Outside of powder runs or high-edge angle carves on a pair of skis, not much beats a motorcycle. There's a couple of caveats, though:

*The roads need to have very light traffic, good visibility, good pavement and lots of twisties - good luck trying to find that in NJ or many other metro areas.

*Pushing it a bit on a motorcycle is far harder and far more dangerous than riding fast in a car. Anyone can drive a car semi-competently, not everyone can ride a motorcycle well.

*It doesn't always matter how good you are or how many courses/track days you've taken. One pickup truck cutting in tight on a blind corner is all it takes.

I've basically stopped riding mine for many of the above reasons and my young son. Riding a sport bike in traffic is incredibly boring since the capabilities are so high. Riding a sport bike in ideal conditions on the open road is still incredibly dangerous (as I type this with a broken pinky from a high speed crash on a track - a relatively safe enviornment and something I'd consider still doing). I've engaged in many risky activities from rock climbing, semi-sane mountaineering and adventurous skiing and consider street riding to be the most dangerous by far.

 

No A pillers here...and it is just as fast as a bike, and handles better! Has a better HP/weight ratio then an Enzo Ferrari... and costs about 25k.

Ok so...its probably just as dangerous as a bike...but it is a "tad" bit bigger then a bike and maybe idiots would see you better???



can you tell i want one?

 

Many of the dangers of riding a motorcycle in the city are the same (if not worse due to lack of gear and things like a headlight, signals, etc) as being on a bicycle but I wonder if the OP would have gotten the same dire warnings in his post asking about the fun of it...

Anyway, one fun thing not mentioned is the enjoyment of getting through/around traffic. My husband rides in the city to work and gets there much faster and enjoys it more then when he is trapped in traffic in the Mini. He was miserable when in between bikes and I felt badly for him; he also had to avoid lots of idiot drivers and other things in the car too. As much as I am concerned for his safety in any event (and I prefer him on the moto vs bicycling or even walking) I also know that he is more aware of things going on around him on a bike and is capable of avoiding problematic people and circumstances agilely on it.

(And he wears full gear, uses the lights, and has a visible helmet which helps - too many guys try to look cool in all black and it makes it difficult to see them. It also helps that he is aware not to run the yellow if an oncoming car is trying to turn left, it is those turning cars at intersections you need to be especially careful of.)

 

Here's a couple of pictures I took this afternoon of my Toys....

 

Simply beauuuuutiful!

 

ropauto - is your Mini license plate DUI? :O

By the by, you should post to ducatimonster.org, I'm sure you'd get some kudos there for such a pretty desmo

 

You sure got good eyes kid....Never so far been stopped...They just look at this old-man and smile.....

 

I actually stopped riding a bicycle on the streets and one reason, besides getting older and lazier, is that I felt it was even MORE dangerous than my motorcycle. People passing you literally inches away but sometimes 50 to 60 mph faster than me. My nerves finally got shot and I settled into the relatively peaceful motorbikes after too many razor-close calls on the bicycle.

A logging truck in the Mts. actually scuffed my shoe and tapped the handlebars crooked when I pulled over for a brief break at the top of a long hill, and I was off the road in the emergency lane.

My point is why is everyone so comfortable telling us graphic comments about motorcycling. I've heard them when I was in the emergency room getting treatment for an accident, pretty poor examples from supposedly professional people.

 

Mira, that was a wonderful post

To the OP - I'll echo what many others have already said. Take the MSF course. I did this past July. It was only $75, friday night, and all day saturday and sunday. They provided the bikes and helmets if you needed. the class I was in rode Suzuki GZ250 (cruiser). I've always thought riding looked like fun but had never actually ridden before. I've toyed with the idea of getting a bike. My girlfriend had the same background (we took the class together). Two weeks after the class, she was the proud owner of a Kawasaki EX250.

She really loves riding. I thought it was alot of fun too, but for me the risks and trade-offs didn't outweigh the fun factor. For me to pursue riding, I would have had to sell my 914 and as another has already stated, that car is the closest to the riding experience you can get while still having four wheels. The added advantage is that when my gf and I decide to go on a twisty road tour, I have plenty of room in the 914 for all our gear, a small cooler or picnic basket and she doesn't have to worry about tank or saddle bags to carry stuff. If we want to stop somwhere to hike or shop, I can lock up everything in the car....

Yes, I think riding is fun. Yes, I recognized that it was dangerous. Maybe at some point in the future I'll still end up with a bike in the garage. But the only person who will be able to determine if it is more fun that motoring in a MINI, or reeling in that 964C4 that is half the age and has more than 2x the HP of a 914 on a track, or riding a motorcycle is you. Take the MSF course. You'll never know until you try

 

In addition I'd like to suggest that if you decide to start riding bikes don't buy your OMyGodICan'tLiveWithoutThat bike as your first bike. Buy something relatively small, used, and cheap as your first bike. Your first bike will be the one you drop because you forgot to put down the sidestand. It'll be the one you drop at the traffic light because you didn't think to look where you were putting your feet down and put one in an oil slick. It'll be the one that you inadvertantly drop the clutch when you're talking to somebody standing next to you and launch into the garage door.

In short your first bike is going to take a lot of abuse as you learn to ride and as you learn to make the things that good riders do habits. It's a shame to watch while somebody takes their shiny new bike and bit by bit knocks off all the corners of it and either gives up riding in despair or because of the cost of repairs. A cosmetically challenged but mechanically sound bike is a wise first-bike investment.

No smiley faces were injured in the creation of this message.

 

My riding career started on my 15th birthday. I got a Kawasaki KE-100 that I could legally license at 15 (at that time is was a 100cc limit for 15 year olds). I drove that bike for a year. It got dropped a couple of times, I rear ended a car once, nothing serious. About 1 month before I turned 16, a girl nailed me in the school parking lot and my riding career was over. Partially because by the time my bike was fixed I had turned 16 and had a car. (it was odd to be the guy who rode my motorcycle legally to drivers ed class).

Fast forward 25 years.... I had debated getting a bike for several years. In January, I finally took the plunge and bought a bike. I ended up with a 1980 Suzuki GS550E. Cosmetically challenged, but mechanically great. I paid $1200 for it. Spent maybe $100 on some switches, etc and rode it (it had brand new tires and brakes). It turns out I rode it alot (75% of the time) and didn't drive much. I also did a stupid move on it and dropped it at about 45 mph. I was on a twisty road coming up to a 20mph turn, looked in my mirrror to see where my buddy was, looked up and was closer to the turn than I liked and locked up the rear brake... dumb...dumb...dumb... If I had used the front brake, I would have puckered the seat a little, but nothing bad would have happened.

It cost me $1000 or so to replace the turn signals and the handlebars, but I was unhurt (Olympia mesh jacket with armor and gloves).

Soon after that I bought a '91 BMW K75S for about 3k. It's an awesome bike but that same stupid move would have cost me $2000 to repair. So I'm going to ride the Beemer for awhile and gain experience and skill before I upgrade it.

After I got the beemer, I was going to keep the Beemer for my 16 year old son to learn on. I decided that I wanted him to get some car experience in traffic before he got on a bike, so I sold it for $1200.

(GS Adventure here I come )

Considering how much I drive my vehicles, and I do like the mini, instead of spending 20k on a car and 3k on a bike, I should have spent 3k on a car and 20k on a bike....

John.

 

It is more fun, waay more fun.
I only have de mini because its the only car that I could aford to give me a little of that feeling in a car.

 

Motorcycles are dangerous? I wish someone had told me sooner. After decades and 100,000's of miles of riding I can tell you that Motorcycles are pretty fun. The Mini is fun as far as cars go but it is a confining lead brick compared to a sport bike. Why is it that so many people have to bring up safety when the question is about fun? You sound like those SUV driving dorks that tell me how dangerous my Mini is. Of course motorcycles are not for everyone. You have to learn to pay attention and keep your self out of trouble instead of sitting back hoping that the cage and airbags, abs, dsc and all that performance robbing stuff keeps you safe. Oh by the way I had a friend who died while ... (fill in the blank).

 

Yes! another interceptor. I like the Ducati also.


Here is mine.

 

ropauto - Your not helping my attempt to remain bikeless for a while. I've been drooling over this retro duck for the last month:





And then Zyamfier reposts that pure silver Interceptor. You guys are killing me!

 

eVal/Pendergast.......Buy a retro...I've been moving my machine around in the garage for 25 years..And, It's like a time wrap when I can get a chance to ride HER along the coast..(My wife would say; "You're going out with Desamona, again?) AKA..HER

.A little history: Spent the first year of HER life as a Road-Racer then the Dealer-Owner sold it to buy a Lotus.. She has always had the GP Package installed and came with all the street spares..The spares were in a cardboard boxes wrapped in straw, until the mice invaded...Did install the winkers after been stopped .....Always get a lot of even by the CHP on PCH...

You got someone to will it too?

 

OK ropauto, I'm a bit long in the tooth myself, maybe moreso than you, (58) so we'll see who cashes in first. Are you going to put up Desamona against the Retro? Gotta be somethin' in it for me.

Maybe I can talk Eval into going halvees. I ride in Wisconsin in the summer then ship to S.F. in the winter.

 

Where's Wisconsin?..You don't need a bike there, you need a pair of ice skates and a boat....Once you ride "Big-Sur" on PCH out of SF
...or 395 along the Eastern Sierra's.......You may ask yourself the same question about Wisconsin...

.Ok, you're on with the retro....How much of a head start do you want?

 

I see a diminishing speck in my rear view mirror.

 

Sorry

 

SA Pendergast....

Do you really own a 59 Rolls and a Les Baer?

 

Indeed, and a creaky, apparently delapitated mansion. Been fun ropauto but I suppose we should get back on topic.

 

I've been riding bikes over 30 years, my own bikes 23 years. I live in the NYC metro area and ride pretty much every day - to work, wherever. One of my mottos is, 'If there's no snow, I go!'

I love riding. Although the Mini is the only car that doesn't make me feel completely bad about driving when I can't ride (like when I have to carry something 'bigger than a breadbox'), I'd rather be on one of my bikes, no questions asked.

You either love it or you don't. If you love it, you will stay with it. If you don't, it won't be worth your time.

I don't listen to people who have no motorcycle experience but like to shoot their mouths off about it anyway. I've heard it all, and unless someone actually rides, it ain't worth donkey-kong.

If you want to know about riding, talk to people who ride. You'll get lots of responses, and they won't all be the same, much like advice about our MINIs. But the great majority of us here have MINIs, so we know of what we speak, for the most part.

There are tons of tips to learn as you go. The most important first thing I can tell you is to develop your 'antennae.' You've gotta know everything that's going on around you before it actually occurs. You do this by scanning a full 180 degrees in front of you and being aware of anything that could occur in the next few seconds that could suddenly rock your world. It sounds daunting, but after a while it becomes natural.

I'll end by saying that the MSF courses are over rated and most riders believe they adequately prepare new riders for life on the street. What they do prepare you for is how to control a motorcycle, and then in some fast acting situations. But that is only the beginning. New riders need to practice motorcycle control, and make a point of identifying potential dangers as they move through traffic.

 

Sorry,I'm way too short for the retro/cafe racers

 

Oh darn! It could have been sweet!