Bikes... motorbikes...

secretsam

I have mixed feelings about (motor)bikes.
On one hand, silly, impractical and dangerous.
On the other...fun! (Although I confess I have never really ridden one).
So what's your take? How hard/risky is riding? Costs??

PS: Mid-life crisis? Probably.

ddraver

Best way to commute if cycling is too far

Have almost all the benefits of bikes.

Probably the best way to road trip (car - too boring, bike - too slow)

If you don't buy a mahoosive one there is no reason why the should be particularly dangerous (he says...)

Costs - Can pick up a new 125 for about 2000, 1 day CBT about 100-130. If it's just to save petrol on the commute that will do you fine and you can see if you like it. I've been stuck there for some years now.

Assuming you're not a child, a Direct Access Course will cost you about 4 - 700 depending on how much training you need and what it includes (test fees etc). Mot of the practice seems to be for the MOD 1 Test which is the riding around cones very slowly bit, then MOD 2 is the driving test. If you have a car licence that should be fine but you'll need some practice being 'perfick' for 30 mins.

If you've driven a car and ridden a bike in traffic, you'll have no issues.

monkimark

My motorbike is my main transport, and the most practical. My commute is just over 20 miles into London so driving would take forever. I cycle in 1 day a week but the extra 20 minutes is the difference between getting back for the kids bedtime or not.

I have been riding a 'big bike' for 10+ years and a scooter for 5 years before that and I've never had a proper crash (not one where I have fallen off or been injured). I'd say the risk is similar to cycling, although it depends how heavy on the throttle/observant you are.

Riding a motorbike can be loads of fun in a way that I can't imagine any car ever would be and not necessarily just at high speeds.

What are you getting it for, practical commuting tool or fun weekend toy?

pblakeney

I have been known to push the envelope and beyond on my bicycle.
Who knows the damage I could do to myself with a powered faster version.

dabber

I think a lot of it comes down to your own self control. It's very easy to start really pushing the speed and, depending on what bike you ended up with, the response can be instant and electrifying.....which gives you an instant buzz and adrenalin rush.
I had a Yamaha R1 for a few years and I realised my self controlwas gradually eroding and I was taking more and more chances. I traded it in and bought a BMW R1150GS... a very different bike and more of an all rounder. Plenty fast enough for me and it helped me keep a lot more sensible.
But, bikes are great fun.

secretsam

monkimark said:

What are you getting it for, practical commuting tool or fun weekend toy?

Toy, mostly, although may become commuter if I start going to office (35 miles x-country)

monkimark

Don't forget to factor in helmet, clothes etc in the cost. My helmet, jacket, boots & trousers together are probably worth more than my bike (and I have at least 2 of each).

john80

I have 125 cc scooter and like it for the odd commute. It is not much of a saving by the time you include all th costs such as the bike depreciation and all the protective gear. I would use it a lot more if I could go all Thai style and put two kids on it for the couple of miles to school on country lanes. Health and safety puts a stop to this craic.

PMark

One of the guys at work has a powerful motorbike which he sometimes commutes on. But he won't ride it in if there is a chance of rain (as he says it is too easy to skid when accelerating, especially if you hit a drain cover). Which means an almost 2x as long bus/train ride on those days.

I did suggest maybe getting something a bit more practical as well, but he said all his biker mates would take the piss out of him...

Ben6899

Used to thrash around on unregistered 50cc Hondas. Not been on one since those halcyon days.

johngti

I had a 750 sports/tourer when I lived in N Wales but really don’t fancy one down here. I don’t even like driving a car anymore, just too much traffic

Wheelspinner

I’d agree with @dabber above. I’ve ridden motorcycles for nearly 50 years now, from dirt bikes on a farm as a kid through to commuting, some touring and a fair bit of fun pointless fanging about.

“Sport” bikes these days are ludicrously fast, and a sure-fire ticket to A&E or the cemetery for anyone other than *very* experienced and skillful riders.

Where I lived in Sydney there was a very popular road through nearby national park which attracted loads of (new and old) bikers every weekend. And almost every weekend there was a serious accident involving one or more of them, often with fatalities and road closures for hours.

johngti

Wheelspinner said:

I’d agree with @dabber above. I’ve ridden motorcycles for nearly 50 years now, from dirt bikes on a farm as a kid through to commuting, some touring and a fair bit of fun pointless fanging about.

“Sport” bikes these days are ludicrously fast, and a sure-fire ticket to A&E or the cemetery for anyone other than *very* experienced and skillful riders.

Where I lived in Sydney there was a very popular road through nearby national park which attracted loads of (new and old) bikers every weekend. And almost every weekend there was a serious accident involving one or more of them, often with fatalities and road closures for hours.

It was (still is maybe) really popular in N Wales too. Dad was still working when I lived up there, lost count of the number of times he was called out (he was a paramedic - training manager for the Welsh Ambulance Service - axles then). Generally middle aged men spending their bonuses on fast sports bikes and not having a clue how to ride them. So they’d go hard into a bend, think their new bike was a bad in a corner as the one they rode when they were kids and do something silly like laying the bike down. And then they’d hit a wall at 80+.

webboo

East Yorkshire to North Yorkshire Moors they are scraping people off the road every fine day.

pblakeney

Hospital nickname for Sunday bikers is "donors".

DeVlaeminck

If you are very sensible and want a modern C90 equivalent (I think there might actually be a modern Honda C90 copy) to commute on then - otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Yes it's fun when you are 19 but in middle age you are painfully aware of the risks and less willing to accept being frozen to death or the aggro of having to get ready rather than just jumping in the car.

I mean some do still use powered 2 wheelers daily so obviously not all feel the same - my uncle is 70ish and still rides like a lunatic but I doubt someone new to it would enjoy that.

Also passing your test these days sounds about on a par with getting a pilots licence.

imposter2.0

secretsam said:

I have mixed feelings about (motor)bikes.
On one hand, silly, impractical and dangerous.
On the other...fun! (Although I confess I have never really ridden one).
So what's your take? How hard/risky is riding? Costs??

PS: Mid-life crisis? Probably.

Ex long term motocross and road biker here. I was still riding a few classic MX events up to a few years ago, but climbed off my last sports bike (a TL1000R) nearly 20 years ago now, as I probably wouldn't be here posting this now if I'd kept riding it.

I can't comment on the DVSA test as it is today, as I took mine several iterations ago. All I would say is that unless you have a compelling reason for riding one on the road, then I'd think twice about it.

ddraver

Feel the need to point out that not every bike is a super bike and not everyone is incapable of controlling themselves...

I'm sure the vast majority of us seem to avoid driving our cars at the ragged, tyre squealing edge all the time. No difference.

imposter2.0

ddraver said:

Feel the need to point out that not every bike is a super bike and not everyone is incapable of controlling themselves...

I'm sure the vast majority of us seem to avoid driving our cars at the ragged, tyre squealing edge all the time. No difference.

No need to point that out, unless you enjoy stating the obvious. Not every biker rides a sportsbike, just like not every driver drives a Ferrari.

secretsam

imposter2.0 said:

secretsam said:

I have mixed feelings about (motor)bikes.
On one hand, silly, impractical and dangerous.
On the other...fun! (Although I confess I have never really ridden one).
So what's your take? How hard/risky is riding? Costs??

PS: Mid-life crisis? Probably.

All I would say is that unless you have a compelling reason for riding one on the road, then I'd think twice about it.

Mmm... perhaps you are right

monkimark

You could say the same about road cycling...

imposter2.0

monkimark said:

You could say the same about road cycling...

You absolutely could - but the margins for error are considerably wider on a pushbike..

monkimark

On the other hand, you're never going to get close passed by an HGV if you're riding a Panigale

mully79

monkimark said:

On the other hand, you're never going to get close passed by an HGV if you're riding a Panigale

I’ve had a lorry push into my lane who didn’t see me. Ended up squashed between two HGVs with elbows touching the trailers each side.

secretsam

monkimark said:

On the other hand, you're never going to get close passed by an HGV if you're riding a Panigale

I have no idea what that is

ddraver

If Mario Cippolini was a bike...

monkimark

You're doing it wrong, you're supposed to be going significantly faster than the HGVs

mully79 said:

monkimark said:

On the other hand, you're never going to get close passed by an HGV if you're riding a Panigale

I’ve had a lorry push into my lane who didn’t see me. Ended up squashed between two HGVs with elbows touching the trailers each side.

Charlie_Croker

Ducati Panigale
https://videos.ctfassets.net/x7j9qwvpvr5s/6Ywwj0Dxg1kSq1wXt7rkco/fb31b1326541bf54a6ada28c0e715210/20211123_PANIGALE_LOOP10SECS_V2.mp4
one of them, in the sun

secretsam

Charlie_Croker said:

Ducati Panigale
https://videos.ctfassets.net/x7j9qwvpvr5s/6Ywwj0Dxg1kSq1wXt7rkco/fb31b1326541bf54a6ada28c0e715210/20211123_PANIGALE_LOOP10SECS_V2.mp4
one of them, in the sun

Ah. I don't want one of those 🤣

monkimark

Supermoto is what you need for thrills at road legal speeds, if i were in the market for a summer fun bike, it would be a supermoto.

veronese68

monkimark said:

Supermoto is what you need for thrills at road legal speeds, if i were in the market for a summer fun bike, it would be a supermoto.

This, but a roadgoing one rather than a converted race bike. A mate lent me a KTM525SMR that had been made road legal(ish). Fastest thing I've ever ridden to about 60, you had to kick it through the gears as quick as you could whilst trying to climb over the front of it to stop it flipping. The oil change interval was given in xx hours of running as they had no clocks, this one had a cycle computer fitted for the MOT. I think it was 107kg with a full tank of juice. It was an absolute scream, but I was glad to hand it back at the end of the week.