so how much is rider and how much is bike ?

[flybars]

I like this kids attitude. He's doing with what he has and having a blast. And it will be years till his knee's and back catch up to him.

[bowhunter007]

I especially liked...at 3:12, it appears he passing in the air, staring down the rider to his right. Lots of fun seeing a kid do well, on what is otherwise considered outdated junk.


Edit: Don't how I missed that 2nd vid...Just as much fun to watch!

[Moto7man]

Originally Posted by jhendr3702

i think it is magic... really i think you are dead on..

i know how i like my bike, right or wrong for others, it is the way i am comfortable.. hopped on another riders gasser the other day to ride out of a tight creek and it felt completly wierd to me.. and he is stupid fast on it..

Yes, its all about setup....

[Beta Steve]

Looks almost like he flips off the Suzuki rider next to him mid dirt at just under the five minute mark.
My input would be it's almost all rider. Long ago I hosted a couple Bernie Schreiber schools. One memory I'll never forget is when he set up a pretty difficult advanced or fairly easy expert section for us to ride. After talking about the technical aspects of how to ride it, he jumped on the most clapped out bike there, which happened to be an old Fantic, and cleaned it first time, with no clutch.
A modern bike is better than anyone you know. A better bike makes it easier to ride to your personal limit, but the top guys could do good on most anything...

[modette]

It shows its the rider. Riding that will make him a better rider if racing is anything like trail riding. I believe I'm a better rider for riding hard single track on a XR650R.....I get on the GG and really haul butt.

[Vindicator]

I think it's more the bike. But the rider skills are definitely very important.

The best riders in the world can only take what the bike has to offer. The best riders can dial in to any bike but they cannot go beyond the physical limitations of the bike. This is true not only for bikes but cars, trucks, etc.
If the bike is great but the rider can't "connect" with it, he will not take all it has to offer. If the bike is a dog but the rider is great, he will not be able to achieve the same results as with a "perfect" bike.
Some examples to help me sustain my thoughts:

Michael Schumacher is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. He won all those world tittles because he was given the best car in the lot. I still remember him driving that crummy Ferrari in the early years and not being able to cope with Williams and Mclaren. This was after having won that F1 title with Benetton-FORD. When the Ferrari was dialed in properly, he had no match. The car was so good that he even won a GP driving his team mate's car just to prove there were no differences between the 2 .

Juha Salminen is the GOAT of Enduro riding. He has titles in Europe, US, 6 days, etc. (Not wanting to start a fight but I simply like his fluid riding style ) He spent 3 miserable years riding that dog of a BMW that was suited for everything else but Enduro. The minute he moved to Husqvarna he was champion again.

Last but not least, the Yamaha 450f...Stewart tried it, FIM champion David Philipaerts tried it, Davi Millsaps tried it... he had a great SX season after he moved to Suzuki, I don't think it's a coincidence .

The best riders are always fast with any bike but that does not mean they will win with any.