Quote:
Originally Posted by tehdutchie
Why not make life easier, get some 450rr engines and sx-f frames. Standard 24 liter tank and you are sorted..
At the moment I am wondering if the project is about entering to finish the race, a marketing exercise, an engineering expedition or just a way to drum up funding ( probably a mix of all?) :-)
All of the above is NOT meant in a negative way :-) so please dont read it as such.
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Hi Techdutchie, and welcome... don't worry, it is a legitimate question - there are any number of ways to build a Dakar bike - from the Factory teams, to Luis Belaustegui on a 150cc 2-stroke, and everything in between... we are just choosing to do it the way we are doing it...
And your appraisal is pretty much bang-on to the motivation of the whole team:
• For myself personally, yes, I am looking to
finish the Dakar... I still have my fully prepped & rebuilt WR450F from 2011, but the offer of a ride on this new project bike means I can sell my WR to help fund the entry and assistance costs for my return.
• For John at Rally Raid - he has built his business around the KTM 690, and is widely respected for the quality and design of his components. It makes perfect
marketing sense for him to race a bike that features parts that he has designed and sells - and where better to advertise than to participate in the #1 off-road endurance race in the world? He is no fool though - John and his company are investing a lot of time and effort and money in this project - it is only fair he sees a return for his investment?
• For Martin at Torque Racing, he is an excellent engine builder and A1 rally mechanic, with plenty of Dakar experience - for him, it is the
engineering of the bike that particularly appeals - similarly, if he didn't think it was both a challenging yet feasible project, he wouldn't have got involved.
• As for Piglet, yeah - he basically needs a new pair of shoes...
Jx