Pull the Rip Cord…

First Impressions
The Ripcord does really seem to be what they set out for this piece. Decent length but truly a ball that is pretty quick off the friction.

Our Testers:
Cody Shoemaker (Righty)
Style: Power player
RPM: 435 rpm
PAP: 4 5/8; 5/8 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: 12
Axis rotation: 60
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 45 x 5 x 50
Intent: Medium roll with a medium transition at the breakpoint

Tamer Elbaga (Lefty)
Style: Tweener
RPM: 375 rpm
PAP: 5 & 3/8 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: low
Axis rotation: medium/high
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 65 x 5 x 40
Intent: Medium/long roll with a medium transition at the breakpoint

Bryan Hoffman (Righty)
Style: Higher Tilt Stroker
RPM: 280 rpm
PAP: 4 1/4 & 1/8 down
Average Speed: 17.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: high
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 65 x 4.5 x 35
Intent: Medium roll with a slow transition at the breakpoint

Thanks to Jeff Smith and Pure It Bowling for drilling our equipment.
Buy the Motiv Ripcord at PureItBowling.com
Thanks to Limerick Bowl in Limerick, PA.

“Keep in mind that coverstock accounts for 70% of ball reaction, but the core creates the dynamic shape of the reaction. Your driller will alter the shape to suit your game.”

Test Pattern:
THS: 40ft, 23ml
Sport: Kegel Abbey Road 40ft, 24.2 ml, 3.7:1 ratio

Value
B+
The Motiv Ripcord just feels like a good ball worth the price of entry.

Specs
The Ripcord uses the Oblivion™ symmetrical core inside the new Infusion™ Reactive coverstock.
15 pound = RG of 2.53, diff of .047
14 pound = RG of 2.54, diff of .058
Coverstock finish: 5000 grit LSP

Overall
THS: B+
Sport: B-
All manufacturers have a characteristic motion. Rightly or wrongly, Motiv has been chasing the “quick off the spot” motion for a while and there have been a few that hit that mark. I’ve always felt that Motiv has one of the smoothest motions which makes them sometimes more easily playable on tougher conditions but at times leaving you wishing for more angle or quicker reaction for better carry on house. Long story short, the Ripcord seems to be a ball that has combined their hallmark motion with the quicker reaction. So it’s smooth pop. I group it in the type of reaction I call boomy. It gets good length, starts going and then just keeps going. Balls like the Marvel Pearl and HyRoad fit in this category. You see Cody first and the ball displays what I mentioned. It’s not weak so he’s pretty deep. You can also see that on the fresh shot, it can be a touch squirrelly not surprisingly for a shiny piece. More surface or a few games settle that touchiness down. Given its angularity, misses out have a chance to recover. Misses in generally don’t hold.
For me, I really enjoyed the Ripcord. Good shots really drive through the pins. It just barreled through. This ball definitely goes. Again, misses out into the friction pop back so on house you can err to the outside but don’t get out too early as it will jump. It was also clear for me that misses in again don’t hold. This is where that quick reaction to dry hurts a bit. With balls like the Venom Shock Pearl, I used to err to the inside knowing it will hold but isn’t going to recover from outside misses. This ball is the opposite. But it definitely looked like this piece could handle house shots nicely.
Bryan saw a similar reaction. A ball that clears easily and stores energy for a good strong move. In fact he had a quick chance to compare to his Marvel Pearl and the Ripcord is a touch cleaner and a bit more angular with a couple of more boards total hook. Ultimately, he saw a ball that he enjoyed throwing on the house shot.

Sport Shot
We tested on the 40ft Kegel Abbey Road pattern. Cody has 3 balls and on the sport we can get a more accurate read of the ball reaction differences.
The first ball is pin down which reduces the differential and you can still see the aggressive shape of the Ripcord. This one works best from about 18 to 5. You can see how quick the ball is. If he hits 6 down lane, it has no chance to hold.
The second ball is pin up and you can see on the same line it is quicker downlane. So he moves in to 24 at the arrows to 7 to get to the pocket.
The third ball is pin on VAL which is starting to become more popular on tour. With this one it’s right in between the other 2 going 20 to 5.
For me, I’m only testing a pin up Ripcord and I’m about 17 to 7. This is a little quick for me on the sport shot. There’s that type of shiny symmetric look that requires a little breakdown and a bit more room at the breakpoint. However, this is not a weak piece so it pushed me in as well.
Bryan found the pocket going 11 to 6. He liked the shape overall but also had the same comments as me. It’s a little quick for a fresh sport shot. Maybe a touch of surface would smooth it out but he does like the pop he gets with the Ripcord.

Final Thoughts
I think the Ripcord has the potential to be a pretty popular piece once people start rolling it and scoring. The core is well known by now but the new Infusion cover adds a fresh look in terms of downlane reaction for Motiv. To some extent what is giveth taketh away. What I mean is that with it being quicker downlane, you have to rethink your miss area with this Motiv piece. So miss out rather than miss in. Also consider surface to smooth it out a bit. Ultimately, I feel like the Ripcord is a really solid addition and I can see adding it to my arsenal.