Why dont more people ride bikes? Why is there a general...
Discussion
In my short time on ph i have noticed the common car vs bike debate come up numerouss times most recently the TT debate.
From a young age i was always into cars watched every F1 race,rally and went to the motorshow every year, etc. I never followed bikes as much.
Then i turnt 17 and purchased a 125 to get some road experience on the advice of my dad before/whilst doing my driving lessons, i even had the compulsory crash that every new biker inevitably has! So 6 months later i sold my bike and was brought a car and this is where i am miffed as to why more people dont take up riding. As soon as i no longer had a bike i wanted one back it was like having a limb missing. So i purchased another bike and then traded that in for a 250 2 stroke as an incentive to do my full bike license which i promptly completed.
Ever since i have ridden, i am now the proud owner of a GSXR 750k9 in and a 2011 Speed Triple and want to get an RS250 in the near future. I have driven various cars including but not limited to the following: Focus ST Mountune(my current car),RS4,S3 chipped,350z, vxr astra, elise,911 c4s, crossfire supercharged,m3 e46,monaro supercharged(although briefly),m6,etc and although some are very accomplished,very fast and are admittedly great fun they still do not offer levels of excitment my bikes do. Yes bikes are practically useless in the winter and arent very comfortable at times but for pure thrills and experience i think they are very hard to beat which is personally what i want from a car/bike. I assume most petrolheads look for this?
I am aware some people cant afford the luxury of both but for those that can why do you choose not to ride? Every person who is into cars that i have asked has either said unsafe/to difficult to learn/ not practical ie wearing a helmet, winter riding, etc. I was also going to mention that for the cost of buying and running an old ford ka you could have an extremely capable bike.
So for anyone that drives and doesnt ride your view would be great?
From a young age i was always into cars watched every F1 race,rally and went to the motorshow every year, etc. I never followed bikes as much.
Then i turnt 17 and purchased a 125 to get some road experience on the advice of my dad before/whilst doing my driving lessons, i even had the compulsory crash that every new biker inevitably has! So 6 months later i sold my bike and was brought a car and this is where i am miffed as to why more people dont take up riding. As soon as i no longer had a bike i wanted one back it was like having a limb missing. So i purchased another bike and then traded that in for a 250 2 stroke as an incentive to do my full bike license which i promptly completed.
Ever since i have ridden, i am now the proud owner of a GSXR 750k9 in and a 2011 Speed Triple and want to get an RS250 in the near future. I have driven various cars including but not limited to the following: Focus ST Mountune(my current car),RS4,S3 chipped,350z, vxr astra, elise,911 c4s, crossfire supercharged,m3 e46,monaro supercharged(although briefly),m6,etc and although some are very accomplished,very fast and are admittedly great fun they still do not offer levels of excitment my bikes do. Yes bikes are practically useless in the winter and arent very comfortable at times but for pure thrills and experience i think they are very hard to beat which is personally what i want from a car/bike. I assume most petrolheads look for this?
I am aware some people cant afford the luxury of both but for those that can why do you choose not to ride? Every person who is into cars that i have asked has either said unsafe/to difficult to learn/ not practical ie wearing a helmet, winter riding, etc. I was also going to mention that for the cost of buying and running an old ford ka you could have an extremely capable bike.
So for anyone that drives and doesnt ride your view would be great?
Froomee said:
why don't you ride bikes?
I personally know two people who have had lifechanging bike accidents and was in the first car behind a fatal single-bike-into-armco accident.I like how my elbows and knees work currently, so I'll stick to trundling about in a rollcage on wheels.
C
- people worry about the safety aspect.
- it also seems like more and more people today don't know how/have never ridden a pedal bike...can't imagine how they'll manage on a motorbike.
- people want to be in a box, and unaffected by the outside weather.
- people perceive them as death machines. In the sense that the bike will cause you to crash (and not the stupid person with poor judgement riding it).
- you can't carry lots of passengers/luggage
- bikes are significantly mroe easier to steal then cars
- it also seems like more and more people today don't know how/have never ridden a pedal bike...can't imagine how they'll manage on a motorbike.
- people want to be in a box, and unaffected by the outside weather.
- people perceive them as death machines. In the sense that the bike will cause you to crash (and not the stupid person with poor judgement riding it).
- you can't carry lots of passengers/luggage
- bikes are significantly mroe easier to steal then cars
Edited by ambuletz on Tuesday 7th June 18:34
I have always wanted to get my bike license, but I'm put off by:
Cost of getting full License (including time off work)
Cost of buying associated gear
Perceived likelihood of serious injury or death (mainly by er indoors)
Practicality - I have a company car and a Family wagon for hauling kids, a Bike would be just for my own enjoyment - this makes it difficult to justify!
Still want one though!
Cost of getting full License (including time off work)
Cost of buying associated gear
Perceived likelihood of serious injury or death (mainly by er indoors)
Practicality - I have a company car and a Family wagon for hauling kids, a Bike would be just for my own enjoyment - this makes it difficult to justify!
Still want one though!
I don't think there is, I've been a car nut all my life. I did 8 years of trackdays in cars before I ever rode a bike. I did my direct access last year and bought a learner bike (100bhp Honda Hornet) as I got jacked off with the traffic jams on the way to work (40mile round trip). I'm already planning on trading in next year for a blade or something I like the bikes. If I was in some random position where it was choose between say a Honda Elise with all the trimmings or any bike on the planet I'd take the Elise mind. One or the other, I'd not need a supercar to swing it the car way.
I think now more than ever more people should get on bikes so the road system could cope better. Most commuting is single occupancy in a car so why not be on a bike?
I think now more than ever more people should get on bikes so the road system could cope better. Most commuting is single occupancy in a car so why not be on a bike?
Getting a bike licence has become increasingly difficult and expensive. The new test seems designed to put people off. The other thing is that car ownership has become much more viable for youngsters (let's not mention insurance), than it was, say 20 years ago.
You can get a perfectly usable car for a few hundred quid, but at that price level you'd be in the rancid old s
tter bracket for bikes.
DAS + test + gear + bike is relatively expensive and time consuming.
Also the perception of greater danger on today's roads must put a fair few off.
It's a shame because getting a bike licence was one of the best things I've ever done.
You can get a perfectly usable car for a few hundred quid, but at that price level you'd be in the rancid old s
tter bracket for bikes.DAS + test + gear + bike is relatively expensive and time consuming.
Also the perception of greater danger on today's roads must put a fair few off.
It's a shame because getting a bike licence was one of the best things I've ever done.
apologies for the spelling errors etc in the original post and the title im on my phone.
Just to comment on some of the things noted so far i found my license was easy after spending a year on a 125 and the only reason i dont like rain is because i have to clean my bikes. I actually enjoy riding in the rain as long as i have waterproof clothing! Wearing protection on hot days is a drag but i use body armour,etc to help and all that lovely fresh wind at 70mph helps too
I would also add i am 25 did my test at 21(the old test) and i would agree that my bike test is one of the best things i have ever done. A lot of people doubt it before they try it or so i have found, if this thread inspires one person to jump on a bike ill be happy!
Just to comment on some of the things noted so far i found my license was easy after spending a year on a 125 and the only reason i dont like rain is because i have to clean my bikes. I actually enjoy riding in the rain as long as i have waterproof clothing! Wearing protection on hot days is a drag but i use body armour,etc to help and all that lovely fresh wind at 70mph helps too
I would also add i am 25 did my test at 21(the old test) and i would agree that my bike test is one of the best things i have ever done. A lot of people doubt it before they try it or so i have found, if this thread inspires one person to jump on a bike ill be happy!
Edited by Froomee on Tuesday 7th June 18:38
I've had bikes for over 10 years now, my current main bike is a Triumph Tiger 1050 and I have a couple of project bikes.
I've been thinking about stopping riding just due to the amount of carnage I've seen first hand and the amount of friends that I've lost or that have been really badly hurt in bike crashes.
Last month a young driver didn't see my mates bright orange fireblade and pulled out in front of him, then stopped in the middle of the road giving the him no-where to go.
The resulting crash has left my mate with pins in his neck, a broken collar bone and a broken arm. This was in town at 25mph, the same accident in the car would have meant swapping insurance docs and a wait for the tow truck.
He's the third person I've known well that's ended up with spinal injuries in the last 4 years. It looks like he'll make a full recovery but the others wont.
Yes it's the best toy I have and I love it dearly. Bikes have ruined fast cars for me because they don't really seem worth the hassle and expense.
But all it takes is one wrong move and life as you know it is gone, for a good proportion of the population the risk isn't worth the reward.
I'm currently 50/50 and will decide what to do after next weeks tour of Germany and Austria.
I've been thinking about stopping riding just due to the amount of carnage I've seen first hand and the amount of friends that I've lost or that have been really badly hurt in bike crashes.
Last month a young driver didn't see my mates bright orange fireblade and pulled out in front of him, then stopped in the middle of the road giving the him no-where to go.
The resulting crash has left my mate with pins in his neck, a broken collar bone and a broken arm. This was in town at 25mph, the same accident in the car would have meant swapping insurance docs and a wait for the tow truck.
He's the third person I've known well that's ended up with spinal injuries in the last 4 years. It looks like he'll make a full recovery but the others wont.
Yes it's the best toy I have and I love it dearly. Bikes have ruined fast cars for me because they don't really seem worth the hassle and expense.
But all it takes is one wrong move and life as you know it is gone, for a good proportion of the population the risk isn't worth the reward.
I'm currently 50/50 and will decide what to do after next weeks tour of Germany and Austria.
Dunno, I honestly can't answer the OP's question.
I should be drooling over superbikes, they provide the handling and acceleration that I look to for enjoyment when driving.
However, they just don't light my candle. Never have. It's not the fact that I find cars can be more beautiful either. There is no reason, I just don't like bikes.
Same thing with watches. Quartz logically wins over mechanical, to me yet mechanical is better.
To bend the subject slightly, I seriously suggest that the OP tries a bike engined car for giggles.
I should be drooling over superbikes, they provide the handling and acceleration that I look to for enjoyment when driving.
However, they just don't light my candle. Never have. It's not the fact that I find cars can be more beautiful either. There is no reason, I just don't like bikes.
Same thing with watches. Quartz logically wins over mechanical, to me yet mechanical is better.
To bend the subject slightly, I seriously suggest that the OP tries a bike engined car for giggles.
Edited by mikeveal on Tuesday 7th June 18:42
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