Motorbike v car

Freiheit

Hi all I'm wondering whether how driving a motorbike compares with a car. I've basic driving skills,nowhere near a full licence due to inability to practice. However I'm thinking of learning to drive a bike,would it be cheaper and potentially easier to learn. To the untrained mind it looks less complicated. Is it?.

I'd appreciate insight from others.

Thanks
F

LookBehindYou

You cannot fall off a car.
Riding a bike requires 100% focus and use of your senses.

MascotDec85

LookBehindYou wrote: »

You cannot fall off a car.
Riding a bike requires 100% focus and use of your senses.

And driving a car doesn't

eurofoxy

motorbikes are not cheaper to run...its a myth that they are cheap..
insurance is the same as a car if not more..on top of the bike itself you will need to pay for IBT(about 500) a decent helmet(again about 500) then some gear(anywhere from 100 to 1000) and unlike a car your gear may need to be changed every few years as if its not keeping the rain out its useless...

feet of flame

MascotDec85 wrote: »

And driving a car doesn't

when was the last time you saw a biker on a mobile phone at 100kph?

MascotDec85

feet of flame wrote: »

when was the last time you saw a biker on a mobile phone at 100kph?

I didn't say I had which, I haven't.

The point I was making was that it takes 100% focus to drive a car properly and safely

Faith+1

Whether you're walking, skakeboarding, Driving a car, riding a Motorbike etc... You should always give 100% focus and use of your senses.

Whether people actually conform to this is another days work.

turbodiesel

If you do decide maybe check out this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056323977

I'd say go for it but then I'm riding bikes since i was 10 in 1979........

LookBehindYou

MascotDec85 wrote: »

I didn't say I had which, I haven't.

The point I was making was that it takes 100% focus to drive a car properly and safely

The point I was making is that you need 100% focus and use of your senses all the time to STAY ALIVE on a motorbike.

I ride bikes and drive 4 wheel things also. I also teach people how to ride and drive safe too.

TheUsual

Starting out I would say go for the car first and learn how traffic works (and bad drivers), and defensive driving to keep you safe.

I love bikes, and don't own a car but I had a Nissan Micra to learn to drive first, and then got my bike license about 4 years after my car test.
I think it helped me, never had an accident on a bike in 15 years, except a taxi that drove on my foot, but I was in the wrong place and learned my lesson. Don't ever rely on a car driver to use their mirrors, they could be drunk, high or just insane.

Insurance gets cheaper when you get closer to 30, and you can have a lot of choice in what you buy, like you can skip scooters and get anything you want really.

Although I was recently converted to the joy of a big 400cc scooter, it was just as fast around Dublin as my 900cc bike with 150bhp.

Bikes ARE cheaper to run than cars though once you are older with cheaper fuel, servicing and road tax is the same for all sized bikes.

sleepysniper

Cars
Pros:
Comfort
Keeps you dry getting from A to B
Safer than Bikes

Cons:
Boring
Tax
Traffic Jams
Slow (unless you spend a lot of € on one, which then leads to being...
Expensive


Motorbikes
Pros:
Freedom
Cheap Tax
Performance
Filtering!:D
Exciting
"Coolness" Factor
Great Stress Reliever:p

Cons:
Higher risk of being killed/seriously injured
Rain/Winter...if your not a real biker that is...:pac:

So em yeah, bikes it is.:cool:

challengemaster

I think you want to read this first.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056323977

spurious

I've driven both.

I felt much freer and could get places much more quickly on a bike. Traffic/rush hour made no difference to how long a trip would take.

I feel safer in a car and can carry more with me.

If there were no cars or lorries on the road, absolutely I would drive a bike, but there are...and the slightest tip from one of them I'm in big trouble* if I'm on a bike.


*understatement

Del2005

Freiheit wrote: »

Hi all I'm wondering whether how driving a motorbike compares with a car. I've basic driving skills,nowhere near a full licence due to inability to practice. However I'm thinking of learning to drive a bike,would it be cheaper and potentially easier to learn. To the untrained mind it looks less complicated. Is it?.

I'd appreciate insight from others.

Thanks
F

Riding a bike is harder then driving a car, bikers just make it look easier!

The cost of getting started on a bike are higher as you need to purchase several hundred €'s worth of gear before you even go on the road.

You need IBT for a bike but a car requires EDT so they sorta balance out.

The biggest difference between the licences is that when you pass A you are restricted to 25kw for 2 years, this will be changing soon to 3 steps to to a full licence, while with B only insurance restricts you after you pass.

Training on a motorcycle will make you a better driver, but being able to drive doesn't make a better biker.

Alkers

Freiheit wrote: »

Hi all I'm wondering whether how driving a motorbike compares with a car. I've basic driving skills,nowhere near a full licence due to inability to practice. However I'm thinking of learning to drive a bike,would it be cheaper and potentially easier to learn. To the untrained mind it looks less complicated. Is it?.

I'd appreciate insight from others.

Thanks
F

Whichever you learn first, you will find the other easy to pick up. There is more to driving a bike regarding positioning and awareness etc... and you've more of a margin for error in a car (ABS, breaking in corners, car stands up by itself etc.)
For me a bike was much much cheaper than a car. At 21 with 1 years NCB on a 250cc bike (plenty fast) my insurance was under €400 and tax was €76. Bike cost €2000 and €1000 will kit you out well with gear.
For a car at that age insurance alone was €1500 and only decreasing marginally every year, uses more petrol and couple of hundred euro tax. Add to that parking tickets, NCT and the actual cost of the car. Average maintenance (oil & air filters, brake pads, chain) is simple on a bike also.
Also once you have your learner permit you can ride your bike yourself (apart from on motorways) so the whole 6 month period before passing your full test isn't an issue.

daveharnett

Freiheit wrote: »

To the untrained mind it looks less complicated. Is it?.

Don't know how you're coming up with that tbh. The sequential gears might be slightly less complicated than a standard manual car, but then you've got two brakes to contend with.

As for the rest, you have to deal with less grip, less viability to other motorists, less balance, and much higher physical penalties for rookie mistakes.

If it's at all possible I'd start in a car, at least until you have developed the transferable skills a bit - observation, planning, communication, dealing with hazards, navigation etc..

Alkers

Also, if it is purely a financial decision, you can get a 50cc for €600 and if you're over 21 insurance for your first year should be less than €400 and the NCB on a 50cc will still count against a 1,000cc superbike when you come to upgrading.