Just returned from England, my moto-observations

[schleppy]

Last night I returned home from my nine day trip to England (4 days in London, 4 at Silverstone for the classic weekend).

Whilst over there I noticed a few things about motorcyclists:

1.) A LOT more people seem to ride. While in London I don't think a minute passed where I didn't see someone on a motorcycle, flying through the streets.

2.) They don't care about the weather. I saw the full gamut of weather while I was over there, and the rain did not seem to decrease the number of riders at all. People just weren't phased by rain or cold.

3.) EVERYONE wears gear. I can safely say that 98% of motorcyclists I saw were either wearing full leathers, or some sort of two piece combo. In addition, probably 90% of them had some sort of refelective safety vest on as well. People really seem to care more about safety over there than here. I really only saw one or two people who weren't in full gear.

4.) People in London love SVs and Fazers.

5.) People ride older bikes, hard. The newest bike I saw moving on the street was a 04ish gixxer 750. A majority of the bikes were older, and pretty dirty from being used, A LOT. I can't say I was disappointed though, it's good to see bikes used so much.

I'll post more thoughts as I remember them, and I'll have some pics up soon.

-S

[rebelpacket]

I think England uses the tiered licensing system too, right?
Sounds like the brits make us look like a bunch of kindergarten kids.

[Crash Dummy Denno]

hell yeah

too bad the irish are a bunch of puffs

[stoinkythepig]

They think of bikes as transportation rather than toys. Legal lane splitting, high speed limits, high gas prices and horrible traffic tend to make bikes desireable there (and almost everywhere on earth).

[breakdirt916]

how were the roads?

England seems like one of the places I'd like to live for 6 months, just to enjoy the beer, women, and culture. But if it's not too expensive, I might as well get a bike too...

[stoinkythepig]

how were the roads?

England seems like one of the places I'd like to live for 6 months, just to enjoy the beer, women, and culture. But if it's not too expensive, I might as well get a bike too...

The roads are narrow, twisty, well marked and fun, with a 60 MPH speed limit everywhere except in-town.

I lived there (in Oxford) for October, November and December of 1999. It got old but I'm glad I did it. It is a very expensive place to live. My furnished apartment was $6800 a month.

[schleppy]

^ pretty much what he said. The pavement quality was good (from what I noticed), but it's definitely tight. The roads outside of London were beautiful, and certainly wide enough. It's when you get into the really old towns that it starts to get hairy (in a car). I think most places would be AOK on a bike.

I would agree with the 6 month comment. Everything is so pricey there that being there any longer would necessitate a high paying job.

[Hoss]

I would agree with the 6 month comment. Everything is so pricey there that being there any longer would necessitate a high paying job.

I want a Hinkley tour, and a premier league match please


Hopefully I can get over there some day and see the sights.

[number9]

Bikes are everywhere in the U.K., but the theft rates are shocking -- something like 30% of all bike owners will have one of their steeds pinched at some time during ownership. Helmets are compulsory (rightly so) and almost everyone wears gear because only douchebags are squids :p

And, they ride in the rain & cold because that's the only weather available in England. If you didn't, you would never ride.

[Hoss]

I know a lot of the English riders are surprised to hear that our insurance companies do not require alarms and theft deturants. They have to before the will even be touched.

[Nikon]

[Ryno]

I use to spend a couple months a year in England, it's a great place.
If you think we've got an immigration issue, talk to some folks on the other side of the pond.

[erik87]

I think England uses the tiered licensing system too, right?
Sounds like the brits make us look like a bunch of kindergarten kids.

on both points

They think of bikes as transportation rather than toys. Legal lane splitting, high speed limits, high gas prices and horrible traffic tend to make bikes desireable there (and almost everywhere on earth).

ya...my dad just got back from europe, gas there is the equivilant of $7/gal

[breakdirt916]

sounds awesome

did you bring back any pics?

was cost of living high for everything? or was living expenses the worst? if rent is the worst part about it, I can cut down on the costs by staying with relatives

[schleppy]

Food was pretty damn expensive, especially if you eat out anywhere.

I was expecting it to be rainy and cold the whole time I was there, but it was pretty gorgeous for 5 days straight (72 degress, 0 humidity, blue skies). I was very surprised.

I have 800 or so pics, but very few bike related ones (it was more of a car-based trip). I'll try and get some up today.

[number9]

Cost of living there is higher, though salaries are higher as well (but so are taxes).

[Nate Dawg]

A buddy of mine moved to Brighton, (which is south of london on the coast) about 8 months ago. He and his girl both ride motorcycles. He was telling me that you can ride up to a 250cc bike without a motorcycle license. And...gettting a license costs about $1000 US dollars, and many many years to get.
They both came back here to visit about 2 months ago. They purchased all their gear here seeing that the exchange rate for the English Pound is so great. The pound from what I understand is almost double the US dollar