Car vs Bike Ownership

[Silver]

Okay, for my own curiosity and because another thread seemed to bring up the "argument". What are your thoughts on bike/car ownership?

Personally, I cannot get by without a car. I wear a suit at work and have to go out an visit customers from time to time. It really isn't practical for me to use a bike for this. Plus I'm lazy. In the time that it would have taken me to get the bike out of the garage, put all my bike on etc I would be half way to work in the car. Then there are other concerns, like how the hell do you get £80 worth of food shopping (for example) on a bike? I know people who live this that but they are always asking for lifts/getting the bus/taxis and it'd do my head in. I like things straight forward, and I don't like relying on others when I don't have to

Don't get me wrong, I love my bike(s) but they are just toys. It's a very expensive hobby as far as I'm concerned. That doesn't mean I don't ride all year, or I stay in unless it's bright sunshine, it's just that I choose the practicalities of a car. That's not to say that if I won the lottery (and had people to go shopping for me) that I wouldn't have an entire fleet of expensive sports cars...

[Dom_]

Pointless argument really, the two are too much different from each other.

[nick.h]

and have different uses (this is how i see cars and bikes)

bikes - fun
cars - practicality
____________________
[Italjet MM5A] ll [Rieju RS1 Evolution] ll [Suzuki GS500e] ll [Suzuki GSX600F] ll [Honda CG125] ll [Pug Elyseo 125] ll [Yamaha YZF750R] ll [Yamaha Thunderace] ll [Yamaha R6] ll [Triumph 955i] ll [Hayabusa RZK3] ll [Suzuki RGV250] ll

[Silver]

[Jrod]

Im young and wreckless, I want fun = I want a bike
I can act mature = When I think I should of got a car.

[Raffles_Gentleman Thug]

See ,for me at the moment, a bike is far more practical than owning a car. I don't have room at home to park a car, my journey to work would take 3 times as long because of the traffic, there aren't enough parking places at work, insurance is cheaper on a bike as i have 3yrs NCB and 0 for a car (no licence yet) and road tax is very cheap as i ride an RS250.

So for me, at the moment, a bike is practical and a car would be an expensive toy.
____________________
"Is sir addressing me or is he masticating on a house brick? Because either way sir loses his teeth."

[Bendy]

Bike for fun and car for practicality.

I'd like the car to be fun too, but fun cars tend to cost more than fun bikes. So for now, it's fun bike and boring car.

[Sparks!]

I voted 2, I don't *actually* have a car but am doing lessons/test to get a car 100% for practicality reasons, it will enable me to do MORE of the good biking stuff I like to do (getting the supermoto to track!) but all the fun is in biking! They just not that practical for some things.
____________________
Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes

[meyrick]

Ask me again when my hand stops aching. Off this morning. Cars are more forgiving when you hit a kerb at speed

Paul

[JonB]

I have nothing against cars just at the moment they just don't appeal to me at all.

When I need to be practical I will want one, but right now if I need to be practical I still got the parents.
____________________
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[Ste]

Had a bike for a bit less than 18 months before getting a car to sort out learning to drive. Got a bit annoying carryings things like mini moto's on the back, easier for going some places and carrying things without having to bungee it down or put it on your back, don't have to get changed, can take more than 1 passenger. And bikes have a roof, heating and a a stereo which are all good.

Will be sorting out to drive soon(ish) after I get my license back, and I have a good arguement for when people tell me to get a car instead of a bike as bikes are dangerous.

Got neither currently.

[ebo]

My brothers dad is a die hard biker , nerver had a car licence and rides one of his kwakazaki 12r's every where. (Why does a man have two 12'rs you say? I dont know either! ) Anyway when he goes shopping he simply comes out with his shopping and puts it in a taxi and tells the bloke to follow him home!! Good plan by me if you like taxis.... lol

[mr jamez]

Car for fun

Bike for fun

[Frost]

Car for winter, commuting, traveling long distance, picking people up, doing the shopping.

Bike for sunny days of fun

[dodsi]

I am 19 and cannot afford the expence of a car

Cannot be bothered giving people lifts everywhere, cant afford fuel costs for a car compared to a bike

The bike does 50/60mpg, costs £250 to insure and £70 a tyre £45 road tax £15 MOT and costs £1000

Car would cost £800 too insure £1500 to buy a decent one and £70 a tyre X 2 40mpg if your good. road tax is more etc

[mr jamez]

[Ste]

£1500 to buy a car, or you can spend £200 on a car if you're on a limited budget. You can spend as little or as much as you want.

[meyrick]

[dodsi]

Yes...BUT a £200 car needs work on it normally and never runs right and uses more fuel!

[Ste]

Nope, it didn't need a single thing doing to it, wasn't used much but didn't break even a little bit. Cheapest vehicle I've ever bought I never had to spend a penny fixing it unlike every other vehicle I've owned.

[MarJay]

You didn't have an option of

" I have two bikes but I chav my girlfriends car when its icy and she's not using it or when J and S have still got my crash helmet that they claim was damaged by me rather than poor workmanship."


____________________
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.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Got both and use both. Probably do more miles by bike at the moment, but it has varied.

Cars can be fun, as can bikes.

Main car and bike wise.

Car (Alfa 33 P4) does 28mpg, will do around 30000 miles on a set of tyres (<£200), needs an oil change at 6000 miles, costs £280 to insure fully comp (which covers rather more than bike fully comp), costs £160 to tax (I think) and costs £35 to MOT.

Bike (FZR600) does 50mpg, will do under 10000 miles on a set of tyres (about the same price as the car), needs an oil change at around 4000 miles, costs £130 to insure tpft, £45 to tax and £15 to MOT.

Basically cost wise they are about the same.

Generally I would expect cars to be cheaper as parts are so much cheaper (eg, did the brakes on a neighbours Nova and front disks and pads with reconditioned calipers was about £100, where it would be at least double that for the FZR600 even using rebuild kits).

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Robby]

I like both, but bikes are now strictly toys for me, when I have one.

My car uses a lot of fuel, but tyres last for 20k+, servicing is 150 quid at a garage every 10k, far fewer random breakdowns and bits generally breaking.
Fun to drive when it needs to be and precise handling on 225 section tyres.

Bike is more fun when I have one, but they break down more and wear out faster.

[Silver]

[Fire_Eyes]

Well for me I would always go with the bike. However, sometimes you NEED a car. In some cases the only thing that would work out for you is a car. For example, if you want to go shopping, you need a car if you intend to get alot of stuff back, or if the weather is like piss (unless you're a risk taker) you need a car. But my point of view is.. cars suck! The more i like bikes the more I find cars dull. I can't sit there like a lazy bloke listening to some music, stare around, be like the majority of people. I like to be fast, I like to be from the rare people, I want to use my whole body to travel, the only sound I want to hear is my engine although I have ear plugs on, and I like to see people looking at me and saying woah! Not to mention the looks I get from little kids. Sorry for the long post .
____________________
Kawasaki ZZR 400 | K5 GSX-R 600