lineaway Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Bou`s also tough as nails. In Tennessee last year he crashed hard on a rock he had ridden in the past. (The no-stop rule made this section way harder than before)He landed his back on a pointy boulder. I assumed they would cart him off as it was a terrible blow. It took about ten-fifteen minutes, but his minders helped him back up and got him going. He had trouble in that section all weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tahoebrian5 Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 I do think it's interesting that Honda has the same thing going on in two sports. Bou in trials, and Marquez in moto gp, both clearly a step above the competition. Do you think it's just Honda making sure they get the best riders or is there some synergy that Honda provides to help them get where they are? Marquez was good before but ,he was not "of another world" until he hooked up with Honda. I haven't followed trials long enough to know what Bou was doing pre Honda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizza5 Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 This is probably going to sound a bit gay, but if you see Bou stripped off (he was getting changed dammit), he is solid muscle from top to toe. Suspect he does a lot of working out over and above his bike time. When your over 50 ''Muscle's'' are very over rated 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guys Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 The only time Bou seems not the best is when hes not riding ie struggling or pushing through for a 3. maybe if there were more english cambers roots and slippyness he wouldnt have such a clear advantage? The conditions in the Belgian event last year were exactly like that. Don't remember how he scored there though. Good point Rob214. Very impressive when he jumped back off the bottles but if its a 1 for sumping surely what Bou did is more of an advantage and should be scored in some way. Did he not get a one for it ? You only get a 1 if you stay still on the sump guard for a while, not when you keep moving, thats why he reversed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guys Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) Bou's also one of the most precise riders around, he puts his bike exactly where it's supposed to be. Edited January 8, 2015 by guys 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ham2 Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Bou's also one of the most precise riders around, he puts his bike exactly where it's supposed to be. Bingo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob214 Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 This is probably going to sound a bit gay, but if you see Bou stripped off (he was getting changed dammit), he is solid muscle from top to toe. Suspect he does a lot of working out over and above his bike time. i found this while reading an interview from retrotrials. he was interviewing francesc tarres father of pol. Page 17- Interview with Francesc Tarres + meet Pol and Jordi's father at home. Fransesc then passes his phone around the table with a picture he has taken of Toni Bou without his top on. It is shocking. He has an extremely defined torso. Far more than I have seen normally and the type you might see on a body builder. The pale skin and extreme muscles look bizarre and quite shocking. Fransesc says that Toni does not use the gym at all, he just rides the bike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Tommi Ahvala said in an interview he didn't work out in a gym. Just rode his bike. I think Toni is that rare combination of talent, desire and sheer physical ability. Jordi was the same way and I love that Toni is as easy going and accommodating as Jordi was. As for the Bluetooth, I have it in my Subaru. Doesn't make me a better driver though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_t Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 I do think it's interesting that Honda has the same thing going on in two sports. Bou in trials, and Marquez in moto gp, both clearly a step above the competition. Do you think it's just Honda making sure they get the best riders or is there some synergy that Honda provides to help them get where they are? Marquez was good before but ,he was not "of another world" until he hooked up with Honda. I haven't followed trials long enough to know what Bou was doing pre Honda. As I understand it he was doing well for Beta on a 2T... everyone figured he would tank his career going to a 4T, boy were they wrong . It is worth noting that the bike he rides really should not be confused with a bike you can buy at your local Honda dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldilocks Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 I think Honda can give Bou what he needs or asks for. There have been a couple of tests done of Bou's bike over the years, one also compared the factory gas gas of Raga. Adams bike was basically a production bike with some tweeks to suspension power delivery etc. The mont is a completely different bike made to look similar. Bou and Fuji have different bikes to suit their individual requirements. But from what i recall the factory mont has different everything. Ie crankcases are different , gearbox is 4 speed, engine is bigger cc,cooling capacity increased to match cc, ignition is 3 map, everything is magnesium or titanium. The factory mont was lighter than the factory gas gas. Honda have an exceptional rider who appears to have been provided with a virtually bespoke bike. Only one other rider has this and thats Fuji. Bou also understands the mental aspect very well and puts the rest on the back foot constantly. The first year he was world champ i watched the last round in Andorra. At the practice session Raga, Doug and Fajardo tried and tried but couldn't clean a section. Toni turned up had a quick glance then cleaned it on the back wheel ! From that point on the rest were riding for 2nd. I think he does the same indoors. He has great confidence but it wouldn't hurt him to have is minder on top of a step the rest have just fived. I think the no minder routine is more about sending a message to the rest. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadof2 Posted January 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 Most poster seem to be concentrating on highlighting bou's good points, fair enough but in starting this topic I hoped to promote a discussion on how the others might think about beating him. If it is the Honda that's exceptional (I don't think it is to any great extent) then the answer is for Beta, Gg, Sherco etc to make their bikes more competitive. I agree Bou seems more able to hold a precise line more often than others but not always. He seems to have most advantage getting up the most difficult / largest obstacles and this is backed up by comments he has made. What I wonder is if by slow motion computer imaging where they "attach" markers to key points on his body and bike it would be possible to determine where his technique differs from other riders, and then if they then could emulate or better it. Take cycling for instance, at the highest levels the eccentricity of the chainwheels and the degree of eccentricity relative to crank position is matched exactly to he riders physiology. Runners gait is analysed to look for difference between legs or where power is wasted on unnecessary movements, skiers boots are shimmed etc. It may be as simple as Bou's C of G is on average 30mm nearer the front wheels spindle than his competitors, or his knees bent through 5 degrees more when initiating the spring up at a step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the addict Posted January 10, 2015 Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 Or as I have said earlier, he just wants to get up that step slightly more than any of the others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramit Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 (edited) I doubt Bou's bike is a big advantage over the competitors ..if so...wouldn't Fuji be a very close 2nd consistently? Edited January 11, 2015 by kramit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob214 Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 i feel if raga, caby, fajardo wanted something changed on the bike to make it better, easier, or whatever then gg, beta and sherco would be happy to make that change. then they would test it and if it worked even physiologically it wold be implemented. i don't think it's something that can be nailed down by us. maybe we should ask raga, caby and fajardo why they think they can't beat bou? I doubt Bou's bike is a big advantage over the competitors ..if so...wouldn'tFuji be a very close 2nd consistently? give me fuji's bike and i still couldn't do any better. fuji's time at the top is nearing the end. i like him but time is not on his side. this new injury doesn't help either. i don't think any new current young rider will come up faster than bou will go down or retire while on top. rob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mospeed Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 I would be interested to know what Honda's R&D budget is compared to the other manufacturer's. I'm no expert in the field of trials but in my humble opinion I would say Bou is currently the best rider with the best package and on the bike that suits him more, probably because Honda invest more. This is evident not only in trials but in all motorcycling in general. Motorcycle sport is big business now and although I have never been a Honda fan, I can tell you from working on various manufacturers bikes that they are usually better put together than most others. He probably earns more also, which is a great motivator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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