A controversial (and probably unpopular) view!

[gareth h]

This is something I’ve been mulling over for a while, having owned 3 Caterhams I have come to the view that with the exception of using them on track, a Caterham is a car for those that can’t, or don’t want to ride a motorcycle.
The last 7 owned was a CSR and it was obviously quick, but I found that speed was always very limited by vision, which meant on many roads I just wasn’t able to travel much faster than in something far less capable.
Whereas, if I’m out on the bike my viewpoint is maybe a metre higher than in the 7, and I’m able to change road position to open up the view through a corner, meaning I can make progress without feeling I am exposing myself to the unknown.
Probably a very unpopular view, but I really can’t see a place for one in the garage anymore.

[Super Sonic]

What about them motor tricycles?

[MBBlat]

About 2/3rds of our local Caterham club are also bikers. Small sample I know, but it would suggest that there is a large overlap.

[gareth h]

MBBlat said:

About 2/3rds of our local Caterham club are also bikers. Small sample I know, but it would suggest that there is a large overlap.

And I was one of those, with a couple of bikes and a 7 in the garage, ironically I felt safer on a bike than in the 7.

[framerateuk]

I can understand that opinion that if you're into bikes, but honestly, I've never had any intrest in bikes.

I can believe there's a lot of overlap between owners though.

EDIT: Just to add, straight line speed isn't the thing that does it for me, for me it's all about that cornering and balancing that weight transfer between the wheels. I appreciate there's similar with bikes with getting the angle right, but it's just not the same thing for me. I love that feeling of the car being close to the edge of grip.

But on the road, It's not about going out and driving as fast as you can and overtaking everyone in front. I just enjoy the drive.

Edited by framerateuk on Monday 1st July 10:11

[coppice]

I took a particular pleasure on catching the bikes which had overtaken my Caterham on the straights . But here's the thing - many keen drivers, me included , will make it as easy as possible for a bike to overtake . But when the tables are turned , it is a very different story. Bikes continue to use all their road and make not the slightest effort to let you by . Only once- once ! - did a bike ease my passage (as it were ) - a Dutch Harley .

[Exasperated]

Why not both? I have an electric strimmer, too.

[DCL]

I think it is all down to personal choices, and there can be many reason for those choices. As a youngster I dreamt of owning and riding motorbikes and many of my friends did just that. I passed my bike licence, but we had lost a family member in a motorbike accident and putting the family through the anxiety of me riding a bike was enough to put an end to the ambition. So I moved on to sports cars and eventually the 7. Whether the risk was any less is debatable, but it certainly eased tension within the family. In hindsight, I don't feel I missed out on anything.

[AinsleyB]

I've a collection of motorbikes and a 420R.
All different flavours of fun and compromise.

But for sharing the drive with a mate / wife / other, the 7 wins. It also out brakes and out corners the bike. Sure a bike takes up less road space and yes, you can overtake easier. But its an odd comparison.

One is a motorbike, the other a Caterham 7, just different sorts of fun.

[Exasperated]

AinsleyB said:

I've a collection of motorbikes and a 420R.
All different flavours of fun and compromise.

But for sharing the drive with a mate / wife / other, the 7 wins. It also out brakes and out corners the bike. Sure a bike takes up less road space and yes, you can overtake easier. But its an odd comparison.

One is a motorbike, the other a Caterham 7, just different sorts of fun.

Exactly. I've never compared the two. It's like comparing a washing machine and a microwave, and then complaining that the microwave is really bad at cleaning clothes.

[gareth h]

AinsleyB said:

I've a collection of motorbikes and a 420R.
All different flavours of fun and compromise.

But for sharing the drive with a mate / wife / other, the 7 wins. It also out brakes and out corners the bike. Sure a bike takes up less road space and yes, you can overtake easier. But its an odd comparison.

One is a motorbike, the other a Caterham 7, just different sorts of fun.

I was feeling so exposed in the CSR compared to being on the bike, the fact that it would corner and brake quicker was completely academic as vision was always the limiting factor, perhaps it’s just the roads that I use, there aren’t too many where you can see through the corner out this way, maybe different in say the Fens

[framerateuk]

gareth h said:

I was feeling so exposed in the CSR compared to being on the bike, the fact that it would corner and brake quicker was completely academic as vision was always the limiting factor, perhaps it’s just the roads that I use, there aren’t too many where you can see through the corner out this way, maybe different in say the Fens

The only time I feel nervous in the 7 is when there's a very long straight and dips in the road - the sort where cars disappear into the dip and it looks like it's an open straight.

I always keep my lights on and hope that if there's an impatient person coming the other way that they've seen me and know not to overtake!

[Drumster]

From 1999-2015 I managed 70k miles and since the non-fault accident in Switzerland in 2015 I've managed just 7k miles. I think subconciously the accident has had an effect on my enjoyment of road driving plus I've been sprinting/hillclimbing since 2009 and get a far greater buzz from that than blatting and as a result the 7 has become more track-focused.

[gareth h]

I think if I’d kept mine it would have become a trackday toy too

[coppice]

In 100k miles in my Sevens and only once did I feel vulnerable, and that was driving home from Silverstone on the M1 in heavy rain . Aquaplaning was a constant risk in heavy standing water , and at 45-50 max it was just horrible. But otherwise -not a second thought . It helps that you are always hyper alert in a Seven , that you can change direction in a heartbeat and stop on the proverbial sixpence .

[dhutch]

framerateuk said:

I can understand that opinion that if you're into bikes, but honestly, I've never had any interest in bikes.

This for me.

BUt your are right about the lack of view sometimes being an issue.

[framerateuk]

coppice said:

In 100k miles in my Sevens and only once did I feel vulnerable, and that was driving home from Silverstone on the M1 in heavy rain . Aquaplaning was a constant risk in heavy standing water , and at 45-50 max it was just horrible. But otherwise -not a second thought . It helps that you are always hyper alert in a Seven , that you can change direction in a heartbeat and stop on the proverbial sixpence .

Heavy rain in the dark in North Wales coming back form a wedding was one of the worst times I've had in the car.

The low seating position combined with bright oncoming lights and reflections in the water made it horrible. Also the standard lights at the time were absolutely useless.

[dhutch]

framerateuk said:

The low seating position combined with bright oncoming lights and reflections in the water made it horrible. Also the standard lights at the time were absolutely useless.

Yeah, I have not done motorway in floods, but agree that rain and dark is a very poor combination!

framerateuk said:

Heavy rain in the dark in North Wales coming back form a wedding was one of the worst times I've had in the car.

One of my worst experiences ever was driving to a wedding, down the a55 in the dark and the rain, in a 1920's Austin 12.

Top speed 45mph, two 6v 10w tail lamps putting out about as much light as a damp candle.
Every approaching vehicle felt like a roll of the dice. Waiting for the flash of their indicator while weighing up the hard shoulder!