Hey Skinny, look where you want to go…
by swapmoto | Jan 28, 2009 |
So today while we were testing some assorted products at Starwest, I overheard Skinny and our new guy, Bayo “O-Something” Olukotun talking about riding technique. See, Bayo “Own Damn Lunch” was a part-time instructor at the Tony D. School of Motocross before joining the TWMX team, and I know Skinny has been chomping at the bit to get some pointers.
Anyway, I ventured out on to the track with my camera to snap a few photos of our test rider Josh Brown, and when Skinny rode past, I decided to snap a shot of him for posterity’s sake. Tonight, as I edited my shots, I noticed that Skinny was eyeballing ME, not the line he was hoping to take down the next straightaway!
Well, Bayo “Silver, Away!”, I think you know what to work on next with our grumpy web master…
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Help Ross Today
January 28th, 2009 on 10:23 pm
thats what you call an update?
January 28th, 2009 on 10:24 pm
lazy.
January 29th, 2009 on 12:20 am
Yeah, that’s it. I’m LAZY. Go back to the homepage and look at what I did in Houston…
January 29th, 2009 on 11:07 pm
You’re not lazy at all; you found time to include yourself in the 450 shootout, which I must say is a joke. It’s not an offense to be slow, but to be slow and give your opinion on which bike is the best, that is an offense. I saw you ride at Starwest not long ago and was shocked at what passes for a Vet Intermediate. After seeing you ride, I couldn’t help but say in my mind, “who cares what this guy thinks about the bikes, he doesn’t go fast enough to really get a read of the bikes.” I guess if you are a slow rider also, perhaps some wisdom could be gleaned off your opinions, but finding a group of fast riders to test the bikes would yield the best results, due to the fact that pros can give advice for all speed levels, seeing as how they can experience all speed levels. Slow guys are limited to slow opinions. What’s more, your Vet Intermediate title is misleading due to the fact that your speed is similar to an average beginner in a regular race, which is slow. Don’t bother pointing at some of the pros coming to the same conclusion you did, a broken watch is right twice a day; that does not justify the fundamental flaw in allowing someone who cannot experience most of a bike’s ability to give a verdict on that bike’s ability. Not my two cents, my many facts. And no, I’m not pissed you didn’t choose my bike; I am not a brand loyalist and I couldn’t care less what you chose. So, keep up all the good journalist work you do, which is truly good, and become more lazy next time a bike shootout happens.
January 30th, 2009 on 2:08 am
Hey morning wood, I think you oughta check some race results now and again. Swap wins more than his fair share of vet intermediate races and don’t forget that he qualified for lorettas last year which is pretty impressive regardles of the class. you are obviously jealous that he rides races and tests for his job. idiot
January 30th, 2009 on 3:28 am
Morning Wood, very original. You failed to address my main point that faster riders are better at giving opinions on how bikes perform. Your red herring about how one slow guy wins a race filled with other slow guys is not convincing. You said I’m obviously jealous? Ok, based on what evidence? I just put forth an argument and supported it with facts. I ride too, that’s how I saw him at Starwest. I have raced my whole life, so I’m couldn’t be jealous about him riding and racing. I commended him for his good work as a journalist and told him to keep that up. I am glad he makes a good living giving the best sport in the world exposure. So it isn’t his job I would be jealous about either. So I see no logic in your digressive response. It appears you’re more concerned with defending your buddy than actually addressing what I wrote. That would make you the idiot, you mindless drone.
January 30th, 2009 on 4:30 am
Look fella, first of all I am not defending my buddy. I live in Michigan and I have only ever met the dude at a national when he was shooting pics. I will address your point about faster guys being better testers: baloney! Do you know how many fast as hell factory riders are terrible at testing? Why do you think all of the team’s have a test rider to help some of the racers set up their bikes? Speed doesn’t mean everything. If you read the shootouts in transworld, they use a variety of riders. Not eveyone is a pro, you know. Good for you if you are faster than Meada! From what my friends in Cal tell me though you;d be better off giving the motocross action and dirt rider guys hell.
I love the magazine and I love the web site even more. there is always something new to check out and with me being an insomniac stuck in two feet of snow, I couldn’t make it without transworld on line.
January 30th, 2009 on 5:00 am
You wrote: “Good for you if you are faster than Meada!” That was not my point; I never even mentioned my speed.
You wrote: “Speed doesn?t mean everything” True, I never said that either. My point was to find fast guys who are good at testing. I don’t believe factory Honda will be hiring Vet Intermediates to test for them any time soon.
You wrote: “my friends in Cal [sic] tell me though you;d [sic] be better off giving the motocross action and dirt rider guys hell” True also, however RacerX is at least equal to TWMX. And until recently, this is what they went by in their shootouts: “In the past, we?ve always used current or former pros as our test riders. Our contention has always been that riders of that caliber can more accurately describe what a bike is doing than a novice rider.” Original article can be found here: http://www.racerxonline.com/article/2173.aspx
I too am a fan of TWMX, as I said from the beginning. I am simply saying I would rather hear from five pros who can test bikes well rather than one pro and a bunch relatively slow staffers/friends of TWMX. As I just showed, at least at one time RacerX agreed with my position, so I hardly see how my view makes me an idiot. It would seem that calling someone an idiot because they express a belief that is backed by many people in the industry is just illogical.
Anyway, good luck riding and stay safe.
February 1st, 2009 on 3:41 pm
Wow. What an interesting location to bring up this topic. Looks like someone was looking for an opportunity to speak his mind. Or, maybe an attempt to discredit a competitor in the industry…? Either way, I find it interesting that you’ve taken a subjective topic and claimed it as “fact.”
As a Beginner, I’m always looking for ways to help my riding progress. One of which is reading as many shootout results as I can to help determine which bike is best for me and my abilities. Now, I too love to hear what the Pros have say about each of the bikes hits and misses. But unfortunately, I can’t always take advantage of said hits and have found comfort in some misses. With that said, I do like to hear what other levels of riders have to say about the bikes. I find it interesting when a beginner likes a bike that a pro hates or when a Vet rider likes what a pro likes. Regardless of how fast each test rider is, they are riding bikes that I haven’t and I am interested to know how their reactions.
So yes, “Slow guys are limited to slow opinions.” But I’m guessing the majority of (all) shootout readers are slower than your average Pro.
February 2nd, 2009 on 1:23 am
As RacerX said, fast riders can give better advice to slow riders than other slow riders can. Why can’t you see the hubris of a slow editor inserting himself into a shootout? I guess your desire to suck off the editor is so strong that logic is left by the wayside. I like TWMX, but why not get expert opinions on the new bikes?
Do you see High School ciivic students giving their opinions on Fox News or CNN? I’m sure their parents think they’re smart enough; just like you think the little slow guy is good enough to give expert opinions on bikes.
February 4th, 2009 on 2:08 am
isnt this a post about SkinMan’s style?
i dunno, maybe im just a darryl..
February 4th, 2009 on 3:39 am
Darryl,
You’re correct; this blog served as a pretext in order to springboard into my original comment. My first sentence in my first comment, “You?re not lazy at all; you found time to include yourself in the 450 shootout,” was meant to be obviously out of context. It really wasn’t meant to be taken too seriously. It was just an existential “Starwestian” observation of someone who shapes many people’s beliefs about bikes, being much slower than I expected.
Of course, it was also about my belief that this practice is not in the best interest of the readers/consumers, but rather in the best interest of a megalomaniacal editor. An editor who insists that he is included in the testing and opining of expensive bikes, when his riding abilities are obviously not up to par.
But I’m a capitalist; it’s his business - I don’t really care that much. Although, I do believe a well fielded professional test group would be of much greater value to everyone (other than the editor’s ego of course).
Ultimately, I just thought it was funny that he felt he was so important in the industry that he is somehow qualified to test bikes.
Balls.
February 4th, 2009 on 6:14 pm
Wow. I just signed in to check this all out. Mr. Wood, I am sorry that my speed did not live up to your expectations. Having raced and ridden your whole life, I am sure that you - at some time or another - have been injured. Well, I’ve been struggling to get back to speed since breaking both of my wrists last year and if you saw me at Starwest, I am sure that it was probably when I first got my casts off. But that’s neither here nor there…I’ve never proclaimed myself to be super fast. I’ve never competed in the pro class and I’ve never really accomplished anything of note on a race track. Being competitive in the vet (and now 40+) intermediate classes is good enough for me, and even if I am “a slow guy beating a bunch of other slow guys,” I still enjoy lining up behind a starting gate every chance I get.
I will say, however, that having ridden just about everything in my 18-year career as a magazine guy, I do believe in my abilities to evaluate a bike. Furthermore, the reason TWMX gathers a wide range of test riders is that there is not one specific type of rider that can properly evaluate a bike for EVERYONE. Also, if you are a real fan of the magazine as you claim to be, you will already know that at TWMX, we offer OPINIONS. You will never see us preach that our word is gospel - a la MXA - and we know that just because one collective group of riders picks a bike best, it doesn’t mean that the next group will as well.
I am also flattered that you have taken the time to return to my blog several times to reply to every response that your posts have gotten. It also makes me wonder what your problem with us/me is. Seems like a personal mission to me… Have I, at some point, wronged you?
As far as an all-pro panel of test riders goes, well, that’s where your opinion and ours differs. You will never change our opinion, and I will never change yours. But that’s what’s great about testing bikes: everyone is entitled to their own opinion. For the record, however, Racer X’s “shootouts” aren’t as highly regarded by the manufacturers as they are by you…
Cheers,
DM
February 4th, 2009 on 8:08 pm
Swap,
I appreciate your response being on point. Your being injured does give new information I was not aware of. Yes, I’ve been injured before, and I know getting back to speed is difficult. I am sure you’re much better than what you showed at Starwest. As you rightfully noticed that wasn’t my main point, but it was the catalyst that inspired my comment. So my view of your speed was skewed, which means I probably wouldn?t have commented has I seen your actual speed.
To be totally honest, it was a spontaneous post that is out of character for me. I don’t usually spend so much time leaving comments on forums. But once I posted, I couldn’t just let someone have the last word, which is why I don’t leave comments; I would go bankrupt because I’d stop working and argue online every day.
What?s more, you asked if you?ve wronged me at some point. Absolutely not! I enjoy TWMX and think it?s a great vehicle for growing ?the best sport on earth? (as Vanilla Ice so rightly called MX on MTV once). The truth is, most of the provocative rhetoric in my comments were hyperbolic, and not vitriolic in any way. I just thought it was funny and wanted to see the type of responses I?d get. I thought I?d leave a slightly different type of comment than a typical, ?Hay, U R sooo stewpid fro slower testin riding!!! Yur oppions r not evin mattur. U shood git fassters ridurs. U no????
Anyway, keep up the good work. No offense?
P.S. I don?t want you or anyone to think I?m hiding behind my anonymity (seeing as how I know your identity). So here?s a way you can see who the hell I am if you so choose.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1468375219&ref=profile
http://www.myspace.com/revelation1911
DW
February 4th, 2009 on 8:43 pm
And to know this all stemmed from my impressive riding style and perfect form. Where would this industry be without inspiring riders like myself? I am a catalyst of conflict, a consulate of contention, an adjuvant of antagonism… and other big ass words that reiterate my thought.
February 4th, 2009 on 11:27 pm
Swap email me I have a serious question for you.
February 5th, 2009 on 12:10 am
“…other big ass words that reiterate my thought.” - Touche.
February 5th, 2009 on 1:13 am
Woodman…dude. Those are some serious butt whips on your myspace!
February 5th, 2009 on 1:16 am
I was thinking the exact same thing! Too bad he isn’t a test rider. Hey Swap, maybe you should give D-WOOD a call if you’re in need of a test rider for the next bike test you do.
February 5th, 2009 on 12:11 pm
For sure, I’d be down to see which bike I can do the best butt whips on. I’m thinking the CRF, since it’s basically a mini-bike with a 450 motor - perfect for butt whips!
February 5th, 2009 on 12:30 pm
Yeah but D-Wood, if you were a test rider wouldn’t that go against all that you are fighting for in your little rant above? I mean, you said only pros should test bikes. You’re not a pro are you?
February 5th, 2009 on 2:12 pm
Tyler Moore…you have to leave me your e-mail address if you want me to contact you. Or, you can simply hit me up at donn.maeda@transworld.net
February 6th, 2009 on 5:58 pm
crazymx, no, I’m not a pro. I don’t currently race (I took two years off from riding until now). When I did race many years ago, I was a decent intermediate. I’m faster now than I was then (due to riding a lot with a friend who?s won a Lites SX Main and a Lites MX moto), but I can only hold on to the bike for one lap at full speed. So basically I am worthless when it comes to racing right now. I try to ride twice a week to get my endurance back up, but arm pump is tough to get rid of. I do think my speed and knowledge of bikes are in the realm of a relevant test rider though.
For the record, I also saw Lutes (who also tested the 450s) the same day I saw Swap, and I did not mention him because I thought he was fast enough to give meaningful insight on the bikes. My point wasn?t that you had to be an A-list pro to test; only that you should be a relatively fast rider. If I knew Swap was slower than normal due to a recent injury, I wouldn?t have bothered writing the comment I did.
So, I don?t think if I tested bikes it would go against my “rant.” But it?s a moot point, because Swap asking me to test for TWMX is about as likely as Josh Hansen winning a Supercross main event this year.
February 6th, 2009 on 6:35 pm
Hahahahaha, D-Wood, you really do have to get the last word like you said in one of your many comments… 10 bucks says you comment back on this comment just so you get the last word…
February 6th, 2009 on 8:02 pm
word.
February 6th, 2009 on 8:35 pm
what the hell wood?
you basically came out of the gate blazing up a storm, then everyone called you out on it, and then you curled up in the fetal position, started crying, and now youre kissing everyones ass acting like you didnt just say that slow riders who test are worthless..
you must be from texas
February 7th, 2009 on 1:05 am
If Swap was always as slow as I saw him, then I would be sticking by my original comment. Since he says he’s usually much faster than that, I believe him. I still believe a relatively fast group of experienced test riders yield the best results, but I also recognize TWMX can do whatever they want, it’s their company.
I just don’t really care that much, I’m over it. I had my fun on the subject and that’s that. In the end, anyone who loves MX as much as me is an ally not a foe. With something like this, there’s no point in continuing an argument once it’s reached stalemate status and/or some common ground.
As for you saying I’m curling up in fear and all that, that’s not it. I just explained what it is.
February 7th, 2009 on 10:43 am
Give it a rest then D-Woody. if you were really “over it”, then you probably wouldn’t feel you needed to explain yourself after every comment. Give it up already, you made your point man.
February 8th, 2009 on 1:52 pm
so that was what you do when you wanna have fun…?
February 10th, 2009 on 4:35 am
d wood is a dork!!! shut up you made your point dude
February 25th, 2009 on 9:01 am
Swap where can I find those posters that say “Motocross because team sports are for faggots”?
November 16th, 2009 on 9:10 pm
In 2 months of taking Vimax Pills I managed to gain 1.5 inches! My sexual desire increased greatly as well as my erections became fuller and longer lasting…