The best of times

It is the tendency of every generation to look back into the past and think that what WAS was better than what IS. That’s basic human nature. And so it is with motorcycling. The older generation thinks that their bikes were better, more elegant, more fun and had more personality while the current generation derides the bikes of the 60’s as being unreliable, slow and dangerous. Of course there are those who deride the bikes of today and say that they all look the same and are too narrow-focussed. This despite the fact that there never has been a more bewildering variety of bikes available from a plethora of manufacturers so that, no matter what your riding preference, you can find something that suits.

And nowhere is the divide between the best of times and the worst of times more evident than in racing. My thanks to the excellent motorsportretro web site for this great shot of Wayne Gardner pulling a wheelie down the back straight at Surfers Paradise during the 1985 Swann Series.

As someone who has followed the sport for nearly 40 years, I feel that I am a position of some privilege to comment on this matter. The internet and internet forums (and meetings at the bar down at your local) inevitably turn to comparisons of this nature once the subject of motorcycle road racing arises. There are the traditionalists who say that the feats of Hailwood and Agostini far outweigh the exploits of the Rossis, Spencers and Stoners while, in the opposite corner, the modern racing fan points to the astounding speed of the modern MotoGp bike as evidence that modern riders are far more skilled and can harness these brutes of machines.

“Ah, but,” the traditionalists say, “Your modern riders have heaps of electronic assistance that Hailwood et al didn’t have, AND they have fabulous tyres that they didn’t either.” And so the argument rages on.

Nowhere can this divide be brought into better focus than the events (perhaps I should say, event) of last weekend in Belgium. The annual Biker’s Classic. A gathering of the best of bikes and riders from yesteryear, gathered in the one place to admire, race and reminisce. An event that is top of my Bucket List, too, I might say. Last weekend, hundreds of riders and thousands of enthusiasts flocked in to the Ardennes Forest to the picturesque and historic Spa Francorchamps circuit for this annual festival of nostalgia. And it was here, amongst the many festivities, that a little cameo was played out that put the “then vs now” argument into a bit of perspective.

You see, current Moto2 points leader, Scott Redding, was offered a chance to ride the 1994 Suzuki RGV Grand Prix bike of Kevin Schwantz. So here, quite unexpectedly, was the opportunity to get a racer’s perspective on the “older is better” argument. Suffice it to say that Redding thoroughly enjoyed himself. While not a MotoGp rider (yet), Redding brought a unique point of view to the situation so it was very interesting to hear what he had to say at the end of the parade laps (which, as usual, turned into a race, a race in which he eventually finished 2nd)

“The bike was absolutely amazing. Okay, the brakes weren’t great, but we were expecting that. The handling was incredible because the bike is so light; it was really easy to change direction. It accelerated hard too, with the front coming up in every gear. I didn’t need a rev counter; I just changed up whenever I felt the front wheel was high enough! There was a lot of power, but it was pretty controllable, nothing like the razor sharp powerband I was expecting. It turns like a 125 and was still pulling in sixth. They should bring these back. It was absolutely mega to ride!”

For the anoraks amongst us (me included) the bike weighs 135kg, and produces around 195bhp so it’s no pussy cat.

photo courtesy of motomatters.com

So, without making a complete meal of it, can we have a definitive answer? Yes, we can. It is this. EVERY time is the best of times. The time that we live in now is the best of times because we are living in it, enjoying all of its advantages and technological advances, brilliant tyres, ABS, electronic aids to enhance our safety and enjoyment. And these have come down to us from the generations of racers/riders who have gone before. Is Rossi a greater rider than Hailwood? No, he isn’t, but Hailwood wasn’t a better rider than Rossi either. They lived in different times and raced under spectacularly different conditions so comparing them is pointless. Is a Triumph Tiger 110 a better bike than a GSX-R1000? No, it’s not, but neither is the opposite the case. Both were and are the best of their era, so let’s leave it at that.

The best of times? We are living in them right now, just as our fathers and grandfathers before us were.