Split Personality

Jiggles · January 24th, 2012, 01:33 PM

Before I had a motorcycle I would typically drive on the freeway at 75-80mph. But now that I have a bike I've noticed a change. I drive a lot slower now whereas when I'm riding I'm racing everywhere. It's something that is completely subconscious, when I'm riding I like to be in front of cars and I enjoy lane splitting between them. But now when I'm driving I'm almost always at or under the speed limit.

It's like driving has become a very relaxing activity while riding is exciting. I'm on the road but I'm a different person depending on what vehicle I'm in. A cool benefit is that my car mileage has shot way up, I used to get about 16mpg but now I'm getting 25mpgs so I guess its for the better

Anyone else notice a similar change when you started riding?

massacremasses · January 24th, 2012, 01:34 PM

no.

choneofakind · January 24th, 2012, 01:40 PM

Yes I actually have. I'm a more aware driver, and more willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and be careful.

On the flip side, there are times that I'm too aggressive on the ninja for where I am. I'm hoping that with a track day this summer, I can get that urge out of my system. I know the road is a dangerous place to be, but it's fun. I hope the track is more fun, so I can realize how not fun the road is.

kinda. you know what I'm trying to say here?

I'm getting better because I'm consciously telling myself to be careful and reminding myself to work on being smooth and not dumb, but I still get dumb when people do dumb things around me. Like I play with people when they want to pass me in town.

Skippii · January 24th, 2012, 01:58 PM

Yes, absolutely.

To give you an idea of how differently I ride and drive...I get about the same gas mileage on both my 250 and my 1994 Saturn stationwagon (40mpg)

I might as well just replace the throttle with an on/off switch.

Xoulrath · January 24th, 2012, 10:31 PM

Nope. That does not happen to me at all. In fact, I get upset at my "slow" car for not accelerating as quickly as my bike does.

And to make matters worse, I can't get better that 35 mpg while driving at 55 mph, or 31 mpg while driving 75 mph, when trying to conserve fuel in the car. I can beat the hell out of the bike and never shift any higher than 2nd while averaging 10-14K rpms all day long and still get about 35 mpg out of the bike.

If I didn't have a kid I would definitely just sell the car, get a commuter bike and some good all-weather riding gear, and never look back.

Jono · January 25th, 2012, 07:20 AM

Nope! I enjoy both. My car is also fun to drive like my bike is fun to ride but the difference is commuting. I almost hating commuting in my car. I can't get through traffic in my car like a can on my bike. The bike is just so small you can get through the worst traffic without stress and anger. But in the car I just get pissed off that I can't get around someone that I know I could get around if I was riding. I like to go about 5mph over the speed limit no matter what I am driving. The car is fun in its own way. I have a low power manual, so it is really fun to almost red-line the thing around town and still be going a legal speed limit. Just like the Ninja.

Only thing different is the mileage. I get about 30mpg in the car and 60+ on the bike.

"A" · January 25th, 2012, 07:52 AM

There is no point driving fast if you can't get ahead of moving traffic by significant margin, just waste money in fuel cost and risk getting tickets.

On a motorcycle, I ride to the front of red lights, wave to the next driver just to be friendly, they let me off the green first, no hard feelings... I get to move faster then the rest of traffic and get to places significantly faster than driving a car and use less fuel.

akima · January 25th, 2012, 11:48 AM

I'm exactly the same. I've always driven in quite a calm and relaxed manor though. I ride my bike much faster. With the bike, riding faster actually gets you to your destination faster. It's also more fun to ride a bike quicker than it is a car... I also don't feel so guilty: you mess up in a car and it's really easy to kill or badly hurt people. The only times I really take it easy on my bike is when there are loads of pedestrians/cyclists around and when I'm on the motorway (hate all the wind blowing against me when riding at high speed).

akima · January 25th, 2012, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by choneofakind

On the flip side, there are times that I'm too aggressive on the ninja for where I am. I'm hoping that with a track day this summer, I can get that urge out of my system. I know the road is a dangerous place to be, but it's fun. I hope the track is more fun, so I can realize how not fun the road is.

I was talking to another rider at work today about track days. He told me that you've got to make sure that when you get off the track and back onto the road, you switch your mind back to street riding mode. He says a lot of riders get into trouble (accidents & police) from that.

Jono · January 25th, 2012, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akima

It's also more fun to ride a bike quicker than it is a car... .

Mmhm....That is debatable.

It is hella fun to drive my slow car fast.

choneofakind · January 25th, 2012, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akima

It's also more fun to ride a bike quicker than it is a car...

Jeremy would beg to differ. Plus, he speaks your native tongue, so it'll make more sense coming from him than me

Link to original page on YouTube.

Jono · January 25th, 2012, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Jeremy would beg to differ. Plus, he speaks your native tongue, so it'll make more sense coming from him than me

Link to original page on YouTube.

^
Love this vid! Never gets old.

akima · January 25th, 2012, 01:53 PM

@choneofakind: It didn't look like a fair race between a CBR600RR and that Atom. They shoulda used a nicer bike. But the Atom does look nice, and I'm especially impressed by the fact that it was made using such a small team in Somerset (I lived there for a while).

choneofakind · January 25th, 2012, 02:06 PM

Yeah they should have brought an AMA or MotoGP rider in on a liter bike and put the Stig in the Atom. It's not just the bike, it's the rider. Top Gear seems to be just comparing the vehicles without taking into account that the rider makes a huge difference.

But let's face it, if the Atom was only out accelerated by that CBR by a little bit, it would have been lost by a liter bike. The Atom would have the stopping advantage still, but the acceleration of the liter bike would have made up for it

akima · January 25th, 2012, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by choneofakind

The Atom would have the stopping advantage still, but the acceleration of the liter bike would have made up for it

Someone posted up a video of the Moto GP rider, Casey Stoner. He was saying something like he loved the thrill of riding throttle pinned through a turn in 5th gear. I doubt there is a 4 wheel vehicle on earth that can compete with that!

KawiKid860 · January 25th, 2012, 03:31 PM

Me in car: Vroom goes the v8, *cruises at ~40 for the whole trip*
Me on bike: VRRRRRROOOOOOOOMMMM *shift* VVVRRRRRRRROOOOOOOMMMMM *shift* vrrrrrrrrrrrrr *shift* vrrmmmmmmmmmmmm *cruises at 45+* HOLY **** YOU DUMB **** WATCH OUT ***** ******* SGSGRGR ******** FREAKING IDIOT LEARN TO DRIVE *****

Hahaha, that about sums it up... like riding so much more

and for the record I hardly ever actually get mad driving or riding, I just think out loud when I'm riding. Its like my mind extends from being inside my skull, to being inside my helmet.

Oh and idk if the site bleeps out cuss words automatically or not, but I put all of the ****'s with the asterisk button, they aren't actually words, just to clarify.

TBC · January 25th, 2012, 06:57 PM

I don't know, I've actually felt myself get a bit more agressive since I got the bike. Maybe because I haven't had the nice weather to let me ride it

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jono

^Love this vid! Never gets old.

So completely agree...

Lil_Green_Demon · January 25th, 2012, 08:41 PM

I've noticed something peculiar about myself as a bike owner.

Ever since I've gotten back into riding full-time (meaning I healed 100% from my crash, with only scars now being any indicators that I was in a crash), I haven't driven my car.

Last time I drove my car was in October. It just sits in front of the house now, collecting dust. The battery died in it, too, unfortunately, but then again I wouldn't have driven it anyway, so it makes no difference to me.

bluesinorbit · January 25th, 2012, 09:02 PM

I've definitely chilled out in cars since I started riding. The only cars I get to drive are my girlfriend's Honda Fit or a truck at work. They are just so slow, I don't even bother try and punch it. Now if I had a faster car... I think it would be a different story.

On my way to work today, it occurred to me that my habits on the road have also changed. I think it comes down to the fact that I feel sorry for all the cagers in SoCal traffic. I'm out there having a good time and it's easy to be patient and generous on the road. While lane-splitting, I'll even jump back in a lane to let someone merge if I can do so safely. It's usually some little old lady who would've missed their exit because as soon as they turn their blinker on, the car in the merge lane start accelerating to block them. Riding changes your road-personality for sure.

NDspd · January 25th, 2012, 09:34 PM

Not having a car I have no clue, but if I use my parent's car, I seem to be more aware with what's going on around me.

choneofakind · January 26th, 2012, 09:36 AM

On an interesting note, I also noticed this split personality thing when riding a bicycle.

I go like mad on a road bike, and questionably follow the road laws, but when driving, the road bike made me more aware of my surroundings than my friends

Slono · January 26th, 2012, 09:58 AM

I've noticed I'm a lot more passive in my car since I've started riding. Its so much easier to accelerate on my bike than it is on my car so I tend to be more aggressive... not to the point where I'm cutting people off, but because its also smaller I lane change with much ease as opposed to when driving my 2001 Integra.

nezumiamalek · January 26th, 2012, 12:27 PM

I haven't changed any driving habits since getting on a bike or going through the MSF. Rallycross events pretty much had the same effect on me as some who visit the track.

January 24th, 2012, 01:33 PM	#1
Jiggles Jigglin' your Jiglets Name: Sean Location: San Jose, Ca Join Date: Jun 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 K1300S, 2013 Ninja 300, 2011 Ninja 250R, Faster than Unregistered's ninjette Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 1 MOTM - Apr '13	Split Personality Before I had a motorcycle I would typically drive on the freeway at 75-80mph. But now that I have a bike I've noticed a change. I drive a lot slower now whereas when I'm riding I'm racing everywhere. It's something that is completely subconscious, when I'm riding I like to be in front of cars and I enjoy lane splitting between them. But now when I'm driving I'm almost always at or under the speed limit. It's like driving has become a very relaxing activity while riding is exciting. I'm on the road but I'm a different person depending on what vehicle I'm in. A cool benefit is that my car mileage has shot way up, I used to get about 16mpg but now I'm getting 25mpgs so I guess its for the better Anyone else notice a similar change when you started riding? __________________________________________________ If the Ninja 250 doesn't have enough power for you, then you don't know how to ride it. AFM #676 Supersports are for n00bs

January 24th, 2012, 01:34 PM	#2
massacremasses Avid Kitteh Poster Name: Justin Location: Norcal Join Date: Sep 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Yamaha TTR 50 SUCK IT Posts: A lot.	no. __________________________________________________ I powdercoat stuff Help me pay for my addiction I say funny stuff. http://twitter.com/JustinPWNSyou sometimes... I write like a 12 year old too, http://justinpwnsyou.wordpress.com/

January 24th, 2012, 01:58 PM	#4
Skippii Milkshake Drinker Name: Skippii Location: Richmond, Va Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Orange DRZ400-S, 2005 Ninja 250 & Custom Thundercunt Dirt Chopper Posts: A lot.	Yes, absolutely. To give you an idea of how differently I ride and drive...I get about the same gas mileage on both my 250 and my 1994 Saturn stationwagon (40mpg) I might as well just replace the throttle with an on/off switch. __________________________________________________ "What a sweetheart."- ninja_sleeper to me

January 24th, 2012, 10:31 PM	#5
Xoulrath ninjette.org sage Name: T Location: U.S. Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): Current: '11 ZX-6R; Previous: '09 Ninjette; '08 ZX-6R (Ex-Wife '09 TU250X) Posts: 981	Nope. That does not happen to me at all. In fact, I get upset at my "slow" car for not accelerating as quickly as my bike does. And to make matters worse, I can't get better that 35 mpg while driving at 55 mph, or 31 mpg while driving 75 mph, when trying to conserve fuel in the car. I can beat the hell out of the bike and never shift any higher than 2nd while averaging 10-14K rpms all day long and still get about 35 mpg out of the bike. If I didn't have a kid I would definitely just sell the car, get a commuter bike and some good all-weather riding gear, and never look back. __________________________________________________ R.I.P EthioKnight (Alex)

January 25th, 2012, 08:41 PM	#18
Lil_Green_Demon Winging It In Life Name: Umar Location: SoCal Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250R; 2011 250R (sold) Posts: A lot.	I've noticed something peculiar about myself as a bike owner. Ever since I've gotten back into riding full-time (meaning I healed 100% from my crash, with only scars now being any indicators that I was in a crash), I haven't driven my car. Last time I drove my car was in October. It just sits in front of the house now, collecting dust. The battery died in it, too, unfortunately, but then again I wouldn't have driven it anyway, so it makes no difference to me. __________________________________________________ 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 250R (Bought - Apr 22, 2011; Sold - Feb 17, 2015) 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250R (Bought - May 01, 2017; Current)

January 24th, 2012, 01:40 PM	#3
choneofakind ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: . Location: . Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): . Posts: Too much. MOTM - Feb '13, Feb '14	Yes I actually have. I'm a more aware driver, and more willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and be careful. On the flip side, there are times that I'm too aggressive on the ninja for where I am. I'm hoping that with a track day this summer, I can get that urge out of my system. I know the road is a dangerous place to be, but it's fun. I hope the track is more fun, so I can realize how not fun the road is. kinda. you know what I'm trying to say here? I'm getting better because I'm consciously telling myself to be careful and reminding myself to work on being smooth and not dumb, but I still get dumb when people do dumb things around me. Like I play with people when they want to pass me in town.

January 25th, 2012, 07:20 AM	#6
Jono ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Jono Location: Memphis, TN Join Date: Sep 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Triumph Street Triple, 2009 KLX250SF, 2003 Suzuki SV650S (Sold), 2006 Ninja 250 (Sold) Posts: A lot.	Nope! I enjoy both. My car is also fun to drive like my bike is fun to ride but the difference is commuting. I almost hating commuting in my car. I can't get through traffic in my car like a can on my bike. The bike is just so small you can get through the worst traffic without stress and anger. But in the car I just get pissed off that I can't get around someone that I know I could get around if I was riding. I like to go about 5mph over the speed limit no matter what I am driving. The car is fun in its own way. I have a low power manual, so it is really fun to almost red-line the thing around town and still be going a legal speed limit. Just like the Ninja. Only thing different is the mileage. I get about 30mpg in the car and 60+ on the bike.

January 25th, 2012, 07:52 AM	#7
"A" vampire Name: A Location: IT Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2 many 2 list Posts: A lot.	There is no point driving fast if you can't get ahead of moving traffic by significant margin, just waste money in fuel cost and risk getting tickets. On a motorcycle, I ride to the front of red lights, wave to the next driver just to be friendly, they let me off the green first, no hard feelings... I get to move faster then the rest of traffic and get to places significantly faster than driving a car and use less fuel.

January 25th, 2012, 11:48 AM	#8
akima Nooblet Name: Akima Location: England Join Date: Jul 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Ninja 250R FI Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '13	I'm exactly the same. I've always driven in quite a calm and relaxed manor though. I ride my bike much faster. With the bike, riding faster actually gets you to your destination faster. It's also more fun to ride a bike quicker than it is a car... I also don't feel so guilty: you mess up in a car and it's really easy to kill or badly hurt people. The only times I really take it easy on my bike is when there are loads of pedestrians/cyclists around and when I'm on the motorway (hate all the wind blowing against me when riding at high speed).

January 25th, 2012, 01:53 PM	#13
akima Nooblet Name: Akima Location: England Join Date: Jul 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Ninja 250R FI Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '13	@choneofakind: It didn't look like a fair race between a CBR600RR and that Atom. They shoulda used a nicer bike. But the Atom does look nice, and I'm especially impressed by the fact that it was made using such a small team in Somerset (I lived there for a while).

January 25th, 2012, 02:06 PM	#14
choneofakind ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: . Location: . Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): . Posts: Too much. MOTM - Feb '13, Feb '14	Yeah they should have brought an AMA or MotoGP rider in on a liter bike and put the Stig in the Atom. It's not just the bike, it's the rider. Top Gear seems to be just comparing the vehicles without taking into account that the rider makes a huge difference. But let's face it, if the Atom was only out accelerated by that CBR by a little bit, it would have been lost by a liter bike. The Atom would have the stopping advantage still, but the acceleration of the liter bike would have made up for it

January 25th, 2012, 03:31 PM	#16
KawiKid860 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Murphey Location: Eastern Washington Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2002 Honda 919, 2004 Ninja 500R NAKED Posts: A lot.	Me in car: Vroom goes the v8, cruises at ~40 for the whole trip Me on bike: VRRRRRROOOOOOOOMMMM shift VVVRRRRRRRROOOOOOOMMMMM shift vrrrrrrrrrrrrr shift vrrmmmmmmmmmmmm cruises at 45+ HOLY ** YOU DUMB WATCH OUT * *** SGSGRGR **** FREAKING IDIOT LEARN TO DRIVE * Hahaha, that about sums it up... like riding so much more and for the record I hardly ever actually get mad driving or riding, I just think out loud when I'm riding. Its like my mind extends from being inside my skull, to being inside my helmet. Oh and idk if the site bleeps out cuss words automatically or not, but I put all of the **'s with the asterisk button, they aren't actually words, just to clarify.

January 25th, 2012, 09:02 PM	#19
bluesinorbit ninjette.org member Name: Joon Location: Orange County, CA Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Ninja 250R Posts: 164	I've definitely chilled out in cars since I started riding. The only cars I get to drive are my girlfriend's Honda Fit or a truck at work. They are just so slow, I don't even bother try and punch it. Now if I had a faster car... I think it would be a different story. On my way to work today, it occurred to me that my habits on the road have also changed. I think it comes down to the fact that I feel sorry for all the cagers in SoCal traffic. I'm out there having a good time and it's easy to be patient and generous on the road. While lane-splitting, I'll even jump back in a lane to let someone merge if I can do so safely. It's usually some little old lady who would've missed their exit because as soon as they turn their blinker on, the car in the merge lane start accelerating to block them. Riding changes your road-personality for sure.

January 25th, 2012, 09:34 PM	#20
NDspd 1/4 English, 3/4 Kick Ass Name: Jeremy Location: Dayton, OH Join Date: Sep 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2002 Triumph Speed Triple 955i, '05 Suzuki SV650S(retired), '11 Ninja 250R(sold) Posts: A lot.	Not having a car I have no clue, but if I use my parent's car, I seem to be more aware with what's going on around me.

January 26th, 2012, 09:36 AM	#21
choneofakind ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: . Location: . Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): . Posts: Too much. MOTM - Feb '13, Feb '14	On an interesting note, I also noticed this split personality thing when riding a bicycle. I go like mad on a road bike, and questionably follow the road laws, but when driving, the road bike made me more aware of my surroundings than my friends

January 26th, 2012, 09:58 AM	#22
Slono ninjette.org guru Name: Solon Location: Toronto, Ontario Join Date: Jun 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 250R (sold), 2007 SV650s (deer wrecked), 2010 Suzuki SV650S Posts: 334	I've noticed I'm a lot more passive in my car since I've started riding. Its so much easier to accelerate on my bike than it is on my car so I tend to be more aggressive... not to the point where I'm cutting people off, but because its also smaller I lane change with much ease as opposed to when driving my 2001 Integra.

January 26th, 2012, 12:27 PM	#23
nezumiamalek ninjette.org member Name: Tim Location: Hillsboro, OR Join Date: Oct 2011 Motorcycle(s): Kawasaki Ninja 250R Posts: 53	I haven't changed any driving habits since getting on a bike or going through the MSF. Rallycross events pretty much had the same effect on me as some who visit the track. Last futzed with by nezumiamalek; January 26th, 2012 at 05:30 PM.

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