is the motoring age coming to an end ?

[budd]

Is the price of fuel, busy roads, draconian punishments for motoring offences etc finally having the desired effect of forcing the petrolheads ( motoring enthusiasts ) off the roads?

I’ve been riding bikes and driving cars for more than 30yrs and consider myself privileged to have been part of what was IMHO the greatest era in motoring history, weaned on bikes like the FS!E ,KH250 and RD LCs and cars like the RS2000 and 3 litre Capri I feel almost honored to have owned all the above and driven / ridden them in a time when you could, nowadays a ‘spirited’ drive is almost impossible due mainly to the volume of traffic but also the price of fuel and generally cars worth driving don’t give good fuel mileage.

What is strange is the current obsession of manufactures to produce mega fast vehicles that nobody can really use, super saloons that do the school run, a neighbor of mine as a Audi RS4, beautiful car 420 bhp V8 his wife uses it to take their little boy to school, a parent at my daughters school delivers her kids in a Merc c63 6.3 litre monster of a car and what of the real hyper cars? which generally get driven to and from football training grounds, what is the point???

And the same is true of the current crop of super bikes. nigh on 200bhp 170kg machines that only the truly gifted could get the most out of on a track let alone the public highway, is all this conspicuous consumption and excess the final hurrah of a doomed automotive industry ? which will ultimately spell the end of the ‘high performance ’ vehicle whether it be car or bike ???

[agentpineapple]

i'm with you budd, thats why i moved to spain, the roads are great with next to no traffic, the fuel is cheaper and the weathers more bike friendly.
the only down side is i've had to learn spanish and the bacon in spain is rubbish, you do make some valid points tho fella, i ride just outside of london when i'm in the uk and the traffic is awful............at least my bikes got the smaller tank so it doesn't seem to bad at the pumps.....

[tony.mon]

When I was younger I used to get nicked all of the time, but lately all you have to do is slow down at camera sites.
And with the volume of traffic it's only the police bikes than can catch up with you.

With more cars on the road, traffic jams being pretty much constant and M25 stationery traffic every three or four junctions, using a bike to weave and cut through makes more sense than ever.

And yes, petrol is stupidly expensive, but if you just look at the cost of anything it's hard to justify- going out for a pint, for instance, can be cheaper if you sit at home on your own with a can of supermarket fizzy lager-flavoured own-brand.

i've just spent lots of money making my bike quicker, but in the meantime making it so that it only runs well on high-octane fuel.

if I'd just looked at the cost, I wouldn't have done it, but to me it's more about value- what do I get out of it?

Let's see.....
Yep, still worth it.

I suppose that sooner or later we'll get to a tipping point, where the cost of travel exceeds the income you can earn or the benefit you gain by travelling to that place- sales reps losing their jobs to internet ordering, virtual malls instead of shops, home working instead of commuting into the city.

Actually, doesn't sound too bad, really.

[AMCQ46]

I sure feels like it I try and ignore the cost of the fuel I waste, but the whole new world of 50mph limits "for your safety", and the volume of traffic on the roads, and the fact that the police forces are willing to fund helicopters to "stamp down" on motorcylists making progress! [when they dont want to protect our city centers from riots, or protect our homes and posessions from theft or our children from peodphiles, or, or.......endless list of issues].

Perhaps we have to get ourselves recognised as a minority group, and claim that 50 limits are a breach of our human rights

[Opel]

I don’t want to be considered crass or inconsiderate to what is in effect a very deep and meaningful debate, but… has someone got the Monday morning blues?

Anyway, the short answer is that I do think the good days are behind us, but importantly, is that not the same train of thought that every other ‘senior’ generation has uttered before?

The long answer is perhaps not necessary and completely inaccurate and so I won’t post it… and save us all from a load of pretentious drivel.

[AMCQ46]

Anyway, the short answer is that I do think the good days are behind us, but importantly, is that not the same train of thought that every other ‘senior’ generation has uttered before?

What do you mean senior....I am not yet 50

anyway we are doing our best to to become the VTR Grumpy old men club, the trouble with the younger generation is that they havnt learned how to moan properly

[Furrybiker]

In 1973 during the oil crisis then, I can remember thinking "Is it worth going out wasting fuel" I was about 15 at the time so i have had plenty of time to be miserable about using oil.

Is it worth it, pass, but is smoking, drinking too much and going with loose women

Bloody good fun though, and dont forget to those who come after us, these are the good old days AARRGH!!

More seriously, in the 1940's they thought that oil reserves would last for much the same number of years in the future as experts think now, but extraction techniques improved, so who knows.

[Miztaziggy]

Well, im probably what you would class as one of the slightly younger generation and I think I have just about learnt to complain in my 28 years!!

The roads in this country are shite.

Too much traffic and roads too narrow to cope.
Too many retards who dont know how to drive properly.
Too many people too nervous on the roads and shouldnt be there.
Roads too bumpy and filled with pot holes.
Police too eager to spend their time trying to catch people speeding where speed isnt a big factor in risk of accidents.

The minority groups in this country take hold of everything and ruin it for the rest of us.

Look at this situation with this Dayle Farm thing and these filthy robbing pikeys. Who in their right mind wants a sh1t hole pikey camp in their back yard with all the crime, aggression and general flouting the law that goes with it?....well the liberal minority get hold of it, protest like mad, get the UN involved and then get the majority of the coverage of the story in the media. The media portray themselves as the voice of public opinion, but what they have become is the voice of the minority and the voice of the vast majority of us normal tax paying hard working folk is never heard.

Well with the roads and the bikes and what not, the minority who want blanket 20mph speed limits and 50mph max on any road off a motorway get all the press. They get into the media because it isnt 'politically correct' to express any other point of view. Again the majority are silent and the minority are held up as the voice of public opinion, which sooner or later, the politicians will cave in to and give them their blanket speed limits.

Im so sick of how everything in the media in this country is based on the point of the minority, the people with too much time on their hands. The same people that think that every car going over 60mph is forced to kill someone, and every pikey is a warm welcoming sort of chap....the same minority who make a fuss about the government cutting the masses of benefits paid to people who will never ever work and live in huge houses in London the rest of us could never dream of affording....and the same folk who make a fuss when a convicted terrorist is going to be deported because it contravenes his human rights.

[AMCQ46]

Ok ziggy, you have passed your moaning exam. I think that is probably worth an A star, but in 2 yrs that will only just be classed as a pass

[Miztaziggy]

Lol.

Well, back on point...

Yes it is a moan, but honestly it is really sad and quite depressing how it is getting so much more difficult to find quiet roads.

It does make me wonder how much longer people will be able to go out on bikes and find somewhere nice and quiet to ride around. I would bet it wont be that long before all cars and bikes have a tracking chip that will auto-fine you for going over the speed limit by GPS.

[Jazzscot]

Come up to Scotland, we still have a few good quiet roads available to ride on dont tell everybody though.

[vtryorks]

Well, im probably what you would class as one of the slightly younger generation and I think I have just about learnt to complain in my 28 years!!

The roads in this country are shite.

Too much traffic and roads too narrow to cope.
Too many retards who dont know how to drive properly.
Too many people too nervous on the roads and shouldnt be there.
Roads too bumpy and filled with pot holes.
Police too eager to spend their time trying to catch people speeding where speed isnt a big factor in risk of accidents.

The minority groups in this country take hold of everything and ruin it for the rest of us.

Look at this situation with this Dayle Farm thing and these filthy robbing pikeys. Who in their right mind wants a sh1t hole pikey camp in their back yard with all the crime, aggression and general flouting the law that goes with it?....well the liberal minority get hold of it, protest like mad, get the UN involved and then get the majority of the coverage of the story in the media. The media portray themselves as the voice of public opinion, but what they have become is the voice of the minority and the voice of the vast majority of us normal tax paying hard working folk is never heard.

Well with the roads and the bikes and what not, the minority who want blanket 20mph speed limits and 50mph max on any road off a motorway get all the press. They get into the media because it isnt 'politically correct' to express any other point of view. Again the majority are silent and the minority are held up as the voice of public opinion, which sooner or later, the politicians will cave in to and give them their blanket speed limits.

Im so sick of how everything in the media in this country is based on the point of the minority, the people with too much time on their hands. The same people that think that every car going over 60mph is forced to kill someone, and every pikey is a warm welcoming sort of chap....the same minority who make a fuss about the government cutting the masses of benefits paid to people who will never ever work and live in huge houses in London the rest of us could never dream of affording....and the same folk who make a fuss when a convicted terrorist is going to be deported because it contravenes his human rights.

I can honestly say I do not disagree with a single word you said.

[Kev L]

Ziggy, you have my vote mate.
Did you see the programme on Dale Farm tonight? As it came time for the eviction (which didn't occur) they had a handful of the travellers left on site and over 100 supporters (rent-a-mob & bleeding hearts, including Vanessa Redgrave). Makes you want to chuck your lunch.

[vtryorks]

Vanessa Redgrave has a huge wombles house and needs to let them sleep in her back garden if she cares that much. Stupid bitch.

Sorry for my language but that sort of stuff really gets to me, to the point where I almost feel extremist.

[tinysmall]

Vanessa Redgrave has a huge ferking house and needs to let them sleep in her back garden if she cares that much. Stupid bitch.

Sorry for my language but that sort of stuff really gets to me, to the point where I almost feel extremist.

It's not extremism mate, it's patriotism. You can't be condemned for being patriotic