Hi Visibiliy and being seen!!

[pcxjojo]

Good Lord be careful. I hate deer. They seem to be the only animal hard wired to run TOWARD a threat.

[pcxjojo]

I also ordered some reflective pinstriping and just got my hi viz yellow helmet in. Wearing my neon yellow hi viz vest with reflective stripes too. Maybe I'm imagining things but it seems more people are actually looking at me when I look at them now.

[sendler2112]

The helmet is statistically proven to be the most important area in improving conspicuity. HiVis green or white with reflective stickers all over it would be the best. The jacket or vest also helps but is less effective than the helmet in real world crash data. The color of the bike makes no difference statistically. I bought my helmet used on ebay so had to settle for black and then plaster it with white stickers from
.
http://www.streetglo.net/streetglo_file ... .decal.htm
.
A white helmet also has the big advantage of being much cooler on sunny days.
.

.
.

.
.
.

[you you]

The helmet is statistically proven to be the most important area in improving conspicuity. HiVis green or white with reflective stickers all over it would be the best. The jacket or vest also helps but is less effective than the helmet in real world crash data. The color of the bike makes no difference statistically. I bought my helmet used on ebay so had to settle for black and then plaster it with white stickers from
.
http://www.streetglo.net/streetglo_file ... .decal.htm
.
A white helmet also has the big advantage of being much cooler on sunny days.
.


.
.

.
.
.

The colour of the outside layer of the helmet doesn't make any real difference to the heat on the inside due the polystyrene inner layer.

[sendler2112]

The heat still soaks through on a sunny day. My daughter's white Schuberth is much cooler inside than my black one.

[WhiteNoise]

Great lid & sticker pattern sendler! I'm a believer in White as well (ya'll know ) As far as the added hot head effect, Me? In warm temps if I just L o o k at a Black lid I feel hot(ter). I somewhat believe you you's point, but no matter, I just can't go black hat. = hot

[pcxjojo]

You You very cool and unique helmet!

[ben]

Lots of ridiculously bright leds, i ride all year so like to be visible in poor weather!

[djcat]

Did your friend not see you or not register you?

Friday a week ago I was just knocked off a motorbike for the second time in 7 years of two wheeled motoring. Both times it was impossible not to see me in circumstances that absolutely nobody could see any danger developing (in plain view, slow, good weather, properly positioned, using high viz gear and headlights on).

I was on my big, fat ca. 600 Pounds heavy Honda XL1000 Varadero that got some of the best headlights imaginable, was using a white helmet, high viz gear and was properly positioned. An SUV driver in a hurry to take his kid to the train station cut the corner like a racing driver and hit me head on! Slow speed and me ejecting before impact kept injury away.

I never trust absolutely anybody on the road, it is impossible for me to be more visible safe sticking a blinking light to the top of my helmet (no, not going to do that). Fact is that some people aren’t able to perceive hazards developing out of road situations; others are just as plain stupid as motorists as they are in general.

Make sure you are seen – and ride like you are invisible!

[DAB]

Lots of ridiculously bright leds, i ride all year so like to be visible in poor weather!

DSC00378.JPG

Ben, Hope you don't go near Heathrow, could be a navigation hazard. . Like the lights though, might do similar to my scoot.

David

[pcxjojo]

djcat I think it was the former. He should have seen me and he DID just before he pulled out. I could tell by his stopping short that he was intending on pulling out without looking my direction then at the last minute thought better of it. I think they all say they don't see us to cover for their poor driving and poor judgement skills.

[pcxjojo]

Ben your bike is beautiful! I'm gonna do some reflective pinstriping but your lights are just great!

[Mel46]

Yesterday we were driving slowly through a small town while out on a very long ride through the country. My wife and I were side by side on our scooters. We both have hi-viz vests, led lights on the scooters, and anything else that we can do to try to be visible to other drivers. We were coming up on a side street and something told me that the idiot that was sitting at the stop sign was going to pull out in front of us so I angled behind my wife, who is not as observant because she is new to riding on the streets. Sure enough, the person looked at us, waited till we were within FEET of him, and pulled out directly in front of us. My wife grabbed her brakes and was able to avoid being hit only because the other driver was turning in the direction of traffic flow and there was a center turn lane that she pulled into. Had I been beside her at that point I would have had no place to go. My wife does not like being constantly warned that these are not like cars, but it is the truth. She tailgates sometimes, unknowingly, and pays much more attention to the scenery than I do, because I have seen too many accidents involving bikes to relax like she does. Car drivers look right through bike riders, even when they are side by side. Some don't even see other cars, so what would you expect of them when the are looking at a bike? YOU have to be the observer because they aren't .

[Bash On!]

[snip] My wife does not like being constantly warned that these are not like cars, but it is the truth. She tailgates sometimes, unknowingly, and pays much more attention to the scenery than I do, because I have seen too many accidents involving bikes to relax like she does.[snip] .

I'm glad my wife is no longer riding a motorcycle. She has many fine attributes but driving is not among them. I'm always having to warn her when she's driving (she's easily distracted) and I'm in the shotgun seat. She's even worse when I'm not in the car, if the kids are to be believed. Guess I did a poor job teaching her how to drive--she didn't get her license until her thirties, after we met. [I did end up paying to get her professional driving instruction, though.]

[pcxjojo]

Mel- I bet that guy watched you two and decided he had enough time to "make it" before you guys got to him. Perhaps only people who've never ridden before think like that.

[Mel46]

The one think I do know about these drivers here is that they have more on their minds than driving, and a lot of what they do shows it. Today a guy in a pickup truck was in a hurry. He went straight from the turn lane, cut off the car going straight that was beside him, cut off the car next to that one as he moved over yet one more lane, went through a red light, and turned into a grocery store parking lot, going the wrong way, cut across the parking lot and came out the other end. What was on his mind?? Certainly not everyone else.

[sasha82]

You're always going to want to keep your headlights running so other drivers can see you. I upgrade my headlight bulbs to HIDs, that way it's kinda glaring and impossible to ignore..
Sometimes I'll even flash my beams at a driver who looks like he's about to try and pull out in front of me ... You really never know with all these people on the road texting and driving.

[Taz]

Not sure about flashing the beam, thats a signal here you are inviting someone to pull out!

[pcxjojo]

After several hours of trimming, crouching, and a bit of swearing. I got the reflective tape on my bike! Don't think I'm going with lights cause I'm just too lazy to install them.

[GeorgeSK]

That looks absolutely fabulous! Nice job.

Like so many things, the aggravation on the install will fade, but that look will please you for years.