Are motorcycles irrelevant to the future?

[and]

...

[Tarmacsurfer]

That's quite incredible. Every time I suspect MCN have plumbed the depths they manage to bring new meaning to the term non-story.
____________________
I'm immortal. Well, so far.

[Dazbo666]

I stopped reading MCN quite some time ago, mainly because of all the sensationalist, reactive storylines coming from blinkered, uninformed plonkers like that

you got my support ulthar
____________________
1st bike (Sept'06 - May'10) : 1991 GPZ500S / Current bike (since Nov 2009) : 2003 Suzuki Bandit 600N
Word of the day : DILLIGAF

[neil.]

Kinda funny, when I used to ride a bicycle everywhere before I went for the type with an engine, any opinions/feelings relating to motorcyclists never entered into the frame for me at all. It was car drivers who were the ones to look out for. All the cyclists I know who are pretty militant about it too never really bring up the topic of motorcyclists either.
____________________
CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[Polarbear]

I really hate pushbikes. I know thats just generalising a group where there are good and bad but I can't help it.

They seem to fall into 2 groups round here:
1. The idiot, who rides around with no thought to anything. Wrong side of the road, at night and no lights is a norm on our estate.
2. The serious rider, the ones in lycra, with sports gear who ride in groups of 20 or more all across the road and hold up everyone with huge tailbacks.

I really think there shouls be a license system with some form of compulsory test before bikes are used on the road.

I've had some bastard scrape up the side of my Alfa in a queue and when I tried to confront him he just laughed and rode off. If I'd got hold of him I'd have shoved that push bike so far up.....
You get the picture!

But thats never going to happen

____________________
Victory Cross Country American tractor.

[neil.]

https://mirror.servut.us/kuvat/meinung/reaction_guys_bicycle_crash.jpg
____________________
CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[MarJay]

Electric motorcycles are feasible. Electric cars aren't really.

Read the story, its basically a way of getting their forum invaded by people like us (or less er... polite shall we say?)
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Polarbear]

[T0MMY]

Just another MCN "daily mail" style anger inducer.

By the way, suggesting bicycles don't have a future is pretty mental given future fuel price rises, increasing congestion and even the potential for some kind of energy crisis one day.

I hate cyclists generally but bicycles are undeniably the most efficient form of transport we have and for that they have to be admired

I rarely ever cycle but if I had a short commute it would be the obvious choice.
____________________
ZX6R + CBR600RR

[and]

...

[T0MMY]

[c-m]

Bicycles do require fuel though.

If you are cycling 20miles a day, you need a eat many more calories. Food is more expensive then petrol.

Still I wish i still had my bicycle, handy for short distance stuff, or visiting friends or drunk riding.

[smegballs]

[and]

...

[G]

On the pedanticisim, I'm not sure food is more expensive.
You can get a bag of potatoes or pasta with a hell of a lot of calories in for not that much at all. Also generally considerably better 'environmental impact' as they need less processing and take in Co2 from the air, some of which is dumped into the ground at some point.
Further, cyclists are more likely to be 'healthy', and I believe those really serious about it also can die quite young from heart failure despite being in otherwise good shape, further saving money!

Of course, this would solve a lot of the problems:
https://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/bttf/images/5/56/Mrfusion.png

Personally I think electric push bikes can make a lot of sense for a lot of urban journeys and can see this market sector increasing if society will allow it - a weight between a motorbike and push bike, but the size and flexibility of a push bike (easily stick it in the hall of your cramped London flat). Easily recharged for pennies and speeds that will keep up with the speed limits in urban areas.

[smegballs]

[c-m]

[DEN MONKEY]

I find some of the comments re cyclists a tad hypocritical to say the least.

I've recently pulled out the pushie and started riding to and from work. It's only a 15km round trip but I figure it gets me off my arse and can only be a good thing.

I've noted a few things since I got back to it.
Cars and motorcycles see me less then they do when Im on the moto and show me even less respect. In 1 week I was very close to being knocked off 3 times. Riding the motor bike came in handy here as I luckily preempted each of them.

I'ver often heard on these forums that the common thought is that all cagers should be made to get their motorbike license so they are more aware of us and sympathetic to the challenges of riding.
So I suggest getting your butt on a pushbike and take a bit of a journey to see what it's like for yourself.

I understand regardless of the type of transport there are dickheads controlling each of them and they are the ones we notice most.

All that said and on the topic at hand once I started riding to work, 3 more of my colleagues have pulled out their pushies and are making a go of it.

I'd say they're on the comeback. If anything halts that it's either lazyness or the dangers experienced at the hands of other road users.

I used to ride the pushie everywhere when I had no choice and I'd forgotten the fun that I used to have doing it.
I've also come to appreciate the motorbike and riding that much more when I get the chance.
I ride it now because I choose to, not because I have to.
____________________
meh

[T0MMY]

[G]

Bicycles actually eat tyres pretty quickly too, though a lot less rubber, but not so sure about production costs per mile etc. Similarly with chains and other consumables. Of course, not many people do 50 miles a day every day on their bikes or regularly do a few hundred at a weekend.

Plenty of people can get 10k miles or so out of fairly thin tyres. If you kept acceleration and top speed to push bike speeds I suspect motorbike tyre would last a long time .

[T0MMY]

[G]

[Harold_Shand]

I was just thinking today, I use an electric buggy (think working class golf buggy on steroids) at work but I think a donkey or horse would be the most 'eco' option. I could collect the shit and double it up as compost, too. My tool shed is an old stable, perfect.

I think using animals is obviously very natural. Maybe people wouldn't travel as far by horse and cart... but then we'd have to live and work where we live... and maybe even have communities?
____________________
BCF's 6th favourite poster 2009-2010

Harold_Shand's theory might be the best explanation.

[T0MMY]

Peace out brother, right on
____________________
ZX6R + CBR600RR

[Glory Hunter]