TimNiceBut

If you ride anywhere near London, you'll have to have the "they're all out to kill me" sixth sense anyway. After 12 years of commuting to and in Central London I don't think it's much worse out here.

Undefeckable

That's a good sixth sense to have...

I just got back from Manila - now those guys are REALLY crazy drivers.

I guess everything's relative!

Bob

Yeah, down my way, helmets are for wimps and it's t-shirt and shorts and flip flops for motorbikes, unless you're on a Harley, then it's a leather vest and boots

I'd hate to see the road rash coming off due to a pot hole

Thydney

I did my bike test in Florida it's harder than the car test but by no means does it meet UK standards. Don't take your test at the DMV it's done by the Highway Patrol who are cnuts go to a local college. As for riding I lived well north of Tampa superb bike country for cruising no bends though lol. If you get a bike don't get a Japanese crotch rocket or you'll spend most of your time at the side of the road with FHP.

The comments about passing your test and getting cheaper insurance are spot on. Hire a car for a couple of weeks use that when you get there.

chopper40

I don't ride a motorbike in Florida, driving a car is scary enough.
The rules of the road are , shall we say, somewhat Latin American.
Tail-gating so close that you can't see headlights in the rear mirror; Under-taking (you need the senses of an owl), all the tourists, all the snowbirds! all the old people! There always seems to be some tw*t that has full-beams on. Many cars pretend to be bikes at night cos they have one tail light broken.
Beware the 6 monthly swarm of LOVE BUGS (worst in May/June). Its a fact that the Florida stretch of the I-95 has the highest accident rate in the USA.
As Undefeckable said, the wet season rains and the HEAT are real issues also.
Apart from that I thoroughly recommend Florida!

Thydney

LMAO there is whole areas of Florida where you'll see a car every 5-10 miles US19 north of Crystal River is wonderfully empty

jambo101

Whats motivating you to move to Florida?
I lived there for 20 years till finally i couldnt take the heat and humidity any longer, think mid 90's and high humidity for 8 months a year
Think heavy traffic every where and urban sprawl like you cant imagine.
Most people have this idyllic view of palm trees and white sandy beaches but reality has you imprisoned in an airconditioned environment for a good part of the year..


The Dream =



The reality =

janette

Have any of you driven in the UK recently? Over 2 hours to travel 90 miles on the M1 this week and parked cars on both sides of every road that isn't a motorway . The traffic in Miami is awful at certain times of the day - but no worse than Birmingham or London at most times of the day! ( and who would choose to live there anyway?) I don't think driving in Florida is that bad. There are stupid people everywhere and Florida seems to attract people who think they can make up the rules as they go along, but it is still easier than driving in England. Of course it can be scary but I would choose it over Birmingham any day. If you choose to ride a bike, just use common sens. It makes you vulnerable but that is true anywhere, but there are advantages to riding in some parts of Florida, and you can decide if your part is worth the risk. Our bike doesn't get used as much as we thought, but not because of other road users.

WARPed

I used to ride 100miles a day from Essex to Docklands on the A12/M25/A13 and while you had to be aware of what was going on around you and ride accordingly I rarely felt in danger. I shipped all my bike gear out to the US but I would NEVER EVER get a bike license in the Tampa Bay area. I echo all the comments above about the hideous standard of driving around these parts and honestly am rarely able to take even a short journey in my car without feeling I've come close to an accident at least once.

You'll live longer if you stay in a metal cage when out on the roads. Not to mention that riding just isn't any fun in the urban sprawl or a dead straight grid system, especially at 95 degrees in full gear.

chopper40

Absolutely! I live on the Treasure coast and drive a lot for work. I can drive on Highway 60 heading to Tampa and not see a single car ahead or behind on both sides of the road for miles and miles. But sooner or later you have to head home and face all the loons out there sharing the road.

oh I thought of another common Florida manoevure. I call it the "Fake out-turn out". You are driving along in say, the middle lane of a 3-lane road. Someone ahead of you is looking to pull out of a gas station or whatever....Now in UK we are taught to wait until the traffic is clear before pulling out, right? This dosn't apply in Florida. It freaks me out! they will turn out onto the road just as you are nearing them. You don't know if they are going to clip you as they try to tightly turn into the slow lane...or if its some old geezer who has just had a heart-attack! I say that partly tongue in cheek...but there are a LOT of accidents (mainly red-light running) involving old people.
On a bike, you definantly dont count over here. Think of all the PSA adverts in the UK about looking twice for bikes...i have never seen anything like that here.

Bob

If I could do 90 miles in a couple of hours in busy traffic, I'd be over the moon

Oh yeah, FL, can you weave traffic on a bike there? I know you can't in MA or ME, which combined with all the pot holes is a bit meh

anotherlimey

Or worse - I've heard people talk about "nudging" a biker with their car if they see them lane splitting!

Thydney

I really think it depends on what the bike is for commuting in a city? No way but if you want a bit of fun buy a trailer and head out to the free roads, there is life outside of Tampa. You want a good ride in the UK you wouldn't pick the A2/A580/A1 would you?

Undefeckable

Lane splitting, or filtering as it's called in the UK, is illegal in florida.

Dunno about you guys, but filtering was a major advantage for me when I used my bike to commute in UK.

Here you'd have to sit, sweating your chuckies off, in traffic with cars.

TimNiceBut

Depends on the state though, some states allow it, some don't. Same with helmets, eye protection and a whole host of other M/C related differences.