i am now 51 and apart from a very short period of passing my motorcycle and car test back in 1992 and only driving and riding for about a year in total 1992-3 roughly (my bicycles are my main form of transport), I have still wished i could afford a motorcycle over all those years (just always been the cost involved in buying and running one etc).
well today i went out with my friend in his car to go to salisbury just to go somewhere for a few hours. during the drive etc it was hitting us just how much traffic there is everywhere now and gridlock etc.
i was just thinking to myself that i just wanted to be on my bicycle riding places and that i would rather save up to getting a gravel bike as opposed to trying to save up for a motorcycle (i was planning on going to save up for a honda 125 of some sort). we were actually going to visit the honda dealer in bournmouth to look at the bikes but we ended up not going.
tbh i no longer want to get a motorcycle or car (and add to the traffic jam). i love riding my bikes when i do ride and wouldn't want to change that for any other vehicle now (i must add that i am lucky to not need a car etc to get around as i can do everything on my bicycle shopping etc).
i still love motorcycles i must add but just don't want one anymore.
apologies for the long winded post (and i hope it made some sort of sense lol?)
Perfect sense.
I drive quite a lot and sometimes (mostly) it's between awful and not much fun and sometimes it can be quite a calming and pleasant experience. Just look at that number of ***** off people who are driving. It's clearly not as fun as the car marketing.
Salisbury for all it's charm is rarely a nice place to drive around.
Most of my driving is utilitarian either for work or family stuff and it's generally between uninspiring and down right dull.
I do love a late night solo motorway or flowing A road drive though. This isn't some late night speed demon thing. I drive a diesel Superb estate and most of my recent cars have been very "white goods" but that doesn't matter. It's usually stereo off, just me and the road passing by the windows and an air of calm and single purpose of quietly going somewhere amongst the rush of daily life.
Battling the M25 (or A36 around Salisbury for that matter) on a bank holiday/half term weekend can get in the sea though.
Tomorrow I've got to face central Southampton for a family cruise pick up. I have not a lot of enthusiasm for that one 🤐
The only correct way to drive around Salisbury is to use the first car park you pass on the ring road and walk around. For a relatively small population the traffic is horrendous.
Salisbury for all it's charm is rarely a nice place to drive around.
You’re not wrong! I have family there, and fortunately it’s generally very easy to get to where Jo’s mum lives* without going near the actual city centre, but otherwise the road system seems designed to cause maximum annoyance and frustration!
*Turning off near Fuggleston Red and heading towards Victoria Park, basically.
You’re spectacularly missing the point about motorbikes. The time to ride motorbikes is when you’re young, stupid, think you’re immortal and feel the need to treat every B road like a race track and rag the #%$*ing arse out of them. Literally riding it like you stole it. You make short work of ‘traffic’.
As my 6 month driving ban for various indiscretions (while working as a motorbike courier) on a GSXR-750 and KTM250 2 stroke screamer (it was virtually impossible to keep the front wheel on the ground, so I rarely bothered even trying) can ultimately testify
That’s the unfortunate truth of the matter. People can say otherwise but that’s just bollocks.
I can’t imagine anything more spirit-crushingly tedious than riding a modern 125 Honda around Salisbury.
Walking would probably be infinitely more exciting as it would happen at the same pace but you wouldn’t have to pay road tax and insurance.
Just buy a gravel bike instead.
Alternatively, go out and buy some 15 year old, low mileage, mental Japanese sports bike (you can pick ‘em up cheap as chips nowadays), go and find a twisty B road with no speed cameras and wring it’s ****ing neck!
The perfect antidote to Salisbury traffic
