Bright Headlights Daytime Yes or No

[PDXRTL]

Nope, high beams only when needed at night or when I flash them at someone to get their attention or to let a semi know it is ok to come into my lane. I keep them in reserve to use them when needed.

Daytime high beams made some sense way back when motorcycles had a single incandescent headlight. We needed something extra to be seen back then.

Modern day bikes and trikes, with multiple headlights and additional lighting (such as the the low center light added to my Spyder) have us more visible. And Spyders/Rykers are such strange vehicles that we're likely to be noticed anyways.

I don't like it when people drive towards me with their brights on in the daytime (car or motorcycle) so I'm not going to do it to them. The idea that it is ok to annoy everybody doesn't work for me. It is only a few of the idiots out there who won't see me with my regular lights on and they are probably the ones who won't see me even if I have high beams on. Or they are going to target fixate on me like they do when they run into emergency vehicles with lights flashing.

 

[pegasus1300]

Read this poll/thread back in the day and as a result began running high during the day. No one flashed me so I asume they are ok with it when coming towards me. I did notice that even on the Spyder there seemed to be an increased awareness of my presence. Cars at intersections hesitated or syopped, on coming trxffic moved over a little, small adjustments in traffic flow. Very unscientific observations of coyrse but what I saw nonetheless. I do go to low beams when I end up stuck behind someone in traffic to get out of their mirrors and at night.

 

[RayBJ]

I run the high beams AND DRLs daytime. If it was legal, I'd mount a flashing bar and siren! Nights I run high unless on-coming traffic.

Face it folks. They're all out to get us!!

 

[Dasmoetorhead]

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) recommends and teaches this.

 

[safecracker]

I run low beams during the day. Highs at night except for on coming traffic.

 

[Dmetcalf]

High beams day & night for me. It’s good to be seen ..!

 

[ollicat]

I have found high beams a night bothers few folks - only on country roads have I ever been flashed. My old eyes need the extra light

 

[mbranscum]

I have found high beams a night bothers few folks - only on country roads have I ever been flashed. My old eyes need the extra light

Running bright at night is illegal in most states.

 

[Snoking1127]

I have run high beam LEDs in daytime for 3.5 years and have only been flashed once.

 

[CloverHillCrawler]

Run high beams during the day, plus I have the led signature light.

It seems the the oncoming lane has no problem with them, people in front of me in the same lane seem to have a real problem with them.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Here in Oz (& in NZ too) our Low Beam lights are the lights you lot over there in North America get to call Fog Lights, and the Highs are single filament/no shutter lights up where you have both headlights - only without any modifications, we can ONLY have Low Beams on, or ONLY have High Beams (Brights) on; they won't illuminate at the same time (well, not without Pogo's Four-Eyes upgrade! ) And it's legal (& even recommended by most State Authorities! :2thumbs: ) for Motorcyclists to run their High Beams during the daytime here; cos after all, they NEED to be seen, and the Sun is a helluva lot brighter than our High Beam lights are anyway, so they can't really be all that dazzling to otger road users!

But with our Low Beams down so low & as close to the ground as they are, they really aren't all that easy to see and they don't get a lot of attention from other road users - it's easy enough for on-coming vehicles to think you've got NO lights on at all - EXCEPT if the road surface is a bit undulating &/or choppy!! Then, just about every on-coming vehicle will see our Low Beam Lights apparently 'flash' at them on every upward bounce, making them think that WE are flashing THEM when we're not at all!! :shocked:

So most Oz/NZ Spyder Ryders who DON'T run their Brights during the day tend to annoy other road users - far more than those who are running their brights all the time during daylight hours, either cos they 'don't see us at all' until suddenly we're right there when they didn't expect us; or cos we're seemingly madly flashing them as we approach!! :gaah:

And then when it gets dark, and we are required to drop the Highs when we can see the headlights of an oncoming vehicle - which is a bit of a pain if you're not in the city, cos you dip your lights and suddenly you can't see anything further than about 50 metres in front of you, so your lights cut of somewhat more than juuust short of where all the hoppy or 'vehicle stoppy' critters like to hide on the verge until jumping out into your path when you're abdofreakinlutely too close to avoid! :cus: And even if you do manage to avoid wiping yourself out on any of the beasties that lurk in the dark and leap out at you, ALL of those oncoming vehicles can see our Low Beam lights at night-time, only see the previous comments about undulating/bumpy roads!! Since EVERY bloody road that's not in a city is an undulating/bumpy road, that means that EVERY oncoming vehicle thinks we're madly flashing our lights at them!! :gaah:

You might think that's not such a bad thing, cos at least they'll know we're there - but here in Oz, a single blink of High beam at an oncoming vehicle is the normal accepted practice 'gentle reminder' for someone oncoming who's forgotten to drop their lights, or doesn't realise that you're approaching and may be getting blinded by their brights; but madly flashing your brights at an oncoming vehicle is generally considered a real **** move and generally elicits a full on serve of everything they've got in the way of candle-power, and most who drive outside the city have SIGNIFICANT candle-power on tap & available at the flick if a switch; or maybe once you're close enough you'll score a carton of Dare Iced Coffee (after all, NO-ONE tosses Farmers Union Iced Coffee away! ) in the face, or a half full can of coke cos they tossed it at what they thought was the windscreen of the oncoming vehicle being driven by a twat playing silly ******* with their lights!! :gaah:

Can Am's Oz spec Spyders OEM Headlights are a miserable excuse for lights, both Highs and Lows, but ESPECIALLY Lows, and ESPECIALLY in where they are placed and how they work, and the only saving grace is that in Pogo's Four-Eyes mod &/or similar wiring, there is a fairly easy modification that will allow us to run the Highs & the Lows (your Fogs, remember!) at the same time; so at nighttime, it only takes one quick blink of all Four lights (2 High & 2 Low) at the same time for most oncoming vehicle drivers to work out that we actually HAVE dropped our lights to Low Beam and that we AREN'T madly flashing them and being a right ***** about their lights!

Just Sayin!

 

[ollicat]

Running bright at night is illegal in most states.

So is driving even 1 mile over the speed limit. But we all do that too.

 

[BCNewell]

On my F3-S, in daytime, I have Lamonster LED headlights on low beam and Lamonster LED fog lights on. Have the fog lights aimed a tad high, about like the high beam level. Apparently works pretty well. Have had a couple of cars flash their lights at me during daytime. Because of high fog light setting, just use regular LED headlamps at night - high beam when able, low beam when necessary.

 

[scwingman]

High beams always on. Never a problem, I want everyone to see me coming especially those people setting at a side street waiting to pull out.

 

[ned64]

I run bright lights during the day on my Spyder, Only been flashed twice. I see lots of motorcycles with brights on and they are the new lights you can put in them and they sure are bright and gets my attention.

 

[Albec]

In my experience on two wheels.

One could have a high intensity flashing amber strobe light on your head/helmet along with a light up suit and still, some people will not see you. You can't see what you won't look for.

 

[Dasmoetorhead]

This was the result of someone not seeing me. The doc said it was the worst tibia plateau break he had ever seen!
Had that hardware in my knee for 6 years then had it removed and they did a total knee. So yeah, I run lights on and extra lights and hi beams when it's safe to do so.



The AK47 - 7.62 x 39 Cartridge shown is purely for scale ;-)>

 

[ARtraveler]

This was the result of someone not seeing me. The doc said it was the worst tibia plaetu break he had ever seen
Had that hardware in my knee for 6 years then had it removed and they did a total knee. So yeah I run lights and extra lights and beams when it's safe to do so.
View attachment 209713

You sound like a good candidate for the Brakefree Helmet system. Not cheap, but very effective. Had one on my helmet.

Google for full information. I believe Lamont was going to offer them at his store also. I bought mine when they were originally offered from the manufacturer. I wrote a review on it a few years back.

 

[racoon]

The AK47 7.62X39 Cartridge shown is purely for scale ;-)>

Thanks for identifying it. I thought it looked a bit "thick" for a 5.56.

 

[Dasmoetorhead]

You sound like a good candidate for the Brakefree Helmet system. Not cheap, but very effective. Had one on my helmet.

Google for full information. I believe Lamont was going to offer them at his store also. I bought mine when they were originally offered from the manufacturer. I wrote a review onw years back.

Those are nice, but my helmets already heavy enough, but they are nice.