Specifically how and where are these Baggers always leaking from?

I get Wyman's frustration, but i think that MA made the right call. I also agree with Robbie-Bobby and think they should also fine the team. The fact that Kyle was not allowed to make the race was a team penalty, not a rider penalty, as it should have been. Kyle is one of the best at praising his team for all the work and effort that they put in. It is not his fault that the bike leaked oil or suffered a mechanical, it is the team's fault and they should be apologizing to Kyle, MA, Patricia and the fans for their failure to make a safe and reliable race bike. I heard from a reliable source that the HD team went through 4 motors at Road America to ensure a victory.

 

We really don’t know all the details… For example, what if the team told Kyle to not rev the motor past 3K RPMs during the race, and he flogged the thing to 3100? In this situation, it would totally be Kyle‘s fault.

 

The various speculations about how Kyle might have affected the leak I assume are tongue in cheek He's one of the most experienced and levelheaded racers out there, and joking or not, it would be salt on some fresh road rash for him to come here and see us speculating about how it could be his fault.

Doesn't really matter whose fault it is. This is a team sport, and we win and lose as a team. Bummer of a way to lose... but then.. every way to lose is a bummer.

 

Yes and they are two separate issues.

The what if aspect of this is never ending from our perspectives. Who's to say Kyle didn't apologize to her privately and in person? More importantly, why does it matter to anyone removed from the situation.

 

A point of distinction. I took Robs comments to be, fine Harley and let them race. Not, fine Harley and not let them race.

 

Good Lord. What if they fed mayonnaise directly to the tuna fish.

 

Junk?

 

H-D and Kyle aren’t low level club racing amatures. WTF.

 

Depends

 

You need a better source.

 

Might be the truest thing in this thread.

 

You can’t really point a finger at Kyle when not only does he suffer most, he was also the one put most at risk by racing a leaking bike at a pace I can’t fathom.

I have such mixed feelings about that class. I’m happy about all the eyeballs it’s getting, but I’ve always cringed thinking of how badly things could go when you’re pushing the bikes as hard as these guys are. I’m honestly shocked by how fast they are, but worry about what happens when two of those things tangle at 130 mph. It’s kind of like throwing a football at the ground.

 

Even at the lowly club racing level I'm in, you know for SURE what people belong to what pit. I wouldn't say its 'Harley people" but I would say its "Harley racing people". There is a level of bravado and hey-look-at-me that you won't find near the R3's

....And I love my RoadGlide...

 

My finger pointing goes to teams with deep pockets that are turning a low tech engines into grenades.

MA sent a clear message. Oil up a track, cause a program stop and suffer the consequences.

Now teams must find that fine line between performance and reliability.

Unfortunate that riders are caught in the middle but they must have some type of understanding that repeatedly putting oil on a track is bad!

 

so you're saying the rider is never responsible for their own bike they ride on the track?

i get that failures happen, but he is in the spotlight as a top runner and has already oiled the track. a mechanical failure ultimately lies on the rider's responsibility and no one else's. the rider allowed/chose to have a more competitive motor that puts it at a higher risk of failure.

 

No. I’m saying in this specific scenario, Kyle is definitely not responsible for the mechanical failure that resulted in fluid being dropped on track. In pro racing, unless the rider is deliberately abusing the equipment, mechanical failures are most definitely not the responsibility of the rider.

I’m positive Kyles did not allow/choose to have a more competitive motor. I seriously doubt he had any input in the matter other than being informed of the direction the Motor Company was going with using the twin cooled version. This is all the Motor Companies decision. In fact in most, if not all cases, the rider is completely unaware of any specifics details with regards to engine builds / internals.
It simply is not the riders responsibility. The team has assigned duties specifically for each individual. A rider doesn’t need to know anything specific about the engine build.

Kyle is provided an opportunity to ride the bike, he can either ride it or decline to ride it. I will also add there is no way in hell anyone in the HD race dept knowingly or willingly put Kyle or any other rider on a suspect bike or with a suspect engine etc. They are a well funded professional team with professional mechanics etc. They simply don’t F around.

Also, please show me your data that supports your statement that the higher performance twin cooled 131 engine is inherently less reliable than the air only cooled version.

 

I think I will stand by my source as being pretty darn reliable as he has direct conversations with the H-D race team having been a former rider for them.

 

It’s all good, I was just giving you some shit, I’m pretty sure I know who your source is.

 

You were certainly in the paddock with him.

 

No.

Yes.

The rider is the rider. Not the mechanic, not the manager, not the owner. Sometimes the same person fills more than one role, but not at the top levels. The rider's job is to ride - it is not to know anything about the bike mechanically.

My crew chief tells me anytime I pick up a wrench, "Chris... either you can work on the bike, or I can work on the bike. Not both. Your choice."