A tale of 2 Hondas

[SSK Dave_imp]

I toured through 5 countries in Europe. Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France and Lichtenstein and although I saw a fair number of motorcycles there (mainly scooters) the vast preponderance of vehicles I saw were still cars...small cars, but cars never the less. When I watch Youtube vids of riders negotiating in European cities, or test riding new motorcycles, it is still single motorcycles surrounded by a sea of cars. European riders may be more serious about riding than the average American (as is the ave Euro car driver), but from what I observed when it comes to commuting the car is still king there.

It may be different in Asia, I'm not sure, never been to Asia, but as far as I observed, the motorcycle has not replaced the car as primary transportation in any of the 5 countries I visited in Europe in any significant numbers.

Been living in Asia for the last 11 years, Thailand & visited Cambodia & Laos a few times.
Small bikes up to 150cc are the only means of transport for the masses. If poor, they may club together and get someone with a pick-up to drive them into a larger town for shopping or use run-down busses. Those with a better paying job get loans (government) and buy new trucks or cars. I've seen more new cars in Thailand, than U.K.!
Bigger bikes have been a growing market over the last 5/6 years with many manufacturers making them in Thailand. There is a very active Biker scene with Bike parties in different towns most weekends (except for the hot & wet seasons). These parties are generally safe & non-violent with money raised by local clubs going to a local charity.
Unfortunately, being the 2nd most dangerous country for road deaths (80% small bikes &/or tourists), it is not a country for the faint-hearted or inexperienced. Northern Thailand is a bikers 'dream ride!


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Been living in Asia for the last 11 years, Thailand & visited Cambodia & Laos a few times.
Small bikes up to 150cc are the only means of transport for the masses. If poor, they may club together and get someone with a pick-up to drive them into a larger town for shopping or use run-down busses. Those with a better paying job get loans (government) and buy new trucks or cars. I've seen more new cars in Thailand, than U.K.!
Bigger bikes have been a growing market over the last 5/6 years with many manufacturers making them in Thailand. There is a very active Biker scene with Bike parties in different towns most weekends (except for the hot & wet seasons). These parties are generally safe & non-violent with money raised by local clubs going to a local charity.
Unfortunately, being the 2nd most dangerous country for road deaths (80% small bikes &/or tourists), it is not a country for the faint-hearted or inexperienced. Northern Thailand is a bikers 'dream ride!


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My buddy and I toured the jungles / forest area around Chiang mai, Thailand in 2012 on rented 100-125cc bikes and had a trip of a life time .. I believe we rode through the banana plantations where one of the Rambo movie was shot .. fantastic people and food and culture


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Been living in Asia for the last 11 years, Thailand & visited Cambodia & Laos a few times.
Small bikes up to 150cc are the only means of transport for the masses. If poor, they may club together and get someone with a pick-up to drive them into a larger town for shopping or use run-down busses. Those with a better paying job get loans (government) and buy new trucks or cars. I've seen more new cars in Thailand, than U.K.!
Bigger bikes have been a growing market over the last 5/6 years with many manufacturers making them in Thailand. There is a very active Biker scene with Bike parties in different towns most weekends (except for the hot & wet seasons). These parties are generally safe & non-violent with money raised by local clubs going to a local charity.
Unfortunately, being the 2nd most dangerous country for road deaths (80% small bikes &/or tourists), it is not a country for the faint-hearted or inexperienced. Northern Thailand is a bikers 'dream ride!


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My buddy and I toured the jungles / forest area around Chiang mai, Thailand in 2012 on rented 100-125cc bikes and had a trip of a life time .. I believe we ride through the banana plantations where one of the Rambo movie was shot .. fantastic people and food and culture


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Yes, the far north is more interesting scenery and slightly cooler too. The roads have improved greatly over the last decade.


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[Lunatic Fringe_imp]

Small inexpensive cars are safer, more economical, more utilitarian and more comfortable than a motorcycle it seems. About the only purposeful utilitarian bike I can think of is the Honda NC700X. It gets great mileage, has useful storage, has a power outlet and is pretty simple to maintain. Pretty much if you want an economical bike this your machine. They sell well in Europe for the reasons listed above. They make a great commuter device in large cities especially where the snow never flies. I don't we need to characterize younger folks as being lazy and not into going outside. We need to look at the fact that cars today are simply the better practical alternative for getting around, especially the small suv.

[Wisedrum]

I toured through 5 countries in Europe. Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France and Lichtenstein and although I saw a fair number of motorcycles there (mainly scooters) the vast preponderance of vehicles I saw were still cars...small cars, but cars never the less. When I watch Youtube vids of riders negotiating in European cities, or test riding new motorcycles, it is still single motorcycles surrounded by a sea of cars. European riders may be more serious about riding than the average American (as is the ave Euro car driver), but from what I observed when it comes to commuting the car is still king there.

It may be different in Asia, I'm not sure, never been to Asia, but as far as I observed, the motorcycle has not replaced the car as primary transportation in any of the 5 countries I visited in Europe in any significant numbers.

To give you an idea in numbers ferret, in Germany there are round about 4 million motorbikes and 45,5 million cars listed by the KBA (Kraftfahrzeugbundesamt). This explains a lot.
The 4 million contain scooter, 125, Mofa, Mockicks and so on, which are in my eyes no 'real motorbikes'. Another comparision is informativ. Cars are driven lets write 12.000 to 15.000km averagely a year, motorbikes maybe 2.000 to 3.000km. Many riders have more than one bike. All this are reasons why you don't see as many motorbikes on the road as it would be nice for the eyes and sometimes the ears.

Don't think that the situation is very different in the neighbour countries. Surely it depends on the season, the places and even the daytime where and when I'm riding, but more often than not I feel as if I'm the only motocyclist among cardrivers.

Wisedrum

[offroadfx4_imp]

Meticulous record keeping! Wish that was in me to do that.

Mine is purely for fun. I'm reliving my childhood (well my childhood of age 14-30).

As far as a mechanical toy you can drive goes, I'm not so sure it's a bad deal.

Airplanes $100/hr, Race Car (Ferrari, track and instructor included) $400/15min, Snowmobile (guide included) $250/hr, Boats $300/day...

I was just thinking while riding down the road the other day what it might cost to rent this toy for the day...glad I own it ;-)