Re: Re: Spotted in Brno
NSR250SP said:
Liam, what is your thoughts on TC on the 800's for next season? Will it be needed as much as the current 990's, or will the factories drop it allowing the riders to be more in control of the exits on less powered bikes?
If they do remove the TC, could this have an effect on the 250 riders doing so well on the big bikes?
Nice question!
I think TC will be much more important, because the real trick is being able to get on the gas sooner than the rest of the pack . . . . but moreso (and not really noticed by the media/press), I think getting into the corners is critical. Let's face it, physics is limiting how fast a bike can accelerate on the straight anyway, so virtually all the bikes are at the same level there. Cranked over on the side is a different story, but every manufacturer (and to an extent, the rider) runs a different fly-by-wire system. What I mean is that some bikes are set up with a throttle that can be opened up (way up) with the bike on the side while the TC system limits how much of the throttle bodies are actually opened, and on some bikes there is a much more direct relation between throttle position and throttle body opening. Does that make sense? O.K., to give an example without saying too much, let's just say that you can whack it open on some bikes in the corner, and you'll accelerate smoothly on out, but on others if you whack it open, you're going to be on the ground.
Back to the original questions, I think the TC will be more important because on the higher strung engines, you'll need more assistance to accelerate at the maximum with the minimum of wheelspin. It's already like this, but it's going to be worse (better?) next season. Oh, what I was saying earlier - most people miss that getting into a corner is just as important as getting out. Being able to transition from full gas to full braking without a few tenths of a second to let the bike settle is going to be critical, and corner speed is going to be a key factor in the 800's. We all know the Ducati has the most powerful and agressive engine on the grid, but ever wonder why their tires seem to last longer than the Suzi or Kawi Bridgestones? Could it be the higher corner speeds of those bikes . . . ? The tire wars are going to be a huge factor in next year's bike's performance, and so far it's looking like it's going to be a good battle. Don't get caught up thinking that the 800's are less powerful than the current bikes, and also, don't worry about top speeds, either
Would you believe that it's possible the 800's are revving higher than the 500 two strokes?
Bah, so much speculation, and so much of the silly season is dominating the paddock talk now. Everyone is scrambling to find a berth for next season, myself included, although I recently got an "upgrade" to my position - see it
here
And as for the way the new 800's sound? When I get around to it, we'll have some good stuff, better than what's out there . . . . for now, it's like this.
. I think everyone is misreading the sarcasm from a couple people. 
