[chennai-indian]

When I relocated to Chennai from US in 2008, bought two scooters - one for wifey and the other one for me. Was happy riding around in scooter until 2010 when wife had an accident and from then on, stopped using two wheelers. We have two cars - A Tata Nano for my wife and a Honda City for me. feels much safer and also with the heat here in Chennai, feels fresh at the end of a journey in the car.

[classicselva]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

For all distances less than a kilometre, my primary mode of transport is 2-legs (walking!)
For all distances between about 1km-5km, my primary mode of transport is 2 wheels. I take my wife's scooter as far as possible.

And for all other journeys, if I know I am going to an area where parking is a hassle, I use disposable transport (Uber, OLA, Autorikshaw). In all other cases, I use my own car.

It was sometime in 2007, when i was riding back from office late night a taxi zoomed at 100+ was about to hit me.
It was the day i decided not to use two wheeler any more...

I do the same.
However my primary transport is car with no backup, which always i have been thinking of.
Another option is to upgrade by wife's two wheeler to cover extra mile.

[vw19d]

Polo is my only mode of commute (though my cousin lends his bike occasionally). I was hesitant to be bike-less when I bought my car 5 years ago. But ever since then, after witnessing terrible accidents involving bikers on roads, thought that I should stay away from buying a bike and got used to driving car even for shorter distances including grocery purchases. Though the time taken may be slightly more, I feel this is much comfortable and convenient especially with a kid around.

But to avoid the crazy morning rush during weekdays & given my love for walking, most of my office commute involves walk - > bus - > walk in that sequence. Pretty used to following my routine now.

[ashis89]

With many replies coming about using wife's scooter for short (<5km) runs, may be I should get married immediately to get that benefit.

On a much serious note, it does make sense to a scooter (not necessarily new) instead of a bike for those occasional runs. I was a biker guy and even now, I get the adrenaline rush every time I get to ride a bike. But then, the scooter is much more practical (which is the main issue here) with it's under-seat storage, front footboard, etc and, as suggested, it can be used by one and all.

There was only one other guy in my small dual apartment complex, whose only ride was his car. Unlike me, he had the liberty of working from home on several days. Last week, he got a scooter for his wife and I see him riding for short runs it on many occasions. I think that's the 'current trend' of the decade and I might follow it next year, most probably.

[lovetorque]

Interesting discussion. My primary ride has become Car (only) for the last few years due to the reasons I can put:
1. The comfort, and pollution free mode (especially in Bangalore) of movement. As I have to travel from one end to the city to other that takes close to 2 hrs (one way), two wheeler drive or any other open air ride is a big NO.
2. Bangalore made me allergic to dust. So bike ride, that too for more than 5km is a strict no for me, still dreams the old days I used to have biking, whenever possible.
Overall I can see that the quality (lack of it) of transport mode forces us to go for Car, that too own car as the primary ride.

[grkonweb]

For me the only commute is my Xylo. To be frank, I don't know how to ride a two-wheeler. My attempts to learn two-wheeler riding stopped abruptly during my teens when I fell off the bike (Hero Honda CD 100 SS) and hurt my big toe badly (lots of blood loss due to a deep gash) while attempting to learn riding. Since then, I never learnt as my Dad strongly dissuaded me from riding and encouraged me to go for a car.

I bought my first car (a pre-owned one though) when I landed at my first job post confirmation! All through I've been driving cars (changed many).

Yeah, car is safe, convenient and comfortable. To me personally, car is a personal space which just like our homes/rooms is personalized. Yet, it has its flip side - parking, driving through congested lanes, maintenance, commute speed and travel time, etc.

But somehow I never felt the need for a two-wheeler as my most of my commuting needs - daily / highway trips are by my car only. Got used to it and I love driving. I've driven my car through all kinds of roads/streets/gallies in Hyderabad and Bangalore and came out unscathed 99% of the time. I've reversed (for lengthy stretches of road) my car in crazy places - crowded, narrow roads, dug up roads, deep dead ends without incidents.

However, we folks who have only car as our ride have to put up with all the advise given by well wishers & friends who wonder how we manage without a two-wheeler. I just smile and say driving a car, especially a big car, is only a mindset. If you really want to (ok, we don't have a choice), you'll drive a car no matter how 'inconvenient' it is from a two-wheeler rider's viewpoint.

On very rare occasions I've taken a ride as a pillion rider with my friends and felt good though. And since I never rode a bike myself I can't really relate when people gush over the feeling when they ride a bike.

Nevertheless, I'll swear by my car to travel any city road which is at least 5 feet wide.

[kirans]

As someone who has been using motorcycles for a long time (To date I have clocked 37k km on my Fiero and 41k km on my R.E Electra), i have finally given up on two-wheelers. It was not an accident, nor lack of two wheelers that made me decide this, but I have found the two wheeler more and more uncomfortable in the city. It sounds strange, but yes, I do take my motorcycle to the odd trip to Nandi hills, or an early morning ride, but for all other needs, I feel that the two wheeler has lost its place in Bangalore unless one cannot afford to upkeep a car. The sheer number of potholed roads, dusty conditions, not to mention the heroics required to avoid insane cabbies and Tempo travellers just makes the bike/scooter a nightmare to use. One reaches the destination hot, bothered, and hopefully with no scrapes/injuries. And when the skies open up, Bangalore proves itself to be a city of lakes, albeit the lakes are part of the infrastructure. My city commutes are 100% done by the Alto 800 - it fits anywhere an auto does, and the auto goes everywhere. I have been able to park almost in all places, and the small walk to/from a tree covered parking area does good to the health as well. To be honest, i didn't realise that I can do away with the two-wheeler completely and yet hardly be inconvenienced. A single car while in emergency situation may seem inconvenient, is not really so. Ola/Uber run 24x7. And then, cars today are very reliable (compared to the old Padmini, but the Padmini just needed a little coaxing to start anyway), provided you follow a rigorous maintenance schedule and keep everything in good shape. I don't have any extra add-ons in my Alto, not even a stereo. I drive myself to the Airport for my monthly travel, use long term parking (Rs. 200 per day) and even with 4 days of parking its equal to one way travel via cab. If I need to travel to the CBD, i have often used Ola/Uber - it takes you exactly where you need to go without the bother of parking/driving. If nothing works, one can always walk, (as I have determined to never ever use an Auto), or call a friend to help at times of need. So do not worry, enjoy a two-wheeler free life, it just takes a while to get used to. But your ears, eyes and face will surely thank you for it, and so will your knees and shoes.

[Vik0728]

I guess my approach is a bit towards obsession rather than obligation !! Lemme explain:

I have 3 modes of transport at my disposal and here they are in the order of usage:

Bike - I picked a FZ-16 in 2012 for daily runabouts to gym, evening snacks, and a day or two to work. This is easy to park and almost non-disposable part of the daily chores. More often than not, this is a single user mode of transport.

Cabs (Uber/Ola) - When there is a necessity of one/any of the above situation and requires the company of my better half, these cab services work wonders. Easy to get hold of one and guide them to your doorstep, exact fee to be paid as applicable, comfortable commute and no worries of finding a parking slot not matter what time of the day or where the destination is.

My GT - Like all other BHPians, this is my pampered baby and gets to rest it out most of the time, only to be unleashed over early morning drives, late night errants or weekend getaways. I do take it to work 2-3 days a week, but more often than not its the Option 1 or Option 2 that works.

So my passion of seeing my GT clean, tidy and always in top running condition does get me into some tiffs with my better half, but I have been dodging the bullet for so long now, that I have mastered the art of confusing convincingly!!

IMO, the convenience of cabs has actually reduced the need for 2 wheelers for many of us and definitely halved the gauntlet of stupid rickshaws. But for a crowded city like Bangalore, at least a bicycle is irreplaceable.

[ysak]

I guess you will get used to it after some time.
I have a classic 350 and swift diesel at home. Even i don't use my bike much because of this heat and reckless drivers on road. My swift gives me good mileage and i feel its better to be safe on a car than the bike.
According to me the cons of bike travelling is:

~ Obviously the heat. You need to take a shower every time you go out and return.
~ Dust, smoke etc
~ Threat from other vehicles(very dangerous at night with bright headlights on).
~ No issues if its starts raining .

Positives would be low cost to maintain, parking easiness, escape from traffic blocks etc.

Also when you use your car for sometime, you will get used to the parking techniques.

I would suggest you to go with your car. Stay safe. That's the most important thing.

[Durango Dude]

My primary ride is my 10 year old Elantra GLS. It was the only car till my son bought himself an Hyundai Grand i10 Automatic Asta.

[petrolhead_neel]

Let me share my family's story. We live in a very congested little town. Not really ideal for cars. SO TooFun, our Classic 1.6 does the duty of highway runs, lunch/dinner drives, parties and sometimes just heading out to the nearest open road for a drive. Believe me when I say this, her 90% miles on the odo have been highway miles. This is also the secret of keeping her completely clean and dent-free.

For all other errands/commutes, we use the two wheelers:

Classic 350: Bad roads, long commutes, occasional highway rides, birding trips.

Honda CB Twister: Congested roads, visit to the nearby market, grocery-shopping, and sometimes just for the sake of redlining that sweet motor.

Hercules Roadeo A-300: This is what I ride. Tuitions, cricket, badminton, early morning rides, and occasionally to school.

Would really love to use the Classic more, but unfortunately, that's not possible right now.

Neel

[sreeJiva]

Just like most have mentioned, having a bike is very convenient in a city. Due to high maintenance, I recently sold off my RE Electra 2003, which had run 60k, for 73,000/-. I was left with my faithful Zen Vxi 2003. Two months of using just a car for daily Flat - Office(5kms), grocery shopping(1.5 kms) and weekend hometown trip (110 kms) has made me a strong 2 wheeler believer .

Considering my current city needs, an obvious replacement would have been a gear-less scooter, but I happened to stumble upon a 2011 Honda CB Shines, 26k on Odo, for 29,000/- bucks.

Believe me when I say it, it won't allow you to go fast. 125 cc and just 4 gears, Shine feels relaxed at 40-50 km/p and that puts us on a pretty confidently controlled pace. It's high revs and minor vibrations on footpegs and handle, won't let us push it beyond its zone, unless you are on highway overtaking a heavy vehicle.

If you get a chance, test drive one, and you'll meet a safe & decent commuter. More fun compared to a scooter, more respect than the 110cc lads, smooth silent engine, Honda reliability, and of course, More Convenience! If your family is up for it, let them on the pillion too, and hope they'll lift your current curfew.

[redcruiser]

My Primary ride is my bike. As I use it 4 days a week. This involves commuting between office and home. My office is just 5kms away from my house so I take my bike and I reach in 10 mins but when I take my car I usually take 30 to 40 mins to reach office which I feel is way too much may be that's quite normal in bangalore traffic. But the route that I take to my office is kind of shortcut where only bikes can go so it makes sense for me to drive my bike without worrying about any kind of vehicular pollution.

But when I go out on weekends I always use my car.
It is for the same purpose as all of you have mentioned. Safety is paramount in my opinion.

[narayans80]

Let me try to list the modes over work life alone:

1. Walk - Since my office has been only about 1-1.5 km away from for more than 50% of my work life. This has been the most used mode in terms of longetivity

2. Motorcycle - Clocked about 13K in quick time when my Bangalore commute swelled to 5 km and Madras commute was at 7 km. All this until I bought my first car. The bike was then used only for errands where parking was a constraint. Has chugged an additional 5K over the next 6 years

3. Car - With identical commute time for my last workplace of 25 min for 7 km. Lack of bus options and impractical walking distance. The car became my primary commuter. Combined with unpredictable leave availibility and a kid in tow, it also was my primary highway runner. By the time I left India and sold the car, it had clocked 27K in 14 driving months.

PS: It should be mentioned. All this was before the existence of Taxi revolution. Am yet to evaluate what will happen with that in the mix.

[allajunaki]

Preferred mode of travel, in order of preference :
1. Bike, A CBR250R, though its a big bike, its still nimble enough to navigate some of the really narrow shortcuts I have to take (to avoid traffic). Though she is meant to be on highways, she sees more of backroads these days.
2. Scooter, Wife's Activa. Though it isn't as much fun to ride, it makes up for it by being handy. I use it to buy groceries / food and other errands (and occasional run to office, when I'm just too lazy / weather too hot to ride the CBR).
3. Car, Vento, the ultimate highway equipment, forced to do 10kmph crawls occasionally. This is my weekend weapon of choice, especially when Kid and Wife is involved. I love my car the most. Consequently, Im reluctant to subject her to some of the routes I routinely take to reach my office.