Cars and bikes I’ve come across in my travels

[Gerald]

Benelli Adiva for you Paul. At least it has an Italian name...

 

[Paul Marx]

Not a Citroen Ami?

Well, I'd hesitate. I do like those but of no use as an urban or peri urban vehicle until serious legislation on the use of individual vehicles in these areas is brought about. They do look fun though. At the moment, they are the fad with children of better off families since they don't require a driving license, just a highway code test.

Paul

 

[Paul Marx]

Benelli Adiva for you Paul. At least it has an Italian name...

Yep, but to be quite honest, I'd rather my taxes paid for a decent public service transport system rather than more roads for cars and lorries.
I live 12 km from town centre and on Sunday, there isn't a single train into town and on weekdays, people commuting to work by train have important difficulties. So every morning, roads are at a standstill, full of cars with a single person aboard. Not a good show for human intelligence. At least in a few years, the roads will be blocked by electric vehicles and we'll breathe better.

Paul

 

[Gerald]

Same situation in my part of the world! I would more than happy if I could use public transport to and from work.
No chance...

 

[Alzero]

What we from America would call a Falcon Ranchero, in this case the Argentine Molotov Cocktail model!

 

[Alzero]

Bonus content, a fish out of water:

 

[Paul Marx]

Bonus content, a fish out of water:View attachment 70506View attachment 70507

Came across something similar last spring.

And before that

 

[Beucars]

Yep, but to be quite honest, I'd rather my taxes paid for a decent public service transport system rather than more roads for cars and lorries.
I live 12 km from town centre and on Sunday, there isn't a single train into town and on weekdays, people commuting to work by train have important difficulties. So every morning, roads are at a standstill, full of cars with a single person aboard. Not a good show for human intelligence. At least in a few years, the roads will be blocked by electric vehicles and we'll breathe better.

Paul

ask for on-demand public transport in your region

 

[Beucars]

Same situation in my part of the world! I would more than happy if I could use public transport to and from work.
No chance...

Yep, like I proposed Paul, on-demand transport is what you looking for

 

[Paul Marx]

I would very much like on demand, public transport, on top of trains and buses.
At the moment we don't have enough trains, we don't have enough buses. But yes, a more or less on demand mini bus system, with a set route but a planned pick up. I discovered that in Switzerland, in Lausanne, in the 60s!

And free for the travellers. In view of the large amounts of public money used to maintain roads for private interests and build more roads when the existing ones are saturated, which is almost immediately, not to mention the money spent on health problems brought about by transport, we could well afford a coherent free public transport system.
And of course dissuade private transport, including by tax which would help fund the above.

"Hello, I need the minibus to stop in front of my home at 9.45 so as I can go shopping and pick me up at the supermarket at 11.00."

Paul

 

[Beucars]

I would very much like on demand, public transport, on top of trains and buses.
At the moment we don't have enough trains, we don't have enough buses. But yes, a more or less on demand mini bus system, with a set route but a planned pick up. I discovered that in Switzerland, in Lausanne, in the 60s!

And free for the travellers. In view of the large amounts of public money used to maintain roads for private interests and build more roads when the existing ones are saturated, which is almost immediately, not to mention the money spent on health problems brought about by transport, we could well afford a coherent free public transport system.
And of course dissuade private transport, including by tax which would help fund the above.

"Hello, I need the minibus to stop in front of my home at 9.45 so as I can go shopping and pick me up at the supermarket at 11.00."

Paul

This is going to come, also in your neighborhood, door-2-door, dynamically routed, with virtual stops and in a second phase with autonomous minibusses. Future you say, no, I'm doing it already in Geneva

 

[Paul Marx]

This is going to come, also in your neighborhood, door-2-door, dynamically routed, with virtual stops and in a second phase with autonomous minibusses. Future you say, no, I'm doing it already in Geneva

I know. But that's Switzerland.
This is France, a big country with big private interests and a conservative population reluctant to envisage change particularly if it involves giving up its habits and paying.
Paul

 

[Exmoor beast]

I would very much like on demand, public transport, on top of trains and buses.
At the moment we don't have enough trains, we don't have enough buses. But yes, a more or less on demand mini bus system, with a set route but a planned pick up. I discovered that in Switzerland, in Lausanne, in the 60s!

And free for the travellers. In view of the large amounts of public money used to maintain roads for private interests and build more roads when the existing ones are saturated, which is almost immediately, not to mention the money spent on health problems brought about by transport, we could well afford a coherent free public transport system.
And of course dissuade private transport, including by tax which would help fund the above.

"Hello, I need the minibus to stop in front of my home at 9.45 so as I can go shopping and pick me up at the supermarket at 11.00."

Paul

Got this system on Exmoor, phone to book minibus ( obviously on prescribed routes) and they pick you up, think it was on Thursday . The postman picks up/ delivers prescriptions and the local copper will post letters for you if he’s not to busy drinking tea, eating Jaffa cakes.

 

[Eurocycleguy]

I had read that BMW made scooters, but I hadn’t seen one before.View attachment 70480View attachment 70481
It sure is a bulky looking thing!

I've sat on these at the dealer, I don't think I could actually ride one. My knees hit the "dashboard".
Dealer also has one of the electric ones.
Have actually seen an electric one running around in my town.

 

[Andy J]

I’ve got the Sport version, I’ve had it for several years and it’s has just under 10k miles on it now. Although it’s quite a lump, but not as much as the GT version, it’s low down weight, and runs rings round many sports bikes I come across.

 

[Tippie]

I sat behind a similar mega-scooter (Vespa I think) in northern Italy for about half an hour on my VFR at about 120km/h, swooping through the curves very well. They are extremely popular among a very wide variety of riders where I frequent in Spain too. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I would be seen dead on one long before some feet forward cruiser type thing.

 

[CLEMTOG]

"Valencia has much to commend it but it's got a much less cosmopolitan atmosphere than Barcelona, in my experience. Not to mention Barcelona's"

I was going to give it a try this winter, Valencia that is, (car/caravan) for a month or so, but the polution rules means that my Mercedes does not comply, and unlike London, if you dont comply you cant go in, get caught and the fine is in the 1,000's, so sod em, scrubbed idea.
they lose, and the car would have as likley as not been parked for the whole time excpet arriving and leaving, all othert movement done by scooter.
CLEM

 

[Dellortoman]

Apart from lurching around the block trying to diagnose a faulty Lambretta 50 years ago, I've never actually ridden a scooter. But I've come to the conclusion that they're more user-friendly for the elderly. A bit like a roadworthy mobility aid.

I have an old friend who used to race sidecars and solo bikes when I was a young bloke. He continued to ride a series of bikes after he retired from racing, the most recent a Yamaha Vmax with a sidecar attached. He decided a sidecar was a good idea because he was in his mid-70's and getting less confident at manoeuvring a heavy bike on and off the stand, on uneven ground, etc. He's now well into his 80's and rides a large capacity modern scooter with a sidecar. He went for a scooter because his hips would no longer let him swing his leg over the seat on the Vmax. Good on him. He's still getting out enjoying the wind in his face.

Who knows? I might end up on a scooter myself one day.

 

[chrisk]

Apart from lurching around the block trying to diagnose a faulty Lambretta 50 years ago, I've never actually ridden a scooter. But I've come to the conclusion that they're more user-friendly for the elderly. A bit like a roadworthy mobility aid.

I have an old friend who used to race sidecars and solo bikes when I was a young bloke. He continued to ride a series of bikes after he retired from racing, the most recent a Yamaha Vmax with a sidecar attached. He decided a sidecar was a good idea because he was in his mid-70's and getting less confident at manoeuvring a heavy bike on and off the stand, on uneven ground, etc. He's now well into his 80's and rides a large capacity modern scooter with a sidecar. He went for a scooter because his hips would no longer let him swing his leg over the seat on the Vmax. Good on him. He's still getting out enjoying the wind in his face.

Who knows? I might end up on a scooter myself one day.

Strange coincidence, I was behind a bloke in a wheel in a trike type scooter. I thought to myself: Fucken good idea, if it had a bit more grunt.

 

[Andy]

A mate of mine wrote off his bike when a van did a u-turn in front of him. Very nearly wrote him off too. Main impact was on his hips and he now struggles to walk and stand, bikes were out of the question. He always had a deep dislike of sidecars and trikes because “that’s not proper riding”. But he was finally convinced to get back out there, and bought a Canam.
In short, he loves it and is quite difficult to keep up with