Maximizing Visibility?

[quasi]

Thanks for all of the responses, guys! And thanks for the above link. Lots of good info in the responses.

I'll be a new Spyder owner later today (Yippee!), but have little 2-wheel riding experience. (The last time I rode a 2-wheeler was in the early 70's...). So, in some ways, I'm starting from scratch.

Would a motorcycle training course (NOT geared specifically for Spyders) be helpful/useful for me? What specific helpful skills would I be taught in such a course?

Or are there Spyder-specific safety/training courses available?

Thanks!

You learn and practice evasive maneuvering and the rest of it is common sense and a piece of cake. you see a vehicle at an intersection, watch the front wheel, not the driver, and be prepared. passing a big rig, open it up and get around it as fast as possible.

 

[2Paw]

When I first started riding back in the mid fifties, my Dad told me that when I got on the bike to assume 2 things, number one was you are never in complete control, and number two was everybody on the road is out to get you. These two things have served me well over the years.

 

[UtahPete]

I'll be a new Spyder owner later today (Yippee!), but have little 2-wheel riding experience. (The last time I rode a 2-wheeler was in the early 70's...). So, in some ways, I'm starting from scratch. Would a motorcycle training course (NOT geared specifically for Spyders) be helpful/useful for me? What specific helpful skills would I be taught in such a course? Or are there Spyder-specific safety/training courses available?

The MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) courses are the ones offered around the country and they're pretty good except they are geared mostly toward the skills and knowledge needed for a 2-wheeler. They have developed a 3-wheeler program but it's not available everywhere (you'll have to check locally). But, it's not the only source of motorcycle skills training. Some community colleges have a program (they do in Utah) and if you're lucky that can include 3-wheeler specific training.

The good news is that many of the skills needed to control a 2-wheeler (emergency braking, riding through curves, slow-speed maneuvering) are pretty much irrelevant to the Spyder owner because the dynamics are so very different. The advanced rider courses offered in places have an extensive classroom phase that covers situational awareness and defensive driving techniques that are good for you to know regardless of what motorcycle you are riding.

You might want to google 'motorcycle defensive riding courses' or other such and see what comes up for you. https://www.google.com/search?q=mot...ome..69i57.11760j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Hope that helps point you in the right direction.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Would a motorcycle training course (NOT geared specifically for Spyders) be helpful/useful for me? What specific helpful skills would I be taught in such a course?

Or are there Spyder-specific safety/training courses available?

Thanks!

The advanced rider course and the trike rider course offered by Goldwing Road Riders Assoc. mesh with each other. The ARC teaches you about general riding skills like where to watch, how to avoid blind spots, when & how to brake, maneuvering, etc. In other words, you get a good understanding of how you on a m/c fit into the overall traffic situation you'll be riding in. The TRC then teaches how a trike differs from a two wheeler with an emphasis on maneuvering, braking, sudden turns, etc. It's been mentioned here that some m/c safety courses or instructors will allow three wheels into the regular course even though the two wheel techniques don't all apply. Then there are really advanced training courses where the emphasis is on emergency maneuvers, how to handle a lay down situation, etc. That is beyond what most riders, especially Spyder riders, need to know.

When I took the Idaho STAR rider course about 10 years ago the instructor mentioned about a group of older riders who took the course every year just to refresh their skills and awareness of how to ride safely. You really can't over learn all the ins and outs about m/c riding.

 

[easysuper]

Back in '97 I rode RAGBRAI (http://ragbrai.com/about/ragbrai-history-1990s/) and in the overnight town of Bloomfield a male bicyclist decided he would ride his bicycle through the downtown festivities. He quickly caught the attention of most everyone there, especially the cops! The only problem was the fact that he was only wearing his helmet and cycling shoes!

Needless to say, he was quickly surrounded and was SLAMMED to the pavement, wrapped in a blanket and escorted by about a half dozen cops to a cop car. They didn't take the time to frisk him.........he definitely wasn't concealed carrying! Though rumor has it that he was armed with a pea shooter.:roflblack:

You should have been in Portland OR last week where 100's were riding naked !

 

[ARtraveler]

Good suggestions above....I trust no one to do the right, legal or logical thing..:lecturef_smilie:and plan ahead leaving a way out wherever and whenever possible. I also confront no one for there bone headed move.....hyea:works for me...

:agree: Always drive like "they" are out to get you, or going to do something stupid...they are always lurking...and sometimes deliver as anticipated. :yes:

 

[SL Ken]

I was told by a guy on a two wheeler: you are invisible, ride accordingly.

 

[Fat Baxter]

As far as wearing high-viz clothing goes:

When I was in the Air Force, they were absolutely anal about wearing at least a high-viz vest, preferably one of the bright fluorescent colors. But a few years ago, I noticed the military bikers were riding onto base wearing just their cammies -- no high-viz clothing at all. So I asked one of the unit motorcycle safety monitors about that. I would think in cammies, you'd be even less visible.

He said someone had recently conducted a study that found that high-viz clothing didn't really reduce the odds of an accident -- cagers really aren't looking out for the bikers. So the Air Force stopped mandating bright clothing. I don't know about the other Services. I figure the study must have been compelling, to get the hidebound Air Force bureaucracy to change its mind.

If you've read all the previous comments -- drive defensively and assume they don't see you, because they don't. When they scan for traffic, they're looking for something about the size of another car. Motorcycles aren't on their radar.

Some high-viz gear likely helps, given that not all cage drivers are totally asleep at the wheel.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I was told by a guy on a two wheeler: you are invisible, ride accordingly.

He was more correct than he probably had any idea he was. Here are a couple of quotes from an article written by a British RAF pilot who is also a biker. He discusses how we see what we see and how the brain processes that info. When someone who has just pulled out in front of a m/c says, "I didn't see him!" he very likely is telling the truth. Not seeing a m/c is a very real physiological phenomenon.

This makes perfect sense, just like trying to take a picture without holding the camera still, the image would be blurred. So, our clever brain overcomes this by moving our eyes (really fast, remember) in a series of jumps (called saccades) with very short pauses (called fixations), and it is only during the pauses that an image is processed.

It is entirely possible for our eyes to ‘jump over’ an oncoming vehicle during one of the saccades. The smaller (and specifically, the narrower) the vehicle, the greater the chance that it could fall within a saccade. You are not being inattentive, you are physically incapable of seeing anything during a saccade.

Here is a link to the article. It is very interesting reading, and very enlightening. https://dl.dropbox.com/u/90471/1211 Road Survival Guide Final.pdf
Here is the Idaho STAR article about it. http://idahostar.org/_blog/News_Room/post/raf-pilot-lesson

 

[BoilerAnimal]

Many jobsites that I work are "hi-viz", meaning if your shirt or coat isn't fluorescent green or orange, you'll have to wear a hi-viz vest or you don't work. It does make it a lot easier to be seen but if your mind isn't focused on the task at hand, you can be overlooked.

Last week my wife and I were riding to Quincy. As we were going through a small town at about 22 MPH in a 25 MPH zone a delivery truck pulled out in front of us to cross the road about 30 yards in front of us. I slowed quickly as the driver sped across the road but didn't need to lock the brakes or anything drastic. The point is the driver looked right at us before pulling out into the intersection. My wife and I both wear hi-vis green jackets, white helmets, and our headlights are always on bright during the day.

Just remember there are a lot of stupid people out there! Just don't let any of them find you!

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

The point is the driver looked right at us before pulling out into the intersection. My wife and I both wear hi-vis green jackets, white helmets, and our headlights are always on bright during the day.

Just remember there are a lot of stupid people out there! Just don't let any of them find you!

The scary part is that, as the RAF pilot writes, just because a car driver doesn't see you does not in any way mean they are stupid. They are just being human. But there are a lot of stupid drivers out there, I'll grant you that.

Our brains focus on motion, not stationary objects. That's why I have a headlight modulator.

 

[UtahPete]

Our brains focus on motion, not stationary objects. That's why I have a headlight modulator.

I have a headlight modulator on my VStar for that reason, but even that isn't enough sometimes. I've had soccer moms (distracted) pull out right in front of both me on my VStar and Jane on her Spyder - only a blast from my horn got her attention.

Having said that, does anyone have a modulator on their LED headlights?

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Having said that, does anyone have a modulator on their LED headlights?

I do. It's a Kisan modulator, https://kisantech.com/mag/pathblazer/p115w-h3.html, made for LED headlights. I have it wired into the high beam power lead as it powers the headlights in both high and low beam mode. I don't have time to look for and post my wiring diagram right now, but will try to do it later next week when I'm back home after the 4th.

 

[UtahPete]

Modulator for LED headlights

I do. It's a Kisan modulator, https://kisantech.com/mag/pathblazer/p115w-h3.html, made for LED headlights. I have it wired into the high beam power lead as it powers the headlights in both high and low beam mode. I don't have time to look for and post my wiring diagram right now, but will try to do it later next week when I'm back home after the 4th.

That's helpful. Thanks a lot