Why not? It's safer isn't it?

[Kscreations08]

Not sure if this one will start a fire but I'll add gasoline if it does

I'm interested in knowing why noone finds LED Auxilary lights a bonus. Here in PA, they are legal and the law even states that they protect the driver.

""""§ 4310. Motorcycle lighting.
Auxiliary lighting may be added to a motorcycle to protect the driver,
including blue dot illumination, standard bulb running lights and lightemitting diode (LED) pods and strips.
(June 29, 2006, P.L.205, No.50, eff. 60 days)""""

I know they are for tools and squids and we ride invisible anyway, but seriously, pick a color you dont see on the streets and get peoples attention. No? Help me out here. There is so much hate on them. Is it just a bad rep by association of who likes them?

I would assume that anything to increase visibility increases safety. Additionally, I read somewhere on here that night time riding is more dangerous because we have one headlight, which makes it harder to judge our speed. Light the whole bike up like the 4th of july for less than 100 bucks and let people know where you are. I'm not talking about the kits that you can turn on 1000 feet from the bike or that have "5 strobe and 27 breathing functions while flashing 8 different colors". I don't mean the 4000 LED 200watt spotlight and lighthouse sets either lol. Just a few low power lights to increase visibility.

Plus they are simple customizations that stand out in a crowd and look cool Just a personal opinion. Looking for others.

[subxero]

my opinion on lights and what not.

Keep it simple and normal. Anything else is just confusing and distracting to other drivers and defeats the purpose.

I was following a car the other day that had weird rear taillights and blinkers and I couldn't tell if they were braking or indicating or WTF!? It just pissed me off more than I already was and this was during the day.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by subxero

I was following a car the other day that had weird rear taillights and blinkers and I couldn't tell if they were braking or indicating or WTF!? It just pissed me off more than I already was and this was during the day.

New Ford Taurus. I can't tell HOW those taillights pass DOT inspection. Those things are SO HARD to tell if they're braking or just running lights.

[JohnnyBravo]

Don't make it to obnoxious, an you have my blessing. Personally I like them, except the UFO bike, it's a bit disturbing!

[NevadaWolf]

There's a mixed reaction

One one hand a cager will see something unusual and look at it to figure out what it is.
One the other hand, the cager is focused on trying to figure out what it is rather than reacting.

I'm not a fan of the led glow kits people put on any vehicle, looks silly.

BUT i am sporting Tron style wheels from UV LEDs and glow in the dark paint. Eh.

I would rather spend my extra power to ensure i can see as well as being seen. I'd like to add driving lights or something like off road style flood lights to cover the dark desert highways.

[Sirref]

It doesn't look silly to me as it looks like a waste of money, especially the way car guys do it. slammed cars shooting neon light out of the .2inch ground clearance that they have. With bikes it's even worse, just a blur of light. I'm all for aftermarket headlights/tail lights but aux lights just look wrong to me. Granted everyone likes a different cup of tea and it even has the benefit of added safety via visibility for those people who install them so it should definitely be legal.

[old3]

You are talking to a guy who pulls off the reflectors as soon as the bike gets home from the dealers!

Every bit helps, I still ride like I'm invisible. Assume nobody can ever see you, cause no matter what you do, they won't!

[nickjpass]

If you like it, go for it. I love bikes with underglow and lighting!

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by subxero

Keep it simple and normal. Anything else is just confusing and distracting to other drivers and defeats the purpose.

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

One one hand a cager will see something unusual and look at it to figure out what it is.
One the other hand, the cager is focused on trying to figure out what it is rather than reacting.

I agree with these. If the setup is too unusual, people will spend more time trying to figure out what it is, and have less time to properly react to it. I want to be seen, but I don't want confused cagers target-fixating on me.


One more suggestion is to add lights around the edge of your bike, as opposed to near the centerline. Making it look bigger gives cagers a larger target to see, and makes it easier to judge the speed. You can also try creating a triangle of lights as used on locomotives to help. A number of EX500 guys have taken to mounting Denali-knockoffs on the fender bolts down on the forks. That creates a triangle and gives you some driving lights that turn along with your wheel (something a fairing-mounted light doesn't do).

[tfkrocks]

I'm thinking about how much a drunk driver might fixate on flashy lights like that.

[jeffb502]

Here's a little study. I just read the abstract. Should be an interesting read when I have some time to read all 60ish pages.

Motorcycle Conspicuity and the Effect of Auxiliary Forward Lighting, NHTSA, Nov 2011, PDF, 1.71MB

From the abstract it seems like having low mounted auxiliary lamps, or a high beam modulator, reduced the probability of somebody making a left turn in front of the rider at the last second. Having both low and high mounted auxiliary lamps running at the same time increased the amount of time the left turner would stare at the motorcycle.

I saw an adventure bike yesterday with 7 forward facing headlight strength lights. One was the main headlight, and it had 6 aux lamps (3 on either side of the front wheel, all mounted below headlight level). It was passing me in the fast lane as I was in the slow lane on a 3 lane each way freeway. It definitely got my attention, to the point I caught myself staring in my side view mirror at it and not paying attention to what was going on ahead of me.

As the bike with 7 headlights was passing an ambulance that was in the middle lane I saw the ambulance drift towards the motorcycle, then brake and swerve back to the middle of its lane. Don't know if that was target fixation on the part of the ambulance driver or he was thinking about making a lane change and aborted it because he saw the motorcycle due to the 7 headlights.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by old3

You are talking to a guy who pulls off the reflectors as soon as the bike gets home from the dealers!

Nah man it's all good. Instead off adding hp, add moar lightness. Every oz countzz!

[JohnnyBravo]

^

[jeffb502]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Nah man it's all good. Instead off adding hp, add moar lightness. Every oz countzz!

To get the paper plate off the back of my 300 I had to unbolt the bracket with the 2 side facing red reflectors on the rear of the fender. I was amazed how heavy that bracket was. I put it back on anyway since I don't want to do anything to decrease my conspicuity. I think more weight behind the rear axle will make it easier to do some wheelies also

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by jeffb502

...From the abstract it seems like having low mounted auxiliary lamps, or a high beam modulator, reduced the probability of somebody making a left turn in front of the rider at the last second. Having both low and high mounted auxiliary lamps running at the same time increased the amount of time the left turner would stare at the motorcycle...

Headlight modulators: some people love 'em, other people hate 'em.

I put a high beam daytime headlight modulator on my BMW a few years ago and use it occasionally (generally not in heavy urban traffic or on the freeway). I have never (ever) had anyone turn left in front of me while using it. Once, a firetruck coming the other way pulled over when he saw me: I guess the driver couldn't tell it the difference between the 4 hz motorcycle modulation as compared to the 6 hz emergency vehicle modulation.

If you don't mind being occasionally obnoxious, the headlight modulator provides outstanding conspiquity for little money and does not tax your charging system.

[ez12a]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

New Ford Taurus. I can't tell HOW those taillights pass DOT inspection. Those things are SO HARD to tell if they're braking or just running lights.

that is why they have the 3rd brake light my friend

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by ez12a

that is why they have the 3rd brake light my friend

Even that is too small. Have you followed one?

[jeffb502]

Speaking of left turn visibility, before I rode a motorcycle, I rode a bicycle (on the road...I basically considered myself a slow moving motorcycle, as the vehicle code intends). Usually I would cruise around 15-18mph, but with a tailwind I could cruise at 20-25. On one of those days with a nice 30mph or so tailwind I found myself doing about 25 (I was happy to have a tailwind so I was really getting on it in the big gears to see how fast I could go on flat ground), on this street:

EB CA166 JWO Western.jpg

I was traveling in the direction of the picture, in between the tire tracks in the right lane, and I saw a full size pickup in the center turn lane waiting to turn left across my path. Just as I thought the truck was waiting for me it quickly started turning into my path. I initiated an emergency stop, hard on the front brake and too hard on the rear because I locked it up. Just then the driver realized he was violating my right of way and slammed on the brakes, parking his pickup truck fully in the left lane and partially in the right lane. I stopped a couple feet short of what would have been a collision with him. I could see in my rear view mirror that traffic was approaching from behind me, so I waved him out of the way to clear the lanes then continued on my way after he pulled into the driveway.

I think the driver of the truck thought "it's just a bicycle so it can't be going that fast" and decided to go, then realized I was actually going faster than he thought when it was too late.

After that fun time I started wearing a safety vest and added some flashing lights to the front of my bike, seen here:

Link to original page on YouTube.

The nice thing on a bicycle is the vehicle code specifically permits bicyclists to mount headlights on their helmets (a headlight is required on a bicycle at night, mounted to the bicycle or mounted to the rider's helmet). I found when a vehicle was about to violate my right of way all I had to do was look at the driver, which would shine my very bright LED flashlight on my helmet directly into their face, and they would usually stop.

I found my right of way being violated much less after I increased my visibility. One time with my lights going on a clear afternoon I was passing a slow moving tractor-trailer on a two lane road (on the left side of the dashed yellow line) and he pulled to the shoulder. I figured he was lost and looking for directions since he had been driving so slow (10mph in a 45mph zone), so I stopped and asked if he needed some help. He said "you're the one that pulled me over" lol. I guess he was from a state where you have to pull over for flashing white lights. At least he saw me.

[dcj13]

Headwind really sucks on a bicycle!

[jeffb502]

Originally Posted by dcj13

Headwind really sucks on a bicycle!

So true. I used to ride west to work on a 2 lane 55mph road with no shoulder. Doing 8mph in the middle of the lane in the little front chain ring into a 30mph gusting to 40mph WNW wind into the setting sun staring at my rear view mirror ready to bail into the ditch if somebody didn't see me was not very fun lol. That's one of those moments where I would think "I wish I had a motorcycle instead of a bicycle" heh.

[headshrink]

Originally Posted by InvisiBill

I agree with these. If the setup is too unusual, people will spend more time trying to figure out what it is, and have less time to properly react to it. I want to be seen, but I don't want confused cagers target-fixating on me.


One more suggestion is to add lights around the edge of your bike, as opposed to near the centerline. Making it look bigger gives cagers a larger target to see, and makes it easier to judge the speed. You can also try creating a triangle of lights as used on locomotives to help. A number of EX500 guys have taken to mounting Denali-knockoffs on the fender bolts down on the forks. That creates a triangle and gives you some driving lights that turn along with your wheel (something a fairing-mounted light doesn't do).

These are mine: http://mondomotos.com/MM10

I highly recommend.

[Amsler457]

Just hooked my LED lights up the other day. I love them. Deff a head turner at night.

[Amsler457]

Here it is. Hard to get good pic

[headshrink]

Originally Posted by Amsler457

Just hooked my LED lights up the other day. I love them. Deff a head turner at night.

What did you get?

EDIT: NM, you posted before I refreshed.

[headshrink]

I'm not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure ground-effect lighting is illegal here in CA.

[Amsler457]

They are called RADLITES. Found them on amazon for like 17$ or so.. I like them.

[capt_bugaloo]

I've been thinking of getting one of those neon-yellow hi-viz jackets. I think they do help you get seen - but damn, they are SO ugly.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by capt_bugaloo

I've been thinking of getting one of those neon-yellow hi-viz jackets. I think they do help you get seen - but damn, they are SO ugly.

You live on Vancouver Island! It rains! You'll fit right in with a hi-vis optical yellow cordura jacket. And you'll be visible.

[capt_bugaloo]

I have one of these: http://www.canadasmotorcycle.ca/tekn...er-jacket.html

That's about as hi-viz as I want to get.

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by capt_bugaloo

I've been thinking of getting one of those neon-yellow hi-viz jackets. I think they do help you get seen - but damn, they are SO ugly. :eek:

I got the Scorpion EXO-500 in the Oil pattern on hi-vis, upgrading from a solid black HJC. It gives me some hi-vis without looking completely like a traffic cone.



I can't guarantee it was the helmet, but shortly after I got it, I had several instances where cars pulled up on sidestreets/driveways, looking like they were going to pull out in front of me. They didn't, and in one case the guy even reversed a bit. Maybe they were just not expecting there to be any traffic and would've seen me when they looked regardless, maybe the helmet actually caught their eye and saved me.

I'm not sure if it's exactly the Purkinje effect, but in lower-light conditions (like dusk) it almost seems to glow. I really like that it seems to stand out most when conditions are less than ideal.

[caps]

I had white ones on my 250, all they did was illuminate the road in my lane since the tail light was so small.

[LittleRedNinjette]

Originally Posted by Amsler457

Here it is. Hard to get good pic

Mine look similar to this. I wouldnt have gone and put them on myself BUT i love them. I don't realy ride with them on, you realy can't see them in daylight but i would try it at night.

Just don't know what the law in NJ is. I'll have to look it up later.

Edit/ Here's a pic of mine.