What killed the 450 super single bikes

there is nothing more satisfying, and gratifying, than building your own race bike, from the ground up. why people shy away from it, I don't understand. my bike sits in the shop as a reminder to me of what I can accomplish. just cool knowing every single nut and bolt.

 

How bout it man! :up:

 

I was on the phone to Gavin Tripp, while standing in the tech tent at the GNF that year. He was telling me then he had bikes showing up....none of the Sands bikes (that Gavin was working with) ever showed up.
To this day, I have never lined my bike up against a completely built Roland Sands bike. Fully functioning Sands bike. Most of the Sands bikes were only for display, and Gavin was showing them around trying to get interest in the class. The class started to take a dive before it started, Gavin was shopping more of a spec type class and none of the manufacturers were hot on the idea. More behind the scenes drama and nothing came of a proper proper class.
I didn't care at that point, I was building the bike and believed in the low buck, build in your basement concept. The icing on the cake is the bike is a blast to ride, costs relatively little to race and simple. I've been resurrecting all the old race bikes, and I'm really looking forward to riding the 450 again this year.
Plenty of guys still call in buying parts from me to get the sands bikes operational. Most are missing just a few key pieces and the shifter linkages seem to be jacked up good.

 

Bring that thing out to Gingerman on bike night. Let me take it for a rip!

 

OK, sign the waiver. Pick a date after mid April (that's when I'm thinking it will be bolted back together again), and call me.

 

That's a big 10-4 driver. Acknowledge

 

You get a couple sessions. First one is eye opening, then you sit out and think a little, then go back out and REALLY enjoy it. At least that's usually what happens when people ride it. I'm happy to offer multiple sessions on it. And that applies to anyone else thinking about one, or the moto 3 bike (I provide test rides to prospective buyers and people interested in just seeing what it rides like).
Grasshopper: you might not think that pig SV is so cool after riding the 450
(Please note I am kidding...I don't want all SV riders stringing me up after that comment)

 

My poor pig is frowning now. She's my baby Geoff. Don't talk about her like that.

 

Back when the super singles started was around when we were doing the "real" sippy cup races, with bikes that had maybe a grand in them (including the price of the bike). Were they real racebikes? Heck no, but it was a genuinely good time. Once there was a class and such I think the 250s stole a lot of the energy from the super singles as you could buy a next gen race prepped 250 for 3g and then ride the snot out of it, no assembly required.

It's a time thing with me, I simply do not have the time to build bikes. My time is better spent making money and then spreading it around.

 

I agree with Goeff's description below. My laptimes between the two are similar, a little faster on the 450. The 450 has lots more grunt coming out of corners, and is easier to ride (for me, anyway) than the Moriwaki - it is roomier, easier to hang onto, and you can actually USE all 5 gears on it (5th gear on the MD is terrible), and it will still pull well even if you're in the wrong gear. The handling feels different; it is taller and doesn't feel as tight as the Moriwaki but it is also less twitchy and it's easier for me to be loose on the bars with it. I have the suspension set softer on it than I do on the MD; not sure why, I just like how it feels, it's more comfortable.

Regarding racing, the 450 ran well against Moriwakis, seemed to be overall faster than the stock ones and competitive against the hotrod ones. The 450 is a lot less affected by an uphill section or headwind, in those situations it beats the hotrod MDs. It blows away Ninja 250s and 300s, it's very lightweight, but the top speed is lower than the 125s, maxing out at around 120-125 mph (that is with a bone stock engine). It's a winner in D Superbike or Clubman.

On starts it clobbered everything I ever raced against; it runs away from 250s and 300s and 2 stroke bikes like they are standing still.

On a regular track day it does what you'd expect - passes all the big bikes in the corners but gets passed on top speed on long straights. At a track like SOW it runs easily with 600s and 1000s.

 

That's what I got, a pretty RSD bike that was built for show. It took a lot of extra bits and some suspension work to get it rideable, and more to get it race-prepped and get the handling right. On the bright side, it DID come with some really high-end stuff on it. It was a terrific project and absolutely worth doing, I learned a lot and was VERY proud to race (and win championships on) a bike I had set up myself. Geoff was a big help with parts and ideas.

 

And the Moriwaki classes came out around that point too. Both were targeting the very small customer base of up and coming racers.

 

I love the idea of the 450, Geoff's bikes are awesome. It would be a great step from a Moriwaki to a 600. I just hated the idea of being the only bike at the track again.

 

Yep, and they keep missing another market they SHOULD be chasing - the adult racers who want to ride/race a lightweight GP bike, but don't want a 2 stroke 125. (Including people like me who are short and find a smaller/lighter bike more comfortable and easier to manage.) The lightweight racing is REALLY fun and the GP-chassis bikes are a great learning tool for corner speed.

 

Unfortunately we're a dying breed.

 

How much does a 450 GP weigh? I know this may open a bag of worms, but how would a KTM 390 compare?

 

Hotfoot and Geoff may correct me but I think the KTM is around 80 pounds heavier

 

There are such people?

 

That sounds about right, my SuperSingle is around 240lbs, I think the KTM is about 300.