CaptainUnderpants
Well-Known Member
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I just took my motorcycle (Yamaha FJR1300) from SoCal to Dallas and back with my wife on back. My preference is desolate two lane twisty back roads. We were debating taking the GT350, as it is the shiny new toy. My FJR is a 2006 and has 50k miles, not so shiny.. Part of me wanted to take the GT350 as it require less planning and is the shiny new, but my wife actually prefers the motorcycle, so we took it out of the mothballs and I prepped it for the trip.
While a car is certainly more versatile regarding almost everything....., switching drivers, freeway comfort, eating while driving, talking to one another, being able to handle hot, cold or rain.... Just about anything that doesn't involve driving. the car is a better choice. But the motorcycle blows away the car for pure driving experience. This motorcycle trip, first one in 3 years, reminded me of why bikes are so special.
The Western part of the US has some of the most amazing back roads. Many of these roads are desolate, but this holiday weekend things were a little busier with the large 4 corners motorcycle rally in Durango, CO and many RV's on the road visiting national parks.
The biggest issue I have, and why a motorcycle works so well for me, is that I tend to travel at a very good clip. I used to road race motorcycles. And while my first love was cars, as a young lad growing up, cars were not only much more expensive but the early 80's was also a time of smog choked under performing cars. Bikes during this era where exciting, fast and cheap. Plus there is such a purity about sport bikes. Starting in 1986 with the Suzuki GSXR the bike industry started producing pure race bikes. This is what I find exciting about the GT350. There is a purity of purpose with this car.
Both my GT350 and my FJR want to travel at an elevated speed relative to the legal speed limits. The GT350's natural speed is even greater than the FJR, even thought the FJR is fast. The GT350 is more comparable to a pure sportbike. When I am in my Shelby or on a bike, it seems like everybody is in my way. It just isn't reasonable to expect the average driver or car to maintain a GT350 pace. Herein lies the special gift of a motorcycle. The ability to navigate traffic with little fan fare. Being able to quickly and effortlessly get by other traffic allows me to travel at my pace, while not upsetting the rest of the driving community. And it all comes down to the ability to effortlessly pass.
On the motorcycle if I....
Pass somebody at a high rate of speed they might think, "boy that guy is going to kill himself". If I were to pass under similar circumstances in the Mustang they would think, "That guy is going to kill me or somebody else". In the first instance they leave me alone, in the second they could call in the behavior.
Traffic never completely blocks a motorcycle. The Mustang is maybe 15' long, so two cars in adjacent lanes must leave me at least a 20' - 30' gap. The motorcycle needs almost no gap as long as the lanes are wide enough.
Lane changes are almost imperceptible. When I do pass while driving the Mustang I need to swing at least 10' into the next lane. The motorcycle only requires me to go a couple feet into the next lane. This attracts a lot less attention.
On two lane road there are many more passing opportunities on the bike. It just takes a lot let distance to get by a car on a motorcycle than it does in a car, even a fast one like the Shelby. And a somewhat questionable passing location doesn't freek out an adjacent motorist while on a bike, making me a better travel citizen.
For all these reasons, on a motorcycle, I get to travel at a comfortable clip which is truly relaxing. A car is much more easily held up by traffic and is under much more scrutiny if it travels at a speed much beyond the existing flow. Not knocking the Shelby, it is the closest thing to my motorcycles and as I said upfront does almost everything else better regarding travel. If I do decide to take the Shelby on such a trip, I will have to make sure it is not on a holiday weekend.
While a car is certainly more versatile regarding almost everything....., switching drivers, freeway comfort, eating while driving, talking to one another, being able to handle hot, cold or rain.... Just about anything that doesn't involve driving. the car is a better choice. But the motorcycle blows away the car for pure driving experience. This motorcycle trip, first one in 3 years, reminded me of why bikes are so special.
The Western part of the US has some of the most amazing back roads. Many of these roads are desolate, but this holiday weekend things were a little busier with the large 4 corners motorcycle rally in Durango, CO and many RV's on the road visiting national parks.
The biggest issue I have, and why a motorcycle works so well for me, is that I tend to travel at a very good clip. I used to road race motorcycles. And while my first love was cars, as a young lad growing up, cars were not only much more expensive but the early 80's was also a time of smog choked under performing cars. Bikes during this era where exciting, fast and cheap. Plus there is such a purity about sport bikes. Starting in 1986 with the Suzuki GSXR the bike industry started producing pure race bikes. This is what I find exciting about the GT350. There is a purity of purpose with this car.
Both my GT350 and my FJR want to travel at an elevated speed relative to the legal speed limits. The GT350's natural speed is even greater than the FJR, even thought the FJR is fast. The GT350 is more comparable to a pure sportbike. When I am in my Shelby or on a bike, it seems like everybody is in my way. It just isn't reasonable to expect the average driver or car to maintain a GT350 pace. Herein lies the special gift of a motorcycle. The ability to navigate traffic with little fan fare. Being able to quickly and effortlessly get by other traffic allows me to travel at my pace, while not upsetting the rest of the driving community. And it all comes down to the ability to effortlessly pass.
On the motorcycle if I....
Pass somebody at a high rate of speed they might think, "boy that guy is going to kill himself". If I were to pass under similar circumstances in the Mustang they would think, "That guy is going to kill me or somebody else". In the first instance they leave me alone, in the second they could call in the behavior.
Traffic never completely blocks a motorcycle. The Mustang is maybe 15' long, so two cars in adjacent lanes must leave me at least a 20' - 30' gap. The motorcycle needs almost no gap as long as the lanes are wide enough.
Lane changes are almost imperceptible. When I do pass while driving the Mustang I need to swing at least 10' into the next lane. The motorcycle only requires me to go a couple feet into the next lane. This attracts a lot less attention.
On two lane road there are many more passing opportunities on the bike. It just takes a lot let distance to get by a car on a motorcycle than it does in a car, even a fast one like the Shelby. And a somewhat questionable passing location doesn't freek out an adjacent motorist while on a bike, making me a better travel citizen.
For all these reasons, on a motorcycle, I get to travel at a comfortable clip which is truly relaxing. A car is much more easily held up by traffic and is under much more scrutiny if it travels at a speed much beyond the existing flow. Not knocking the Shelby, it is the closest thing to my motorcycles and as I said upfront does almost everything else better regarding travel. If I do decide to take the Shelby on such a trip, I will have to make sure it is not on a holiday weekend.
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