MC Crash

[exwinger]

Seeing you with lights

If you think having your bike all lit up and people will notice you , you better think again. Now I'm by no means saying it won't help but some people still won't see you .I was a fireman for 13 years and drove a huge bright red truck lit up with all kinds of lights and people didn't pay attention. I had people pull right out in front of me , idiots pass me and not pull over while coming up behind them . This on top of blaring variable pitched air horns and sirens .

Too many people believe that if you have a green light it's automatically safe to proceed. As mentioned in prior posts , people barrel through traffic lights on a regular basis . Our enforced rule as a fireman was that we look right , left then right again before proceeding at an intersection and this saved our butts more than once. You have to not trust anyone on the road ....no one .You have to ride like YOUR life depends on it because it does. Practice looking at every vehicle as someone out to get you and be ready to encounter stupidity.

 

[Desert Spyder]

If you think having your bike all lit up and people will notice you , you better think again. Now I'm by no means saying it won't help but some people still won't see you .I was a fireman for 13 years and drove a huge bright red truck lit up with all kinds of lights and people didn't pay attention. I had people pull right out in front of me , idiots pass me and not pull over while coming up behind them . This on top of blaring variable pitched air horns and sirens .

Too many people believe that if you have a green light it's automatically safe to proceed. As mentioned in prior posts , people barrel through traffic lights on a regular basis . Our enforced rule as a fireman was that we look right , left then right again before proceeding at an intersection and this saved our butts more than once. You have to not trust anyone on the road ....no one .You have to ride like YOUR life depends on it because it does. Practice looking at every vehicle as someone out to get you and be ready to encounter stupidity.

I hear ya bro. I ran the same gauntlet in a squad car and ambulance. Nothing is foolproof when you are among fools.

 

[Bob Denman]

I took these shots of mine today, when I stopped to note the passing of the 10,000 mile mark.
It seems to be lit up reasonably well...

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

LIGHTING

:yes::yes::yes:........Very visible Bob, however mine was spotted from the Space Station yesterday and Homeland Security paid me a visit :yikes: :roflblack: :roflblack: :roflblack: .......you will get to see the un-veiling at Spyderfest :clap:....Mike :bbq:

 

[Peter Aawen]

You Ryders in North America are lucky, your low & main beam lights are all up high in the lenses up at 'normal light height' - here in Oz & NZ, our low beam lights are down where your Fog lights go, & I can tell you that here, having lights down that low means anyone more than about 20 yards away just can't see them, & IMO anything down that low isn't worth squat when it comes to helping make your Spyder more visible to other road users!! :yikes:

Every time I ride with just the low beams on (& I do mean EVERY BLOODY SINGLE TIME I stick the snout of the Spyder onto the blacktop!!) I hafta avoid more than one other road user who apparently just can't see me despite the size of the Spyder, me, & the lights; it's a guaranteed event!! Buuut, flick my lights onto high so the shiny bit is beaming out of the higher lenses & that 'dodgem cars' game becomes a 'maybe once a week' dodge!!

So for my 2 bob, I'm not bothering with adding any lights down below the main beams, from what I've seen they don't really do much for increasing your visibility to other road users, at least not here Down Under; so I'm looking to fit 'permanently on' Daytime Running Lights up above the mirrors on my 2013 RT, altho I'd prefer fitting big mother LED's or even HID Driving Lights that can burn the idiots outta the way!! :shocked: :thumbup:

 

[PistonBlown]

You Ryders in North America are lucky, your low & main beam lights are all up high in the lenses up at 'normal light height' - here in Oz & NZ, our low beam lights are down where your Fog lights go, & I can tell you that here, having lights down that low means anyone more than about 20 yards away just can't see them, & IMO anything down that low isn't worth squat when it comes to helping make your Spyder more visible to other road users!! :yikes:

Every time I ride with just the low beams on (& I do mean EVERY BLOODY SINGLE TIME I stick the snout of the Spyder onto the blacktop!!) I hafta avoid more than one other road user who apparently just can't see me despite the size of the Spyder, me, & the lights; it's a guaranteed event!! Buuut, flick my lights onto high so the shiny bit is beaming out of the higher lenses & that 'dodgem cars' game becomes a 'maybe once a week' dodge!!

So for my 2 bob, I'm not bothering with adding any lights down below the main beams, from what I've seen they don't really do much for increasing your visibility to other road users, at least not here Down Under; so I'm looking to fit 'permanently on' Daytime Running Lights up above the mirrors on my 2013 RT, altho I'd prefer fitting big mother LED's or even HID Driving Lights that can burn the idiots outta the way!! :shocked: :thumbup:

Hiya Mate,

For my RS I got a '4-eyes' kit from Pogotronics in Australia (http://www.pogotronics.com/?product=four-eyes-kit) so when I was on high beam both my low and main lights are on. Mainly got this for night time riding as the high beam was too narrow but if I'm out the State Highways on a Sunday (when the idiots tend to be out) then I'll put it on high and with all four on everyone see's you

Ta,

Jos

 

[Peter Aawen]

Yeah Jos, I'll probably be going to go down the same track in due course, but when my hi-beam 'lenses' (well, actually the 'glass' in the front of the lens) started melting after being on Hi during an extended ride on a very hot day over here (I did the Toy Run last year, with lotsa slow travelling while my lights were on during a very hot day!!) I've been waiting for BRP to sort them & the cloudy discolouration on both Lo-beam lights too (already recognised as a problem here) before changing anything in the lights from stock. It's not yet been much more than 4 months since I notified them so far, so I don't know how much longer I'll hafta wait, but I am ringing the Dealer weekly & they say they're waiting on BRP, & I've actually received a message from BRP Australia to tell me they are working with the dealer....

If you look at the pic below, I took it on an angle so you should be able to see the fuzzy distortion in the 'glass' just to the left & in front of the projector lens - that's melted 'glass' (or lexan, or whatever you want to call it!!) and it's getting worse over time, it's now almost completely melted thru as well as slowly growing into a larger spot.... & the other headlight is just as bad - so soon it'll require a complete headlight replacement to fix rather than just replacing the 'glass' bits!! :banghead:

And of course, everyone who looks at the Spyder sees the melted bits immediately, so what'm I expected to tell them? Yeah mate, it's a Great ride, but their warranty follow-up just drags on & on & on.... and they still haven't sorted it! :shocked:

 

[PistonBlown]

Yeah Jos, I'll probably be going to go down the same track in due course, but when my hi-beam 'lenses' (well, actually the 'glass' in the front of the lens) started melting after being on Hi during an extended ride on a very hot day over here (I did the Toy Run last year, with lotsa slow travelling while my lights were on during a very hot day!!) I've been waiting for BRP to sort them & the cloudy discolouration on both Lo-beam lights too (already recognised as a problem here) before changing anything in the lights from stock. It's not yet been much more than 4 months since I notified them so far, so I don't know how much longer I'll hafta wait, but I am ringing the Dealer weekly & they say they're waiting on BRP, & I've actually received a message from BRP Australia to tell me they are working with the dealer....

If you look at the pic below, I took it on an angle so you should be able to see the fuzzy distortion in the 'glass' just to the left & in front of the projector lens - that's melted 'glass' (or lexan, or whatever you want to call it!!) and it's getting worse over time, it's now almost completely melted thru as well as slowly growing into a larger spot.... & the other headlight is just as bad - so soon it'll require a complete headlight replacement to fix rather than just replacing the 'glass' bits!! :banghead:

And of course, everyone who looks at the Spyder sees the melted bits immediately, so what'm I expected to tell them? Yeah mate, it's a Great ride, but their warranty follow-up just drags on & on & on.... and they still haven't sorted it! :shocked:

Hi Peter,

That's useless - I suspect your waiting longer because it's probably getting pushed up the chain and no one want's to take responsibility. The problem is that just swapping the lenses is not going to fix the problem as it will just happen again so they need to change the design or material in some way. It's strange actually because you'd expect that to be a bigger issue in the US as both their beams are where your high beams are - normally when it affects the US market then there's more action:-S

Of course with the RS's we don't have that 'glass' in front of the light so nothing to melt and also the heat can dissipate easier as well. Now you've told me I will start keeping an eye on the bodywork around the highbeam lamp though.

 

[Peter Aawen]

..... It's strange actually because you'd expect that to be a bigger issue in the US as both their beams are where your high beams are - normally when it affects the US market then there's more action:-S ......

The higher Wattage in Hi-beam does mean more heat output than low beam, & my lights are bog stock, so that could be a factor in this. But then most of North America does tend to have a somewhat milder climate (lower ambient temps) than we do here in Aus & particularly in South Aus - and I suspect that few people spend as many daylight (ie hot) hours riding with their lights on hi-beam as I do, or maybe they just don't get so many consecutive 38C/100F plus days when they bother riding..... pps:

But I do like to be seen by other road users, & while additional lights down low might help another road user see you when you're a fair way off, lotsa research & testing by others on this has shown that once you are within about 30 metres of them, any extra lights you may have that are mounted much lower than where our hi-beam is just ain't worth schmick! :shocked: Which is why I've been looking for Daytime Running Lights to mount at or above the Hi-beam light level. :sour:

 

[PistonBlown]

The higher Wattage in Hi-beam does mean more heat output than low beam, & my lights are bog stock, so that could be a factor in this. But then most of North America does tend to have a somewhat milder climate (lower ambient temps) than we do here in Aus & particularly in South Aus - and I suspect that few people spend as many daylight (ie hot) hours riding with their lights on hi-beam as I do, or maybe they just don't get so many consecutive 38C/100F plus days when they bother riding..... pps:

But I do like to be seen by other road users, & while additional lights down low might help another road user see you when you're a fair way off, lotsa research & testing by others on this has shown that once you are within about 30 metres of them, any extra lights you may have that are mounted much lower than where our hi-beam is just ain't worth schmick! :shocked: Which is why I've been looking for Daytime Running Lights to mount at or above the Hi-beam light level. :sour:

Yep don't have to worry about those sorts of daily temperatures here either

I've noticed that some bikes (mainly dual purpose ones) have started fitting daytime lights mounted up high and wondered what that was about but what you've said makes sense. But of course those sorts of bikes tend to have crash-bars they can mount them to, you don't have anything like that on the RT so it's hard to see where you could put something that would look in keeping. It's not like you can swap out the bulbs either because the other common options will actually run hotter than what you've got fitted.

 

[Reginald]

Headlight modulators are a useful tool, Just don't get too complacent with it. Most cages have no idea why your headlight "seems" to be flashing. I had a man pulling a boat pull out in front of me-Thinking I was giving the "Go-ahead signal". Fortunately, We were only going about 30 or 35 mph and was able to stop in time.

This seems to be a common problem where the car driver thinks the modulated light is a signal. Generally blinking lights are signals. Can't remember where I read it but there is a higher incidence of cars turning left in front of the oncoming modulated MC. :shocked: I was contemplating one and read this and decided against it. In my 20s I had two accidents with cars turning left in front of me. Went to brighter bulbs instead.

A word of warning about brightness. If you are lighting up the interior cabin of a car, you are blinding them. Older drivers are susceptible to night blindness from this even during daylight. Ann rides the Can Am and has been blinded by a MC and couldn't see the road for several seconds afterward. Very dangerous. I have a MC friend that went to HID lights and at night almost every car flashes him. I told him he needed to tone it down or I wouldn't ride with him again; he didn't, I don't. Brighter is good - blinding is bad. Please don't hurt my wife. :lecturef_smilie:

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

This seems to be a common problem where the car driver thinks the modulated light is a signal. Generally blinking lights are signals. Can't remember where I read it but there is a higher incidence of cars turning left in front of the oncoming modulated MC. :shocked:

I'm skeptical. First, the modulation frequency is much higher than what anyone can generate with the turn signal lever. If a driver can't recognize that something is different he's not going to recognize your existence on the road. No kind of lights will help in that case.

Second, I can tell you there have been several times when I've seen cars suddenly stop when they were getting ready to pull out in front of me. There is no question in my mind the headlight modulation caught their attention. I've been using one for 10 years now.

There was one time at dusk after the modulation had turned off due to low light a car was going to pull out in front of me at an intersection. I flashed my lights a half dozen times. He finally figured out I was on a motorcycle reasonably close, not a car a half mile down the road, and waited for me to pass by.

 

[Reginald]

Can't find study I read on left turning vehicles into modulated lights. But,,,,

No statistical benefit from NHTSA:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...TWtXCxNlBKBr1JlGMM9ELg&bvm=bv.119745492,d.eWE

View point from reputable Total Motorcycle with references for further reading/study:
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=31170

If you feel better with them, go for it. For me not worth the money and I stand by what I read. For me, brighter but not blinding lights! IMHO

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Can't find study I read on left turning vehicles into modulated lights. But,,,,

No statistical benefit from NHTSA:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...TWtXCxNlBKBr1JlGMM9ELg&bvm=bv.119745492,d.eWE

View point from reputable Total Motorcycle with references for further reading/study:
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=31170

If you feel better with them, go for it. For me not worth the money and I stand by what I read. For me, brighter but not blinding lights! IMHO

The NHTSA report is interesting, but I have a couple of issues with the study. First, the 32 participants all knew they were engaged in a study of awareness. That had to have created a bias compared to the real world situation of trying to get motorists to become aware in the first place. Second, the physical orientation of the test vehicle and subjects with relation to real world traffic flows was unrealistic.

The Total Motorcycle comment is more an expression of the author's assessment than a reiteration of factual information.

The nature of the issue, making motorists aware of oncoming motorcycles from the left, is by its nature a very tough nut to crack. Did you read the RAF pilot's explanation I link to above? He has a very rational explanation of why motorists do not see motorcycles, and it is not always a case of negligence.

As far as annoying car & truck drivers my attitude is I'd much rather have them pi**ed off at me and know that I am there than not be pi**ed and not know I am there. If flashing lights are of such minimal value why are they used on emergency vehicles, flying airplanes, on school buses, and on the top of radio towers?

 

[Rogue Hawk]

I have not had anyone come close to turning into my lane. I use this, I don't know if this is the reason, but it can't hurt. It's not the standard modulated headlight.

http://www.skenedesign.com/lights/PB_Features.shtml

 

[Morturf]

I haven't seen a trucker do that in years.

I do it almost every time I am passed. Been doing it for years in my trucks. It is a courtesy we try to pass on to each other. Not always reciprocated.

 

[DJFaninTN]

same set up as you do Bob. That Spyder Pop's Lighted Bumpskid gets more attention that I ever thought it would. even during the day!!!

might want to look into the Custom Dynamics Brake Light for your trunk. sure makes a huge difference on the rear of your bike and it's an easy install. :thumbup:

I took these shots of mine today, when I stopped to note the passing of the 10,000 mile mark.
It seems to be lit up reasonably well...

 

[GeoffCee]

Also, remember that truckers use the flashing headlights as a "pull-over-it's-safe" signal.
jb

Sadly, human beings are notoriously accident prone and someone seeing a modulated (wobbly) headlight approaching them for the first time may assume it means whatever they want it to mean.

Being more noticeable on the road is a worthy aim but IMO safety requires that any new scheme intended to bring this about first requires publicity.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Being more noticeable on the road is a worthy aim but IMO safety requires that any new scheme intended to bring this about first requires publicity.

Publicity would be good to help make the public aware of what modulators are. Once in awhile I still see people pull over thinking I'm an emergency vehicle. I may send a letter to the editor of the local paper to get at least a little bit of info out there. As far as being a new scheme here in the US modulators have been out well over 15 years, maybe even around twenty. The current federal regulation was issued in 2000.

 

[GeoffCee]

Once in awhile I still see people pull over thinking I'm an emergency vehicle.

Sharing the attributes of an emergency vehicle, have you thought of carrying a couple of flares and a small quantity of bandages? :roflblack: