I am 25, ride a zx6r, and have just moved from north wales to London (Catford)
Apart from my insurance TRIPLING, I have ridden around a few times this week trying to meet up with my brother, and am a little downhearted about it all.
For example, what is the point in having a fast bike when your restricted to a constant 30MPH anywhere in central London?! It seems like I wasnt making much more progress than a bus, so in that case I may aswel sell my bike and take the bus! Obviously its handy filtering, but that has dangers of its own too.
The worst thing I have found is parking! Me and my brother drove round for over 30 minutes last night looking for somewhere to park near Camden, everywhere was restricted parking or you had to pay a load of money!
How do you guys cope with all this? In wales it was great, park anywhere you like within reason and you didnt have to worry about your bike being stolen.
I guess im asking is for someone like me is it worth having a bike or not?
You’ll notice a lot of fast bikes on the streets so we think it worthwhile. They help you get up to 30mph quickly when conditions make it safe and appropriate.
As you get used to London traffic and driver behaviour as well as the route your journey time will reduce; trust me.
There are many websites and apps for bikers that show parking spaces. Suggest you use the search space on this site for recommendations. Again, once you get to know the town your knowledge of parking spaces will grow.
I also saw a lot of bikers fly past me (even scooters!) who were not sticking to the limit, I guess they just know where the patrols and cameras are and I dont?
Shwd mae butt? I’m from Wales too. Though the better part (Swansea). You’ll soon get to know where the cameras are and which roads you can abuse the limits. There aren’t as many as I was expecting. Expect your road rage to triple as well as the insurance.
If you’re up for a ride around sometime let me know. I’m a bit North and across the river from you. Not too far.
ive never riden in central london as i live outer london so i dont have the issues you face in central london but im guessing its a riding environment you get used to.
Sorry I’ve just re-read your post and I have a newfound respect for yo as you ride a zx6r - a proper man’s/woman’s bike.
There are some roads where you get some 40 limits in London… If you’re in catford you could go hit up the a2?
You’re right about the parking thing, it’s a bloody minefield. Expect to get a PCN every now and then for using a bus lane or parking in a restricted area by mistake… It’s just how London is, they are trying to make it impossible for motor vehicles to enter the capital.
Parking in Westminster will cost you£1 per day. There are a lot Of parking bays but they get busy, you often have to play scooter tetris and occasionally people will mess with your bike.
As for Camden parking, it is actually pretty good because it’s free and they have bars in the parking bays so you can safely chain up…
Sainsburys car park is also good for parking. Entrance on Kentish Town Road where it meets Hawley Crescent
Hope that helps. Defo hold onto your bike! It really does beat using public transport, and as others have mentioned, you can use it to escape out of London and get out to the countryside to do some proper riding!!
Some people on here are very welcoming so you could keep an eye on the rideouts that get organised, you and your brother could join up to one of those and get riding! A lot of bikers meet at a place called Rykas Cafe at the bottom of Box Hill near Leatherhead.
Welcome to London!
Also, most importantly - CHAIN YOUR BIKE UP!!! Bike theft is absolutely rife around here, even if you stop for 5 minutes a van can stop by and your bike can get lifted into it in a matter of seconds. You also get young kids on scooters - one kid will hop on your bike and the other will ride along with a leg out pushing your bike along.
So I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep your security nice and tight!
my advice, for what its worth, is while your bike is un insured, get around by push bike, you’ll get an idea of the way the traffic flows and misbehaves, do that for a month everyday and when you get back on the ninja you’ll feel relatively invincible. dont rush the filtering thing if you havent had to do much of it before, it takes practice and a bit of nerve, it comes in time though.
motorbike is definately the best way to get around this city, despite the traffic, and you will soon learn where the parking spots are.
TFL have a very good twitter feed on road conditions giving uo-to-the-minute info on road closures and openings. In fact, one of my favourite tweets of all time is
@TfLTrafficNews: The filming of Dr Who has finished at Westminster Bridge, the Daleks are in the process of being removed.
