[Review] Being seen

Jason

Jason

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The problem: high viz is a myth...

occasionally I ride around with this project here...

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... and believe it or not, some folks STill attempt to drive right through me... :rolleyes:

Better to imagine that you're invisible and ride accordingly...
 
ST1100Y said:
The problem: high viz is a myth...

occasionally I ride around with this project here...

View attachment 17549

View attachment 17550

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... and believe it or not, some folks STill attempt to drive right through me... :rolleyes:

Better to imagine that you're invisible and ride accordingly...
Click to expand...

I had a 2007 Kawasaki 500r which had two colors gray or bright yellow so I bought the yellow AND wear a bright yellow helmet. You are correct. It makes no difference they are all trying to kill us out there. Rhetorically speaking.
 
I guess I have to agree that there is no way to guarantee 100% visibility, but there sure are some things you can do to help.

1) Hi-viz colors help. Studies show that white helmets get noticed more than black ones do.
2) Lights can help. Back in the early '90s I put driving lights on my Concours and mounted them fairly low. People told me they noticed. When I bought my first NT, I mounted a set of Denalis on the fender. Again, people told me that the triangle made by those lights and the headlight helped them both notice me and judge my distance and speed. (I was the United Methodist minister in town and practically everyone in town knew who I was, so I got more feedback than most people do).
3) Additional brake lights that flash make a difference, too.
4) The Brake Free lights on my helmet that flash when I decelerate even if I don't use brakes get attention.
5) ATGATT!!!

Nothing guarantees safety, but you sure can enhance it.
 
I think that hi-viz, and extra lighting, may help...a little...sometimes. But when we have idiots on the roads running under an Orange 18 wheeler trailer in broad daylight neither hi-viz clothing or extra lighting will make any difference. Personally I prefer to think they do see me, and are out to get me, and it is my responsibility to evade the little losers.

 
These are all great ideas (although, ST1100Y, could you please turn that bike down a bit - I cannot hear a thing you are saying.... :biggrin:).

I am a big fan of headlight and taillight modulators. There are many different brands available - but I have had good luck with Signal Dynamics. Attached is a small article I have written for the CVMG (Can. Vintage M/C Group) newsletter. It was well received.

Pete
 

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headlight modulators can be more detrimental, than NOT having one. a close by NT friend had one on and disabled it. coming up to cars in front, they would do all kinds of stuff, slow down, etc, cause they thought they were police, and wanted them to move over or stop.
 
Phil Tarman said:
I guess I have to agree that there is no way to guarantee 100% visibility, but there sure are some things you can do to help.

1) Hi-viz colors help. Studies show that white helmets get noticed more than black ones do.
2) Lights can help. Back in the early '90s I put driving lights on my Concours and mounted them fairly low. People told me they noticed. When I bought my first NT, I mounted a set of Denalis on the fender. Again, people told me that the triangle made by those lights and the headlight helped them both notice me and judge my distance and speed. (I was the United Methodist minister in town and practically everyone in town knew who I was, so I got more feedback than most people do).
3) Additional brake lights that flash make a difference, too.
4) The Brake Free lights on my helmet that flash when I decelerate even if I don't use brakes get attention.
5) ATGATT!!!

Nothing guarantees safety, but you sure can enhance it.
Click to expand...

:plus1: to what Phil stated above.

I also have a BrakeFree Unit. I was in the first 1,000 people on Indiegogo to back this project. BRAKE FREE LIGHT

I had the GearBrake Module installed on all my bikes before I got the BrakeFree unit.

Additionally, I have Amber Strobe Warning Lights installed on both my street bikes.

On my Dual Sport, I installed both DLRs and Wig-Wag Flasher to my turn signals for attention-getting when lane-splitting in LA traffic. The flashing starts at a flick of a handlebar switch within in easy access.

 
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Woodaddict said:
headlight modulators can be more detrimental, than NOT having one. a close by NT friend had one on and disabled it. coming up to cars in front, they would do all kinds of stuff, slow down, etc, cause they thought they were police, and wanted them to move over or stop.
Click to expand...

Hmmm - well, that has not been my experience but YMMV.

In my experience, car drivers look, they think about it - and most just keep on going while NOT trying to kill me. Their comments at stop lights certainly confirm that they saw me and thought about it.

As my small article says, there are numerous studies by traffic safety experts that confirm the importance of being seen and the effectiveness of modulators in accomplishing that goal - and that is why modulators are legal for motorcycles in every single state in the US and every single province in Canada. I will nearly always side with experts who have confirmatory evidence based on real research.

In all candour, I don't give a monkey's toss what the car drivers think. I have found that while they may not know quite what I am coming along, they DO see me and virtually all of them are smart enough to not pull out in front of me - that counts as a major victory in my book. If they think I am the police - oh well, so be-it.

As long as they see me, I'm good with it.

Pete
 
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Also, these modulators do not work on LED Headlights. The waveform is a raising and falling voltage slope that changes the intensity of a halogen bulb output. On LED Bulbs they have a wide operating voltage and the raising voltage ramp does not cause a change in the light intensity output. All these modules do with LED bulbs is make them flash on and off. On the NT, you call accomplish that by pressing the starting button while riding.
 
Another thing that can help with being seen is the SMIDSY move. SMIDSY stands for "Sorry, Mate, I Didn't See You," what Brits say after they hit or cut off a bike. The SMIDSY move is to weave as you approach traffic on a side street or in a driveway. It works some of the time...just like everything else we do.
 
I agree with the posts about increasing your visibility. I use most of these. After 10 years of commuting in heavy urban traffic I have never even had a close call. I attribute that to my defensive riding skills and not to all of my high visibility gear however. Keeping ones focus and not letting your mind wander is the most important safety measure. It didn’t take long during my day to day commute to instinctively know what the car patterns were and to notice the “tells” that various cars and drivers were showing. It’s pretty easy to spot the aggressive or inattentive drivers and to avoid them. Of course everyone’s riding situation is different and different survival skills may be required.
 
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