Been riding for over 30 years - put nearly 60k on these two puppies over the last 6 years or so (owning one at a time) - nearly exclusively carving tight technical twisties on weekends. Now have 15k on a '06 MCS and am seriously contemplating hanging up the leathers... permanently. Finally found a car that almost approaches the fun of a motorcycle (on my favorite motorcycling roads even ) yet is much safer for my old bones and is still able to tote my family of 4 in reasonable comfort.

Anyone else give up riding for the MINI?


(What's really got me spooked on the bike now? Deer... I've hit 5 so far, three on a motorcycle, and they represent 90% of my close calls, car or bike. Where I live, the back roads are like sweet roller coasters through heavily wooded and hilly terrain.... but the forest Kamikazes lurk. )

 

In a round a bout way I've gone from a bike to a Mini.
Well, first I went from a bike to a Miata, then had we had a baby in August, so I went from a Miata to a Mini!

Is it a direct replacement? I don't think so. There's still something about dropping a knee into a corner and just that feel of the bike that you can't get from a car. I also don't think you really get the feel for the environment like you do on a bike.

That said, I do think the Mini is 90% of a bike. You'll can still drive on the edge and really toss it into the corners. On the up side there is slightly more storage (I had a BMW K1200LT ). You can haul more people, you can carry on a conversation without shouting, and you can always run to the Home Depot and fill up the boot.

FWIW, I have up biking after getting hit by an F350. The guy ran through a stop sign at full bore while yapping on his phone. I never had a chance...


Before F350...


After F350...(totaled BTW...$14k in damage. Every panel was damaged and the frame)


Then went to this...


And then now driving the Mini. Oooohhhh... I need to get a picture of the Mini before the weather turns.

Anyhow. I say go for whatever you feel is right!

 

yup, a Beemer dual sport like your boxer. I wanted an R1150GS, but decided to start small and get the experience before trading up to the boxer twin. I ended up selling it at the wife's request and got the MINI instead. A few too many closer calls and I couldn't stand to let the bike end up being a Sunday machine only.

 

Replaced GSXR with Mini! Feels the void very well, great in the twisties, fun to take for a ride...drive and great to tinker with like a bike! Oh yea, and get together with a lot of other Mini's and go on rallies and hang....

 

I have a Hayabusa and MINI...and I rarely pull out the 'Busa!

 

I have a pair of Ducati's an MR2 Spyder and a Mini.

In the last two years I have put less than a thousand miles on the bikes and about 5K on the MR2.

In the same period I have put over 60K miles on the MCS.

 

I like my Mini, but four wheels simply can never substitute for two. The sights, smells, techique, etc. are just completely different. I might have to give up two wheels at some point when my health can no longer support riding, but until that time, I'll always have a motorcycle (or seven as I have now).

And to be honest, I really don't like the sensations of driving hard/fast in a car. With a bike, the G forces are always acting through the bike, so you're not being thrown from side to side. There is something just incredibly fluid about riding a motorcycle well in the twisties. It's a roller coaster ride you're completely in control of. You are part of the machine.

The safety aspect is off-putting, but you can manage the risk with good equipment and excellent training. I never stop training on bikes, taking several schools every year, either as a teacher or student. The deer are a random risk, but this can be addressed to some degree by being careful when you ride. On tour, I want the engine shut down and margarita in hand a couple hours before sunset.

- Mark

 

That's my dilemma too, as I have a 2001 BMW 1150GS and like to drive the Mini more. Maybe because the car's a newer experience and I haven't gotten bored by it yet, but riding in all kind of weather, day in and day out ,gets old. Kind of "done that been there" with 30 plus years of riding. I used to like the challenge everyday riding no matter what,but the extreme weather anymore getting blown 2-3 feet sideways, and work is getting more tiring. If and when I can drive the Mini(as its technically my wife's car so I'm trying to sell the GS to help finance buying her another car)its just something I look forward to when getting off of work no matter what's happening outside but the bike is a hassle most of the time.After all ,the bikes are only a different kind of transportation, its like we're not giving up some kind of life style?...... I'm so confused

 

No way my MCS can replace my BMW R1100RS. I've owned the MCS since May 2002 and I think it is the most fun car you can own but you can't get the thrill of fast 2 wheel riding on 4 wheels. I'm glad BMW's seem to be the ride of choice but you guys thinking of giving them up should wait a while. I've had them both in the mountains and the MCS is way fun, but nothing can replace the thrill of fast 2 wheel riding in the twisties. In the MCS the DSC will kick in and keep you out of trouble, on the bike, fear and pucker factor are your safety features. Don't give them up just yet.

Motor On
Ride On
Minzila

 

I'm 'down' to five bikes now.. two of which I rarely ride (my vintage Brit bikes); '02 Firefighter Road King, '03 Centennial Edition T100 Triumph Bonnie, '01 Bonnie Street Tracker, '71 Norton Commando, '69 T120R Bonnie.

I'd have to agree with the posters above who say that, although close, driving a Mini is not a substitute for a good ride on two. In fact I'm off to a Triumph Bonneville rally outside Boone, NC in the morning.

It is getting scary out there.. people simply don't give a damn anymore.. cell phones, texting, aggressive driving.. it makes the odds of coming into contact with a cage all that much more likely. I've been riding since 1964 (no joke - started when I was 14), so it's what I do..

I don't see giving it up, I still enjoy it.

 

Hogtied....incredible bike collection.

I gave up riding about 5 years ago, (59 at the time), mostly because of the distracted, rude, and aggressive drivers, and seeing so many motorcyclist taken out by, "I didn't see him", drivers.

I agree my MC is fun, but a motorcycle is more fun.

 

Love both my MCS & Sport Touring bike. I am 52 & not ready to quit motorcycling but I am faster in the twisties w/ the mini than I care to ride.

At MOTD-5 we gave the crotch rockets a run for their money! One good rider that was dragging his knee pads in every corner told the red MCS convertable driver that was staying w/ him when they stopped in Deals Gap: "Man, you were eating me up!" That biker was impressed that a MCS could go just as fast as he could through the twisties.

Not this rider, I am not sure enough on the bike to do what feels good to me in the Mini. I do enjoy the same twisty roads w/ both.

 

Its just that to get a BMW(used car) for my wife ,I need to sell the BMW(used bike) ,lack of $$$$ forces the situation. And as Hogtied I have 2wheel backup . I put over 50K on my Norton before going to a modern ,antilock brake, motorcycle, and still have it . I can bring it out of retirement , but it won't get ridden as much as the GS did because I'll have the Mini and I'm getting old.When I get tired of the Mini I can always find another GS. Another factor to consider is. It is easier ,less work, to go faster and to have fun in the Mini than on a bike, so I'm getting lazy too. After I have driven the Mini for a while,I find myself not leaning the bike and wondering why it wont turn!

 

I've got to say that although I gave up my bike 6 years ago I haven't found anything that replaces that feeling. The MINI is close but you just can't get that same feel that riding gives you. Just getting back in to riding again now. Originally I gave it up for a down payment on our first house and the fact that I never had time to ride with having just had our first child. In between we've bought a second house, had a second child and gained some anilmals. Now the kids have gotten bigger we've been downsizing vehicles. Went from two sport cars to a mid-size SUV and a small sport wagon to a family sedan and the MINI. We've just picked up a learner Yamaha Virago 250 for the wife to learn on and then I can get alarger bike for riding again.

 

I always wanted a motorcycle. I used to have a trail-bike beater when I was a kid, but I've always wanted an Indian. My wife said after I got us a house. Then we started having kids. Then it became, when the kids get older. Now, I don't really care if I ever get the motorcycle. The MINI has satisfied the desire.

 

I would have to agree with previous posters that there is no replacement for a bike. The feeling you get while on 2 wheels does not compare with driving around in a cage. That being said I got my Cooper S 2 months ago and the bikes have mostly been parked. I have 2 bikes a cruiser and a sport (best of both worlds) I took the 929 for a tear last night and remembered why biking is such a different experience.

A friend and myself went on a bike trip a few weeks after I got the Mini through some of the sweetest roads in British Columbia... 2 weeks after that me and my wife took the Mini through some of those same roads... the Mini was fun but the bike was even more so .

The idiots are sure out there as are the wildlife (hit a deer) but the pleasure of the ride overcomes those factors for myself. When I can't ride the bikes though the Mini takes the edge off.

Andrew

 

That's me!

Lived and rode in LA for about 12 years (Yamaha XS 1100). Didn't even own a car for most of those years. Moved to Atlanta and took my Sweetie with me, but didn't ride there much. (Being someone with at least a minimum of functioning brain tissue, I wore a helmet and leather which is tough in the heat and humidity of the South). Eventually didn't ride at all and gave the bike to a friend.

Fast Forward.

I moved to Virginia about 11 years ago. 2 years ago I decided to get back on two wheels and re-live my glory days. 2 months later, I had four broken ribs, a punctured lung and multiple fractures in my scapula (shoulder blade). I noticed that riding wasn't as much fun as it once was.

After about a year of hemming and hawing, thinking Jeep CJ or something ...I test drove a MINI Cabrio one day on a whim and, well ...Game over, man.

I enjoy my MINI almost as much as I did my Yamaha most of the time and even more sometimes. Its fun to sort of have the option of charging the turns and corners or to just cool out and enjoy the ride and the wind. Comfort level is ten times higher, the stereo can be nice, I can take my daughter, and/or my wife and/or my dog along if I want and I get a trunk to boot (pun intended).

All in all, swapping a MINI for the two-wheeled lifestyle was a great move.

-B

.

 

Yikes Hogtied, nice bikes. Especially the Norton. There's no way I can give up the bike. I enjoy it way too much. I rode it 34,000 miles in the last three years and drove the Blazer about 15,000. I ride the bike a little less because the Mini is a LOT more fun than the Blazer but even the Mini cannot take the place of my Triumph.

 

all of these Triumphs look awesome. I took the MSF course a while back, but never went in for my license. I really wanted a Bonneville.

 

Nice bikes all, I sold my sportster and went into the world of the MINI as well.

It has not even been a year and I am getting the itch to ride, the technology is so much better so I am going to take my time...

I am liking Buells for no valve adjustments


It I had to explain it you would not understand

 

The Mini fills a nice nitch between the F-250 and the Harley. I put 20k miles on the bike over the last two and a half years mostly using it to go to downtown areas where parking a big truck was a pain. So now I find that it's easy to jump in the Mini on those days that are too hot or too wet for the bike. Still love the riding, however. Just did a 650 mile round trip to go have dinner with the daughter at her college. Any excuse for a nice ride!

 

I haven't even ridden much, but I can tell that it is just so different that it cannot be compared to driving. It uses more senses and provides more sensations - it is extremely involving and takes much more effort and concentration (to ride well and safely that is) at the same time. (And not only is it easier to drive it is way simpler then having to gear up and schelp the helmet and stuff around at your destination .)

Fun is subjective, and people's perspective and needs change, so I can understand leaving bikes behind completely, I just don't think anything, including a Mini, really is a direct substitute for the motorcycle experience.

 

I didn't GIVE UP riding for the MINI. But I was exclusivly on a bike for about 8 months while I was waiting for the MINI to arrive:



I couldn't see giving up riding. I've got too much invested in toys and gear.



And it's just plain too-much-fun. love it.



My son wants to join in the fun soon, too. I just bought a 50cc Honda for his birthday this past year. Has training wheels on it now (and a throttle-limiter .

 

I live in a rural area where wildlife abounds. I own both a Harley and a MINI convertible and have ridden motorcycles for 38 years with several close calls. I have already hit a deer with the MINI and this has dampened my enthusiasm for riding my bike. The MINI took the "bullet" for me. If I had been on the bike at the time (and this was in broad daylight) I might not be here to write this. To me, a MINI cabrio is as close as a car can get to enjoying the fresh air, wind and fun handling of a bike without worrying too much about getting killed by every critter and stupid driver out there. Not the same kind of fun as a bike just different. Also, if your a biker and concerned about being in a "cage", instead of your "knees in the breeze" you can't compare a MINI hardtop with a cabrio as an alternative. Even with the panoramic sunroof the open air experience is not even close. The cabrio is the true "go-cart" of the two.

 

I don't think I've given up riding yet....However, since I bought my MCC in July, the bike hasn't moved from its spot in the garage. Having the convertible Mini has alot of the same benefits of the bike but without any of the downsides (helmet, jacket, gloves, long pants, etc...). I would never ride my bike in t-shirt and shorts (been hit by 2 cars already) but I can do that in the MINI. The MINI sure is alot more convenient and the gas mileage is not much worse.

However, it is odd to think that my car has less power than my motorcyle.

Haven't decided yet if I'm going to get rid of the bike and give up riding yet or not. I figure I'll stick it out through winter (the best riding season in FL) and see what I want to do then. I'm actually considering of maybe getting rid of the bike and getting a (gasp!) scooter!