Stuza

Hey guys

Have been in Doha a couple of weeks now and having seen the traffic on the roads I use to and from work I am confident that the drivers here, although dangerous, are predictably dangerous. Having done advanced courses in the UK and almost 14 years experience, I'm sure I will be able to cope with it.

So, I've seen plenty of threads about getting a car license converted but is it any different to a motorcycle (full class A) here?

weasel decentral

no advice about converting the licence as I'd imagine its the same process, however riding to work in the blast of full summer heat and humidity is something I wasn't able to do. Unless you go native on the clothing front you are going to be a sweaty mess.

Stuza

Yeah figured that Did a short walk from a hotel to city mall the other night, just over a mile, took my time, relaxed ....... and covered in sweat by the time I got there!

Sadly (and happily), I'm in work at 6:45/7am and finish around 6pm so miss most of the heat. I'm in a good position in that the roads I use to get to/from work are also pretty much three lane dual carriageways with very few traffic lights and not much traffic.

And I might well go native. MCN did a story a few year ago demonstrating that with various factors included, the injury/death rates in Italy and Spain, riding without jacket/boots etc, was no worse than the UK. Of course, stats lie but.... no smoke without fire.

britexpat76

I was on a bike yesterday, It was no fun. And the faster you go the hotter it gets...........

And to answer your question, just swap the license over at the Police station past Al Jazeera

Stuza

That simple? Sounds too easy in a country full of procedures and paperwork!

OleJanx

Hope you've got a donor card.

weasel decentral

Well I'd imagine impact injury and death rates might be similar (as long as wearing a lid) but its the skin stuck to tarmac rates that would put me off.

Speaking as someone who misses his gsxr so much, it kills me to have no rain but still have relatively restricted riding opportunities.

Johnnyboy11

There are definately some biker clubs in Doha, you see them driving together on the Corniche, usually on a Friday morning when the traffic is quiter and they are less likely to be mown down by a random in a Landcruiser. Why not do a bit of research and contact the clubs for some advice.

You rarely see bikers in the daytime traffic, except the complete nutters in teashirts and on a deathwish. Just too high risk.

[J]

Johnnyboy11

I'd add that a lot of the road surfaces are highly polished and greasy. Not sure how this affects modern motorcycles, but it scares the hell out of me in my Nissan Sunny Classic hire car and it's lack of ABS.

weasel decentral

no abs on real bikes bmw and tourer styles tend to have it , or linked front and back brakes.
Good sports tires hook up well here, expecially with the high temperatures, except for road dust and the like and the odd bit of shiney road. lack of corners is a plus too. but i'd take my chances on that versus damp corners, leaves and the odd random cow shit on the roads at home

Stuza

I think the new BMW 1000RR might have something to change your opinion

I've started to notice a lot of sports bikes on the road now so I'm feeling better about this decision even more