The bike or the rider?

I'm curious what your opinion is on this. In a sport where the machinery is so similar, are the winners winning because of the skills of the rider? I'd say so. Any squid on a litre rocket can fly by on the straights, but it's the race line, weight shifting and just plain skills that win races.

I'm curious what your opinion is on this. In a sport where the machinery is so similar, are the winners winning because of the skills of the rider? I'd say so. Any squid on a litre rocket can fly by on the straights, but it's the race line, weight shifting and just plain skills that win races. its definately the rider in my opinion,,,,,ive raced agaisnt everyone from dave sadowski to kevin swantz in the 80's and those guys could just fly.even if they were on their 600 supersport bikes at loudon and i was on our gsxr1100 endurance bike in practice theyd get by every time.. :banghead: .. but if you have 2 bikes that are the same and 2 guys that are of equal talent then the person that can set his bike up best (correct suspension setup is a key in fast lap times) will win.....

Its the rider. I agree 100% with Jack.

Definitely the rider is the limiting factor until you start getting to really skilled riders, then the bike setup is the key.

It's both, but ultimately it's the rider. . and that's why Rossi will win this year too.

Speaking of Rossi , it's unreal his race vs crash ratio . Gotta be fast , gotta stay on the bike too which he does .