PDA

View Full Version : Bike vs car. Again. But a real world comparison



Ixion
24th October 2005, 20:08
Debated over and over again - which is faster bike or car.

Here's a real world comparison. When Mrs Ixion heard about the little after werk pootle I did last night, she decided that today I would take her over the same trip in the Alfatoy. So much for my replacing my brake pads.

So, orders were issued accordingly (She's like that)

Now on paper, this should be no contest. BMW K75 versus Alfa GTV 3L. The car's faster in every way. On the straight (much faster) and through the corners. And, although I ride like your Nana's nana, I drive the same way. And I am a law abiding rider/driver in both, keep it under the 100kph figure, no dodgy overtaking etc.

But the results, for pretty much the same route ( a couple of side excusions on Mrs Ixion's orders, and some stops to admire pretty scenery, which latter I have excluded from the lapsed time. And no gravel in the car. But a bit more rain today than yesterday). I excluded time out for dinner tonight.

Bike : 290 km , in 5 minutes under the 3 hours , precisely, which is 99.5kph. Just under the legal limit.
Car: 310km in 10 minutes under 4 hours , precisely, which is 80.9 kph.
Well under the limit.

So despite the car being theoretically faster (and I have no doubt that on a track it would eat the bike and spit out the bits), on the actual road, dealing with real world situations, the bike is nearly an hour quicker and 20kph faster.

I think this is the fundamental reality. No matter how it works out on a track, on an ordinary road over a decent distance, no car has a chance against a bike.

Jantar
24th October 2005, 20:14
yes, as close to a true comparison as you can get. No matter how much faster a car may be on paper, and no matter how well it can corner, or how good the driver is, a bike is just much more suited to coping with changing road conditions and manouvering through traffic than any car.

myvice
24th October 2005, 20:19
Nice compare.
Did my little 70k block in 1/2 an hour that would take me about 1 1/2-2 hours in a car.
But I wouldn’t do it in a car.
Can’t see the point.
No, you are not allowed to work out the average speed, all testing was done on tracks that where privately owned and closed to the public!
Dunno what all those cars where doing there tho... Or the road signs..

k14
24th October 2005, 20:58
Another little comparison. A1 gp held at estoril overnight. Fastest lap there was a 1.30 in pretty similar conditions to the day of qualifying at the motogp earlier this year, maybe slightly better. Motogp lap record of same circuit, 1.42. Thats a fuck load of time 12 seconds, would lap the motogp bike like every 8 laps or so.

Just another real world comparison. Not trying to start an argument again, been done to death round here lately. Just stating a fact.

Motu
24th October 2005, 21:00
I carried 24 paving slabs home on sunday with the Pajero,wife and two boys aboard as well.If I left the family at home and used the XT (which doesn't go anyway) I reckon I could carry 4 slabs at a time on the rack if I tied them down well.So that would be 6 trips to carry my concrete slabs home,an hour for the round trip to Hamilton,maybe more because I think I might have to go pretty slow with all that weight over the back....might have to cut it down to 3 slabs.So....7 hrs to do what the Pajero does in 1.5 hrs,plus we got some more plants and went to Dick the Smiths.

Why the hell would anyone want to do that on a bike?! My big smelly diesel is WAY faster than a bike!

Jantar
24th October 2005, 21:07
Nice one Motu. :niceone: Yes, another very valid comparison. That just goes to show why most of us own cages as well as bikes.

SlowHand
24th October 2005, 21:14
What's that Jantar? I fell asleep after Motu saying something about kids and slabs.

Motu
24th October 2005, 21:26
What's that Jantar? I fell asleep after Motu saying something about kids and slabs.

I was just saying my Pajero was faster than a bike - OK?

ducatilover
24th October 2005, 21:38
a while agoon top gear they tested a cbr600rr and an areil atom [with the good civic vtec engine] and the cbr600rr was fatser untill it had to brake for a corner then the areil past it and opened such a gap just from better slowing down it won the race. although i think the cbr600rr was quicker out of the corners. they should redo that with a gsxr1000k5, i sat on one of them you know :spudwave:

Ixion
24th October 2005, 21:40
I was just saying my Pajero was faster than a bike - OK?

OK. I'll give you a race . From the fish and chip shop in Queens Rd Panmure to the McDonalds on Mt Wellington Highway. Little Ratty vs Pajero.

(For those that don't know - Queens Rd is long. With a raised median down the length of it. Which has a pedestrian walk way through it, just by the fish and chip shop. Which is on the wrong side of the median to get onto the roundabout.I'll order in a Big Mac for you when you arrive Mr Motu, after your trip to the far end of Panmure. )

Motu
24th October 2005, 21:57
You just want me to carry the chips because you'll squash them down the front of your jacket....

How about the Juicey Oyster in Penrose rd? D'you know,the guy who serves you there was serving me as a primary school kid in the early 60s....imagine that,all your life spent wrapping chips.I guess he's had a good life...no redundancies,no retaining....chips is chips.