kawasaki pulling out of motogp

[manveru]

not really official yet though

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/art ... icle=35264

[95FZR600]

And Nicky Hayden went to Ducati for this season.

[reelrazor]

Damn, who is going to be the designated backmarker now?

[slayermd]

Now Kawa cant say "Inspired by MotoGP Technology" or whatever BS they throw at the buyers. But this is a down hill ride for motorcycle racing since what happened in the AMA.

Rossi for 9 Championships!!!!!!!

[tommyj27]

Interesting, but not unbelievable considering that Kawi might as well have not bothered showing up in 08

[abs929cbrrr]

i dont follow this but from my experance owning their machines they have never been to well at being at the top of performance. i could be totaly wrong but yeah...like i said i dont follow motogp or any sportbike stuff.

[HeadRush]

The only bike that they made that was appealing to me was the ZX-9R, which was heavy compared to its competitors, but was the most comfortable. It seems that the company comes out with good bikes, and then they fall off when the competition catches up or surpasses them. For example, the ZX-9R, ZX-6R (at one point the fastest 600), and then Suzuki just dominated the 750 market and they let the ZX-7 go like dust in the wind. Looking at their website, they've updated the Ninja 250 (about time a small bike was appealing here in the U.S.), but let the 500 keep the old outdated looking bodywork. How many 600 bikes do you need in your line (ZX-6R, ER-6n, 650R, ZZR600, Versys)??? I remember as a kid everybody wanting a Ninja. Now you don't hear too many people talking about their bikes with too much fondness.

I feel for the guys that put in countless hours of sweat and hard work for their racing teams, but the company just lacks a competitive edge in a market dominated by Ducati, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Honda. I hope that they take the year off and study their competition. In other words ---- WAKE UP KAWASAKI!!!!

[slayermd]

... I remember as a kid everybody wanting a Ninja. Now you don't hear too many people talking about their bikes with too much fondness.

+1
I remember wanting a remote controlled motorcycle that was a Ninja. I thought it was so cool because it had a name, not just a series of letters with a number at the end.

Kawa is a good company, they will get their heads together and have a sweet comeback.

[yamaha_george]

Interesting, but not unbelievable considering that Kawi might as well have not bothered showing up in 08

Hmm,
so they did not win a race they were playing techno catch up to the big 4. Kawa has had this lag problem for years, They made the widow maker 2 stroke triples back in the 70's 80's. then nothing of note till the ninja's

The problem we face as bike buyers is that if racing dies company by company then that companies advancements technologically speaking dies just look at the Brit bike scene as soon as triumph ,norton et al had there race teams cut due to accountants say COSTS the competition makes started to out sell them and they Norton,Triumph, BSA died rapidly.
Kawasaki is facing just that.

You may want to look at my NEW FZR & moto GP thread for more news.