Motorcycle vs car

[col]

http://www.eddybullet.com/shoot_LML_eddy_bullet1.png

One of the lads had one the same colour, but he had it full of mirrors. Sounded great and was reliable, the lambretta sounded rough and was unreliable too, or so they seemed.

 

[simon.r]

KH250. There was a KH750 as well, which was generally reckoned to be unrideable (way too much power for the frame). My neighbour had one, modded to run as a drag bike

 

[col]

KH250. There was a KH750 as well, which was generally reckoned to be unrideable (way too much power for the frame). My neighbour had one, modded to run as a drag bike

Was the 750 the kettle, two stroke? someone we knew had one and killed himself on it.

 

[simon.r]

Was the 750 the kettle, two stroke? someone we knew had one and killed himself on it.

Dredging my memory here, but wasn't the kettle a Suzuki GT750? Also a two stroke triple but water cooled IIRC.

 

[ASC1951]

A Royal Enfield Bullet with a diesel engine (c. 200 mpg) and a pre-1972 frame (i.e. historic vehicle excise duty = £0) should be fairly cheap to run!

But at 6.5hp, not a lot faster than your bicycle.

As a skint 22 year old in my first job I had a s/h motorbike then a s/h car. The car was hugely better, even though it was a quarter the price of the bike. I've had motorbikes since, but only for fun, and I certainly wouldn't want to ride one in crap weather and winter darkness just because it was my only way of getting to work.

At 29 you aren't going to pay the sky high insurance rates of young drivers. Get a car.

 

[col]

Dredging my memory here, but wasn't the kettle a Suzuki GT750? Also a two stroke triple but water cooled IIRC.

Ah yes I think your right, my memory isnt as good as it was, thats the one. If you could stay on it, it was waaay to quick.
The water boiler

 

[simon.r]

Kettle:

KH750:

(P.S. Apologies to the OP for derailing the thread, but thanks for prompting me to spend the last 1/2 hour looking at photos and re-living my youth)

 

[col]

Yep thats it at the top, but black. My brother had it for a short time as he was thinking of buying it. luckily he didnt and not long after the owner came off on a long s bend straight into the path of a car pulling out of a junction, not a pretty sight.

 

[simon.r]

But at 6.5hp, not a lot faster than your bicycle.

"There is now the option of the 456cc single cylinder direct injection diesel engine 13hp @ 3600 rpm."

Significantly more than the measly 1 to 2hp put out by an averagely fit cyclist! I'll concede that it probaly isn't the fastest vehicle available (BTW, I've never ridden one, just intrigued by the concept).

 

[col]

My step dad had a panther 500 single, with sidecar, he totally did it up to look as new. Heard him coming from miles away, it was like a big hammer thump thump thump.

 

[Night Train]

I did the full, big bike test back in 2001 passing first time. I then bought a new Harley Davidson FXSTB Night Train, hence the forum name. It cost about £13k and the insurance was £2k for the first year, £1.8k the year after. 1450cc so it only did about 30mpg, it wasn't cheaper then running a big car. Worse then that I seem to have got a Friday afternoon bike from a useless dealer and then Harley wouldn't honour repairing the faults, some potentially lethal, under warrenty.

I should have bought motorbike instead.

 

[terry_gardener]

before I started college in September 2011 I use to have a 06 fiesta zetec climate 1.4 TDCI.

my commute was about 18miles up the A19 (dual carriageway) since then i have sold the car due to the cost since i no longer have a job and i currently don't need a car.

the fiesta cost on average.

insurance £480 (last purchased in 2010)
tax £35 for the year
MOT and service cost £150
fuel about £100 per month

reading some of the replies it looks as though a motorbike is great for the weekend or fun rides out but not for commuting daily.

 

[ASC1951]

"There is now the option of the 456cc single cylinder direct injection diesel engine 13hp @ 3600 rpm."

I've ridden a big single - a 500cc Panther - and it wasn't the smoothest of journeys. A couple of hours on a low-revving diesel thumper and you would have no fillings in your back teeth.

There are good reasons why no-one makes a production diesel motorbike: fuel isn't the major expense it is with cars and people ride motorbikes because they accelerate faster than cars. The power curve from a diesel engine is all wrong for a bike.

 

[terry_gardener]

As I originally said i am just looking at alternatives.

when I commuted by car I did find it boring but it was convenient and easy.

 

[swee'pea99]

Bike - cheaper, a lot more fun, but don't ignore the danger. It's real.
Car - no fun, but practical and warm in the cold and dry in the wet.