Kenny Roberts rides his 1980 Yamaha YZR500 at Laguna Seca - YouTube!

 

Cool Video, thanks for the heads-up. I'm watching it and thinkin' to myself....
"Man, all my heros are old!!" lol
Ern

 

That was very cool.

Rewind another five years from 1980 tho' and the famous Kel Carruthers thought it would be a most excellent idea to try an outrageous 4 cylinder 2 stroke GP engine in a dirt track racer.

This has to be one of the coolest bikes ever.

Kenny Roberts and the Indy Mile (2009) - YouTube

 

Those were the days when men were men and sheep were very worried.

None of your namby pamby Marco Simoncelli flash hair stuff.

These guys had to seriously know how to ride bikes.

Events

• Mile: A race held on an oval-shaped, dirt course approximately one mile in length. The races became popular because of the availability of horse racing venues around the country.[2] These events usually favor motorcycles with larger engine displacements such as the Harley-Davidson XR-750. The races usually feature numerous lead changes with speeds of up to 140 miles per hour.

• Half-mile: An event similar to a mile race, also held on an oval-shaped, dirt course but, with a shorter lap distance.

• Short-track: A race held on an oval-shaped, dirt course approximately a quarter mile in length.[2] These tight courses have been held indoors at venues such as the Houston Astrodome and favor lighter motorcycles based on two-stroke motocross machinery.

• TT Steeplechase: A race held on an irregularly shaped, dirt track course which usually features one right hand turn and one jump.[2] This event also favors lighter motorcycles but, larger motorcycles have also been successful. The initials TT stand for Tourist Trophy, taking its name from the days when street-legal motorcycles were known as touring motorcycles hence, a tourist trophy signified a class for street-legal motorcycles.

• Road race: A race held on paved, purpose-built race tracks, the most famous event on the AMA calendar being the Daytona 200.