Chicken or wot?
Discussion
Just sold me toy (308GT4) and would love to buy a bike, something like a transalp or funduro type of thing.
I even have a training school on our site to put me through a test, cos i haven't ridden since my CBT some time back.
I am though nervous about the thought of being so vulnerable in traffic when going to and from work.
At 48, as my wife keeps reminding me, bones don't bend or mend perhaps as quickly as they used to.
Question is, despite the horror stories and list of injuries on an earlier thread, should I just go for it or should I be boring (and keep the wife happy) and buy another classic car?
I fractured my elbow on my daughter's skate board a few years back and fell off a see-saw (messing about with the kids) a few months back, so I might be vertically challenged anyway.
What would you do?
I even have a training school on our site to put me through a test, cos i haven't ridden since my CBT some time back.
I am though nervous about the thought of being so vulnerable in traffic when going to and from work.
At 48, as my wife keeps reminding me, bones don't bend or mend perhaps as quickly as they used to.
Question is, despite the horror stories and list of injuries on an earlier thread, should I just go for it or should I be boring (and keep the wife happy) and buy another classic car?
I fractured my elbow on my daughter's skate board a few years back and fell off a see-saw (messing about with the kids) a few months back, so I might be vertically challenged anyway.
What would you do?
i would say get on a bike have a few lessons and see how it goes. If you are scared then dont do it, its not for you.
I found that the training is geared for highlighting dangers to be aware of etc that you describe. You will soon find you feel as safe on a bike as you do in a car, maybe even safer. You sit higher up than cars (about the same as a people carrier) visibility is good.
obviously you are more vulnerable if you come off, but thats a different matter to how you 'feel' i would say. Theres a lot of good protective gear out there now.
just my 10p worth
I found that the training is geared for highlighting dangers to be aware of etc that you describe. You will soon find you feel as safe on a bike as you do in a car, maybe even safer. You sit higher up than cars (about the same as a people carrier) visibility is good.
obviously you are more vulnerable if you come off, but thats a different matter to how you 'feel' i would say. Theres a lot of good protective gear out there now.
just my 10p worth
JUST DO IT!!!! - I was new to biking last year (at the age of 41). Did it mainly for commuting and had a 125 until I passed my test. Bought a SV650S earlier this year and now, like Captain Muppet, I get all twitchy unless I can get out on it over the weekend. You'll enjoy it and, like me, wish you had done it sooner.
Buy a bike and see how you get onwith it, you can always sell it again. confidence will grow with experience, as man said previously protective gear is very good nowadays, have had two minor crashes and luckily walked away. My first bike was a funduro 6 yrs ago and i now ride a suzukil1000s (tuned) it is an animal, nicknamed widowmaker but with a little respect it is greatfun and i wouldnt be without it.
Can highly reccommend the funduro, very good in traffic with excellent visibility and also the higher riding position so if you are in an accident you will go over the car not under it. Good brakes too, excellent machines, and very cheap to run 200 miles on a tenner, i now get 90 out of a tenner on the tl.
see you at box hill on your back wheel soon!!!!!!!
Can highly reccommend the funduro, very good in traffic with excellent visibility and also the higher riding position so if you are in an accident you will go over the car not under it. Good brakes too, excellent machines, and very cheap to run 200 miles on a tenner, i now get 90 out of a tenner on the tl.
see you at box hill on your back wheel soon!!!!!!!
You have to do the CBT course and this on a bike with no more than 12 bhp (I think it is) so this will be a 125 cc, as this is all your licence will allow. You can then do the direct access course and these are usually 500cc bikes. Don't forget the theory test which you need before doing the test (and possibly the direct access course, but not sure).
I raised the risk of biking with an insurance actuary. He told me that commuting into London (which I do) is not really something to worry about. His view was that on average you never really get that much speed up in situations where a crash is possible, and you almost always get some braking before the impact. Therefore the impact speed is not that high and though you migh get bent and broken the risk of death is relatively small.
By contrast my weekend jaunts down country roads is statistically very bad. High speeds, stone walls, mud from farm machinery leads to more accidentsd per biking mile, greater injury and higher death rates.
Of course, that's just the "average" picture and people do get killed. But his view is that for the middle aged (me) playing football at the weekend is riskier.
Just a thought
By contrast my weekend jaunts down country roads is statistically very bad. High speeds, stone walls, mud from farm machinery leads to more accidentsd per biking mile, greater injury and higher death rates.
Of course, that's just the "average" picture and people do get killed. But his view is that for the middle aged (me) playing football at the weekend is riskier.
Just a thought
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