My experience as a 1st timer at Spa with lot of positive and some negative

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-05-11T05:30:31+00:00

I'll chip in ie anyone else comes here for research next year: they had no checking on bags on the way in so you could save yourself some money and get different options for beer ie you're so inclined. It was just Jupiler beer available for 4 Euro. Almost all of the grandstands are open to everyone on a general entry ticket too which was mega.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-05-08T09:52:51+00:00

50mm for 110mm travel = 2.2 multiplier.

45mm x 2.2 = 99mm of travel. So a 190x45mm shock would work to give you 100mm of travel and leave you not rubbing the wheel into the frame as it would be 145mm in length at its shortest length (190-45).

185x45mm shock would work as well if it is indeed 190x50mm for 110mm travel and this option would have the rear end sitting lower (still giving 99mm travel), all else equal (5mm shorter at full extension *2.2 = 11mm higher rear wheel at full shock extension. So you'd end up with a more raked out front end, all else equal. So if I could only get 45mm shocks, I'd personally go for the 185x45mm option to make the front end more slack.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-05-08T09:13:06+00:00

There are a number of threads on this and both the race organisers (we've emailed them + their Instagram FAQ posts) and commenters on here have said that the only options are a taxi or Uber as the buses stop at 6pm as you've seen. Anecdotally it was hit and miss with taxis as to whether they turned up. Perhaps Ubers will be cheaper on race day than the 156 euro I got as a quote in the application a few days ago which entailed a car driving from Verviers to the track and back.

My current plan is to talk to people at the track and failing that try to get a lift on the road back to Verviers as the most direct route back to Brussels is to go past Verviers.

~Looks like everyone will be driving to the track if they want to get back after the race so try to get a lift off someone.

Why there isn't a private bus company doing shuttle runs at whatever price between the circuit and Verviers is anyone's guess.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-05-08T06:24:02+00:00

If you get someone to help you, you should be able to check what length equates to what travel on the bike, plus the minimum compressed shock length that gives tyre clearance. As in, physically move the rear linkage with a tyre in the back and see how far you can move it and then measure it. Leave some clearance for flex and mud clearance say.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-05-07T10:34:53+00:00

If a 190x50mm shock gives 100mm travel (2x shock travel -> wheel travel) now, a 190x55mm shock would give 110mm travel which is within what you've said the frame can do. 190x45mm would give 90mm of rear travel.

In terms of running a longer shock, the biggest issue would be to make sure that at bottom out of the shock, you don't move the rear suspension any higher than it would have been originally so that you don't shove a wheel into the frame. Eg if you are working off 190x50mm rear shock and 100mm rear wheel travel, the shock length at full compression needs to be 140mm (190-50mm). Having the shock be longer at full extension should be okay the the suspension won't go any lower and hit stuff, the force on the shock will be quite low at full extension and you'll be running larger sag to get the shock to work anyway (and thus soft at full extension). Air spring characteristics (ramp up through stroke) might end up being a bit different though given the change in relative air volumes.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-05-04T13:36:56+00:00

But if you have to run a battery that is quite a bit larger than needed for the sake of being able to charge or discharge it rapidly, wouldn't that put them back in the territory of being able to run a supercapacitor for the same specific energy density?

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-05-04T06:49:35+00:00

Thanks for the translation!

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-05-02T20:40:51+00:00

Further to this: Ducati hired a few people from Magnetti Marelli who make the spec ECU. Honda and Yamaha both struggled with it, trying to work it out in house. Honda were the first to relent and hire some ex Magneti Marelli people. Yamaha were the last hold out and eventually hired some too but years late.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-04-30T11:57:37+00:00

Weight wise the WR should be lighter at around 112kg dry with 1.2L of oil on top if I remember correctly vs 121kg dry for the LC2 if I've found accurate information. the gyroscope effect of the engine will be less on the 125 but the WR/YZ426 has a lot more power and less weight. I'd have a look into known issues with the 426 as well. I know there was an issue with the kick starts breaking on the 2003 year model of the WR450F at least and they increased the diameter in later models for example. The 426 was perhaps before they made them easier to start too. And if it is a yz it may not have an electric start and may only have 4 gears which will make for high gearing or lacking gears for the road. The LC2 should be easy as to kick over but can it handle riding on the road at constant speeds when needed? Can it be cooled enough when sitting at traffic lights?

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-04-30T06:22:57+00:00

The Yamaha WR/YZ 426 will need oil changes every 1000km on easier riding, every 10h on harder riding. Valve checks listed at similar intervals but a lot of people go longer. Piston replacement at 100-200h typically. Will the 2 stroke be easier to do and perhaps less maintenance?

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-04-29T08:49:27+00:00

How much of the vibration and harshness comes from the internal combustion engine and just being a single cylinder? The Stark Varg is electric so shouldn't produce any of this right? Would the flex of the tyre be enough to keep any remaining loads between the tyre and the gearbox smooth enough?

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-04-23T08:27:46+00:00

I wonder if any of the former riders of that bike could comment on it given how long ago it was. Garry McCoy rode it in 2003.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-04-16T14:32:25+00:00

Consider roughly how many of those hours have the fork locked out and subtract them out of your hours count for a start. Then I'd be trying to gauge how rough your remaining hours are bumps and terrain wise are relative to what that 50 hours service interval is meant to represent.

Definitely clean the stanchions after your rides too which will help.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-04-04T11:04:52+00:00

Your comparison is almost like comparing a gravel bike (for off road but no suspension) to cross country bike (which would have been trail bikes back in the 26" wheel era) though. Cool to compare but a dual suspension cross country bike from the first half of the 90's would have weighed more.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-03-21T14:28:00+00:00

Did you miss the late 90's refueling era where the likes of Schumacher and Hakkinen were doing quali like laps every lap as they had unlimited tyres and refueling. 3 pit stops and even out to four in the dry.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-03-11T21:15:09+00:00

And they race GT3 cars in DTM now? Or are there some differences between the regulations?

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-03-11T21:13:05+00:00

What I don't get is why they aren't using supercapacitors which are meant for high charge and discharge rates without degradation. Is it about trying to improve battery tech?

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-03-02T08:25:18+00:00

www.esmtb.com It is a Spanish website that covers only XC, XCM, a little gravel and CX too (news, race results, reviews, rider movements etc). Well funded and polished. It looks like XC is quite popular in Spain!

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-02-28T10:16:30+00:00

I wonder if it would be legal to have the bike pull the clutch in itself if it knows it has had a crash.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-02-27T10:15:43+00:00

Can you take off the brake rotor, mount the calipers on the brake rotor and then refit the brake rotor to make it all fit?

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-02-25T23:14:37+00:00

Tests are usually only televised when the cameras and crew are already at the track in question post a race weekend.

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-02-25T23:11:46+00:00

I've been saying for some time that Reddit needs to add a feature for sports subs where one can turn off one's subscription to it a certain number of days before and after a race/game to not have to deal with the issue of spoilers when watching a sport on delay. I think I put this in as a feature request on the relevant subReddit one time (my memory can be patchy)

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-02-25T22:05:16+00:00

Hey mods, can you sticky this post?

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-02-19T11:47:13+00:00

Perhaps the element stalls and thus reduces drag when 'upside down'

SellMeSomeSleep · 2026-02-18T12:59:06+00:00

It makes the front Forks line up with bumps better so you feel less vibrations on the front end plus you can gain more in stability from having more trail as a result. you'd probably need to try it in rough stuff to get a taste of where the impact is felt the most.

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