Being seen

[WisconsinDavid]

I put extra bright led's in my fog lamps on my older spyder. Friends I ride with noticed the difference immediately. They said, "This year I can see you when you are behind me." But the best advice is what you are doing. Never assume anyone sees you. Ride like you are invisible. There are so many distracted drivers with their attention elsewhere. There are so many with heads down looking at phones or fiddling with new car electronics. Distractions like that can create drivers even more unsafe to share the road with than drunks. If ever there was a day for defensive riding, today is it. Enjoy the wind and ride safe.

 

[ThreeWheels]

I just got the 2020 RTL. The headlights are already bright LEDs, and the factory included a High Mount Brake Light on the rear trunk.
I just bought Spyderpops vision package to light up the red side markers on the rear bags and the amber side markers on the front fenders. The package also adds strip lights for the mirrors. The stock RTL only has low mount turn signals on the front of the fenders.
Since all the rallies have been canceled here, I'll be doing the install myself.

 

[bikerbillone]

ThreeWheels, I was thinking that SpyderPops will be in Deland come September, I hope, I can them to do my 2020 RTL since I am not very good at these installs. I visualize that this lighting upgrade will work very nicely for safety.

 

[ThreeWheels]

ThreeWheels, I was thinking that SpyderPops will be in Deland come September, I hope, I can them to do my 2020 RTL since I am not very good at these installs. I visualize that this lighting upgrade will work very nicely for safety.

Thanks for the heads up !
My daughter lives in Ormand Beach. I'll be heading down there in the next few months, but I'll have the lights installed before then.

 

[Nico75]

Hi. Peteoz. Many years ago we hade a Gold Wing with as many lights on it as a xmas tree and a car pulled out of a junction l braked and he said sorry I didn’t see you So no matter what you do , as in life it’s all down to LUCK regards nico 75

 

[poli]

Agree with Peter Aawen. I rode to work in Houston traffic for 25 years (2 wheels). Averaged about 4 times a year driving a car. Rode in heat, cold, sun and rain. People thought I was crazy. The way I survived was "driving defensively". The key is EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED ! Expect everyone to pull over into your lane in front of you or into you or from a side street. If you expect it you're ready to react safely. You know where you are in relation to traffic and where your escape routes are. If you're not expecting it that's when you get into trouble. You panic and move over into another lane into someone or you brake and get hit from the rear. So ride like everyone is out to get you and then if they try, you're ready for it, you safely avoid them and no big deal other than getting pissed at them.

 

[LongIsland]

Agree with the others on replacing the horn -- just haven't gotten around to it yet.

So people ahead of me can see me:
- SpyderPops LED Bumpskid
- SpyderPops Spyclops II LED

So people behind me can see me:
- Brake Free Helmet Light

So people anywhere can see me:
- SpyderPops Full View Turn Signals
- Hi-Vis Jersey/Jacket (depending upon weather and temp)

And of course, so I can Google their license plate after they DON'T see me:
- Lamonster RAM mount/Techmount TechGripper :gaah:

What Peter said is really the most important part: always assume the worst of the other drivers -- they'll rarely disappoint you...

Curious: What do you do with the plate number?

 

[rakerrykerrider]

Markubis, you are absolutely correct! I have installed the Slingmods fender LEDs also, one of the best aftermarket accessories you can buy! I feel much more visible with them.

 

[Raprider]

Markubis, you are absolutely correct! I have installed the Slingmods fender LEDs also, one of the best aftermarket accessories you can buy! I feel much more visible with them.

Agree...I recently installed the TricLED Fenderz LEDs (which add so much lighting up front day or night), the rear Run/Brake/Turn LEDs on my Givi bag brackets, AND a brake modulator. Very happy with the results of all of this.
I will look into upgrading the horn as well.

 

[redrazor]

It only took about an hour to add another horn to the existing horn mount inside the left side panel on my 2014 RTL. Way better/louder sound now.(Hi and Lo horns) A little tricky to get the 2 horns to fit properly; but not a big deal.:cheers:

 

[RapidSpyder]

The main reason they can not see us is they are looking at there PHONE.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of truth to that statement

 

[ChicagoSpyder]

Agree with Peter Aawen. I rode to work in Houston traffic for 25 years (2 wheels). Averaged about 4 times a year driving a car. Rode in heat, cold, sun and rain. People thought I was crazy. The way I survived was "driving defensively". The key is EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED ! Expect everyone to pull over into your lane in front of you or into you or from a side street. If you expect it you're ready to react safely. You know where you are in relation to traffic and where your escape routes are. If you're not expecting it that's when you get into trouble. You panic and move over into another lane into someone or you brake and get hit from the rear. So ride like everyone is out to get you and then if they try, you're ready for it, you safely avoid them and no big deal other than getting pissed at them.

Always be set for evasive action, use your eyes to continually sweep the road ahead and your sideview mirrors.
I bit a pothole hard with the rear tire Saturday while out with the wife in the flat Illinois farm country, some cattle and a flooded farm field caught my eye and I tapped her leg, pointed, and gawked myself for a second and damnit there it was....I was only doing about 50 and with her on back I didn't what to go to hard left or right, or just slam on the binders so I chose the rear wheel to take the hit along with my L5 and L4, not a car around for miles or woods for deer to hide in and I got lulled into an easy ride, which we know really don't exist.

 

[canamryder]

Always be set for evasive action, use your eyes to continually sweep the road ahead and your sideview mirrors.
I bit a pothole hard with the rear tire Saturday while out with the wife in the flat Illinois farm country, some cattle and a flooded farm field caught my eye and I tapped her leg, pointed, and gawked myself for a second and damnit there it was....I was only doing about 50 and with her on back I didn't what to go to hard left or right, or just slam on the binders so I chose the rear wheel to take the hit along with my L5 and L4, not a car around for miles or woods for deer to hide in and I got lulled into an easy ride, which we know really don't exist.

Over in Boone County if you would have missed that pot hole, you would have hit the one next to it anyway. I think there's a fancy name for when the eyes see an object, but the brain does not register it. The brain is somewhere else. No not daydreaming.

 

[Peteoz]

I bit a pothole hard .

Is that how you get revenge on them, ChicagoSpyder? hyea: Don’t you find you break your teeth? If I tried biting a pothole out here in Aus, I would probably fall in, and they would need an abseiling rescue crew to get me back out. :2thumbs:

Pete

 

[jaherbst]

Until there are as many Spyder's and Motorcycles on the road as there are Cars and Trucks people will be pulling out in front of you, hitting you broadside and running into the back of you. It is a mental thing. Even though they are looking right at you they mentally block you out because they have been trained their whole life to look for a car and you are invisible to them. As many have said here before drive as if you are invisible. It may save your life someday!

No matter how bright your clothes are, how bright your lights are or how loud your horn is, be a defensive driver at all times. Don't piss people off with things out of the ordinary as they are always going to win. After all they have a much bigger hammer!

The above has work for me in my 69 years of riding M/C and Spyder's. That or I have been darn lucky. Just turned 80 April 7th. Looking forward to the next 80.

Jack

 

[SportsterDoc]

Solid lights do not catch as much attention as flashing.
My last 3 street bikes had a flash to pass feature, which I used at intersections where a failure to yield seemed probable.

 

[shakin_jake]

I tend to agree w/the drive/ride like you're invisible, because you are. I've had my share of bright hi-viz gear and still wear some of it occasionally, like yesterday on my way back from picking up my Vespa from the Gainesville Vespa dealer as that scoot was in to their mechanic to chase down a problem I couldn't resolve on my own. It was raining on and off so the better/drier easier to wear rain gear I have to don consists of a hi viz (yellow/green) Olympia jacket I've owned since 2006? Yet it still looks fairly new. Anyways, it's waterproof so I brought it to wear bringing the Scooter home

Normally though,while riding my 2020 Ryker Rally that riding uniform is a black leather jacket, my flat black dual sport full face helmet, black leather boots, black gloves and I'm usually attired in a pair of black denim pants, all of which along with my black Rally Ryker is anything but hi-viz. It's strictly my opinion but ive been riding motorcycles for the most part, day in and day out since 1975 and since that time have built up a way of riding that works for me, that also has kept me totally accident free while riding all of those years. Wait!, to be completely honest, we (wifey & I) were run off the road once coming up to a stop light in the 2nd lane of two left turning lanes getting off an interstate back in Michigan late 85'. Minor scrapes and bruises were the result from the van that didn't properly yield to us. despite this one instance, I consider myself (& my pillions) very fortunate through the years to have been able to ride and arrive safely Some might say by the grace of God


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while

 

[mjl99]

I replaced my horn with a better one. The default horn is a joke.

I also replaced the curved reflectors on the two front wheels with the led lights from slingmods. These alone are worth every penny. Not only do they increase visibility when turning, they are also lit up while the bike is running....giving a huge advantage for being seen from the front side a nd back.

https://www.slingmods.com/canam-ryk...lights-with-sequential-turn-signals?vehicle=4

I have these too. They are very bright and work well to add visibility. you can also see the glow from the rear which helps since it's not a common sight to see. I also installed the brake light flasher from slingmods and think that helps when coming to a stop and having inattentive drivers behind you

 

[Stache]

Clearly your dealer believes load pipes save lives, and that installing aftermarket exhaust makes the dealer more money.

 

[BikerBeast]

jaherbst: "It is a mental thing. Even though they are looking right at you they mentally block you out because they have been trained their whole life to look for a car and you are invisible to them. "

I agree! IMO it is also a fear factor, with a bicycle or motorcycle they are not afraid that they will be hurt and therefore discount the danger and don't pay attention. On the other hand when they see a large truck not only is it more visible, but they know in the back of their mind, if they connect, they will come out the loser.