My motorcycles are sharing THEIR garage with a 42 years old Fiat Spyder and '06 Carrera S ,both small footprint, so they all go along together well! "Pecking order" well established
The V8 and 6000 lbs boys, Land Rover Discovery and Cayenne GTS don't get that kinda luxury, they live outdoors and are off-road oriented, seeing low miles in that configuration.
A Toyota Prius 4 is the car of my choice. It is reliable, roomy enough and has a very low fuel consumption better than my motorbikes. As much as I enjoy riding my bikes I enjoy driving my car. Its automatic transition makes it very comfortable and stressfree to drive. To me it is the best car in the world with its 'space invader strange look'. In Germany it was put out of the market because too less customers would buy a last Prius. So you only seldom can see one out on the streets like our CB here. I like riding and driving rare vehicles which are of good quality and have a good substance to make life with them easy and free of problems. And which can't be found on every corner like a mainstream VW Golf or BMW GS.
I know the car culture is a bit different in Europe, and smaller cars are more the norm. Personally I have always felt that I just don't need a big car, and for those rare occasions that I do (like moving stuff) it is far more convenient and cheaper to just rent a van for the day. Allows me also to get the best vehicle for the job!
Personally my passion for Minis is probably second to motorcycles, and so I just have a number of Minis. An old original one from 1969 shares the closed garage space with my motorcycles, and everything just fits. Under a car port I then have a Mini Cabriolet for my wife, and now a Mini Countryman plug-in hybrid. I bought the hybrid a year ago, and with the covid situation in 2020 meaning that I really only drive short distances around here I have really been ably to cut down on fuel consumption. I filled her up three times throughout the year, implying 90 litres and I did about 6'000km with it.
since 20 years now: smart city coupe diesel....that rocks....and here in my hands it needs 2.9l diesel per 100km..... and bcos i ride bikes it has only 100000km now...
(01-26-2021, 05:34 PM)Henrik_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I know the car culture is a bit different in Europe, and smaller cars are more the norm. Personally I have always felt that I just don't need a big car, and for those rare occasions that I do (like moving stuff) it is far more convenient and cheaper to just rent a van for the day. Allows me also to get the best vehicle for the job!
Personally my passion for Minis is probably second to motorcycles, and so I just have a number of Minis. An old original one from 1969 shares the closed garage space with my motorcycles, and everything just fits. Under a car port I then have a Mini Cabriolet for my wife, and now a Mini Countryman plug-in hybrid. I bought the hybrid a year ago, and with the covid situation in 2020 meaning that I really only drive short distances around here I have really been ably to cut down on fuel consumption. I filled her up three times throughout the year, implying 90 litres and I did about 6'000km with it.
That's great Henrik. We are constantly told by our nay sayers that electric vehicles will never be any use in Australia because of the distances people travel and the time it takes to recharge. Turns out the statistics at 30 June 2020 tell us that the average passenger vehicle in Australia travels 30.4 kms per day. Electric vehicles should be no problem for a significant number of people. Me? I can't wait until they're affordable.
It's enough electric driving for me to ride a selfcharging full hybrid, that is driven for 56% of all km by its own produced electricity. As long as I'm allowed to drive to all places I have and want to, I'm living in a country as many other full of changes concerning ökonomic and pollution regulations by the government and the EU, I will keep my car. It will last and probably will not fall into pieces and give up as a Toyota. Maybe it will last longer as most likely the CB will also do than my ongoing stay on this planet.
Agree entirely, Corm, I can't wait either ONCE all coal fire plants are taken off the electric grid. Consumers will also have to keep an eye on all foul tricks of salesmen, and the car manufacturer's lobby. Just think hybrids and the way they are used (often as subsidized company cars). 80% of that hybrid fleet is run entirely and exclusively with diesel, hauling around needless 300kg batteries, and raking in tax reductions. Why ? The gas is paid by the company, the electricity would have to be paid by the employee.
Not zero emissions, but zero impact.
I run a Vauxhall Diesel estate automatic that’s soon to be 7 years old. Great car but it’s a proper workhorse, wash it maybe once a year at MOT time, keep it serviced though. I cram it full of garden rubbish all the time, have the dog in it, it’s not worth much now and is covered in scratches and small dings but I hope to keep it running for a few more years yet. On the other hand my CB’s are my pride and joy and I get great pleasure opening the garage and seeing them, all colour and chrome.
For as long as any of us drive a ICE motorcycle like the CB (which most clearly is for pleasure purposes rather than as daily slog to work) we can't really purport to be pollution conscious. It might ease your conscious to have a hybrid/full electric vehicle in the garage but you are still essentially a net contributor to pollution.
As for electric vehicles getting much cheaper, I don't know if they ever will. Battery supply is the choke on supply at the moment and current technology needs Cobalt, lots of it. If we are to rapidly expand battery production then Governments are going to have to give the green light to mine Cobalt on the seabed, totally trashing the Marine life that exists there.
It is a total dilema. The only solution is to go back to walking, cycling and sailing and the human species understanding that jetting off on a sunny holiday for €50 on massively polluting aeroplane is a bad idea. I have to say I like the idea of sailing to Spain for my Holiday although I'll be needing a bit more time off work!
Yep. I think the human race has pretty much trashed the planet and I have to confess in my own small way I’m playing my part in that too by running a car, m/bikes and a (Honda) petrol lawn mower! I agree that going fully electric solves one problem (zero emissions) but causes others (mining precious metals) and then of course nuclear power plants to supply this demand. We will all be long gone by the time any of this is worked through but my hunch is that in time (and I mean hundreds of years from now) it won’t be wealth in terms of gold and diamonds, it’ll be clean water and air that everyone wants. Total Recall comes to mind.