Hi Viz...

[woodbloke]

Having had my cycle for just over a year now, I don't go anywhere on it without the hi viz lightweight jacket as I reckon one of the biggest problems that a two wheeled road user faces is being seen by other road users. It seems to be quite trendy for cyclists to wear this sort of garb but so often I see bikers on a black machine wearing black leathers. I'm assuming that they know that they become almost totally invisible to others in poor visibililty or when conditions are bad, so I suppose it's a kudos, macho thing. Which has the greater kudos though...spending a month in a hospital bed with two broken legs (or worse) 'cos someone didn't see you or going on Continental touring holiday (say) properly equipped? Seems a no brainer to me - Rob

 

[wizer]

I thought the modern fashion with Motorcyclists was to wear those all in one suits with blue or red streaks all over them? Whilst looking like power rangers, they do have high vis strips and hard protective inserts. Motorcycles scare the hell out of mine. I had a scooter once and that was fast enough! Having said that, I love the look of Chris' Goldwing. V.Cool.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Absolutely right, Rob. The same goes for headlights on motorcycles. I wish all of them would use them all the time. When riding fast, they can appear as if from nowhere and they are so much easier to spot if they have their headlight on.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[RogerS]

..... When riding fast, they can appear as if from nowhere and they are so much easier to spot if they have their headlight on.
......

Mmmm..what happened to the Highway Code advice/rule? that all drivers should drive at a speed that they are able to stop in time if they see a hazard? I disagree with them being encouraged to have headlights on as it seems to breed an attitude of contempt towards other road users..as in Here I come - get out of my way. But that's just my take.

 

[wizer]

I think I read somewhere that even some cars are now fitted with Daylight running headlights. TBH if a car has got it's headlights on during the day, I see it!

 

[Paul Chapman]

Trouble is many people pull out to overtake or change lanes without looking in their mirrors first. At least if the motorcyclist has his headlight on, there's a chance that all those car drivers who don't follow the highway code might spot a bright light in their mirror.

All very well quoting the highway code but most people probably haven't read it for years or ignore it anyway........

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Shadowfax]

I object to anyone riding, or driving, towards me with their main beam on, though. Blinding on-coming motorists is not at all friendly!

SF

 

[Grinding One]

You guys over there do not have rules for lights on???
States laws here are a Must Have Lights on for all motor driven cycles
Cars have lights on as well during rain (State Law)
All new cars have lights that come on during daylight hours.you must have different laws over there....by the way Motorcyclist still get hit with them on,a guy just got killed by a women leaving the road way to get him.He was just about to enter the roadway after work,she got him first ,threw him 65 ft to his death.She said she just didn`t see him....if you are going 65 mph and can not see a motorcycle then you would not see a kid on a bicycle either,you need to take a bus instead.

 

[Digit]

As I know I'm not the only biker on this forum I hope that there will a different viewpoint.
But first, I have never come across a bike who rides on main beam.
It is the duty of all road users to watch what the hell they are doing, I doubt there will another biker on this forum who has not had a motorist pull out of a side turning in front of them on probably numerous occasions, I certainly have.
I wonder how many on this forum have heard the immortal phrase, 'sorry mate! I didn't see you!'
Why not?!
And I wonder what excuse the motorist who nearly killed me would have for overtaking me then turning left in front of me.
A ROSPA spokesman on the Kilroy Silk programme some years ago stated that the safest motorists were those who had ridden, or did ride motor bikes.
Some of the daft behaviour that I have witnessed by car drivers can't even be performed by bikers!
Few bikers are killed by running into a hedge etc, it's car drivers who kill us!

Roy.

 

[Grinding One]

I`m a biker with some age on my body,you don`t get this old by trying stupid moves in traffic.Yes people in cages (cars) think that they are rideing in cast iron cars,they really should go to a junk yard to see how their car fairs in an accident.Most of the plastic falls off in a 10 mph accident,then the sheet metal pop can collapses next....Your left in the back seat or trunk area.

 

[Dave S]

I remember some research done perhaps 20 years or so ago, which showed that if a motorcycle has it's headlight on then others were more likely to see them, but also more likely to under-estimate their speed.

Dave (ex London despatch rider)

 

[Chems]

The cars you are thinking of that always have their side lights on is volvo, and the government is toying with making a new regulation that all UK cars must have that but I dont think that will happen. I think a lot of bike manufactures are doing the same now that when the bike is running the side lights are on.

As for the cage comment, as a Fire Fighter Ive seen a fair few cars vs lorrys trees etc and it will soon dis-spell the cast iron car theory. Saying that car manufactures and advances in light weight technologies have really helped keep road users safe, I went to an incident last week where a corsa had collided with a Artic doing 40mph and the corsa was perhaps doing 10mph and get this, the corsa driver had a cut hand and will have experienced some bad whip lash but that was it. 10 years ago he'd be on a slab at the morgue! A lot of car manufactures are making use of Bordon Steel which is so strong our "Jaws of Life" cutting kit wont actually cut it.


Point in case, look at this:

 

[gatesmr2]

Ok

I'll answer this honestly
I used to be one off those riders most people hated had a GSXR 750 :lol:

Ok i was younger and yes the speed thing was a buzz, had a few tank slappers in my time but again i will be brutally honest the only time i came close to having an accident was caused by "cars" not looking properly. But having a car pull out in front of you or turning without indicating is the main reason i gave it up.
Remember a classic on the way to the coast this time i was ridding at a normal speed when a car coming the other way decided to overtake a slower car passing two cars on a two lane road going the other way is enough to make sure you get new leathers if nothing else.
Yes i know bikes are not as safe as cars etc etc etc but it seems we do have a lot more road sense not because we are smarter just we have to think for the car driver as well if we want to live.

Road rage takes on a whole new meaning when a car cuts you up as instead of getting there details you get to ride in a nice shinny ambulance with flashing lights and everything :evil:

Ok rant over but it would be a lot safer if people looked and took an extra few seconds when they pulled out or over took.

Martin

 

[woodbloke]

gatesmr2 wrote:

it would be a lot safer if people looked and took an extra few seconds when they pulled out or over took

Agreed, but if a car driver can't see, or more importantly isn't aware of a motorcyclist then the driver may pull out in front. This is not to condone poor driving in any way, it's just what the car driver perceives as 'safe to move off' If I refer back to the OP then, why is it that bikers (lots of them :shock: ) wear all black gear etc and make life a lot more difficult for themselves? Why is it that you see so few bikers with decent hi-viz clothing?
Best example are the Police riders...Rayban Aviators needed, but at least you can see them coming - Rob

 

[RogerS]

I remember some research done perhaps 20 years or so ago, which showed that if a motorcycle has it's headlight on then others were more likely to see them, but also more likely to under-estimate their speed.

Dave (ex London despatch rider)

That's an interesting point and also picks up on Digit's comment about motorists pulling out in front of you. Rest assured that they don't only target motorbikes...they are just as likely to pull out in front of me in my 4x4 which doesn't look svelte like say a Mazda RX8 but still has a respectable turn of speed.

Mind you, I have also noticed that if you drive at the speed limit then you end up having to brake hard many nore times because the pillocks pull out in front of you and then proceed to crawl away at an acceleration that would make a snail an Olympic sprinter. At least on a bike you stand a better chance of being able to swerve round them and overtake them.

Rob - you make a very fair point. Perhaps it's not 'cool'?

 

[woodbloke]

RogerS wrote:

Perhaps it's not 'cool'?
_________________

I think that's maybe the crux of it - Rob

 

[Paul Chapman]

Mind you, it's not just car drivers who have a monopoly on pulling out of side turnings without looking properly. I was nearly killed on two occasions when riding my push bike. The first time, when I was 11 years old, a motorcyclist pulled out of a side turning and knocked me across the road. I was unconscious for 24 hours and in hospital for 10 days.

The second time was in 1970. I was out training (used to do cycle racing) and was riding along the Brighton Road at Coulsdon. A mororist pulled out of a side turning (double white lines and halt sign) and I flew over the bonnet of his car, breaking his wing mirror on my head, which required 13 stiches. The driver hadn't passed his test, was driving alone and had no tax or insurance which gave me even more aggravation.

There was a third time but that was a cat and I don't think he had read the Highway Code :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[StevieB]

Speaking in gross generalisations, motorcyclists can be split into two broad groups. There are the big serious bikes for long distance travel such as pretty much any BMW, goldwings, deuvilles etc. These tend to be ridden by a slightly older biker, long distance commuters etc. I would also add to this group cruisers and retro bikers - generally they see bikes as a means to an end or a lifestyle choice.

The second group are the shiny leather, shiny bike, flash bling brigade who think its cool to accelerate away from lights at a speed that makes your eyeballs bleed with an exhaust that rattles windows 3 miles away on a clear day. These bikes without exception have a name with at least one letter from the a**e end of the alphabet, usually an X or a Z (GSXR, ZXR, etc etc) and a macho sounding name to go with it (fireblade, ninja etc).

The former group tend to ride mostly considerately and you will probably rarely notice them unless they pass you while you are in a traffic jam. The latter will tend to create their own sonic boom as they pass you - undertaking is necessary to prove the length of their manhood (its written into the contract when you purchase said pocket rocket) and being beaten away from the lights by another biker is a fate worse than death.

To be honest - give any testosterone fuelled bloke the ability to buy for under 7 grand a machine that will accelerate up to 100 mph in under 3 seconds (suzuki hyabusa) and top out at close to 200 mph (pretty much any manufacturers 1000cc superbike) and it will get abused. These bikes are sold as street legal racing machines. They do not handle well at slow speeds, are impractical day to day bikes for commuting since you need decent (and expensive) slick tyres to get the best out of them and their fuel economy is absolute pants. To get an equivalent thrill from 4 wheels however will put you in the top gear supercar range of 100k plus.

Course once you have your superbike, tricked it out with the latest platinum bar ends and chainset, anodised your braided hoses and tuned the remus endcan to produce 0.000001 extra bhp a high viz jacket is not going to enhance your overall streetcred much. And lets face it, at 150mph plus are you really going to notice the jacket first? These bikes have two speeds for their riders - flat out for racing and stop for posing. Any speed inbetween is acceleration or deceleration to reach one or the other.

The only thing that stops these testosterrone fuelled supermen? A 0.0001% chance of rain. Might make the bike wet, which would be a terrible shame.

Now lets see who that has upset :lol:

Steve.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Spot on, Steve. You can see them in the cafe car and bike park at the bottom of Box Hill every Sunday. Trouble is, when they're walking about, the a*se of their leathers looks a bit baggy and very un-cool :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Digit]

A number of points there, speed!
Yep! I live on a main road and bikes pass my place at ridiculous speeds on occasion as I live on bend with houses on one side whose entrances are blind to the bikers.
Secondly, car drivers are now taught to 'shuffle' the steering wheel between their hands when turning, this results in drivers pulling across roads at slow speed, as mentioned by RogerS. This leaves them in the danger zone for the maximum time.
I doubt that many of our local elderly lady drivers have a clue as why they are shuffling the wheel either. The other one widely practised locally is to tail gate the vehicle in front before overtaking, this means that they are once again in the danger zone for the max possible time, it can also limit their view of the road ahead before overtaking.
The easiest way of slowing bikes down is to stop fitting them with fairings, a mouthful of flies at eighty miles an hour is quite off putting. (Or so I'm told!)

Roy.