I've been getting a old video recorder working tonite watching the 500's From 1994 ! You forget how good Doohan & Schwantz were !!!
It's nice to look back every now and then, but things weren't as rose-tinted as many seem to remember. My overriding memory of the '90's is Doohan striking out into the lead followed by the same old boring procession, race in, race out. There were outstanding riders then, as there are now, and it's fair to say we have a one-rider monopoly these days. But it seems much closer, much more intense nowadays. And the live spectacle is far better now, in my opinion.
I'm must disagree I'm sorry. I think the riders in the 80s & 90s were far more skilful No electronic aids like today. Look what happened to pedrosa when his wheel sensor got a bang ? He couldn't ride it it spat him off !
They are still highly skilful. The idea is to ride as fast as you can without falling off. That means you are on the limit in any era. Rider aids just allow you to go faster before you fall off but the limit is still the limit.
This bullshit pisses me off, I'm no great fan of Pedrosa, but if you're at 100% expecting a certain response and it doesn't materialise it's hardly surprising that you fall off. As for comparing riders of different eras, it's pointless and impossible to do and/or prove.
I think NZDave has got it right. They ride right to the limit of whatever bike they have. If those limits change, like on Pedrosa's bike, they fall off. I wonder how many people on this forum ride to the limits of their machines? Hands up? Thought not. Therefore we can only guess.
If you mean beyond the limit as in the fastest it can physically go with perfect inputs then not many could say that. I as many have ridden beyond our own limits and ability rendering the bike useless and beyond it's limits too Peace....
They certainly seemed more raw and brutal. Even my 2 road going RG500s were a handful, and quite unpredictable.
It varied. The era when you didn't know who of Rainey, Schwantz, Gardner et al were going to win and they diced to the line was great. The era when Doohan won everything except for a couple that Criville nicked off him in the last corner was utterly tedious.
People are all too willing to forget the tedious moments of the past and fixate on tedious moments of the present. Doohan was a flat out snore-fest, and I can't imagine watching Agostini win by whole laps every race was nailbiting. And if he hadn't had Schwantz for a foil, Rainey - like Lawson - was hardly thrilling to watch. In comparison, Lorenzo trying but failing to retain his title against the onslaught of Marquez was bloody epic. Marquez himself losing the front on seemingly every corner, Rossi versus Stoner, the mid-pack battles between Crutchlow and Dovi. For me the premier class is better now than it's ever been. Just a shame that fewer people will see it.
