Grumpy Goat
Scooter
I've been lurking and not posting of late, mostly because of the new job.
One of the benefits of bike ownership in Doha, Qatar (N25 E31 approximately) is that I can filter to the front of every traffic queue. And believe me, the traffic queues in Doha are the stuff of legend. I do it because I have the machine; it beats the pants off driving (for half the year - for the other half the temperature is to high); and I get to park right outside the office rather than over the road in the public car park.
In order to maximize traffic capacity, the signals are all set at maximum green time. This means that if you miss the green, you can sit at the Stop line for the thick end of four minutes. But don't be tempted to run the red light: the fine for doing so starts at around $1500 (fifteen hundred; that is not a typo).
Despite the shortness of my commute, in around four miles I encounter five signals and two roundabouts. I seem to spend half my time waiting at red lights, and most of the rest trying to figure out a way of fiddling a C14 between the Land Cruisers, most of which are apparently piloted by people who think lane lines are merely a means to reduce the planet's overabundance of white paint.
Here we get to the nub of the matter: My bike detests this heavy traffic, filtering, and waiting at interminable red lights. It retailates with ghastly fuel consumption. A week or two of commuting yields 30mpg.
There is a need. A need for speed. i need to take the bike for a proper ride this weekend.
One of the benefits of bike ownership in Doha, Qatar (N25 E31 approximately) is that I can filter to the front of every traffic queue. And believe me, the traffic queues in Doha are the stuff of legend. I do it because I have the machine; it beats the pants off driving (for half the year - for the other half the temperature is to high); and I get to park right outside the office rather than over the road in the public car park.
In order to maximize traffic capacity, the signals are all set at maximum green time. This means that if you miss the green, you can sit at the Stop line for the thick end of four minutes. But don't be tempted to run the red light: the fine for doing so starts at around $1500 (fifteen hundred; that is not a typo).
Despite the shortness of my commute, in around four miles I encounter five signals and two roundabouts. I seem to spend half my time waiting at red lights, and most of the rest trying to figure out a way of fiddling a C14 between the Land Cruisers, most of which are apparently piloted by people who think lane lines are merely a means to reduce the planet's overabundance of white paint.
Here we get to the nub of the matter: My bike detests this heavy traffic, filtering, and waiting at interminable red lights. It retailates with ghastly fuel consumption. A week or two of commuting yields 30mpg.
There is a need. A need for speed. i need to take the bike for a proper ride this weekend.
