That stuff about braking...(OT'ish)

Test drove some Renaults today on an 'open day'.

Okay, bikes may have really good brakes - but there is no way I could brake
as hard on (any) bike as I did whilst trying out a couple of Meganes today.

Tried general ABS (35'ish to zero), traction control (interesting),
different surface stuff ( also interesting - wouldn't really want to try
that without ABS etc) and emergency braking whilst cornering.

Now, there's braking hard and then there were these - say what you like but
I just don't think it's possible for 'average' people like me to beat a car
braking like that on a bike.

I would, quite simply, fall off.

 

Yes.

Cars are easier to stop quickly than a bike. We know that already -
what was the point you were making?

 

dwb says...

Now go find a Mk1 Cortina with drums all round and cross-ply tyres and
try the same thing again.

 

No thanks!!

 

That I found it interesting.

 

Or a Peugeot 206.

 

?

Our 2-litre 206cc with disks all round, 'Emergency Brake Assist'[1]
and ****-off wide tyres stops like a very stoppy thing, with added
stoppiness, at a stop sign.


[1] Detects a sudden application of the brakes and automatically
applies _full_ pressure, even if you've eased off slightly.

 

I am thinknig Chris was referring to the 206 that planted itself into the
back of my bike.

All I can say is that seeing how quickly vehicles can stop from 30-40mph
there was no way he was doing that sort of braking.

Tried that out on the Megane today - bit odd that it doesn't let off, even
though you want to. The guy did say that generally you'd probably be more
interested in just stopping, not necessarily trying to move, but I could
think of a few instances where I might want to (ie something coming at you
that's moving).

 

It doesn't stay locked on though. Just keeps it that way for perhaps a
quarter of a second after you start to let off.

It can be a bit disconcerting at times though, but overall I think it
would minimise the time delay before max braking is applied, so is
prolly a good thing.

 

<Renault mode>
Have a look at the Megane one too - it's a similar price for a similar car
(hard top etc).

I think Vauxhall are also releasing a new Tigra, which is another hard top
cabrio type.
</RM>

 

Ah, you've got a 'cc' one? The cabrio? I'm thinking about buying one
early next year[1]. Any good?



[1] Look, I know they're chickwheels but they're 'cheap' to insure and
it's a cabrio. Anyway, it'll mostly be Anya's car.

 

Not bad, acherly. It's Jude's car, not mine, and was chosen mainly for
the fold-down hard-top and overall looks. Nice interior with red and
black leather, A/C, cd player etc. What surprised me when we got it
(having not test-driven on) was how good it is to drive.

It's reasonably quick (with 140 hp in such a small car that's not
surprising) with a strong, flexible motor. It's geared for
acceleration rather than top end and sticks to the road like glue,
with ultra-low profile tyres.

On the down side it's quite noisy, both from the engine and wind/road
noise, the ride is incredibly firm and a clumsy driver is going to
find it very difficult to be smooth. I like the sporty feel though. I
can always use the volvo if I want a more lazy ride or more absolute
speed.

Yeah, yeah, we believe you

 

Main thing with the Peugeot is the two bars on the 'boot'. Means I
can attach a rack easily to take bikes. I haven't seen another design
like it.

Vauxhall, I wouldn't touch with a bargepole after the shite-fest that
was my Vectra but I'll take a look at the Megane. I'll be buying
secondhand though and I doubt there will be many Meganes around.

 

They're slow, poor handling and underpowered, as well as being bigger
than the 206. Friend of ours has just got a 180bhp 307cc. Much better
than the megane, according to tests IO've seen, but still not as
'sporty' as the 206, despite being much quicker.

Ahh, be careful. I think the maximum load is something stupid like
12kg, so that'll be just the one bike then. BICBW.

 

Alround positive then, ta. The last bit is a bit worrying because
Anya will have only just passed her test when we get one. But, heh,
practice makes perfect.

 

Depends on why you're buying it though doesn't it?

 

Bike weighs 10.5kg so, yeah, just the one. Shouldn't be a problem.

 

PFCTW