How many of you own a car and still ride over winter?

[reed]

Just a curiosity really, having passed my driving test in December, i have started my bike twice, and rode it once, while i was changing something on my car.

Personally, i can't believe i went the last 4 years or so just on a bike over the winter, i find it great waking up with no concern over whether it is raining or not, then chucking the heating on and being on my way. Yes traffic is a little annoying, but i am so WAAARM!

I can never see myself riding through the winter again, at least not January-February time. So how many of you still ride a bike over the winter, despite holding a 'car' licence?

It is also great being able to do things on my bike, and take parts from it places if i need to, and not having to use the bike at all. Winter bike work is now possible!!

I also got rid of that shitty Fiat Cinquecento i had, if any of you remember my previous post, and got this beast;

https://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/2015/02/03/Pug.jpg
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Generic XOR 50, Gilera SMT 50, GSXR 400 GK73A, Ducati Monster 600, Honda Hornet 600.
Sold. Stolen. Written off. Sold. Current.

[blueglue]

I got my car licence at 17 and my bike licence at 31 (im 32 now) so i still make any excuse to ride the bike when i can .

HOWEVER the car does win from time to time and having owned 3 x Peugeot 306's i want another one now.......i used to love my GTI6's

[DieselASFC]

I have a Car Licence, but no car at present. They are a massive financial drain, and I was struggling to justify owning one when the vast majority of my journeys was just me, commuting to work. I will likely buy a shitty little runabout at some point in the near future, to use on particularly bad days, go shopping etc.

I would certainly never just have a car and no bike though.

[reed]

I got my bike licence as soon as i turned 17, and my car licence within the last couple months (I am 20).

I agree that i could not see myself just owning a car, the bike has to remain with me!!
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Generic XOR 50, Gilera SMT 50, GSXR 400 GK73A, Ducati Monster 600, Honda Hornet 600.
Sold. Stolen. Written off. Sold. Current.

[reed]

[Groove]

I bought a new bike about 10 days ago.

The omy time I've ridden it was when I bought it home!

too cold and icey to enjoy a 1000cc sports bike im summer clothing I think...

Company car does take out any need to ever commute though.

I'm hoping this weekend will have a dry spell with 6 degrees heat which I've decided is my cut off temperature
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[bamt]

I've got both, and only use the car when the bike isn't suitable (e.g. needing to turn up to a customer site suited and booted, or carrying a lot of kit that won't fit in panniers). When my bike was off the road for a day waiting for a new tyre I took Mrs bamt's 125 on the 90 mile round trip commute rather than the car. (she now has a full license and a proper bike).

Having said that, I use my pushbike rather than the car too - in a previous job I was 10 miles from work, and used the pushbike year round. In the past, when flying on business, I'd cycle the 30 miles to Heathrow, leave my pushbike in left luggage (£8/day for secure storage) and shower/change in the airline lounge before my flight. Work would have happily paid for a taxi.

I like being out in the world. Yes, it can be less hassle jumping straight into a car rather than kitting up, but then you don't get to feel the change of seasons, smell the world, feel microclimates as you drop into valleys with streams, experience actually living rather than existing inside boxes (house, car, work, car, shops, home, repeat). Proper kit means I'm arriving at work just as warm as if I'd been in the car, even in the current sub-zeroes.

FWIW, for over 10 years my cars have been Jag XJs, so lovely comfy machines in their own right that eat up the miles. I'm not comparing riding with driving a clapped out shopping car.

[P.]

I drive daily. Ride in nice weathers now unless its an offroader or something cheap.

[el_oso]

have both.

used the car for the first time in a number of weeks on Monday to drop a containerfull of old engine oil at the dump.

I wouldn't ever want to drive to work, I'd even get the train over driving. Driving 16miles into Canary wharf from Romford would be hell. Would take at least an hour, compared to the 27/34 minutes on a bike.

From my gf's place in Twickenham I'm not sure how many hours it would take. It takes an hour on the bike, filtering the entire way.
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Duke 390
Previous: '05 XR125L | '96 XJ600S Diversion |'05 Suzuki GSXR1000 | '05 Honda CBR125-R | '97 YZF 600R Thundercat | '11 Honda CBR250
Car: Jeep Wrangler 4.0L

[Mudshark]

have two cars, don't/wont use them for commuting, hate sitting in traffic, parking's a feking nightmare here, so use the cycle, bike or run (6 to 11 miles). Year round
use the bike all year except when there is ice or roads are wet and salty
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R1250RS
XT660X

[Amber Phoenix]

Have a car and bike. Never drive car to work. Ever.

But then I work near London Bridge. To take the car would entail doubling my commute time (~2hr each way), paying £8/day congestion charge and god knows how much in parking (prob £20-30/day). just not even an option.

On the flip side, it is rarely so bad in central London you can't ride. Even in the 'burbs where I live I have about 40m of side street which isn't gritted to deal with, that's all. Even then, there's always a tonne of traffic that will generally clear it. Never ever seen any other roads I use covered in snow. In the 2.5 years I've been riding, only one day has there been, when I looked outside and decided there was too much snow. In the winter, it's often more treacherous walking the mile to the tube, as the pavement soon turns to compressed solid ice and isn't gritted!

Even then, I've got the option to work from home...
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Beginner Biker Adventures Blog
Yamaha FZ6 S2 2007

[Snowdonia Rider]

I still ride my bike more than I use my car despite the weather. Bike is much cheaper to run and maintain than my MG ZS 2.5 V6.
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[Suntan Sid]

I did my stint of all year round commuting many years ago, (the exuberance of youth)!
Didn't have a car at the time but I did have the option of the train, if I was snowed in.
The reality is "man points" don't really exist and once it becomes a chore there's not much point, especially if riding your bike is something you enjoy at other times!
Thinking about it 99% of my "offs" have been during winter.
If I was still commuting I probably wouldn't be using a bike in the winter, it doesn't seem like fun!
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[bikertomm]

Have both, passed car at 17 & full bike at 19.

I do near 30,000 a miles a year driving, bike comes out on sunny days, mainly weekends

I don't think I'd ever ride in winter, too many variables to increase the chances of getting potato'd, plus I only ride for pleasure.

I prefer grippy tyres and summer evening rides through the countryside as fast as possible without being a twat / getting a fine.


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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[iooi]

I will use bike as long as its not snowing or there is ice on the roads. More than happy to ride in minus temps so long as its dry.

More from the point that I do not trust other drivers with my safety in poor road conditions.
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[Wave2k]

Used to as parking where I worked sucked and was only 5 miles.
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
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[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Have car and bike. Don't commute. Have put about 3.5-4k bike miles in since November, got wet twice. But probably about 85-90% of those bike miles mentioned have been on wet roads - yesterday everywhere I rode was bone dry though, and it was at least thrice the fun. Don't have heated grips but do layer up, and have only really felt cold three or four times.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Beehive Bedlam]

I can never see myself owning a car far too impatient for traffic I see cars every day in one massive cluster fuck going no where fast as I hoon past on my Varadero.

[chickenstrip]

I think what we'll get from this thread is that it depends on an individual's circumstances. Man points? No, no; don't need to prove anything to anyone. I love bikes with a passion, but every mile I did last year on the bike, with very few exceptions, was for fun - something like 20,000 of them

I had my bike license from the earliest possible moment, and didn't get my car entitlement until I left the RAF at about 25 years old, and then only because the RAF paid for my lessons on leaving. I had a car now and again after that, but nearly always had a bike. That was always my priority. I have both again now, and the bike stays OTR through winter for those occasional days when the roads are dry and the sun is out, but haven't been out on it since 2nd Jan now. Cold I can deal with, but heavy rain, snow and ice mean the bike stays in the garage.

Bugger all traffic around here to worry about, and I wouldn't waste bike miles on my 3 mile each way commute.
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[Rogerborg]

I've been automobiling it most days this year and am... sort of liking it.

Parking is a mile from work, so I'm actually getting exercise. In for 7:30, out at 4, traffic is OK. No cocking around with zips and velcro and gloves and more velcro and BUGGER IT I've done it in the wrong order, off again, on again. 400 miles to the tank, so less time fumbling in my groin in petrol stations.

First light unfrosted morning will sort it out, I'm sure.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[bikertomm]

[1198]

I have a car as well as four bikes. In winter the bikes get used mainly as toys - very much sunny days only, purely for lea sure trips whereas in the warmer months get used far more often, trips between Hampshire, Yorkshire, Shropshire and To the North of Glasgow as a norm.
I do 25k or so on 4 wheels, about 10k on the 8 wheels per annum.

[J4mes]

Yes, as long as there isn't frost on the roads

When my bike isn't hanging from the joists in the garage awaiting new fork seals that is

[defblade]

[MCN.]

Nope, car all the way for me. But then again i'm not a big fan of riding full stop really, unless it's for lulz.