Yesterday, we posted this vintage photo of Grand Prix world champs Freddie Spencer and Kenny Roberts on our Facebook page with this simple question: “Anybody miss those days?” Turns out that more than a few of you do, and we received dozens of fun responses, many of which we’re sharing here. Add one of your own comments if you’d like.
“Real Racers! Man vs. Machine vs. Track!!! No TC. No computers. No Nothing!!! Fast Freddie is the Man!!!”—Chris Florentino
“(1983) No. 3 Freddie Spencer NS500 V3…No. 4 Kenny Roberts YZR500 V4.”—Dean Gray
“Back when men were men and motorcycles went ring-ding-ding.”—John Volden
“I miss the 500cc two-strokers in MotoGP.”—Rudy Gonzales
“Two-strokes rule! O ya…how ’bout Mamola and King Kenny wheelieing for miles at Laguna in the ’80s. Not sure they were even racing, just seeing who could do the longest wheelstand without crashing. Top that!”—Terry Deems
“Love the old 2 stroke GP bikes. Really wish they would find a place to re-air old races.”—Cycle Sports TV
“Crazy 2 stroke power.”—Dean Perry
“The bikes were demons.”—Go Coffee Energy
“GP racing went down the toilet when they abandoned the 500cc 2 strokes.”—Bill Keenan
“Oh yeah…the good old days.”—Jerry Nagy
“I miss seeing them wheelieing all the way through the short chicanes!”—Scott Koenig
“Those were the days when the top riders were from the USA! They put it to everybody!!!”—Keith Haskins
“I miss the close racing, the larger than life personalities, but not the carnage. Too many lives lost. We had fuller grids, private built bikes vs. factory. Now it’s a PR circus. The racers are molded into PR machines to keep sponsors and TV happy—no swearing, no banter… Still brave warriors, but the cost of entry to the big arena!!”—Vincent Gibbon
“500cc, 2 stroke engines, no traction control…Priceless!!!!”—Gareth Francis
“Roberts, Rainey, Schwantz, Lawson, Mamola. It would be nice to see some old racing.”—Jimmy Neal Orange, Jr.
“I miss the 2 stroke days. That’s when racing was done with the throttle and the seat of your pants.”—Kevin Rushforth
“Very much so. As much as we all appreciate the safety factor involved in today’s racing, and all the technology that helps achieve it, the memory of the speed and talent that these guys showed, and the balls they had, will always live on and be appreciated.”—Andrew Fischer
“I dig the Marlboro on the side of the bike even though I don’t smoke anymore.”—Sean Edwards
“Real motorcycles instead of computerized models.”—Gary Hilliard
“Totally balls out racing.”—Andy Collingwood
“2 smokers rule!”—Dan Dean
“Great days. Great bikes. Great riders.”—Iain Joseph Ballantine
“Loved the bikes. So much respect for the men who could ride them.”—Mark Madrid
“I miss those sounds and smells.”—Scott Cox
“One for the ages.”—Lancaster Honda
“Current MotoGP World Championship is still a rivalry between HONDA and YAMAHA.”—Azeem Aslan
Americans on top kicking butt!—Michael Gilliland
“You can take my RZ350 from my cold dead hands. I love the smell of 2 strokes in the morning. It smells like Victory!”—Joe Resendes
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