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Sometimes making that step to getting a motorbike seems like a real push. Instead of feeling that you need to push to get a bike, it is more an idea of being pulled, the benefits of biking so to speak.
Whilst you might be sat there thinking, “Learning is such an effort” or “It costs so much money” or that “Motorbiking is really dangerous” and yes, you’d be right to a certain extent I want toput forwards my experiences of biking that hopefully attract you over to our side of life.
1. Free yourself from the commute/congestion grind already.
Commuting and being stuck in congestion go hand in hand with causing inordinate amounts of stress on the average motorist. I have read studies in the past that suggested commutes of over 10 hours a week are actually damaging to physical health and mental wellbeing.
The time we have is precious. Between doing your work, commuting and sleep you get your recreational time. The time you spend with your mates, partner, or children. I would guess on my working days I get about 4 hours recreational time a day. Everyone would rather have more time to look after their health, or developing hobbies or socialising with friends.
A couple of years ago now I lost my bike due to an accident. I was alright and still fortunately had the car, I would finish work and get back home about 7 oclock in the evening. By the time I had caught up on home affairs and cooked dinner it would be more like half 8 at night. Whilst the job was good it brought into sharp relief for me just how much a bike can increase your quality of life by letting you acheive a healthier work/family balance. If that sounds like you then you would benefit from having a bike. My commute used to be about 90 minutes a day, since starting at ghostbikes.com the commute is much less painful, but I still ride in whenever I can.
2. Greener for the planet.
Whilst the marketing gurus of cars are fast to point out typical kg/km of their carbon emissions for the latest model they don’t typically take into account the fact that car drivers suffer from congestion as raised in point 1.
Fuel efficiency and test conditions on cars are typically conducted on open roads with clear space ahead of them, which just isn’t the reality on the modern UK roads. Some manufacturers are working on the problems of this with start/stop technology but rather than sitting in traffic wasting your time and your fuel you could have been making progress throughthat traffic with lots less emissions on a bike.
3. Sharpen your roadcraft.
Everyone likes to pretend they are a good driver and or a good rider. Learning to ride a motorcycle made me think more about how to effectively use the road in a more sensible manner. Things that you have to think about on a bike you can take for granted in a car, things like surface texture of the road, gravel and debris, cambers on the road, rain dew, cross winds etc. After riding for a while thinking of allthese things becomes second nature to you and you will find that your standard of car driving has increased through better foreplanning, judgement, use of the road and positioning and gearing. All these things add up to being a safer road user and a more efficient one too.
I have been intimately close to several car accidents along the M61 motorway in the 14 months or so that it was my commute. I am confident that had I not the experience of riding then I may have been directly involved with the accident rather than narrowly escaping. So whilst statistics will show that you are at a higher risk of having a serious accident on a bike than in a car it does go both ways.
4. Light on the wallet.
There is a theory out there that motorbikes are an expensive game, I’ll make no illusions about this for you learning to ride is a financial commitment, it costs anywhere from around £400 to get a full license to £1000+ depending on who you are and the fact then you need to purchase bike gear as well.
Practical motorbikes however have a massive potential to save you money right from day one. The tax for a 125cc bike is typically around £15 a year. Maintenance on commuting bikes up to 500-600 cc is typically cheaper than running a car doing the same work. Since you save time in your day you can undertake more paid work if you wanted for the same actual home time.
On top of this motorbikes are often exempt from paying toll charges, exempt from paying to park and exempt from the London-Soon-To-Be-Nation-Wide congestion charges.
I save about £7 a day when I need to park in Lancaster compared to the car, that amount of money adds up fast!
5. The feel good factor.
Community. You’re sat there reading this knowing exactly what I mean if you have a bike. If you don’t have a bike then believe me that when you get one you will become part of one of the most integrated, friendly, communities on the roads. Every biker whether a Harley Rider, a Sportsbike Rider or a Teenager on a 125 Enduro will offer you a nod of the head when you pass them, stop and see if you’re ok when you’re at the side of the road and take care of you should you ever need it. If you’re on the side of the road, i’ll stop for you.
It doesn’t matter what walk of life you are from, how much money you earn or what skills you have. If you appreciate riding motorbikes and all that it stands for then you’ll always have people standing by you as part of that wider circle of motorcyclists.
If you’re a car driver and want more free time, more money, a healthier outlook then make that step, and book your CBT and test.
HBW
Fed up with getting soaked in the Great British Summer?
Usually getting wet doesn’t bother me since i’m not a fair weather rider. What does bother me though is the various bits and bobs in my pocket: phone, MP3 player, wallet etc that I can’t afford to get drenched. I actually broke my last music player from it getting sodden in a sudden downpour last year and didn’t want to repeat the same experience.
Whilst the obvious answer is to buy a typical waterproof jacket I am a bit skint so opted for the Buffalo Rain Suit instead. First thing to say about it is they come large. The XXL I tried on was like a tent, so they are made for your typical size already and should cover your existing gear just fine so long as you don’t have a hump in the jacket etc.
I got myself into a medium size one with a 40 inch chest. Despite my Alpinestars Gloves and Sidi Vertigo Boots not being waterproof I ventured out into the heavy rain and… stayed dry. I don’t know why exactly but I just didn’t really expect a rainsuit of any description to work that well. My gloves got soaked admittedly but it was a great experience to be otherwise warm and comfortable despite the buckets of water landing on me. you don’t need to wear lots of underlayers either, I had a T-shirt and sports layer under my Jacket and I was beginning to get hot when sat at traffic lights. In the future I might just grab a technical base layer and see how I get on with just that instead.
If you’ve not bothered with getting a whole new waterproof set of gear and are fed up with getting wet in the British “summer” then I recommend it, works well and an affordable price.
HBW
The latest offering from Shoei Helmets is now available to pre-order at GhostBikes. Due to be released in early September the Shoei Qwest Motorcycle Helmet is aiming to be the best possible touring helmet. The Shoei development department was briefed to find the best balance between a comfortable, lightweight and effective noise-cancelling helmet that would be a pleasure to wear…
The video below highlights the key features of the new Shoei Qwest Helmets
GhostBikes will be stocking the following Shoei Qwest Motorcycle Helmets…
Shoei Qwest Airfoil Motorcycle Helmet
Shoei Qwest Motorcycle Helmet which is available in 4 colours
Shoei Qwest Paragon Motorcycle Helmet which is available in three styles
These are all ready to pre-order now, there is no deposit needed and you will be called to take payment when they are ready for dispatch (Early September) by pre-ordering you will be ensuring that you are one of the first to have these fantastic new Shoei helmets which are set to become a best seller without handing over your cash a month in advance!
The Qwest will replace the discontinued Shoei Raid, a sturdy performer, although it is updated with five shell sizes and a new visor system – the QRSA. (Quick. Release. Self. Adjusting). The quick release is straightforward enough, but the self-adjusting part is new for Shoei and rather clever. The visor is gently spring-loaded and ensures a snug fit against the seal of the helmet.
In addition, the peripheral vision has been extended and the Pinlock system is longer and no longer interferes in any part of the forward vision. We’ve just taken delivery of one and been given chapter and verse on its benefits, so we’ll report back. All we can say for now is that it’s light – 1,371g – the visor is easy to remove and finish is well up to Shoei’s standards.
Another council appears to shun the speed camera system. Speed cameras are a common enough sight throughout the UK road network and as a nation I suspect we are all accustomed to their presence in built up areas and rural alike. In the last handful of years with the continuing development and introduction of the ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology, and the new generation of fixed speed cameras it was beginning to feel that I spent as much time looking to the side of the road for cameras as I was on the road itself.
Everyone has their share of near miss experiences whether driving or riding on the roads, for me personally more than enough of them have been due to traffic ahead slamming on their brakes as they noticed a speed camera that appeared out of the gloom in front of them.
Whether it is the traffic in front doing the braking or me I have to question the validity of continually checking the clocks and the side of the road rather than focusing on the road ahead and riding at a suitable speed for the conditions.
Swindon Local Authority stated last year that they are terminating their support for speed cameras, that they are ineffective in curbing road accidents and that only 6% of accidents were attributed to excess speed. In the months following the switch off accident rates had “Remained the same.” according to Swindon Council.
Oxford Council has now warned that due to budget cuts from central government they may withdraw support for their speed cameras as well.
Hearing this news I was at first elated. Then I stopped and thought about it, there are lots of places where I believe speed cameras are entirely appropriate, outside and around schools for example, long stretches of road through residential areas etc.
Presumably the police will have to pick up the pieces in speed enforcement with laser guns and other mobile speed detection equipment. I cannot confirm or deny riding at the speed limit at all times, but equally since I have never been given a fixed penalty notice or “flashed” by any camera, even in today’s speed camera rich roads. Pondering this is a mass cull of the cameras what we actually need?
HBW
Lots of new Knox armour and knox base layers have just been listed & will be available to purchase from this weekend, Ghost Bikes thrives to bring our customers the best protection available and it doesn’t get much better than Knox. Knox are are highly respected in the Motorcycle Clothing industry and many other biker clothing manufacturer’s trust Knox enough to place knox armour in their clothing.
Knox has specialised in the design and manufacture of impact protection since the 1980’s, they aim to be the best and protection is their only focus which sets them apart from their competitors. This translates into the most comprehensive range of award winning technical back protectors, safety shirts and impact shorts on the market.
Knox make back protectors to fit almost anyone, from a child under 10 years to women and men of every shape and height. Whether you ride a motorcycle on road or dirt, a mountainbike or a horse, even for skiing and snowboarding, we ensure that every customer is correctly fitted.
Here are a couple of items that the GhostBikes Team Highly Recommends:
Knox Dry Inside Sports Fit Long Sleeve Shirt
Knox Aegis Back Protector
Customers often get sizings wrong for their motorcycle gloves. What you are going to be using the gloves for naturally influences how they should fit. For those who are thinking of getting a pair of motorcycle gloves for a present or if they simply haven’t bought a set before you can use this size chart here for a broad idea.
Summer gloves need to be snug without being restrictive. The wrist stitching should be on comfortably on your wrist, not on your hand and the fingers should not be pushing against the ends. The wrist cuffs do vary wildly from long or short on summer gloves depending on it’s design. You should think about whether you want the cuff over the sleeve of your motorcycle jacket, or tucked inside instead.
Winter gloves are different and should be treated as such. They should not be as snug as summer gloves (but not loose) for the key reason of insulation. Winter gloves work by trapping a layer of air in your glove which your hand warms up. If the glove is too snug then this thermal layer cannot work and after 5 minutes of riding your previously warm hands just end up cold again. They ideally need to be waterproof if being used in the UK, wet and cold hands are a dangerous combination!
For information all the gloves above are the same fit size Medium and are the Spada Predator long cuff summer gloves on the left, Buffalo 322 summer short cuff gloves center and Buffalo Arctic Winter gloves on the right. Note how different they look despite fitting the same hand size!
HBW
Everyone has heard of Alpinestars. Whether it’s on TV or on your mates, you would have seen and admired. Alpinestars Boots and Gloves will be available to purchase from ghostbikes.com. Ghostbikes will eventually get the full range but for now the boots and gloves will be released on sale from the 16.07.10.
An example of these fantastic boots are the Alpinestars Supertech R. These are a top of the range racing boot with many fantastic features such as the inner bootie design for optimal feel and comfort. These boots will be available from £269.95.
For the ladies we have the the Alpinestars SP-2 Racing Gloves. These are designed to be sleek, specifically developed for a womens hand and will be on the website shortly.
Whatever the type or style of rider, Alpinestars will provide you with the best gear available!
Did you know that our retail shop is available for you to come in and try on our wide range of On-Road and Motocross brands . If you need motorcycling gloves or mx boots etc it’s especially important to try them on to make sure that the fit is right for you.
We are Shoei assured and our shop is also a designated Shoei Concept store, this means we only accept genuine shoei products from official importers, that our staff are professionally qualified to make sure that your chosen helmet fits you perfectly and that we carry a full range of helmets and spare parts.
Since all of our online brands are available to view, checking out things like our Givi range and motorcycle accessories like our Xena Security Systems touring and security is no longer guess work!
You can find us on Deepdale Mill Street in Preston, Lancashire PR1 5BY
HBW
Currently the market leader in Kevlar Jeans, the original company still holds its place as the best. Draggin Jeans have just released the first CE Approved Kevlar Motorcycle Jeans. The Draggin C-Evo jeans are the only jeans to pass the abrasion, burst and tear tests. These unique and remarkarble results are rewarded with a CE approval. This high standard is one of the many reasons why Draggin Jeans are still and always have been at the top of their game.
The C-Evo jeans are available from June 2010.
