October 29th, 2013, 02:59 PM | #1 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Jay
Location: Az
Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): Kawasaki Ninja 250, Kawasaki 650 Posts: 113
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How important is motorycle jacket color?
I'm starting to regret ordering my Icon Leather overlord because I ordered it in all black. I wear a bright white helmet, have a white bike with HID projectors, and will typically wear a red backpack. I know there are brighter colors out there but I feel like if they don't see my white helmet, white bike or headlights, they won't see my jacket too much.
I was deciding between the all black stealth version vs the black version with a white icon logo and white forearms . Between these two jackets, do you believe there to be much of a difference? http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/i...leather-jacket |
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October 29th, 2013, 03:03 PM | #2 |
Daily Jap rider
Name: Lance
Location: La Porte
Join Date: Dec 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250r Posts: A lot.
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I have a black helmet, black jacket and black pants. Buy some reflective tape and put it all over your helmet backpack and bike....oh and my bike is black
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October 29th, 2013, 03:09 PM | #3 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Joe
Location: Florida
Join Date: Jan 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Posts: 206
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Buy a hi-viz vest and wear it over your black jacket.
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October 29th, 2013, 03:28 PM | #4 |
antiant
Name: antiant
Location: Cali
Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): None Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Oct '14
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It really depends on how visible you want to be. SOLAS reflective tape works, as well as other alternatives.
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October 29th, 2013, 03:29 PM | #5 |
Ninja chick
Name: Allyson
Location: Athens, GA
Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 Posts: A lot.
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People seem to see my pink jacket most of the time. I guess it's because pink is an unusual color to see on the roads, so it catches people's attention.
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Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination. ~Drake Check out my Appalachian Trail journal, 2015! Postwhores are COOL! ~Allyson |
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October 29th, 2013, 03:35 PM | #6 |
Que Buenos Son!!!
Name: Ryan
Location: Grovetucky, OH
Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): Aprilia Shiver 750, Husaberg FE 450, Ninja 300 (sold), xr100 Posts: A lot.
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I saw a study once that said color doesn't make much difference. A distracted driver can still be looking right at you and not see you.
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Don't do something because it's easy,.. Do it because it's not! If you aren't going forward, then you're falling behind. "Drive it like you stole it"!!! |
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October 29th, 2013, 04:00 PM | #7 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Jay
Location: Az
Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): Kawasaki Ninja 250, Kawasaki 650 Posts: 113
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Yeah I agree, I think in the end you need to just ride defensively. I don't think reflective tape will help much because I'm speaking of day riding.
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October 29th, 2013, 05:02 PM | #8 |
Cat herder
Name: Gort
Location: A secret lair which, being secret, has an undisclosed location
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Just my $0.02:
I'm a big believer in hi-vis gear. However, I think the single most important thing is the helmet, not the jacket. Your head is as big as a bowling ball and it's the highest point of the whole bike/rider picture. When you're leaned forward on your bike, a bright vest or jacket will be in shadow. It'll also be obscured by the glare of your headlight. Going away, your back is the most visible thing, followed by your head. I'm a lot more concerned with people in front of me. So: I wear a neon yellow helmet and don't worry about anything else. I just bought a new jacket and it's all-black. Look at these photos and you decide if the jacket or helmet is more important. Quick.. what's more visible... the helmet or the vest? Quick what do you see?
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I am NOT an adrenaline junkie, I'm a skill junkie. - csmith12 Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est. Heri historia. Cras mysterium. Hodie donum est. Carpe diem. |
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October 29th, 2013, 05:32 PM | #9 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Fox
Location: Boston
Join Date: May 2012 Motorcycle(s): 08 250R Posts: 881
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helmet is way more important...
imo, white is the best color. green can sometimes blend in with the background. I have a white helmet and a white topped jacket with bright blue sleeves. I think I'm pretty visible for someone who is looking for motorcycles... combine that with a rider who is actively moving around to display presence on the road, and you've got a good combination. |
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October 29th, 2013, 06:24 PM | #10 |
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
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That is what I do, ........... and move my head a lot .......... and zig-zag the bike ............. and even stand up to be seen.
We have hunters' eyes and movement and things that break the monotony of the background is what we see. Now, if the cager decides looking down to text, a loud horn is very handy and convincing, ............ as well as moving out of his/her path.
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Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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October 29th, 2013, 11:34 PM | #11 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Jay
Location: Az
Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): Kawasaki Ninja 250, Kawasaki 650 Posts: 113
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Thanks, that's what I was getting at. I have a really big bright white helmet with a silver visor, so I don't mind having a black jacket. I figured helmet would be more important than jacket color since it's your highest point too.
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October 30th, 2013, 01:12 AM | #12 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: David
Location: Loves Park, IL
Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): Time will tell Posts: 969
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+1 for Hi Viz. But agreed on the jacket color not being so important. If you wear a backpack any percentage of the time, it almost defeats the purpose.
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October 30th, 2013, 05:05 AM | #13 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Joe
Location: Florida
Join Date: Jan 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Posts: 206
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Hi-viz vest + hi-viz helmet is the best combination I think. The helmet is definitely the most visible and you can see it from 360 degrees but the hi-viz vest is also important too. Other than that you should have a good headlight but not something that's blinding others. I like the Philips Motovision H7. I also have an orange backpack, which I wear sometimes when riding.
Hi-viz or white helmet + hi-viz vest + good headlight + lane positioning (extremely important) + SMIDSY swerve if you see someone waiting to turn |
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October 30th, 2013, 12:45 PM | #14 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Jay
Location: Az
Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): Kawasaki Ninja 250, Kawasaki 650 Posts: 113
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My backpack is a bright red almost neon red color by Oakley. People always tell me they saw me riding earlier in the day even from hundreds of yards away simply because they see my big white helmet and bright red backpack. So for those who don't want to get hi-viz, I believe a bright red backpack is next up there on visibility and may be more to your liking.
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October 31st, 2013, 07:11 AM | #15 |
The Corner Whisperer
Name: Chris (aka Reactor)
Location: Northern KY
Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much.
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WARNING! Abstract thoughts
I think adouglas and Motofool are each onto something individually but here is my take. If a rider were to combine both of their points together, then some dots about riding and being seen in general can start to connect.
So try this; take the MSF collision trap test on SLOW. Instead of trying to get the questions right, just focus on the pictures and what is the "focal point" for you as well as other drivers in the picture. The human eye will want to come to rest on something in the pic, this is the focal point. Once a focal point is established, it becomes the measure and benchmark for everything else. Distance, speed, ect.. ect.. It's a double edge sword, for the focal point and subjects within a close vicinity, are easily seen or noticed. For those that fall farther away from that point, go unnoticed or the human mind registers them lower on the priority list. I would also not want to be the target of a totally frozen driver about to crash into something. It's mother nature at work for most predators that have both eye's pointed forward, we are hard wired to target fixate. Find a way to turn that negative into a positive. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
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October 31st, 2013, 08:32 AM | #16 |
Internet Slut
Name: Jeff
Location: L.A.
Join Date: Sep 2010 Motorcycle(s): 04 FZ1, 07 FZ6 Posts: A lot.
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Hi-viz works. After recently purchasing an obnoxious hi-viz jacket I have had way more cars not pull out in front of me, let me merge on the freeway and give me more room when changing lanes.
The brighter more obnoxious the color you are the more people will see you. |
1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
October 31st, 2013, 09:19 AM | #17 |
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16
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This is a very good point to consider !!!
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Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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October 31st, 2013, 10:01 AM | #18 |
ninjette.org member
Name: oswaldo
Location: Clarksville,Tn
Join Date: Jun 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250R (Passion Red, Ca Model) Posts: 107
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I wear a combination of a high viz vest and reflective belt around my bag. The bigest thing that has helped me was installing my high/low beam Nokya 2,500K yellow light bulbs. I ride to work when it's dark out and I ride with my high beams to make sure Cagers see me. If I come up on a cop car I just flip it to the low beam. I've been pulled over already and nothing was mentioned about my headlights. Plus hardly anyone drives around with such yellow headlights so it catches your attention.
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I would be rich by now if I had a dollar for every person that has told me "You need to upgrade, You need a bigger bike, You need more power..." |
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October 31st, 2013, 03:13 PM | #19 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Morgan
Location: A city twinned with Kawasaki
Join Date: Nov 2011 Motorcycle(s): '08 Ninja 250, 2010 STR 675 Posts: A lot.
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If they don't see the bike with lights on then they're not going to see the jacket.
Hi viz should make you more visible, but it doesn't. you see what you're looking for not what's in front of you. How many passes do the team in white make? |
1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
October 31st, 2013, 09:11 PM | #20 |
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16
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Excellent proof !!!
__________________________________________________
Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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October 31st, 2013, 09:49 PM | #21 | ||
Private Joker
Name: Ben
Location: Towson, MD
Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): '99/'01 Ninja 250 "sketchy", '13 Ninja 300 "yoshi", '03 GSXR 600 "merlin" Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Mar '14
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Quote:
Quote:
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November 2nd, 2013, 12:08 PM | #22 | |
ninjette.org sage
Name: David
Location: Loves Park, IL
Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): Time will tell Posts: 969
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Quote:
Bright colors are not common in regular traffic, where as red tail lights and white headlights blend in with all the surrounding traffic. This is the same reason why brake light flashers are popular amongst our community because they brake the 'standard' sea of most brake lights. They force you to focus your attention on what is in front of you and in doing so it increases the chances of them seeing you. They annoy drivers, which in turn means that drivers will see them. Another good example is police lights. No one drives around looking for police lights, but when you catch a random glimpse of the flashing blue/red and strobing wig-wags in your mirror or down a side street.. you can't help but notice and acknowledge [and typically check your speed against the PSL]. The PSA for cyclists is the exact same issue, majority of inner city cyclists just wear their regular clothes and no lights. You won't miss a hi viz vest or flashing lights on a cyclist, I can almost guarantee it. What you might miss is the speed difference between the hi viz vest and you. |
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November 3rd, 2013, 07:11 AM | #23 | |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Morgan
Location: A city twinned with Kawasaki
Join Date: Nov 2011 Motorcycle(s): '08 Ninja 250, 2010 STR 675 Posts: A lot.
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Quote:
If nobody else wears hi vis then it may stand out, thing is it's everywhere where I live. Couriers, bin men, cyclists, EMTs, cops, builders, creche / junior school kids & their teachers walking to the park... (I **** you not, kids in one colour, teachers in another. It's ****ing ridiculous. say "Thank you safety nazis") Generally they're slow moving, and with the exception of cops, they pose no threat so get listed in the low importance list. The blues & twos flash, that's picked up the same as movement, it wasn't there, now it is. |
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November 3rd, 2013, 07:54 AM | #24 | |
ninjette.org sage
Name: David
Location: Loves Park, IL
Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): Time will tell Posts: 969
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Quote:
And I suppose this is also a difference of our locations. Where I am [and where I've been] hi-viz anything is nonexistent. Virtually the only thing I see with hi viz are DOT workers and pedestrian signs. |
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