Allowed a mini is a far more sensible choice
with your mother on this.
the mini was forced to stop production due to how dangerous it was, so i was wondering, what is more dangerous a mini (early model with no airbag or
side intrusion) or a vespa/lambretta with obviously a helmet and leathers?
the reason i ask is i have always wanted a lambretta but was never aloud due to my mum saying they are too unsafe, yet i am aloud a mini...
[Edited on 5/1/12 by Kwik]
having driven and riden both, I never nearly fell off or out of my mini, had a few scares on the vespa
"the mini was forced to stop production due to how dangerous it was"
Was it?
Proper mini's are not any more unsafe than many other cars of the same era, lamberetta's had a history of slicing off ankles.
Allowed a mini is a far more sensible choice with your mother on this.
quote:
Originally posted by Kwik
the mini was forced to stop production due to how dangerous it was,[Edited on 5/1/12 by Kwik]
Well, im completely against a lambretta. Get a real bike if your going to get a bike! I dont see a mini being particularly dangerous. No more so then the likes of a seven anyway.
quote:
Originally posted by Kwik
the mini was forced to stop production due to how dangerous it was,
I've rode scooters and I agree with the above on the basis that being in a car makes you slightly visible to other car drivers.
I don't know how you've survived so long, Kwik. Basic lesson in life. Listen to your Mum. She would not give you duff information except about sprouts and tapioca. You're a very naughty boy!
quote:
Originally posted by Dusty
I don't know how you've survived so long, Kwik. Basic lesson in life. Listen to your Mum. She would not give you duff information except about sprouts and tapioca. You're a very naughty boy!
IMHO, you ride a Lambretta for the lifestyle. There are a million different ways to move yourself around and all of them are better and safer than
sitting atop a scooter! Any other motorbike is preferable to a scooter but thats not what you're asking....
A Mini is definately safer. No question. And they're a lot of fun but again, there are better ways to get about!
I think you're comparing apples and pears.
statistically bikers are 16 times more likely to be killed on the roads than car drivers.
This might sway your decision?
I say mini - 4 wheels are always better than 2
and you can make it a little safer than standard with things like a collapsible steering column - its been done by plenty of folk (using fiesta
columns I think ? )
and a roll cage in the mini s not rocket science to fit.
Plus you'll feel a whole lot safer when being tailgated by a vespa!!!!
How many Lambretta's competed in the Monte Carlo rally?......I rest my case
Al.
Any motorcycle (even a scooter) is one helluva lot of fun, but so is a mini.
I guess I woudn't run a scooter, but then I'm not into the lifestyle, but can see all the wonder of it.
Safer - hmmm... if you're hit on bike by anything (or you hit something) you're likely to die. If you're more unlucky (my opinion),
you'll end up as a brain dead paraplegic. Motorists don't care anymore, they will kill you if you get in the way of their death machines, or
interrupt their phonecall. For this reason alone, get a mini.
That said, it's your choice, I've made mine - I ride a bike. Having seen friends and family die horrible painful deaths from cancer, you
have to enjoy life..... cotton wool and all that.
Old series Land Rovers are absolutely wonderful British playthings too.... get one for the winter and the scooter for the summer. I have this
'solution', a Series II 1-Ton and a GSXR1000 works for me.... and of course the '7' for the track :-)
quote:
Originally posted by HowardB
statistically bikers are 16 times more likely to be killed on the roads than car drivers.
This might sway your decision?
I have a Lambretta Li150 in the shed which I am gradually tidying and reassembling. Last time I rode one was 40 years ago but I fancied building one
to ride just for the fun of it. I have a 900 Hornet ( big 'onda) but am definitely a fine (warm) weather biker these days. Scooters are safe
enough, I never heard of anyone sliced off at the ankles when I had them but if you want a modern alternative look at some of the Japanese offerings
which are faster and easier to ride and look after, Burgman and Majesty type scooters. I have ridden them and they are ideal commuter and mile
covering machines.
P.S. a mini is safer and if you ride a Lambretta in leathers you will look a knob.
[Edited on 6/1/12 by Peteff]
This is a Mini that was involved in a crash at a combined speed of 80mph. Both drivers died. I would imagine the other driver might have survived if
they hadn't slammed into a tree afterwards. Given that the only impact the Mini took was from the other car, I expect a modern car would have
faired much better with a solid cockpit and crumpling front. They're inherently unsafe cars, much less so considering all the shoddy repairs that
most of them have. The steel is 0.8mm and spot welded, so they tear like tin foil and rip apart at the seams.
Description
But having said that, I can't really preach about the safety of Minis when I'm zipping about on a handful of steel tubing and some
fibreglass.
quote:
Originally posted by Furyous
This is a Mini that was involved in a crash at a combined speed of 80mph. Both drivers died. I would imagine the other driver might have survived if they hadn't slammed into a tree afterwards. Given that the only impact the Mini took was from the other car, I expect a modern car would have faired much better with a solid cockpit and crumpling front. They're inherently unsafe cars, much less so considering all the shoddy repairs that most of them have. The steel is 0.8mm and spot welded, so they tear like tin foil and rip apart at the seams.
Description
But having said that, I can't really preach about the safety of Minis when I'm zipping about on a handful of steel tubing and some fibreglass.
quote:
Originally posted by Furyous
But having said that, I can't really preach about the safety of Minis when I'm zipping about on a handful of steel tubing and some fibreglass.
quote:
Not disagreeing with you regarding the safety of the mini - but that looks photo shopped to me .......
quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
quote:
Not disagreeing with you regarding the safety of the mini - but that looks photo shopped to me .......
Yes, the blurring around the cockpit - unless its blurring out the severed head of the occupant?
I know its digusting - but I want to see the original!
quote:
This is a Mini that was involved in a crash at a combined speed of 80mph. Both drivers died. I would imagine the other driver might have survived if they hadn't slammed into a tree afterwards. Given that the only impact the Mini took was from the other car, I expect a modern car would have faired much better with a solid cockpit and crumpling front. They're inherently unsafe cars, much less so considering all the shoddy repairs that most of them have. The steel is 0.8mm and spot welded, so they tear like tin foil and rip apart at the seams.
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
Not disagreeing with you regarding the safety of the mini - but that looks photo shopped to me .......
quote:
Originally posted by Furyous The steel is 0.8mm and spot welded, so they tear like tin foil and rip apart at the seams.
I've seen a Fiat Uno crumple like that in a similar speed colission so I don't entirely doubt it.
Do NCAP test at those kind of speeds?
This shows a few more modern bad cars
Had a Li150 as a teenager before I got a Mini , the Mini was far safer as well as more reliable! Mind you Marc Bolan might not agree??
We have a 1976 Mini & i have a Vespa too, without doubt the Mini would be safer in comparison, ive owned a few mini's over the years &
never managed to fall off one 
The Vespa is purely a cheap & cheerful way of me getting to & from work once my pregnant wife has our baby in April (cant really afford to run
2 daily driver cars), it also means the mini will stay tidier for longer as we just use it on nice days & the Vespa is a lot cheaper to fix, also
if it starts looking tatty it really doesnt matter, the original outlay is still about a tenth of what the Mini is worth.
A friend has a very old Lambretta & its mint, i couldnt afford one just to blat to work & back on but he did say to me if you want a classic
scooter to get to work on, buy a Vespa NOT a Lambretta, apparently they are not too reliable ?? Time will tell but i hope the Vespa stays reliable for
me.....
both pretty dangerous imo
but you can raise your chances of living through ownership by how you ride/drive either
Good advice that, i was always told to drive/ride as if everyone onthe road was trying to kill you 
Pretty good advice i think.
Here's the 5th Gear test of a Focus going into a block at 120mph. Similar thing would happen to two car doing 60mph into each other.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dI5ewOmHPQ
Even modern Euro NCAP test don't do more than about 40 mph.
ATB
Simon
Two cars crashing into each other at 60mph, will have the same damage as one hitting a solid block at 60, not as the closing speed of 120mph as you'd expect.
quote:
Originally posted by owelly
Two cars crashing into each other at 60mph, will have the same damage as one hitting a solid block at 60, not as the closing speed of 120mph as you'd expect.
quote:
Originally posted by owelly
Two cars crashing into each other at 60mph, will have the same damage as one hitting a solid block at 60, not as the closing speed of 120mph as you'd expect.
Can't really believe this question has been asked.
What's safer balancing on something with two wheels or sitting in a structure with four wheels? Isn't it fecking obvious? Crash test ratings
and crumple zones on the car are totally immaterial as obviously a scooter has feck all.
Rant over
[Edited on 7/1/12 by wylliezx9r]
[Edited on 7/1/12 by wylliezx9r]
ask marc bolan about the mini .
as for the scooter , grease yourself up when your squeezing past lorrys, vans cars and other bikes in rush hour traffic ....
Marc Bolan hit a tree, tree vs any car is not going to end well, especially against anything you could buy in 1977.
Have a friend who still walks with a stick after being T-boned on his Lambretta (car came out of a junction without looking so it would have been at
about 30mph tops), but he very nearly didn't make it.
ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR MUM !
My lad's hankering after a scooter (He's 16yrs old. Out here, until very recently they could ride a 50cc death-trap at 14)
Guess what the answer is?
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
I missed this bit; how do you think modern cars are constructed? Thin steel panels spot welded together, albeit with rather more plastic bits involved.
quote:
Originally posted by owelly
I'd like to see what would be left of a scooter in a similar crash!
But I get your point. Mini Vs Scooter - the Mini would at least give a
protective cage around you and have the stability of four wheels. quote:
Originally posted by iank
Marc Bolan hit a tree, tree vs any car is not going to end well, especially against anything you could buy in 1977.