B
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You can follow a lot of the riders here, live:
http://jasonjonas.org/spot/locationViewer.do?id=11
Voni
sMiling
And the Hopeless Class will be headed up again this year by the Intrepid One, Joel Rappoport, piloting an only slightly modified 1976 R60/6 airhead.
http://rappoport.ws
I noticed this is now password protected -- do you think IBA was concerned that "spotters" were keeping track of the competitor's locations?
I still find "hopeless class" to be needlessly condescending and elitist.
I hope Joel does very well!
I still find "hopeless class" to be needlessly condescending and elitist.
I hope Joel does very well!
I still find "hopeless class" to be needlessly condescending and elitist.
I hope Joel does very well!
Right. If "hopeless" is defined as the inablility to best a modern bike, Rappoport and two Suzuki riders on their 70's vintage machines have probably already "bested" the BMW K1200 that suffered a clutch failure three hours into the rally. The "hopeless" aspect addresses the fact that an R60, even if modified to R75, doesn't have a prayer (of "winning") in an 11,000 mile endurance run against the finest sport touring machines built today....65% of which are not BMW's, according to the riders who had to make the choice this year.personally, i don't se why an airhead, well maintained and ready to go, with a big faring, comfy seat, aux fuel and all the modern electronics with the right rider COULDN'T best a modern bike. they can both cruise at 75, right?.
The "hopeless" aspect addresses the fact that an R60, even if modified to R75, doesn't have a prayer (of "winning") in an 11,000 mile endurance run against the finest sport touring machines built today....
Why?
As Bubba said, it can go 75mph all day, an aux fuel tank could be added like many other people do to keep rolling for longer, and I know many Airheads that will run endlessly for days on end with nary a mechanical issues. What makes that bike "hopeless" compared to a brand new bike?
here's all i can think.
riding an airhead takes a bit more "out of you" than riding a more modern bike. even with a big fatigue reducing faring, and a comfy seat and the best suspension upgrades, i still think they probably "wear" on the rider a tad more. personally, little things (bike's idling high, what's that "surge", why's that wobble there, etc) grate on me mentally, there's a lot more of these in my airhead than in my oilhead.
that is ALL i can really think of, i'd like to see Mr. Nye or another rider with big distance competitions under their belt reply.
I just wonder how people would respond if they labeled any newer shaft-drive BMW as being in the "hopeless class".
here's all i can think.
riding an airhead takes a bit more "out of you" than riding a more modern bike. even with a big fatigue reducing faring, and a comfy seat and the best suspension upgrades, i still think they probably "wear" on the rider a tad more. personally, little things (bike's idling high, what's that "surge", why's that wobble there, etc) grate on me mentally, there's a lot more of these in my airhead than in my oilhead.
that is ALL i can really think of, i'd like to see Mr. Nye or another rider with big distance competitions under their belt reply.
The First BMW is Out
Kudos to Bob Wooldridge for getting Jim Bain back on the road today, but Jim is headed home rather than to St. Charles. To quote Jim, “I don’t trust this bike.” Hopefully, we will see Jim back in 2011 on a bike he can trust.