[Black_peter]

I guess I cant really speak about most of the guys you guys are taking about, considering I was born in 1990 and started riding/following bike racing in like 2004

See that's why you like Spies.. And you think your generation invented rock and roll..

Joey Dunlop!!

Good one!! One of my all time favorite racers.. Unbeatable on the Isle, just not as much "range" for a "GOAT"..

For me, the Greatest racer will always be Carl Foggarty. He was just AWESOME.

Great racer, moved up fast and competent. Did as much for Ducati's sales as the red paint paint did.... Complete *******! Hate him! Great racer though.

And yes I think I know enough about racing and racing history to comment on every choice!

[IndyGunner]

And you think your generation invented rock and roll..

Ya freakin right man. You cant beat music of your generation. What I would give to be born in 1951! to be 18 in 1969 and in my 20s all through the 70s. I was born at the wrong time man FML.

Led Zeppelin, hendrix, pink floyd, eddie van halen, John Lennon, Neil young, Black sabbath (post ozzy, i cant stand him), Bob Seger, Aerosmith, Bob Marley, the who... etc. etc.

Thats music right there... not ****in brittney spears and nsync (90s) or soulja boy and gucci mane (now)

[hardlydangerous]

Rossi

[tdrcomm]

No offense, but rankings like this seem so futile.
Too many riders from too many eras with too many different machines to adequately judge "who's the best".
Of the riders I've seen... Rossi, hands down.

But really, it's like asking if Jordan's Bulls would beat Magic's Lakers, Brady's Patriots vs. Bradshaw's Steelers, or Ali vs. anyone (well, that one is easy ).

For the record though:
The '85 Lakers would eat the Bulls alive.

[Psycho1]

I agree with TDR for the most part, but have to admit my favorite racers of all time would have to be :
Kenny Roberts
Eddie Lawson
Freddie Spencer
Miguel Duhamel
Mick Doohan

[allblackkat]

For the record though:
The '85 Lakers would eat the Bulls alive.

That, my friend, is one broken record...

[H-2 CHARLIE]

O.k. I guess it could be alot of guys in the motorcycle hall of fame.. But the first guess might be the best gaicomo agostini if your counting won races 15 world gran prix and 122 gand prixs a feww stand out scott parker ..rickey johnson and sammey miller all top guys in there own race class but my pick is yvon duhamel team green s best .maybe not as maney wins but what a bike

[allblackkat]

^^

That bike looks freakin scary...

A green monster to say the least...

[Black_peter]

But really, it's like asking if Jordan's Bulls would beat Magic's Lakers, Brady's Patriots vs. Bradshaw's Steelers, or Ali vs. anyone (well, that one is easy ).

I get your point, but think about the accomplishments of the older riders..
Many said that Mike Hailwood had no chance when he entered the Isle of Man in '78.. He was too old, the technology of the new bikes would leave him behind.. He won the Senior TT that year.
Many of these guys raced multiple classes in the same day. Think about the skills needed to race at the championship level. They are the same as today. But those guys were racing on rubber akin to a $20 bicycle today, frames made of about the same stuff and engines well below 100HP. Today teams have technology about equal to what we put a man on the moon with. Now in your NBA/NFL analogy, sports medicine and training has evolved tremendously. Just think about the total weight of your starters in either sport, I bet the 2009 Lakers outweigh the 70's Lakers by more then 400 pounds. The 2009 Steelers I bet weigh a half ton more then Fraco Harris'. Most of it lean muscle mass..
John Surtees and the like never hit the limit of their physiology or the limits of the road, they hit the limits of the machines.

Oh and the finest race bikes of all time?
Manx Norton.


MV 500 Quatro


Honda RC166





Yamaha TZ500


Suzuki Gamma 500



Ducati 888


Ducati 916


After that was there really a bike that dominated on it's own??

[streebs93]

I get your point, but think about the accomplishments of the older riders..
Many said that Mike Hailwood had no chance when he entered the Isle of Man in '78.. He was too old, the technology of the new bikes would leave him behind.. He won the Senior TT that year.
Many of these guys raced multiple classes in the same day. Think about the skills needed to race at the championship level. They are the same as today. But those guys were racing on rubber akin to a $20 bicycle today, frames made of about the same stuff and engines well below 100HP. Today teams have technology about equal to what we put a man on the moon with. Now in your NBA/NFL analogy, sports medicine and training has evolved tremendously. Just think about the total weight of your starters in either sport, I bet the 2009 Lakers outweigh the 70's Lakers by more then 400 pounds. The 2009 Steelers I bet weigh a half ton more then Fraco Harris'. Most of it lean muscle mass..
John Surtees and the like never hit the limit of their physiology or the limits of the road, they hit the limits of the machines.

Oh and the finest race bikes of all time?
Manx Norton.


MV 500 Quatro


Honda RC166





Yamaha TZ500


Suzuki Gamma 500



Ducati 888


Ducati 916


After that was there really a bike that dominated on it's own??

Yeah, there is a bike that still dominates. GSXR 1000 in AMA Superbike. How many years has it been top dog now... 2, 3, maybe 4 years?

[Psycho1]

How many titles were won with the GSXR750? I seem to remember back in the late 80's and 90's they were winning quite a bit also.

[IndyGunner]

Yeah, there is a bike that still dominates. GSXR 1000 in AMA Superbike. How many years has it been top dog now... 2, 3, maybe 4 years?

gsxr is the best period.

[allblackkat]

Gsxr's in the AMA have had more factory support than the other makes... not to mention the riders that were on them winning those championships.... Mat and Ben.

Now that Ben is on a Yamaha and still doing well I'm going to guess that his gsxr's success was more his skill than the outright dominance of the Suzuki...

[BIGKAT1100]

O.k. I guess it could be alot of guys in the motorcycle hall of fame.. But the first guess might be the best gaicomo agostini if your counting won races 15 world gran prix and 122 gand prixs a feww stand out scott parker ..rickey johnson and sammey miller all top guys in there own race class but my pick is yvon duhamel team green s best .maybe not as maney wins but what a bike

that 3 cylinder Kawi looks like the best kind of evil .......

[Black_peter]

gsxr is the best period.

I don't know.. I seem to remember Miladin putting some embarrassing distance between his Ducati and the ... Well everyone, in AMA.