By Ken Y-N ( July 19, 2013 at 01:13)
· Filed under Lifestyle, Polls
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As an ex-rider, this is a topic close to my heart, motorbikes, a survey from Mitsui Direct Insurance, who no doubt have a wonderful bike insurance policy they would love to sell you!
Demographics
Between the 31st of May and the 3rd of June 2013 300 bike riders of both sexes and aged between 20 and 59 years old completed an online survey hosted by Neo Marketing’s iResearch, of which all the riders were presumably members. 150 people in the sample had just the minimum compulsory insurance, and 150 had comprehensive policies. A further demographic breakdown is not presented.
I say ex-biker as when I came to Japan I did bring my helmet and other kit, but I soon discovered parking was rare, trains were common, summer was too hot, and winter too dark, so there would only be about a 2 month window in Spring and Autumn where I could actually ride. Furthermore, being now married, biking is forbidden by she who must be obeyed!
By the way, the correct answer to Q7, heat measures, “Ride faster!”, of course.
Research results
Q1: What capacity is your bike? (Sample size=300)
| 50 cc or less |
60.0% |
| 51 cc to 125 cc |
15.7% |
| 126 cc to 250 cc |
19.0% |
| 251 cc to 400 cc |
10.0% |
| 401 cc or more |
11.3% |
Q2: In your whole riding career, how many times have you had near misses? (Sample size=300)
| Many times |
62.3% |
| Once |
23.3% |
| Never |
14.3% |
Q3: Does your comprehensive insurance company have physical shops and/or call centre/internet-based sales? (Sample size=150, comprehensive policy holders, multiple answer)
| Physical shop |
60.7% |
| Virtual call centre, internet-based |
48.7% |
Q4: Where did you buy your comprehensive insurance? (Sample size=150, comprehensive policy holders)
| Motorcycle auction |
33.3% |
| Web site |
32.7% |
| Insurance agent shop |
12.0% |
| Telephone |
7.3% |
| Group insurance at work, etc |
6.7% |
| Insurance broker shop |
5.3% |
| Don’t remember |
2.7% |
Group insurance perhaps refers to people working as couriers?
Q5: Have you eery changed your comprehensive insurance company? (Sample size=150, comprehensive policy holders)
Q6: Why did you not buy comprehensive insurance? (Sample size=150, compulsory-only policy holders, multiple answer)
| Cost was too high |
63.3% |
| No particular reason |
16.7% |
| Paperwork, etc, was too much bother |
16.0% |
| Don’t think I’ll have an accident |
10.7% |
| Don’t understand about comprehensive insurance |
9.3% |
| Didn’t know comprehensive insurance existed |
5.3% |
| Other |
0.7% |
Q7: What measures against the heat do you take when riding in summer? (Sample size=300, multiple answer)
| Wear mesh jacket |
22.3% |
| Leave early in the morning |
21.0% |
| Wear mesh gloves |
20.7% |
| Use a different helmet |
16.3% |
| Wear sweat-absorbing, etc clothes |
16.0% |
| Wear an inner cap inside my helmet |
13.3% |
| Wear a water-filled collar, use other cooling goods |
11.7% |
| Ride slower to stop the bike heating up |
5.0% |
| Other |
1.3% |
| Don’t take any particular measures |
37.7% |
Q8: Which famous person would you most like to go touring with? (Sample size=300)
| George Tokoro |
25.0% |
| Kaori Watanabe |
18.7% |
| Hiroshi Go |
8.7% |
| Yasuko Matsuyuki |
7.3% |
| Kouichi Iwaki |
6.7% |
| Tomoya Nagase |
5.3% |
| Katsunori Takahashi |
5.0% |
| Mika Mifune |
4.7% |
| Yosuke Eguchi |
4.0% |
| Hinano Yoshikawa |
2.7% |
| Hirose Fuse |
0.3% |
| Other |
9.3% |
Read more on: mitsui direct,
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I didn’t even bring my gear, though I did spend some time looking at how to bring my bike (a BMW R80 G/S) to Japan. Soon realized it was much too expensive and bothersome. And when we got married and started making decisions together, we decided that bikes are dangerous and expensive, and not something we should do any longer. In fact, I don’t even have a Japanese license of any kind; trains are more convenient anyhow, and we can take a lot of taxi for the money we save on not owning a car.