10 Reasons Why Riding is Better than Driving

Since the beginning of motorized private transportation, there has been constant debate between the merits of riding versus driving. Riders would of course favour riding, well, because they know what drivers have been missing out on. No doubt, drivers who have never ridden a motorcycle in their entire lives would favour driving because they think that motorcycles are death machines. But at Riding Bible, we both ride and drive, and we definitely prefer motorcycles.

Here are 10 reasons why:

10. You get better fuel economy

http://www.cars-10.com/2011/06/3-ways-to-save-on-gas-today/expensive-fuel-02/

If buying a car in Singapore doesn't empty your pockets, the cost of petrol eventually would. With such ridiculous car prices now, it is no wonder many people are switching to riding motorcycles. The most powerful motorcycles that can do a 0-100 km/h in less than 3 seconds, can easily beat a car in fuel economy.

One of the fastest superbikes on the market now, the BMW S1000RR can do 0-100 km/h in 2.6 seconds. It also consumes only 1 litre of petrol for every 13 km travelled. A smaller capacity motorcycle such as the Honda CB400 (commonly known to Singaporeans as a SuperFour) that does 0-100 km/h in 5 seconds consumes about 1 litre for every 26 km travelled. More power, less fuel? Take that drivers!

9. You can crash and injure yourself seriously

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/mcn/sport/sportresults/motogp/2010/june/jun0510-mugello-motogp-valentino-rossi-breaks-right-leg-in-massive-crash/

Before you ask why is this even a reason riding is better than driving, allow me to explain. You see, riders know that they are vulnerable, any bad decision or loss of focus can result in an injury, and sometimes even death. That is what makes riders awesome, knowing that we are in constant danger has made us ninjas of situation awareness.

Every rider on the street has some kind of neural radar, we know exactly where every motorist is at. "Red car far behind on my left, fast black car overtaking me on the right, if the car in front of me stops suddenly, I can avoid collision by swerving to the left."
Sounds familiar?

Riders! Our weakness is actually our strength!

8. It is the closest thing to flying that ordinary people can do

http://wallpaperuser.com/motorcycle-vs-jet/

There has always been this saying. "I don't ride fast, I fly low." If you ride, you know what I mean. If we talk about acceleration alone, any motorcycle 600cc and above can out-accelerate a fighter jet. A 1000cc superbike will be able to reach the take-off speed of a jumbo jet (280 km/h) in less time (14.8s) and distance (780m) than the jumbo jet takes. Riders are fighter pilots on land, just saying.

7. You will never be good enough

http://www.superbikeschool.com/team/

Another one of those reasons that leave you going "Huh???". So what is this all about? If you watch racing, you would realize that even the best riders in the world crash. Why is that so? Because we are human, we have habits which are sometimes bad, and when it comes to riding, instinct may not be the best trick you have in your bag. When you first start riding, you would have heard from experienced riders that you would eventually crash, it is only a matter of time.

Fortunately, there are riding schools all over the world where you can learn to ride faster and safer. The nearest school is the California Superbike School branch in Australia. Constantly improving your riding skill should be on the top of your priorities as a rider. So what is the benefit to being a better rider? Uh, how about not getting killed? Don't be like the couch potato drivers on the streets.

6. You look great in a motorcycle jacket/suit

http://www.vroom-magazine.com/2013/04/08/photos-dani-pedrosa-marc-marquez-repsol-honda-team-at-qatar/dani-pedrosa-marc-marquez-motogp-repsol-honda-team-qatar-2013-31/

I was contemplating just putting up that photo as good enough reason for this. Seriously, what is cooler than sporting a full leather suit. You don't need to look like Marc Marquez to look great in a suit. Just take a weekend trip down to the nearest race track, and decide for yourselves. Bask in the moment when the girlfriends of drivers can't keep their eyes off your sexy gear. Drivers, we don't mean to steal your girlfriends, tell your girlfriends to stop ogling!

5. You laugh at drivers when they are stuck in traffic

http://sfcitizen.com/blog/2008/07/24/lane-splitting-on-the-freeway-with-your-motorcycle-your-right-as-a-californian/

Traffic in Singapore can be frustrating with the absurd car-to-tarmac ratio. Luckily, lane splitting is legal in the country. And drivers, we thank (most of you) for being nice to riders.

Typically, a 20 km peak hour commute will take a car about 30-45 minutes. The same distance can be covered by a motorcycle in half the time, that's 4 days of your life a year spent doing something more meaningful than being stuck in traffic. Riders also enjoy the benefits of waking up later, and reaching home earlier. More sleep and more leisure time for riders, it's no wonder we are happier people.

4. Getting your knee down is the closest thing to sex

http://www.visordown.com/news/images/747/ruben-xaus.jpg

The holy grail of riding, once you get your first knee down, there's no turning back. Sure, there is the occasional sex from the hordes of girls lining up to get their cherries popped, but nothing beats the feeling of the sensation from your knee sliders scrapping the tarmac. Nothing.

3. Chicks dig riders

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7623944@N03/4909167670/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Chicks love motorcycles, and they love even more the riders who ride them. Every lady in their prime would have sat on a motorcycle at least once in their life. There is something intriguing about a rider who can tame a two-wheeled machine. Or maybe it is the multiple orgasms from the engine's vibrations.

All the cool characters in movies ride motorcycles, Tom Cruise from Top Gun, Hugh Jackman from X-men...etc. And chicks love them! If you need some help in the love department, try rolling up to her front door in a BMW S1000RR rather than a Toyota Vios. In Singapore, the BMW is cheaper than the Toyota. Burn!

2. You can accelerate from a red light faster than a car 10 times the cost of your motorcycle

http://www.crankandpiston.com/brain/media/2012/11/Screen-Shot-2012-11-08-at-09.29.21-728x455.png

A lot of drivers get all excited about their new sports car, they tell all their buddies how fast it can go, and how it will beat every other car. Until they stop beside a motorcycle one day, and the motorcycle disappears seconds after the lights go green.

Sorry drivers, we don't mean to crush your dreams. The reason why bikes are faster is simple physics. A Ducati Panigale produces 195 hp with a dry weight of 164 kg, that's a whopping 1.19 hp per kilo! To put that into perspective, a Ferrari 458 produces 562 hp with a dry weight of 1245 kg. Not really a competition when it comes to raw power-to-weight ratio.

1. I was so excited to know that I was going to my bike the next day, and I still feel that today

http://www.infinitylist.com/video/happy-valentines-day-dancing-drift-motorcycle/

And finally, the numero uno reason why riding is better. I have been riding for 10 years, and I still get excited whenever I put my legs over the seat. Riding gives you a sense of freedom, at the same time, a sense of belonging to a community of like-minded people.

Given a choice, normal people choose driving. Riders will always choose to ride. We will ride till the day our body stops functioning. That's what makes riders awesome, because we ride by choice.

The video below explains this better.

Ride safe.