GuzziMoto

If you say so. But the only GasGas parts on Barcia's factory GasGas is the bodywork. The frame, engine, KTM. Not sure how it is this year, but in the past the Husqvarna factory bikes were last years factory KTMs. Now that they have three factory teams I assume they no longer do that, but all three factory teams are running the same bikes with different bodywork. I was just in our local KTM / GasGas / Husqvarna dealership. It is classic badge engineering. They are all KTM's, with pretty much only the bodywork being brand specific. That is even more the case in racing, whether it is Supercross or MotoGP. Don't get me wrong, we own a pair of Husqvarna's, and I would buy another. But the three brands are all really the same brand. GasGas is not its own standalone brand.

Spring too soft, or the spring is simply too short, or a combination of the two. Clearly aftermarket. Possibly not originally for a V11 and thus the spring preload being what it is to get ride height in the ball park.

KTM owns GasGas and Husqvarna. So instead of running two teams as KTM they run one team as KTM and one team as GasGas. They wanted a third team so they could run a Husqvarna team as well, but Dorna would not allow them a new team. They were told they can only have a third team if one of the current teams signs up to run their bikes. Weird that a manufacturer who wanted to add another team to the grid was told no. Seems like it would have been good for the sport, and would have helped balance out the four teams running Ducati's. If you buy a brand new GasGas today, it is almost identical to a KTM, so it is more like buying a Lincoln instead of a Ford. We have a pair of Husqvarna's, very simlar deal there. The chassis and engine are KTM pieces, the body work is Husqvarna. The same thing happens in dirtbike racing. KTM, GasGas, and Husqvarna all race basically the same bikes. But it does mean more factory bikes with factory support. So it makes the grid stronger, with more quality bikes for more quality riders.

I am not sure Ducati will loose a team for next season, but it is a possibility. Hard to imagine any team would sign up to run Yamaha's at the back of the field, though. Sponsors would hate that and would likely bail. I can't imagine why any team would sign up to run Honda's or Yamaha's until they get their act together. MotoGP is a business based on winning. Why would any team want to give up bikes they can win on in exchange for bikes they can't. As to the guys who want factory bikes, as mentioned I think that is a mistake. Being on a "Factory Bike" has very little meaning nowadays. And it is not required to win races or a championship. The chemistry of the team, and between the rider and the bike, is far more important. Martin could end up on a factory Yamaha next year. If he does go there he won't really be a factor next year in the results, but he would be on a factory bike. I would rather be on a competitive bike with a team that knows how to set up the bike to suit me. Being at the back on a "Factory Bike" would not be what I would want (although to be fair I would happily ride a factory Yamaha or Honda at the back). But if you are a top level racer expecting to win I would think all you should be concerned with is being on a bike that can win. That it is a factory bike really doesn't matter. Or shouldn't matter if winning is what you are concerned with. Some of them seem to still have an ego trip about a "Factory Bike".

I would love to see FQ at Aprilia. While Mav has great races occasionally, they need someone who can compete for a championship. That said, it was a great pair of races for Mav, a real shame the bike failed him in the second race. Seems the trans was having issues most of the race, and finally packed it in at the end. As to Marc and Pecco, to me the deciding question is what would Marc have done if Pecco slide it up the inside into that turn and then ran wide. I am pretty sure Marc would have re-passed him up the inside the moment Pecco slide wide. That is what Marc would have done, that is what any racer out there would have done. The same basic pass / re-pass happened between other racers in that very race. It was to be expected, unless you can close that door before the other guy can slide it through the door, you have to have expected that. For Marc to pull back down onto the racing line when someone else was already there and fully alongside him was what caused the accident. That said, I would call it a racing incident. But Ducati had to know that putting Marc on a Ducati was going to mean more Ducati's would fail to finish. It was to be expected. Marc has never shown respect for other racers. He isn't going to start now. I suspect that was part of what Ducati was worried about and why they did not seem keen on Marc joining the Ducati fold.

The starting or not starting with a matching fuel pump running or not running is classic relays. The lack of brake light, rev counter, and horn is often a blown fuse. But it could also be a relay not working. As mentioned, that may also include the front headlight being out but the running light in the headlight working. That can make you think your headlight is lit but it is not. The actual headlight and the running light are on two different circuits. The headlight circuit runs through relays so it can be cut out while the bike tries to start. And when that happens the alternator does not charge the battery as it is using the headlight circuit to measure battery voltage and if there is not voltage on the headlight circuit it does not charge the battery. Easy to check if the battery is being charged. With the relays, it can be a bad relay or it can be a bad connection to the relay. Someone already suggested cleaning the relay bases I believe. That, along with checking the connections in the bases for a tight fit and adjusting the spades if required is good advice. Another known place for electrical issues like this is in the wires to and from the ignition switch. But I would first check relays and fuses. I use a volt meter to measure the fuses after pulling them out for continuity. But you can also measure for voltage on both sides. Visually looking at them is the least reliable way to check a fuse. They can look ok and be bad.

That could be classic relay issues. A lack of the fuel pump running when you turn it on can be a relay issue (assuming it is not a problem with the fuel pump). The fuel pump should always cycle when you turn it on. If it doesn't, something is probably wrong. The relay issue can be the relays themselves or the connections at the base of the relays. If the fuel pump runs but it doesn't start when you push the starter button a common set of issues there is either the side stand switch or the neutral switch that turns the neutral light on. There is an interlock between the side stand and the neutral switch. I would check your fuses, and your relays. Also, confirm the headlight is on and not just the running light in the headlight bucket. If the headlight isn't on the alternator probably isn't charging the battery. Others will add more no doubt.

How many miles are on it?

You may be able to bend the connection that is supposed to go onto the sparkplug to get it to fit. It is just a metal fitting crimped on the end of the wire. It may have been squished or otherwise bent so it no longer fits. Just bend it back. That should make it work. If you can't bend the end to get it to fit on the spark plug, you could cut the old end off and install a new end on the stock cable. Being less then an inch shorter should make little difference. As to replacing the spark plug cables in pairs, that doesn't seem important to me. As long as the cables are the right type, and the same type, it should make little difference.

Yeah, their stuff seems good, but they don't seem to understand how many different versions of front fork were fitted to the V11. That seems to be where their bad reputation comes from with the V11. I thought we had made it clear in this thread that your forks should be the one fork model that their kit actually fits.

Honestly, I am not yet very concerned with where Marc Marquez goes. He is not the top guy, yet. And he may never be that guy. Time will tell. Who was really impressive in last weekends race was Bagnia. He was amazing. But I get that many are still focusing on Marc because of what he has done on the Honda in the past. He is doing better then he was at the end of his Honda career. But he still is not one of the fastest guys on the Ducati. Side note, how mean is it that Audi gave Marc an RS6 and only gave Alex an RS4.....

Interesting development for the Marquez brothers. This does seem to strengthen their tie to Ducati. https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1045629/1/marc-marquez-given-audi-worth-six-figures-he-pens-new-sponsorship-deal

I get why someone would want cruise control on a bike, but I have no need or desire for it. I do use it in 4 wheeled vehicles, where I am just getting from point A to point B. But when I am on a bike I am there for the ride. But others, no doubt, are on their motorcycles to get from point A to point B, or maybe they just have a different idea of what "the ride" is.

What docc said. The vent goes into the frame at the top. What is vented is a mixture of air pressure (from pistons moving up and down changing the volume of the area in the crankcases, plus some blow by past the piston rings) and oil that is carried in the moving air. That oil is something of a fine mist, typically. Once in the frame at the top the air slows down and the mist of oil collects and drains down to the bottom of that section of the spine frame. There you will find drain lines that route the collected oil back into the sump at the bottom. Some spine frames have 1 drain line, others have a pair. I have no idea why they would use two lines back to the sump, one should do. Meanwhile that air pressure that carried the oil into the spine frame is then vented into the airbox. Ideally it is just air at that point, no oil. But if you overfill your sump with oil you can end up with excess oil being blown into the airbox as it can overwhelm the system that is trying to remove the oil from the air that it vents.

In the USA this year it seems it is going to be broadcast live on TruTV, a sister channel to TNT. At least it was for the first race, although it was a little chaotic as the deal was signed the week prior to the race being run. So the guide did not have info on it until a day before the race at most. This is much better for Americans vs WSBK, which is being broadcast on MAV TV. Sadly, MAV TV is only available in about half the homes in the US, as Verizon and Dish don't carry it. We have Dish, so no WSBK for us. But the coverage of MotoGP on TruTV was excellent. Sadly it did not seem to include the Moto3 and Moto2 races, but the MotoGP coverage was great, and even included the sprint race on Sat. Last years coverage of MotoGP on NBC did not include anything but highlights of the other races.

The width of the wheel does affect the tires profile, for sure. And a wider wheel will tend to flatten out the profile. But to suggest that a 160/60-17 tire is being pinched mounted on a 4.5" wide wheel seems wrong. Someone may prefer a wider wheel for a 160, but that is not how the tire was likely built. Sadly, specs like that are harder to find then they used to be. I appreciate that Dunlop still publishes info like that right up front. Not all tire manufacturers do nowadays.

Not sure where he got his info on wheel widths vs tire, but often the recommended width wheel for a 160/60 tire is 4.5" Here is a shot from Dunlop's web site for their Sportmax Q5 in a 160/60-17. The width in red is the recommended width, the width in black is acceptable.

Click on the link a couple posts up in the post from me, MotoGP in “advanced talks” to change its US TV broadcaster MotoGP is reportedly set to switch to a new TV broadcaster in the United States. The motorsport series is in “advanced talks” with Warner Bros Discovery to move onto their channel this year, Sports Business Journal reports. The move is an attempt from MotoGP to “look for growth in America”. MotoGP has been broadcast in the US by NBC since 2020 but the report claims that their partnership has expired. The deal in negotiations with Warner Bros Discovery would mean all Saturday sprint races and Sunday grands prix would be live on linear cable TV. Warner Bros Discovery own TNT, TBS and TruTV. Warner Bros Discovery and MotoGP are already TV broadcast partners in other territories including the UK. TNT Sports, owned by Warner Bros Discovery, broadcast MotoGP to the UK audience.

It sounds like it might be TNT. But it doesn't seem to be final yet.

The season is about to start, and MotoGP is in talks to switch broadcast partners for the US. Shouldn't this have been done long before now? https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1045052/1/motogp-advanced-talks-change-its-us-tv-broadcaster

A longer shock can change the total travel of the rear suspension, but it does not always do so. It can mean that the shock is simply longer with the same amount of travel. Whether it is 128mm, 120mm, or even 100mm, the sag number is not going to change that much. Using 25% sag, the difference between 128mm of rear suspension travel vs the other extreme of 100mm of rear suspension travel gives us a sag of 32mm vs a sag of 25mm. So, even between those two extremes the difference is only 7mm of sag. To each their own, but I would not worry about that difference for a streetbike. To me that is over thinking it. If you split the difference you would undoubtedly be fine. I think you would be fine using any number in that range. Set your sag, see how it feels, and adjust as desired.

Rear suspension travel should be around 128mm. So, 20 - 30 % of that. For doccs 25% it would be 32mm of sag with you on the bike from fully extended.

Yeah, I respect his talent but not the man. He showed everyone who he is, and I lost pretty much all respect for him as a person with his behavior. Another factor is, while he is very fast he is also lacking in respect for others on track with him. He has a tendency to hit others. Sometimes it is because he is not fully in control of his bike, other times he is fully in control but chooses to make contact on the way by even though there may be enough room to do so without contact. I think he feels that contact like that will intimidate others so next time they will give him more room. Dale Earnhardt did the same thing in NASCAR. And I was not a fan of his, either. One possible outcome of Marc being on a faster bike is more people may end up on the ground. I hope not, I hope he is past that sort of riding. But I will believe it when I see it.

I don't think it is very likely that Marc goes back to Honda, only pointing out that it is possible. I did not come up with that idea, I am only repeating what others have speculated. Him leaving Honda might have been the kick required to get Honda to develop their bike. It really isn't that far off, Unfortunately, the field is so close that a bike that is half a second to a second off is no where. He may stay where he is at Ducati, either on the same team or move to another Ducati team. But it is important to remember that he chose to only sign for one year. While perhaps he had an eye towards the factory Ducati team at the end of that one year, it seems unlikely they would sign him. Maybe he could get a seat at a different Ducati team, maybe even a seat at Pramac running a current spec Ducati. But a seat on the factory Ducati team seems unlikely. That said, you never know. He could also go somewhere else, like KTM or Aprilia. I would love to see him on either of those. Frankly, Ducati needs Marc at another team to give them some credibility when they win. I think the deal with Rea demonstrates the risks of going to a different brand bike. Much as Marc is struggling somewhat to adapt to the Ducati from the Honda, Rea is struggling to adapt to the Yamaha after years on the Kawasaki. Rea didn't forget how to go fast, but going fast is a combination of rider and bike. If the rider and the bike don't find that happy point the speed isn't there. Rea is struggling more then Marc is, but neither has found that happy point yet. I would think both will find it, but it is possible that one or both of them never do. I won't say I disagree with your take on what Marc did in 2015, but I suspect there was more to it then that. Those two don't like each other. It was great to see Crazy Joe Iannone do well his first race in WSBK. I was pretty sure he would. He is talented, more talented then Bautista in my opinion. That said, Bautista did not do bad. He had a bad race 1, but on Sunday he did better. If he would stop whining about carrying a little extra weight (he still has a noticeable weight advantage over most everyone else) and just focus on his riding it might help. That said, I don't rate him nearly as high as I rate Iannone.

Yeah, Fabio was demanding more power while Cal Crutchlow (their test rider) was saying they have enough power but they can't get their power to the ground. It seems Cal was at least partially right, adding even more power didn't help their pace. They just have more grip issues then before while having higher speeds down the straights. That might work at some tracks, but mostly not. They lack both in electronics to manage their grip and physical chassis to get that grip. Adding more power to a chassis that already has more power then it can use is usually a waste of time. I would give Marc time to adapt to the Ducati before worrying about his next seat. He might end up back at Honda for all we know.