Why don't more performance car enthusiasts ride motorbikes?

[Rawwr]

Monty Python said:

Always remember what a US trauma surgeon called motorcyclists when it rains - organ donors.

I always call children 'potential cot-death victims'. For some reason the parents don't like it. I can't figure it out because it's so witty and accurate.

[Cold]

I don't like them. No need for made up excuses about milk or clothing, they just don't do anything for me and offer zero appeal.

[Integroo]

Esceptico said:

But bikes are dirt cheap. A second hand litre bike can be bought for £4k and won't depreciate much after that. Running costs are low. Yes you have to spend a bit to get the gear but you don't have to do that each year. A lot of performance car enthusiasts spend more modifying their car than it costs to buy and run a bike. If the choice is between a slightly older car plus a bike and just a car, then seems an easy decision to me.

4k on the bike, 1k on kit, 2k on licence ... not that many people have 7k to drop on a toy as well as running their car.

Also I'm a clumsy fk and would definitely kill myself.

I still remember coming round a corner on a back road in my car, pushing on but not breaking the speed limits, and as I come round this sharp corner a motorcyclist skids across the road in front of me, his bike following not long after. Chap had lost it at the corner. If I had been round the corner 3 seconds later he may have been dead.

[RizzoTheRat]

Shiv_P said:

You get cold, you can't hear anything, it's uncomfortable, no radio, no seat, no heated seat
Etc

I have a heated jacket, heated grips, an iPod and a pretty comfy seat. I still do way less miles on the bike than I do in the car. I have used the bike a lot for commuting in the past when it meant it was quicker than the car (about half the total time getting from Farnborough to Heathrow at rush hour), or where the commute was on interesting roads, but for a commute on dual carriageway and uncongested urban roads the car's just less hassle.

Completely agree with the above poster, for me these days the bike is a toy and the car is a tool.

[PixelpeepS3]

It's a safety thing for me - if some cock-socket pulls out in front of me in a car doing 70 i'm most likely to survive.

i hate that i feel that way.. i get that 'for fun' a bike would smash the st out of any car pound for pound - i just have some criteria for my transport that bikes do not pass.

[Rawwr]

Shiv_P said:

If I want to go to get some milk I don't want to have to put on some "appropriate clothing"
I want to just get in the car and go
I'm lazy, comfort is key, car provides more comfort, therefore car is for me

Imagine if you could have a car and a bike.

[Esceptico]

otolith said:

It also depends what it is that you like about driving. If it's acceleration, yes, a bike is going to give you that in spades. If it's playing in the corners, a car has a lot more margin for error correction and lower stakes if you mess up.

Yes but you obviously take that into account on a bike (or should take that into account). Once you can ride the most fun on bikes is to be had in the corners.

[Rawwr]

PTF said:

No car comes close the the feeling of involvement that riding a motorbike provides.

I'm going to disagree. Lotus 340R vs Kawasacki ER-5? I'll take the car. Honda Fireblade vs BMW M5? I'll take the bike. It's not a black and white thing.

[PTF]

Rawwr said:

PTF said:

No car comes close the the feeling of involvement that riding a motorbike provides.

I'm going to disagree. Lotus 340R vs Kawasacki ER-5? I'll take the car. Honda Fireblade vs BMW M5? I'll take the bike. It's not a black and white thing.

Yeah ok i sort of agree with you

[Esceptico]

Shiv_P said:

You get cold, you can't hear anything, it's uncomfortable, no radio, no seat, no heated seat
Etc

Is that from experience?

I don't ride much in the winter and I am more often too hot on the bike, not too cold.

What are you trying to hear in the car? When I am going out for a drive (just for fun) in the car it is not to listen to the radio.

I find bikes more comfortable than cars. Some roads near me are pretty st and in the car you get bounced around. The bike seems to handle the bumps better.

If your focus is on comfort and the radio I am not sure you are a performance car enthusiast.

[PTF]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Me too!

[GhostWKD]

For me I just don't think you could go for a relaxed run out on a bike vs a car. Like the idea of being able to take it easy with music and generally a bit more comfort than the bike would offer. Also if a friend wants a run out too there's much less logistics to consider

[mgv8]

The fun thing with the bike is 0-60 2.8s 0-100 6.2s and all for £6000 (bike only). What would you be spending on a car to get the same?

[Shiv_P]

Esceptico said:

Is that from experience?

I don't ride much in the winter and I am more often too hot on the bike, not too cold.

What are you trying to hear in the car? When I am going out for a drive (just for fun) in the car it is not to listen to the radio.

I find bikes more comfortable than cars. Some roads near me are pretty st and in the car you get bounced around. The bike seems to handle the bumps better.

If your focus is on comfort and the radio I am not sure you are a performance car enthusiast.

Passenger experience I will admit, but there's no doubt even a relatively cheap bike will st all over some performance cars on the UK road
I just think cars are more flexible and safer, but I'm sure I will try biking properly one day

[Conscript]

I have no shame in saying, it's because I'm scared. Not of myself, not because "I wouldn't trust myself", because I agree, that's a bit of a cop out. I'm scared of the risks associated with riding a motorbike. You are inherently more vulnerable even if you ride like a saint, and I've heard far too many anecdotes of riders being seriously hurt due to the actions of other road users. That's not to say being in a car precludes you from being in a serious accident, but you are generally better protected if you are.

The thing is, I love the idea of owning a motorbike. 10 years ago, I really wanted to get one, and none of the above really bothered me...but I couldn't afford one. Now, where I am in a more comfortable position where I could probably afford one, I have a nagging sense of doubt, and the above is all I can put it down to - I worry about what would happen if I was seriously injured on one.

It's completely irrational I know, especially as I cycle on the roads anyway (albeit much slower), but it's stopping me from getting one. And yes, my girlfriend doesn't want me to have one, but that's not what's stopping me. Besides, she rides a horse and has had a serious accident falling from one, so she has no grounds to lecture me on safety

[Rawwr]

Shiv_P said:

I just think cars are more flexible and safer, but I'm sure I will try biking properly one day

Do your CBT.

[kambites]

For me the problem is the lack of weather windows where it's pleasant. I don't enjoy it if it's:

1) Too hot
2) Too cold
3) Wet

Which basically means 95% of days in the UK, I'd rather be in a car.

[TIGA84]

I'd ride one on a track, I wouldn't ride one on the road.

There are far too many extra variables that come into play on a bike on the public roads (many of which are out of your control) that wouldn't exist in a car and you have far far less protection, even with all the gear.

[henrycrun]

Too many endbells looking at phones and not looking out for anyone else

[FWDRacer]

Because they want to remain as living breathing Performance car enthusiasts. Bikes don't scare me, but the antics of some road based car users most certainly does.