Bike vs. car comparisons
Discussion
A friend and I were discussing this the other day, as we are fairly experienced car drivers but fairly new to bikes and although we are both fairly aware of newish bike models and specs etc, with a limited frame of reference, it's difficult to know which bikes we would most enjoy owning/riding.
So is there a MINI Cooper/Golf GTI/911/S-Class/Range Rover of the bike world or are cars and bikes just too different to make that comparison?
My friend reckoned the following based on bikes he has ridden:
Honda CG125 = K10 Micra
Yamaha 125 = Fiesta 1.3 CVH
Suzuki SV650 = Focus ST
Fazer = EP3 Civic Type-R
Kawasaki GPZ = BMW 850i
He recently acquired a BMW F750GS and after initially thinking it would be the bike equivalent of a VW Tiguan/Golf 1.5 TSI, having owned it for a bit longer now, he reckons a Subaru Forester is a closer comparison.
My own experience is a bit more limited to a Yamaha TW200 (old Land Rover Defender?) and my Kawasaki Z400.
I only bought it at the beginning of the summer but am really enjoying it so far. It's light and very nimble without being twitchy and plenty quick enough without being obscenely fast but I guess being basically a naked junior sports bike, I find it a little firm on bumpier roads. It reminds me a little of my R56 MINI Cooper, which I also loved but it is a lot quicker/punchier. I might have said EP3 Civic Type-R as it's a revvy little b
d but at the same time relative to the Civic it does have torque (it'll pull pretty strongly from 40mph in 6th), so maybe a Clio 182?
I would trade a little handling sharpness for a bit more of a supple ride and I can't make my mind up on the gearing. It responds quite well to an aggressive riding style, which is great when you're in the mood but sometimes it would just be nice to sit back and relax a bit more and on the motorway at 70mph, you're doing 7k in 6th, so not ideal for longer journeys/touring.
My brother-in-law has a Vulcan S. Bit less nimble in the corners but has a bit more grunt than mine on the straights and I imagine a little more laid-back, although I haven't ridden it. Would that be more like a V8 Mustang or maybe something more bargy like a Cadillac for instance?
I think I'll keep the Z400 for another year at least but I'm really not sure where I'd go next.
SV650/MT-07/CB650R seems like the logical step but then is that just like upgrading from a Golf GTI to a Golf R/S3 to an RS3/Focus ST to a Focus RS etc, so not really that different?
I also really fancy a Kawasaki Z900RS, BMW rNineT, Triumph Street/Speed Twin or Ducati Scrambler. What would the equivalents to those be in the car world? The Honda Rebel 1100 also really appeals as a leftfield option.
So do certain bikes have comparable character traits to certain cars or are they too different to compare?
So is there a MINI Cooper/Golf GTI/911/S-Class/Range Rover of the bike world or are cars and bikes just too different to make that comparison?
My friend reckoned the following based on bikes he has ridden:
Honda CG125 = K10 Micra
Yamaha 125 = Fiesta 1.3 CVH
Suzuki SV650 = Focus ST
Fazer = EP3 Civic Type-R
Kawasaki GPZ = BMW 850i
He recently acquired a BMW F750GS and after initially thinking it would be the bike equivalent of a VW Tiguan/Golf 1.5 TSI, having owned it for a bit longer now, he reckons a Subaru Forester is a closer comparison.
My own experience is a bit more limited to a Yamaha TW200 (old Land Rover Defender?) and my Kawasaki Z400.
I only bought it at the beginning of the summer but am really enjoying it so far. It's light and very nimble without being twitchy and plenty quick enough without being obscenely fast but I guess being basically a naked junior sports bike, I find it a little firm on bumpier roads. It reminds me a little of my R56 MINI Cooper, which I also loved but it is a lot quicker/punchier. I might have said EP3 Civic Type-R as it's a revvy little b
d but at the same time relative to the Civic it does have torque (it'll pull pretty strongly from 40mph in 6th), so maybe a Clio 182?I would trade a little handling sharpness for a bit more of a supple ride and I can't make my mind up on the gearing. It responds quite well to an aggressive riding style, which is great when you're in the mood but sometimes it would just be nice to sit back and relax a bit more and on the motorway at 70mph, you're doing 7k in 6th, so not ideal for longer journeys/touring.
My brother-in-law has a Vulcan S. Bit less nimble in the corners but has a bit more grunt than mine on the straights and I imagine a little more laid-back, although I haven't ridden it. Would that be more like a V8 Mustang or maybe something more bargy like a Cadillac for instance?
I think I'll keep the Z400 for another year at least but I'm really not sure where I'd go next.
SV650/MT-07/CB650R seems like the logical step but then is that just like upgrading from a Golf GTI to a Golf R/S3 to an RS3/Focus ST to a Focus RS etc, so not really that different?
I also really fancy a Kawasaki Z900RS, BMW rNineT, Triumph Street/Speed Twin or Ducati Scrambler. What would the equivalents to those be in the car world? The Honda Rebel 1100 also really appeals as a leftfield option.
So do certain bikes have comparable character traits to certain cars or are they too different to compare?
Edited by white_goodman on Tuesday 14th September 05:55
Edited by white_goodman on Tuesday 14th September 05:57
I suppose in PH terms you could argue SV650 = MX5. You seem to be comparing power delivery relative to on the go performance, and that's tough given the large variety of different bike engine configurations vs the preponderance of forced induction on four wheels.
From your Z400 upgrading to a 650/700 would seem a small step up in performance with little improvement in handling, but something like a 765RS, M796 or RS660 should give improvements all around and sufficient performance for fun on any road. I loved the Z900RS when I test rode it, shame it didn't quite work for us.
From your Z400 upgrading to a 650/700 would seem a small step up in performance with little improvement in handling, but something like a 765RS, M796 or RS660 should give improvements all around and sufficient performance for fun on any road. I loved the Z900RS when I test rode it, shame it didn't quite work for us.
Not comparable. Bikes generally have much better acceleration to about 140km/h. After that their poor aerodynamics makes cars faster and generally higher top speed if you compare mid spec bikes to mid spec cars.
Even low power bikes will accelerate faster from traffic lights, but will run out of power at motorway speeds.
Even low power bikes will accelerate faster from traffic lights, but will run out of power at motorway speeds.
Hungrymc said:
This is making me feel a bit autistic as I get that it isn't meant to be literal, but I just cant draw any meaningful equivalence between bikes and cars.
I love it. It doesn’t have to make much sense…My old zxr400 = Lotus Elise, a slowish one
My old Honda SP-1 = Honda NSX type R
8IKERDAVE said:
I tried to do something like this to explain my bike to my business partner. He asked me "if it was a car, what would it be?"
I have a 2016 Speed Triple, so compared it to M5 / RS6 etc. My last was a ZX6R which I compared with an Audi S3, BMW 140i.
Zx6r… wouldn’t it be more of a racier machine? They are pretty hardcore.I have a 2016 Speed Triple, so compared it to M5 / RS6 etc. My last was a ZX6R which I compared with an Audi S3, BMW 140i.
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