Which is easier?

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If you're still on g1 it seems to me you still have alot more to learn... You may bot realize it yet... But before you take your life in your own hands on 2 wheels, you need to learn the traffic first... I"m thinking of defensive driving.... Reading other drivers, knowing when is safe... When you're "invisible"... Maybe after at least 1 year of daily driving you can start looking into motorcycles....
 
iblastoff said:
huh? you'd also be on one side instead of in the middle on a motorbike too. unless i'm reading this wrong, are you thinking you're gonna be riding right on top of the lane marking or something?
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I mean, in a car, you're on the left side of the vehicle, which I find tricky to get used to. On a bike, well, it's two wheels, so you have to be in the middle of it, it'd look weird otherwise. That's what I meant
 
I have to suggest getting skilled at a driving a car, before taking up riding a motorcycle if you find sitting on one side "tricky".
 
RoguePredator said:
I mean, in a car, you're on the left side of the vehicle, which I find tricky to get used to. On a bike, well, it's two wheels, so you have to be in the middle of it, it'd look weird otherwise. That's what I meant
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You are definitely over thinking this thing. You simply need time in the seat. There is no fix for that other than time in the seat.. You WILL get used to it, and it won't take more than 1 month of driving around doing what you normally do. Good for you on already having a car lined up for when you get your G2. :thumbup: You live in Acton which means you don't encounter the type of drivers that will try and ruin your day, but closer to any larger city the drivers seem to become more obsessed with going somewhere, and much less concerned with other drivers safety. So the time you spend in that car will help you understand the motives of other drivers, and you will be able to eventually predict to a certain degree what may happen in traffic scenarios. That skill is SUPER important for riding a motorcycle.. Don't rush to get to riding a bike.. it will be here, just grow your skills and awareness.

Driving a car is much easier than riding a bike for all the reasons given to you by other members. Practice, practice, practice. Go to the local groceries store when your mom needs milk or some random thing. Offer to do all the local short drives to pick stuff up. Do anything you can to get some practice.

Also there is lane positioning with motorcycles, which you will learn about when you do your readings but here is a video to help a little.

[video=youtube;g-r0YsWcJI8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-r0YsWcJI8[/video]
 
For me a car is easier, I've been driving for 40+ years now, and riding for 10+.

On a car you'd find a spot on the left side of the hood and keep that lined up with the lane line. But you're also looking ahead, and that helps keep you straight. I like to see at least two traffic lights ahead and judge the timing of the lights.

On a bike you can't do that. Many riders seem to have trouble staying in their lane.
 
-JERICHO- said:
You are definitely over thinking this thing. You simply need time in the seat. There is no fix for that other than time in the seat.. You WILL get used to it, and it won't take more than 1 month of driving around doing what you normally do. Good for you on already having a car lined up for when you get your G2. :thumbup: You live in Acton which means you don't encounter the type of drivers that will try and ruin your day, but closer to any larger city the drivers seem to become more obsessed with going somewhere, and much less concerned with other drivers safety. So the time you spend in that car will help you understand the motives of other drivers, and you will be able to eventually predict to a certain degree what may happen in traffic scenarios. That skill is SUPER important for riding a motorcycle.. Don't rush to get to riding a bike.. it will be here, just grow your skills and awareness.

Driving a car is much easier than riding a bike for all the reasons given to you by other members. Practice, practice, practice. Go to the local groceries store when your mom needs milk or some random thing. Offer to do all the local short drives to pick stuff up. Do anything you can to get some practice.

Also there is lane positioning with motorcycles, which you will learn about when you do your readings but here is a video to help a little.

[video=youtube;g-r0YsWcJI8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-r0YsWcJI8[/video]
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Wow. I appreciate the wisdom :D really. Biking is something I'm really looking forward to, but I have no problem waiting. While I wait, however, I'm doing all I can to prepare. Studying, watching videos on how this works (the video really helped by the way) and in free time, looking at gear and prices, getting a feel for what's good, and what's not. I'm already piecing together a wish list of good gear. It's actually kinda fun to look at all the nice gear. There's a lot there. As for awareness, I think one of the reasons my dad (surprisingly) isn't arguing with me about wanting a motorcycle, is that I've always been very aware of my surroundings. Sure, when I was a kid, I did stupid things, but I notice most little things and react quite quickly to my environment. I'm also a quick learner, which I bet helps a lot. My dad said, just that one week driving I improved a lot. I still need work staying in the middle of my lane, but I'm getting it. Which is nice. I'm not trying to brag or make myself look better, but I'm saying that sort of thing helps a lot I bet. I'm still going to take my time. I'm only 16, I have time, so no rush.
 
I'd highly advise you to get the dynamics of the road by driving in the car before riding on the road. Mistakes in a car are more forgiving than done on a bike
 
Being able to predict what other drivers are going to do is probably the biggest part of driving or riding safely. It is hard to teach that skill to others though, because most of us don't understand how we know what another driver will do - it's usually "just a feeling", and that only comes after years of driving experience.

People only have a certain amount of attention that they can devote to tasks, and predicting what other people will do is a very subtle, complicated task. Riding a motorcycle is also a complicated task, so trying to learn both skills at once means that neither skill will have your full attention. If you are spending a lot of thought on shifting, balancing, avoiding potholes, etc, then your attention to other traffic will suffer. For this reason, most people will recommend spending a few years in a car first to get a firm grasp of how to interact with other drivers before hopping on a bike. The dynamics of controlling a bike are considerably more complicated than controlling a car.
 
Ash said:
Being able to predict what other drivers are going to do is probably the biggest part of driving or riding safely. It is hard to teach that skill to others though, because most of us don't understand how we know what another driver will do - it's usually "just a feeling", and that only comes after years of driving experience.

People only have a certain amount of attention that they can devote to tasks, and predicting what other people will do is a very subtle, complicated task. Riding a motorcycle is also a complicated task, so trying to learn both skills at once means that neither skill will have your full attention. If you are spending a lot of thought on shifting, balancing, avoiding potholes, etc, then your attention to other traffic will suffer. For this reason, most people will recommend spending a few years in a car first to get a firm grasp of how to interact with other drivers before hopping on a bike. The dynamics of controlling a bike are considerably more complicated than controlling a car.
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Well said.

You average about 17 posts a year.
 
RoguePredator said:
Yes. My drivers ed starts on the 27th. But when I get my G2 I'm going to go for my M1. Giving me lots of time to study, which is good. I wish I could do it sooner, but my parents aren't so keen about this idea (my dad actually is more accepting than my mom about it, which is weird) so, getting my G2 will allow me to drive alone, meaning I can go over to the drive test centre and take my M1 without problems. We have an old car in the garage we never use. I've been fixing it up for a while. So that'll be my car when I get my G2. Making it easier to go for drives, as it's not the family car.
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May I ask your age? It sounds to me like maybe you should just concentrate on learning how to drive a car then after a few years maybe then consider a bike..... I get the thought and the rush of it but it's a big change on many different levels.
Best of luck in any case.
 
Bike, by far is harder, because body positioning adds complexity. Survival reactions also trigger much easier riding than driving which causes accidents.

Also, motorcycles are almost all manual, requiring you to use all 4 limbs (more complexity). Even if you compare a scooter with an automatic car, operating a scooter is still more complex due to body positioning.

However, spatial awareness is generally easier on a bike and more second nature than a car.
 
Car most definitely. A bike doesn't even stand up by itself and even at speed if you hit the brakes too hard it falls over again.
 
Ash said:
Being able to predict what other drivers are going to do is probably the biggest part of driving or riding safely. It is hard to teach that skill to others though, because most of us don't understand how we know what another driver will do - it's usually "just a feeling", and that only comes after years of driving experience.People only have a certain amount of attention that they can devote to tasks, and predicting what other people will do is a very subtle, complicated task. Riding a motorcycle is also a complicated task, so trying to learn both skills at once means that neither skill will have your full attention. If you are spending a lot of thought on shifting, balancing, avoiding potholes, etc, then your attention to other traffic will suffer. For this reason, most people will recommend spending a few years in a car first to get a firm grasp of how to interact with other drivers before hopping on a bike. The dynamics of controlling a bike are considerably more complicated than controlling a car.
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i've spent time in thailand and rome. the traffic in those places is absolutely insane, but people there actually have a complete mutual understanding of what everyone is gonna do when they're driving. its the complete opposite of here, where everything THINKS they're better than everyone else on the road and gets extremely mad at the smallest things. the driving culture here is absolutely terrible.
 
Yup, the social norms for driving vary quite a bit even across a few hundred kilometers here. I find the drivers in Markham rather oblivious, but not aggressive at all. Montreal traffic is very aggressive, but both places are relatively predictable if you understand what is "normal" in that area. That sort of difference is dangerous to a new driver, who may be working from a different sets of norms than the locals.
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