Looking at the Moto2 class today, we have 4 chassis makers - Kalex, KTM, MV Augusta and NTS. We've lost Suter, TSR and FTR since the introduction of the class. The KTM and MV Augustas look very similar and the Kalex and NTS look similar too. We have a spec engine, which although I am pleased is a Triumph, means it is almost a spec bike class these days. Moto3 is worse with just 2 bikes Honda and KTM/Husqvarna/Gas Gas.
I know the 250cc class used to get criticised for being TZ dominated in the 70 and 80s, but even there were Kawasakis, Morbidellis/MBAs, Harley Davidsons, the Elf Pariesiennes, Defi and the myriad of Rotax powered machines, in the 90s we had Honda, Yamaha, Aprilia/Gilera, Suzuki and TSR Hondas. There were huge number of different frame makers and lots of innovations, in the engine configurations you had parallel twins, in line twins, V twins, reverse cylinder parallel twins - pretty much every layout was used (ok I can't remember a boxer/flat twin engine being used). You had different bikes popping up for their home rounds and different riders dropping in and out of the championship, and they were often very competitive/winners, especially for the Japanese and US rounds.
The 125cc were even better and you got home built specials like Gert Bender's bikes and Harald Bartol's bikes to name just two.
It was interesting to look at the bikes as well as to watch the racing.
I just can't get excited by Moto2 and Moto3 now and I for one was always more interested in the 250s and 125cc than the 500s in the 70s/80s and 90s, they seemed far more accessible. Hell I even rode a TZR250 reverse cylinder, RGV Gamma and RD125LC on the road, which I thought were the dogs******** because they were true race replicas.
What can we do to make the classes more interesting and to make them more accessible so we can get more makes in, more riders and especially riders from outside of Spain? I'm not biased against Spanish riders, but Spain and Italy seem to be the only countries where sponsors are willing to pay the big bucks to finance riders and teams and so why would they not sponsor their own? Moto2 and Moto3 were supposed to make the "junior" classes more accessible, but it looks to me as if it has had the opposite effect.
Maybe if we had a claiming rule like the AMA used to have where for a certain sum of money any rider can stump up the cash and claim the winning bike and buy it. I remember when one of the American privateer riders Bob Bailey claimed John Coopers works BSA for $10k. That would certainly cap costs!
I know it's been mentioned before here as well, but 2 strokes would also significantly reduce costs and I am pretty sure that modern day 2 strokes are just as environmentally friendly as the 4 strokes.
I would just like to see more interesting bikes, and by more interesting I don't mean more wings or appendages on them.