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Bit neg mate ;)
But yeah once you've fucked around locking/unlocking, dressing, parking and walking to your final destination they're rarely faster than a bike.
Personally I'd go for a ratty px125 or one of those funny skelly bikes.
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proper petrol head I am not. I haven't owned anything with a combustion engine since 2004.
lived in Mallorca for a few years and had access to a scooter which my mate and I shared use of for years... now I am back here occasionally feel the need for something motored, definitely don't want a car. I don't need a scooter so would be more for a bit of fun...
perhaps i am still looking through mediterranean rose tinted glasses!
hugo7
markairsy1
@Airhead
A lot of the advantages have been eroded by parking restrictions, theft and bike lanes. If you really only want to use it occasionally (no commuting) you might consider an electric bike, they are a good alternative to a 50cc moped these days. You've got to be a pretty committed petrol head to put up with the hassles of running a petrol scooter in London these days.
If you're really wanting to get into a full license then do a CBT and ride something like a CB125 for a year. If you still like it and use it go for the full license and pick up a 5/600.
I would never choose a motorbike for style reasons. It's not that stylish most of the year in this country and 50cc scooters have very little style that isn't eroded by their crappy performance and lacklustre exhaust note. The most stylish I've ever owned was the velocifero but they're rare and pricey now. Looking stylish usually involves not wearing enough protection and hospital visits are not cool.
If you're thinking it's fun to bomb around with the Doris on a weekend or buzz across London to a gig then you're not wrong but the off season is a bitch, you arrive cold and wet or overdressed and now you run the risk of getting an acid bath on top of it. If you do have an accident with a pillion then you realise the risk you are taking with someone else's life and you need them to be cool with that.
Don't be put off though, I'm a grumpy old git but my best riding days have not been in London, for me it was a way of getting from A to B for work and play but it starts to define you if you do it all the time and I'd rather not have had to spanner the bike until 6 in the morning in January just to get to work the next day.