speedway track in his back garden.
The first time I went there and watched him speeding around the track, and speedway drifting around the ends I was well impressed. The only difficult bit was you had to remember to duck your head to miss the tree branch on the front straight!:stunned:
You want a go? he said. Well he made it look so easy, - how hard could it be, you just throw it sideways, keep the power on and counter steer round the bends - easy eh? I wont need the helmet and gloves eh?
So I jumped on, took an easy first lap to get comfortable, then gunned it, ducking to miss the branch, then backed of a little and threw it sideways- oops, what happened, why am I embedded in the hedge?
In those days I used to bounce fine, so no harm done, so I picked myself and the bike out of the hedge, to prepare for another go. At this point my pals came running across with concerned faces (probably for the bike), and thrust the helmet and gloves into my hands - priceless.
Never did master the technique:laugh:
Hope you all enjoyed that.
regards and Merry Christmas
Dave
loved it!
Now I never really got into bikes, but these guys are awesome.
If you'll bear with me it reminds me of something that happened to me whenI was about 18.
I and a group of college friends used to watch speedway together, now they were all bike mad, and one had a miniature speedway track in his back garden.
The first time I went there and watched him speeding around the track, and speedway drifting around the ends I was well impressed. The only difficult bit was you had to remember to duck your head to miss the tree branch on the front straight!:stunned:
You want a go? he said. Well he made it look so easy, - how hard could it be, you just throw it sideways, keep the power on and counter steer round the bends - easy eh? I wont need the helmet and gloves eh?
So I jumped on, took an easy first lap to get comfortable, then gunned it, ducking to miss the branch, then backed of a little and threw it sideways- oops, what happened, why am I embedded in the hedge?
In those days I used to bounce fine, so no harm done, so I picked myself and the bike out of the hedge, to prepare for another go. At this point my pals came running across with concerned faces (probably for the bike), and thrust the helmet and gloves into my hands - priceless.
Never did master the technique:laugh:
Hope you all enjoyed that.
regards and Merry Christmas
Dave
A good pal of mine was a Harley Davidson flat-track rider for a long time. He can barely walk now as his knees and hips are totally shot.. He's still got cast-iron balls though....
Would love to hear what Tom Schwab thinks of this video.. Being a competition motorcyclist - I bet he'd love this film.
Would love to hear what Tom Schwab thinks of this video.. Being a competition motorcyclist - I bet he'd love this film.
Mesa,
Kenny was always a class act. Alway's took the time to talk to the fans. He was always kinda laid back and easy to approach.
Dave
Kenny was always a class act. Alway's took the time to talk to the fans. He was always kinda laid back and easy to approach.
Dave
Thanks guys for sharing your stories, sometime I don't know what is going to impress you guys so its nice to hear see you enjoyed this thread.
Kenny was my hero as a kid and I thought Freddy Spencer was the enemy. Of course since we could not get much information back in the dark ages the news was slow and scarce...TV coverage of a GP? Ha! As I grew and coverage (or access to it) grew I realized Freddy was a good dude too and we were lucky to have such capable Americans racing abroad.
I cannot say how impressed I was that Kenny was actually SCARED of that bike...Kenny Roberts scared of a motorcycle....you KNOW it was evil. To climb on that bike at his age took a BIG set and astounding skill. It cracked me up to hear the announcer (brainlessly) say that he was giving it 110%....well yes he was, but it was to keep it on the track! -not to get the ultimate speed.
Kenny, being a Californian raced with our club (AFM - the first sanctioning body of a GP in the US!) when he was coming up, a few of the guys have great stories to share of dicing it up with the King. By the time I made it to AMA Kenny Jr. was already in GP although I did get to dice with Kurtis Roberts a bit. It was a little awe inspiring to see the name "Roberts" on the back of leathers on track.
Kenny was my hero as a kid and I thought Freddy Spencer was the enemy. Of course since we could not get much information back in the dark ages the news was slow and scarce...TV coverage of a GP? Ha! As I grew and coverage (or access to it) grew I realized Freddy was a good dude too and we were lucky to have such capable Americans racing abroad.
I cannot say how impressed I was that Kenny was actually SCARED of that bike...Kenny Roberts scared of a motorcycle....you KNOW it was evil. To climb on that bike at his age took a BIG set and astounding skill. It cracked me up to hear the announcer (brainlessly) say that he was giving it 110%....well yes he was, but it was to keep it on the track! -not to get the ultimate speed.
Kenny, being a Californian raced with our club (AFM - the first sanctioning body of a GP in the US!) when he was coming up, a few of the guys have great stories to share of dicing it up with the King. By the time I made it to AMA Kenny Jr. was already in GP although I did get to dice with Kurtis Roberts a bit. It was a little awe inspiring to see the name "Roberts" on the back of leathers on track.
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Hi
Thanks for that Vid.
Randy you hit the nail. THe TZ750 iis my favourite racebike of all times ( plus the KAWA Z 1000 S1 of Eddie Lawson).
I´m looking for one of thes beast since years. Found some but not in the condition i would like to have them. Still looking
This is my favourite
TOM
Thanks for that Vid.
Randy you hit the nail. THe TZ750 iis my favourite racebike of all times ( plus the KAWA Z 1000 S1 of Eddie Lawson).
I´m looking for one of thes beast since years. Found some but not in the condition i would like to have them. Still looking
This is my favourite
TOM
Roberts was a superb rider, in a class with only a handful of others. The TZ 750 (originally a TZ 700 as it was developed from two TZ 350's) was awe inspiring, especially for the time, and just blew everything else into the weeds. I saw both the roadrace version (banned) and the oval track version (banned after one season) run at various tracks. The dirt track bike was a real handful and the riders had two major complaints. The most common complaint was the lack of engine braking when rolling off at the end of the straight. These guys were not used to using brakes, just rolling out of it with a Harley or Triumph,etc.,and getting back into it after the bike 'set' into the corner. The field would gain on them there and again coming out of the corner where the V twins had the torque and the bite to get a good jump off the turn. The TZ had a powerband akin to hitting the nitrous button and would have trouble hooking up at the exit of the turn. But about halfway down the straight it appeared that all the other bikes had simultaneously hit the kill switch, it was that dramatic a difference. The TZ would rocket past,only to get squirrely entering and exiting the turn again. In the hands of an extremely skilled rider like Roberts, the bad manners could be minimized and the power used to great advantage. It was so much quicker that the screams from the other manufacturers and teams killed it immediately. The beginning of the end for two stroke development, focusing only on motocross after that. I agree with Tom; my favorite bike of all time.
Tom,Al,Mesa
At Daytona in 80' they ran restricter plates in the GP bike's so that the Superbikes could compete. Tom ,Eddie was riding KZ 1000 R1 at the time and a up and comer. An other guy(Fast) Freddie Spencer was another to contend with.
Dave
At Daytona in 80' they ran restricter plates in the GP bike's so that the Superbikes could compete. Tom ,Eddie was riding KZ 1000 R1 at the time and a up and comer. An other guy(Fast) Freddie Spencer was another to contend with.
Dave
He is an inspiring kind of a guy, thanks for sharing the video.
Dave
Dave
The video brought back lots of memories. I first saw Kenny in Texas at the Astro Dome where they were holding flat track and TT races. Kenny was the class act and won with grace.
When we got to the race they announced that there was a group of European riders there that was here to introduce the US to Speedway racing. Saw the bikes being setup from a distance and immediately discounted them. Never heard of that Speedway Stuff. Then these guys strolled out with what looked like top fuel outfits. Well, let me tell you. After one lap the entire Astro Dome was on their feet and screaming. I was way up in the stands and was eating dirt. That was amazing. Way before they started putting dirt deflectors on the bikes.
About the same era of Joel Robert and Roger DeCoster in motorcross racing which I was also forturnate to witness when they visited the US with Suzuki.
All of which led to me riding 500 motorcross bikes and Superbikes in the WERA indurance series. I had the only Kawasaki road race team in the US at that time. 5th in the nation one year and 13th another. If any of you were into that series in the late '80's I was "Team Racerback".
Anyway, good memories to think back on.
When we got to the race they announced that there was a group of European riders there that was here to introduce the US to Speedway racing. Saw the bikes being setup from a distance and immediately discounted them. Never heard of that Speedway Stuff. Then these guys strolled out with what looked like top fuel outfits. Well, let me tell you. After one lap the entire Astro Dome was on their feet and screaming. I was way up in the stands and was eating dirt. That was amazing. Way before they started putting dirt deflectors on the bikes.
About the same era of Joel Robert and Roger DeCoster in motorcross racing which I was also forturnate to witness when they visited the US with Suzuki.
All of which led to me riding 500 motorcross bikes and Superbikes in the WERA indurance series. I had the only Kawasaki road race team in the US at that time. 5th in the nation one year and 13th another. If any of you were into that series in the late '80's I was "Team Racerback".
Anyway, good memories to think back on.
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