Do you ever envy those rocket ships with 1WD?
Discussion
ash73 said:
phil1979 said:
TurboHatchback said:
...there's just no lust factor whatsoever
Madness 
trickywoo said:
TurboHatchback said:
Also bikes don't really do anything for me from a mechanical point of view. To me they all look the same, none of them sound very good and there's just no lust factor whatsoever.
LOL. You need to be sat on one with the throttle pinned at 13k. Its utterly electrifying. Have you heard a RSV4?TurboHatchback said:
I expect I've heard an RSV4 at some point though I wouldn't recognize one, it's still at two cylinders short of the minimum requirement for making a nice noise IMHO (obviously this is very subjective).
Hopefully a whoosh parrot coming my way but the clue is in the name its a V4.When you are on a bike it sounds very different to one going past.
trickywoo said:
ZX10R NIN said:
Learning your craft by jumping straight on a 600cc is harder because you have more access to high performance.
Thats maybe where I went wrong. First bike was a V Twin 1000 Tuono.A properly set up bike that gives you confidence makes all the difference - I never got on with the front end feel of the Tuono.
I had a short period using 250 cc bikes, and can remember howling with pleasure at the performance even those gave me. I was aware however that very often bikes (like aeroplanes) often don't take prisoners when something goes wrong.
Would I like the experience of riding a high performance bike in the long-ish term? absolutely. Would I have the depth of skill to stay alive on one, on todays roads? Unfortunately, almost certainly not.
TurboHatchback said:
In traffic I envy the ability to filter, otherwise no. Fast cars have more than enough performance for the road, any more would either never be used or lose me my license. I drive barges nowadays anyway as the majority of UK driving is so crushingly dull, doing it on a bike would just add discomfort, danger of death and much faffing around with leather romper suits to proceedings for no real advantage.
I disagree. You can use so much more of a bike on the road than you can a car. You can dispatch traffic with ease, and 60 on a bike, even a very fast bike, feels fast, and going 0-60 on a bike is fun. It's not a matter of putting your foot down, feeling a bit of a shove then it all being over. What you can do on the road, legally, on a bike is so much more visceral than in a car, where you have so much removing you and numbing your experience. Most bikes give more performance than most cars, but they also let you feel that performance.As for faffing with clothes, I don't get what people talk about with this. Yes, I put on protective trousers, but other than that it is just gloves and a helmet, which take seconds, and a coat and boots, which I would be wearing anyway.
TurboHatchback said:
The safety aspect is also enough to put me off. You can be as good as you like but it's more or less inevitable that at some point someone will do something stupid that you can't mitigate or avoid and bad things will happen to you.
It's not inevitable at all. Any more than having a crash in a car is. I have no idea why people think that you are guaranteed to have a crash. As long as you are sensible and ride defensively then it is by no means guaranteed.luckystrike said:
gsxr renegade said:
Neither do i, nor most people that i know who ride bikes. That's why trips to the shops/pootling about are conducted in whatever i'm wearing at the time (usually jeans, trainers, and a hoody/t-shirt), plus a helmet and gloves. It's not difficult. 
If 'most riders you know' don't wear safety gear that's a little worrying.TurboHatchback said:
or...
3. Some other muppet would kill me and I'd rather they didn't.
Thousands die in cars every year - you'd better give up driving. 3. Some other muppet would kill me and I'd rather they didn't.
Meh, we will all die one day. If it's that dangerous I've no idea how I've survived 15 years riding without being killed at least once.
I take it your wife pulls the strings and won't allow you to have one then? That's usually the case with those who protest the most.
Edited by DuraAce on Thursday 1st October 10:49
ZX10R NIN said:
Your first bike was Tuono a bike known for lack of front end feel, plus the constant battle to keep the said front end in contact with the tarmac in the first place lol.JonoG81 said:
In this day and age with the amount of traffic and complete and utter 
ends on the road I would rather be surrounded by lots of metal and airbags. If you ride a bike every day, in all weathers I doff my cap to you.
Those two are the biggest reasons for riding a bike! ends on the road I would rather be surrounded by lots of metal and airbags. If you ride a bike every day, in all weathers I doff my cap to you. On a bike you can evade bell ends at will. You get a spidey sense of who they are - Honda Jazz - won't notice you, ever / Vauxhall Vectra - high chance of veering like a loon to close that gap / White Van - pot luck if he'll either be super helpful or a t
t / Audi A4 TDi - will almost certainly get rage at you filtering and those who are more likely to be helpful. In any case, you can at least be gone before most of them are even aware of you being on the road if required.Amount of traffic is the biggest reason to use a bike outside of s
ts and giggles at the weekend- traffic becomes a minor inconvenience and not a major ball ache. Case in point, the A338 roadworks in Bournemouth are adding 30 min extra to a car commute, but just 5 minutes to mine. An hour a day saved on top of probably another hour on the standard commute each day - 2hrs a day saved - that's worth looking like a gimp in leathers.kambites said:
Straight-line speed isn't my thing but I certainly envy their ability to filter through traffic and over-take so easily.
I bought an old Vespa years ago for commuting in London and would often get stucķ behind bikes sat in traffic making zero effort to get through. Morons.I'm not jealous - bikes are a one trick pony, speed. I personally hate wearing helmets too.
Decent ones aren't cheap and you need to run a car too. I like to be warm and comfortable and have the radio on when I drive.
The problem is they can only be enjoyed if driven like an idiot.
I do a bit, and have come close to getting one a few times.
I liken the comparable buzz, having been on a few, to taking crack into the small hours with Keith Richards, Keith Moon and Keith Chegwin, where driving most cars, even fast ones, in comparison is like a few pleasant ales and an early night. Caterfields and other such things are more like lunch with the three Keiths, obviously still with some drugs but doesnt require hospitalisation.
I liken the comparable buzz, having been on a few, to taking crack into the small hours with Keith Richards, Keith Moon and Keith Chegwin, where driving most cars, even fast ones, in comparison is like a few pleasant ales and an early night. Caterfields and other such things are more like lunch with the three Keiths, obviously still with some drugs but doesnt require hospitalisation.
Always surprised why on a site called 'Pistonheads' this is even an argument.
Really, it should be 'cars AND bikes' not 'cars OR bikes'.
I do both and a few years ago would have said I saw myself as a car driver first and a biker second but biking has got under my skin to the point where I think of myself as a biker now, and will find excuses to take the bike over the car. I think it's a combination of ever more crowded roads, stupid speed limits and the disconnection you feel driving these days. Everyone is in a fury, hates each other on the road, checks their phone, drives badly etc etc. On bikes you are just free. Nobody texts you or calls you, you can't get annoyed at the DJ on the radio, you can smell the air, the grass in the fields, the sea as you pass. All your fellow bikers wave or nod, they chat to you when you're stopped and pull over and help if you've been involved in an incident.
I often feel when I've been out in the car that I fear for the human race and wonder how we've ended up at point where driving makes us so angry at each other. I come back in after a ride on the bike and feel like actually, people are alright really. It has about it a sense of community that I suspect driving had in the good old days.
Really, it should be 'cars AND bikes' not 'cars OR bikes'.
I do both and a few years ago would have said I saw myself as a car driver first and a biker second but biking has got under my skin to the point where I think of myself as a biker now, and will find excuses to take the bike over the car. I think it's a combination of ever more crowded roads, stupid speed limits and the disconnection you feel driving these days. Everyone is in a fury, hates each other on the road, checks their phone, drives badly etc etc. On bikes you are just free. Nobody texts you or calls you, you can't get annoyed at the DJ on the radio, you can smell the air, the grass in the fields, the sea as you pass. All your fellow bikers wave or nod, they chat to you when you're stopped and pull over and help if you've been involved in an incident.
I often feel when I've been out in the car that I fear for the human race and wonder how we've ended up at point where driving makes us so angry at each other. I come back in after a ride on the bike and feel like actually, people are alright really. It has about it a sense of community that I suspect driving had in the good old days.
Disastrous said:
Always surprised why on a site called 'Pistonheads' this is even an argument.
Really, it should be 'cars AND bikes' not 'cars OR bikes'.
I do both and a few years ago would have said I saw myself as a car driver first and a biker second but biking has got under my skin to the point where I think of myself as a biker now, and will find excuses to take the bike over the car. I think it's a combination of ever more crowded roads, stupid speed limits and the disconnection you feel driving these days. Everyone is in a fury, hates each other on the road, checks their phone, drives badly etc etc. On bikes you are just free. Nobody texts you or calls you, you can't get annoyed at the DJ on the radio, you can smell the air, the grass in the fields, the sea as you pass. All your fellow bikers wave or nod, they chat to you when you're stopped and pull over and help if you've been involved in an incident.
I often feel when I've been out in the car that I fear for the human race and wonder how we've ended up at point where driving makes us so angry at each other. I come back in after a ride on the bike and feel like actually, people are alright really. It has about it a sense of community that I suspect driving had in the good old days.
Great post. In contrast to the 'bike's are a one trick pony' drivel in the preceding post.Really, it should be 'cars AND bikes' not 'cars OR bikes'.
I do both and a few years ago would have said I saw myself as a car driver first and a biker second but biking has got under my skin to the point where I think of myself as a biker now, and will find excuses to take the bike over the car. I think it's a combination of ever more crowded roads, stupid speed limits and the disconnection you feel driving these days. Everyone is in a fury, hates each other on the road, checks their phone, drives badly etc etc. On bikes you are just free. Nobody texts you or calls you, you can't get annoyed at the DJ on the radio, you can smell the air, the grass in the fields, the sea as you pass. All your fellow bikers wave or nod, they chat to you when you're stopped and pull over and help if you've been involved in an incident.
I often feel when I've been out in the car that I fear for the human race and wonder how we've ended up at point where driving makes us so angry at each other. I come back in after a ride on the bike and feel like actually, people are alright really. It has about it a sense of community that I suspect driving had in the good old days.
Mr2Mike said:
ILoveMondeo said:
I sometimes think that it sounds like a good idea, I can go and get a top of the range super-spanky mega bike from some exotic outfit for essentially pocket change compared to the cost of equally exotic cars.
And then I see the way so many of them are driven, by a complete set of cock sockets, intent on pissing people off, showing off, or just riding like fking loons.
Then there's the group hard man mentality when they get together for a hoon.
The illegal numberplates you see on so many of them are a minor, but recurring gripe too.
But surely you see exactly the same kind of behaviour in certain car drivers? How come teenagers ragging chavved up hatchbacks through council estates haven't put you off driving?And then I see the way so many of them are driven, by a complete set of cock sockets, intent on pissing people off, showing off, or just riding like f
king loons.Then there's the group hard man mentality when they get together for a hoon.
The illegal numberplates you see on so many of them are a minor, but recurring gripe too.
Have you never seen a car with an illegal numberplate?
Personally I don't "hoon" with large groups either in the car or the bike because the mentality and the resulting behaviour is exactly the same in both when random bunches of 'enthusiasts' get together. I only ride with family and friends who I trust.
LankyLegoHead said:
I've always wanted one, and for my 23rd Birthday earlier this month my Mum and her Husband bought me an old GPZ500S to learn on.
The GPZ is a great little bike, I had one some years back. Properly set up they aren't slow either, it will take a pretty serious car to keep up on acceleration. If you have the single front disc model and the brakes are poor, the caliper is very probably seized. An SV650 caliper bolts straight on and is a lot easier to find.Edited by Mr2Mike on Thursday 1st October 09:09
MarshPhantom said:
kambites said:
Straight-line speed isn't my thing but I certainly envy their ability to filter through traffic and over-take so easily.
I bought an old Vespa years ago for commuting in London and would often get stuck behind bikes sat in traffic making zero effort to get through. Morons.I'm not jealous - bikes are a one trick pony, speed. I personally hate wearing helmets too.
Decent ones aren't cheap and you need to run a car too. I like to be warm and comfortable and have the radio on when I drive.
The problem is they can only be enjoyed if driven like an idiot.
deltashad said:
It's great to see the nod and respect between the bike community.
The comradeship between car enthusiasts is not like the old days. I get more nods of respect in my elise from bikers than performance car drivers, it's strange.
I expect it's that Elise/sportscar drivers are, like bikers, recognisably enthusiasts and out to enjoy the experience whereas I guess 90% of people using the road are only there because they need to get somewhere.The comradeship between car enthusiasts is not like the old days. I get more nods of respect in my elise from bikers than performance car drivers, it's strange.
The Beaver King said:
ILoveMondeo said:
......It's definitely not all of them, but the dick heads are absolutely the majority of them that I see. I live a few miles away from a very busy "bikers cafe" so perhaps we just seem more of the nob jockeys than our fair share around this way?
You get the same with any 'group' though; I've seen plenty of knobs in fast cars driving like they're on circuit. Even more worryingly is the amount of drivers who just aren't paying attention. Bikers may act like dicks, but at least you know they are fully focused on the road. Riding home from work, the sheer amount of people I see sat on their phones is incredible.Completely agree about Harley riders though
I think SOME of the Harley riders are one step away from a crappy old camper can with the native american motif on the spare wheel cover and "born to be free" stickers.. on a campsite in dorset..... and they probably all own a 3 wolf moon t-shirt.
trickywoo said:
TurboHatchback said:
I expect I've heard an RSV4 at some point though I wouldn't recognize one, it's still at two cylinders short of the minimum requirement for making a nice noise IMHO (obviously this is very subjective).
Hopefully a whoosh parrot coming my way but the clue is in the name its a V4.SteveSteveson said:
TurboHatchback said:
The safety aspect is also enough to put me off. You can be as good as you like but it's more or less inevitable that at some point someone will do something stupid that you can't mitigate or avoid and bad things will happen to you.
It's not inevitable at all. Any more than having a crash in a car is. I have no idea why people think that you are guaranteed to have a crash. As long as you are sensible and ride defensively then it is by no means guaranteed.DuraAce said:
I take it your wife pulls the strings and won't allow you to have one then? That's usually the case with those who protest the most.
Err, no. I don't want one (a wife or a bike).Don't get me wrong, I'd love a go on a bike, they look great fun just not on the road (due to the prevalence of blind idiocy) and not for actually going anywhere. If I was cursed to commute through stationary traffic I'd get one just for that but otherwise no.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff