Permabanned
- Joined
- 10 Dec 2008
- Posts
- 4,080
- Location
- London
I have been a car driver for 16+ years. I have driven lots of cars ranging from old bangers to SLKs and Nissan Z350s. Currently have a Mazda 6. I consider myself a fairly competant driver, and currently live in SouthWest London.
Something clicked in my brain about a month ago and I decided to learn to ride a motorbike (my wife says midlife crises!). I'm still just on a little 125 with L plates.
Since then -- it has been a revelation. In memory order of the advantages -- I always filled up my Mazda 6 the same time every other week .. petrol price ... £55-£60. Been doing exactly, precisely the same journey on the bike .. first fill up at my normal 'first Wednesday of the month' ... £6.15 please!!! Honestly no-more petrol would go in!
So thats effectively £50 in my back pocket every other week from now on. Week in, week out. A month passes? Why not go and buy 4 DECENT PC games with the saving. Next month? Another 4 games ... honestly -- the savings are amazing.
Insurance? Mazda 6 -- £465 please. CBF -- £138 please! Tax -- well -- use your imagination. The saving is MASSIVE.
Secondly -- it previously took me about 1 hour 5 minutes to get to work in the Mazda (or if there was an accident, could be 2 hours plus). Currently on the bike -- 35 minutes (if accident, maybe 45 minutes). And most motorbikes overtake me as I'm not dodging traffic like they can. My mate says I can expect 25-30 minutes when I'm more confident. So thats 1 hour 20 of my life PER WORK DAY saved. A little bit of maths - even after I wipe off holidays etc .. thats more than 10 DAYS A YEAR believe it or not -- I'm no longer in traffic .. I'm at home, or down the pub, or with the missus. That is a lot of time added to my life. That is a lot of time NOT just sitting looking at the back of the car in front.
Parking - easy. Free in most places where car owners have to pay.
Is biking more dangerous? Well -- if you crash you're gonna feel it .. but honestly -- you can ride as bad-a$$ or as safe as you want. I honestly believe you can be about as likely as a car to have an accident, if you sit in the middle of the road not overtaking, and acting just like a car. If you drove your car at 25mph everywhere you'd be safer than you currently are .. basically you take yer chances you take yer rewards. You don't wrap yourself in bubblewrap when you drive .. so you know about risk taking and reward .. trust me, with a bike, its definately DEFINATELY worth it.
Also if you're a 'green' (I'm not) -- well, a bike is amazing for emissions.
I guess all I'm saying is that for 16 years I was DEAD 100% ANTI-BIKE just like you probably are -- thinking of them as stupid deathtraps and thinking 'never never never, you'd have to be mental'. I just now think of the amount of time I've pointlessly wasted in traffic, and think 'what a waste' for sticking with driving for so long. What a waste of life. What a waste of money. Jees, I used to get excited by a 0-60 of 7.5 seconds. After I've done my DAS -- for just a few grand I'm going to be 0-60 in 3.3 seconds if I choose to. I'm going to have performance 99% of drivers will only ever dream of.
So drivers -- consider .. just consider at least for a couple of minutes before writing the motorbike idea off completely. I regret writing them off for that 16 years, and paid the price in money, in time, in performance, in everything. Now I'm on a bike it just seems like a no-brainer. It just seems car drivers are definately making the wrong choice (probably out of fear or 'normal people drive') .. apart from obvious you lot with kids/luggage etc.
This is not a rant. This is not a 'slate the car drivers' (I still am one). This is a post from a bloke just like you, who just gave biking a go ..
Join me on 2 wheels! I regret missing 16 years of it! Like I said -- right now, having a bike is simply a no brainer!
Something clicked in my brain about a month ago and I decided to learn to ride a motorbike (my wife says midlife crises!). I'm still just on a little 125 with L plates.
Since then -- it has been a revelation. In memory order of the advantages -- I always filled up my Mazda 6 the same time every other week .. petrol price ... £55-£60. Been doing exactly, precisely the same journey on the bike .. first fill up at my normal 'first Wednesday of the month' ... £6.15 please!!! Honestly no-more petrol would go in!
So thats effectively £50 in my back pocket every other week from now on. Week in, week out. A month passes? Why not go and buy 4 DECENT PC games with the saving. Next month? Another 4 games ... honestly -- the savings are amazing.
Insurance? Mazda 6 -- £465 please. CBF -- £138 please! Tax -- well -- use your imagination. The saving is MASSIVE.
Secondly -- it previously took me about 1 hour 5 minutes to get to work in the Mazda (or if there was an accident, could be 2 hours plus). Currently on the bike -- 35 minutes (if accident, maybe 45 minutes). And most motorbikes overtake me as I'm not dodging traffic like they can. My mate says I can expect 25-30 minutes when I'm more confident. So thats 1 hour 20 of my life PER WORK DAY saved. A little bit of maths - even after I wipe off holidays etc .. thats more than 10 DAYS A YEAR believe it or not -- I'm no longer in traffic .. I'm at home, or down the pub, or with the missus. That is a lot of time added to my life. That is a lot of time NOT just sitting looking at the back of the car in front.
Parking - easy. Free in most places where car owners have to pay.
Is biking more dangerous? Well -- if you crash you're gonna feel it .. but honestly -- you can ride as bad-a$$ or as safe as you want. I honestly believe you can be about as likely as a car to have an accident, if you sit in the middle of the road not overtaking, and acting just like a car. If you drove your car at 25mph everywhere you'd be safer than you currently are .. basically you take yer chances you take yer rewards. You don't wrap yourself in bubblewrap when you drive .. so you know about risk taking and reward .. trust me, with a bike, its definately DEFINATELY worth it.
Also if you're a 'green' (I'm not) -- well, a bike is amazing for emissions.
I guess all I'm saying is that for 16 years I was DEAD 100% ANTI-BIKE just like you probably are -- thinking of them as stupid deathtraps and thinking 'never never never, you'd have to be mental'. I just now think of the amount of time I've pointlessly wasted in traffic, and think 'what a waste' for sticking with driving for so long. What a waste of life. What a waste of money. Jees, I used to get excited by a 0-60 of 7.5 seconds. After I've done my DAS -- for just a few grand I'm going to be 0-60 in 3.3 seconds if I choose to. I'm going to have performance 99% of drivers will only ever dream of.
So drivers -- consider .. just consider at least for a couple of minutes before writing the motorbike idea off completely. I regret writing them off for that 16 years, and paid the price in money, in time, in performance, in everything. Now I'm on a bike it just seems like a no-brainer. It just seems car drivers are definately making the wrong choice (probably out of fear or 'normal people drive') .. apart from obvious you lot with kids/luggage etc.
This is not a rant. This is not a 'slate the car drivers' (I still am one). This is a post from a bloke just like you, who just gave biking a go ..
Join me on 2 wheels! I regret missing 16 years of it! Like I said -- right now, having a bike is simply a no brainer!
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Nearly sprained my ankle in the process 