The future of motorcycles as daily transport?

[Skub]

Cos I'm a shite rider and bigger bikes are too powerful for me and I don't have enough sense to not try and use that power. TBH anything over 70bhp is wasted on me!

Probably the only difference between you and me Tenpin,is I'm not smart enough to be scared.

[Yorick]

Cos I'm a shite rider and bigger bikes are too powerful for me and I don't have enough sense to not try and use that power. TBH anything over 70bhp is wasted on me!

Probably the only difference between you and me Tenpin,is I'm not smart enough to be scared.

*waves*

[The Spin Doctor]

I remember the step up in power from my fizzy to my gp100. Once around a couple of faster bends I was use to it. At 17 I pinched my brothers 750 bonneville one night and went to the pub to show off to my mates. Felt heavy as hell and loads of power, but I got home again.

One bike is very much like another, regarding controls. We quickly learn and adapt to the bigger bike, we have to.

Unfortunately, accident statistics say otherwise... one of the big factors in KSI crashes is "bike unfamiliar to the rider".

And increasingly bikes are getting away from the 'front brake on the right, clutch on the left, rear brake under your right foot, gears under the left'. There are DCT gearboxes, combined brakes, traction control, riding modes and ABS to understand. My experience on running training courses is that even those riders keen to improve their skills are often hazy on just how the bike under them is working.

I have honestly known half a dozen lads who looked at taking big bike test and when they looked into it all, they went no further.

As I've said, I think the current multi-test format is wrong but it's a political response to the lack of interest shown by the motorcycle industry here in the UK. The MCIA still has little or no interest in creating better riders, just in bringing more and more bike training schools under their control.

[Scootabout]

A few years ago, there was deffo a surge of scooters as commuters in London, but I don't think that's the case anymore. They are giving way to cycles and leccy scooters. Also, I don't think i see anything like the bikes I used on my main road commute. I think younger generations are much more environmentally aware and will embrace the move from ICE vehicles to electric ones, so unless leccy motorbikes drop dramatically in price, people will just use eMtBs and escooters instead.

I agree. I'd add that, thanks to the drive by the mayor and TfL to promote cycling - arguably at the expense of all other road transport modes - motorcycling has become less practical in London than it was 5+ years ago. Consequently the best way to make progress on a short/medium commute (say up to 10km) is to be on a bicycle, including e-bikes, not least becasue of access to cycle lanes. I know for sure that if I were still commuting from SW11 to the City or West End I'd do it on my e-bike. I suspect this is a trend that's spreading to other cities.