"I never saw him officer"

[woofer2609]

Originally Posted by brenter

We just had a car pull directly in front of the path of a semi that had just came off of the interstate and was hauling 80,000 LBS. This dumbass car driver pulled straight across in front of him at an intersection. The truck clipped the car which sent the truck in to and almost completely through a resturaunt, 2 people were killed in the resturaunt.
I just bought a new pickup truck and have 4k miles on it. Some dumbass kid turned left out of the right lane at the last second the other night and I plowed him. Did $5k in damage to my truck. Glad I was not on the bike!
We have had wreck after wreck in our county lately and it is all just stupid shit. People are not paying attention to driving. It is either cell phones or ???? It seems they just decide to turn and don't look to see if someone else is around their mission is to turn and that is what they do. I am beginning to get spooked about riding. That really sucks!

+1
I get tired of hearing myself say it, but it was safer to ride a motorcycle in 1994 than it is now. My theory? Cars were not as safe, people still were afraid of dying in them, and pretty much nobody had a cell phone. Now? 14 airbags and a literal home theatre on the dashboard mean paying attention to others on the road is a distant 3rd concern. Sucks. Cars should have a big spike sticking outta the steering wheel. Not trying to derail the thread, I love to hear stories of riders walking away from spills, especially at this speed. Knowledge shared is priceless.

[Kommando]

Originally Posted by brenter

We just had a car pull directly in front of the path of a semi that had just came off of the interstate and was hauling 80,000 LBS. This dumbass car driver pulled straight across in front of him at an intersection. The truck clipped the car which sent the truck in to and almost completely through a resturaunt, 2 people were killed in the resturaunt.
I just bought a new pickup truck and have 4k miles on it. Some dumbass kid turned left out of the right lane at the last second the other night and I plowed him. Did $5k in damage to my truck. Glad I was not on the bike!
We have had wreck after wreck in our county lately and it is all just stupid shit. People are not paying attention to driving. It is either cell phones or ???? It seems they just decide to turn and don't look to see if someone else is around their mission is to turn and that is what they do. I am beginning to get spooked about riding. That really sucks!

Some people seem to get complacent once they start wearing hi-viz and/or adorning their bike with lights. I try not to, and I have both. I drove an EMS rig for several years, and even with BRIGHT strobing/rotating lights all over, a siren, an airhorn, reflective decals and bright paintjobs all over, people will still pull right into you.

Ride as if you're invisible, even if somebody handed you a bundle or roman candles, doused you with gas, lit you on fire, and shoved a trumpet up your bum. Some braindead people STILL won't have half a clue that they're on the road with somebody else...and some people just don't care.

[roadrunner_122]

You just have to have eyes everywhere and expect the unexpected. That is about all you can do. If they don't see you I don't think that any number of extra lights or florescent jackets will make any more difference.
I have seen a number of bikes with pulsating headlights and pulsating brake lights. I hate this, as when you see a bike with pulsating headlights coming at you the first thought is that it is an emergency vehicle. Regular headlights work so why try to tweak it.
And pulsating brake lights gets the driver that is behind you accustomed to seeing a bright dim frash, and when the bike rider puts on the brakes it takes a second or two extra for the following car driver to determine that the brake lights are not just flashing. Sure, it is his fault for running into you - but you can still be dead.
Just my thoughts!

[slide]

I think the key is anticipation of potential problems. Frex, I've noted that many folks who wish to change lanes drift toward the lane they're headed for when they check the mirrors or turn their heads. This is a variant on target fixation - they are moving the way their head moves like a horse.

Anyway, this tips me that the cage will probably soon change lanes (signaling or not) and that I need to make sure not to get in its way. Another danger signal I've seen is when a cage is entering your roadway either from the right (or the left to turn in front of you) and you note that they are NOT looking at you. To me, this is a huge red flag.

[KWC]

I have seen a number of bikes with pulsating headlights and pulsating brake lights. I hate this, as when you see a bike with pulsating headlights coming at you the first thought is that it is an emergency vehicle.

And this is bad why? At least they noticed you

Regular headlights work so why try to tweak it.

They don't work for shit...people look right past a single motorcycle headlight. I put headlight modulators on all the bikes about 5 years ago....I ride about 30k a year and literally have not had ONE PERSON turn left in front of me or pull out of a driveway or sidestreet since installing and it used to happen all the time.

[slide]

Originally Posted by KWC

I have seen a number of bikes with pulsating headlights and pulsating brake lights. I hate this, as when you see a bike with pulsating headlights coming at you the first thought is that it is an emergency vehicle.

And this is bad why? At least they noticed you

Regular headlights work so why try to tweak it.

They don't work for shit...people look right past a single motorcycle headlight. I put headlight modulators on all the bikes about 5 years ago....I ride about 30k a year and literally have not had ONE PERSON turn left in front of me or pull out of a driveway or sidestreet since installing and it used to happen all the time.

Pulsing or bright lights are like loud pipes. They create hostility against us. It's impossible to quantify, of course, but one has to wonder how many aggressive or discourtesies have been done to us because cagers were angry at being blinded by these nasty lights or deafened by loud pipes.

Personally speaking, I have to hold it in when I hear those loud bikes or am blinded by bright or pulsing lights and I'm a lifetime rider. It's hardly a stretch that a non-rider won't hold it in.

[KWC]

.....the most I've ever seen is someone go for the mirror if I am behind them...if I see that I switch to low beam and shut the modulator off. Even if they are annoyed, AT LEAST THEY KNOW there is a motorcycle behind them and may glance back before making a sudden stop or changing lanes.

I have never experienced one pissed off cager doing anything aggressive to me as a result of the modulator. The most I've had is folks occasionally leaning out the window at a light asking me if there is something wrong with my headlight.

I'm pretty sure my high beam, oscillating between 80 and 100% which is what the Kisan does has never blinded anyone, as it only works during daylight hours and shuts off automatically at dusk with a photocell.

What can I tell you, having the odd cager pissed off (as you claim) sure beats the hell out of all the crap that used to happen when no one could see me.

[High Country Herb]

I think the headlight modulator (especially if it deactivates at night) is an overall benefit. The argument against it is that people will panic, thinking you are an emergency vehicle, and end up crashing themselves or you. Does that happen to genuine emergency vehicles very often? I don't know.

Flashing tail lights are a great addition too.

I have also heard people say that a triangle of lights dramatically improves visibility. Even more so if the two lowers are amber. I also really like the reflective stripes on motorcycle gear that manufacturers are using these days. They cannot be missed at night (except by the most inattentive drivers).

[CanadianX]

Originally Posted by killianm

I've heard that before. High beams, extra lights, +5mph over traffic pace, and they still don't look. The only excuse they have is that you were not driving an 18 wheeler so they did not see you. They can't admit they didn't look Glad you were not hurt bad!!

Often they look, see you but it doesn't register in the brain because what they are looking for and anticipate seeing is another car so the bike becomes "invisible". The go/no go reaction to pull out or not is predicated on there being car coming or not. Their brain does a quick check, says "nope no car, good to go" and away sends the signal to the muscles to make it happen. Awareness campaigns need to look at training people to anticipate seeing bikes.

[Ken F]

I was hit when I was a new rider on the street.it was a woman in the on coming direction decided she was going to take a last second left in front of me.I almost made it around her but planted front tire in her rear quarter panel.by the time I hit was pretty slow but still went down.she admitted she seen me but thought she had time.
Don't think I could have avoided it even today.never could of anticipated it.
What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger

[bogus]

Originally Posted by roadrunner_122

You just have to have eyes everywhere and expect the unexpected. That is about all you can do. If they don't see you I don't think that any number of extra lights or florescent jackets will make any more difference.
I have seen a number of bikes with pulsating headlights and pulsating brake lights. I hate this, as when you see a bike with pulsating headlights coming at you the first thought is that it is an emergency vehicle. Regular headlights work so why try to tweak it.
And pulsating brake lights gets the driver that is behind you accustomed to seeing a bright dim frash, and when the bike rider puts on the brakes it takes a second or two extra for the following car driver to determine that the brake lights are not just flashing. Sure, it is his fault for running into you - but you can still be dead.
Just my thoughts!

My pulsating head light is best safety device I have on my bike other than my brain.people notice you immediately. Who cares if they think you're an emergency vehicle as long as they wake up and see you.

[Kommando]

Originally Posted by High Country Herb

I think the headlight modulator (especially if it deactivates at night) is an overall benefit. The argument against it is that people will panic, thinking you are an emergency vehicle, and end up crashing themselves or you. Does that happen to genuine emergency vehicles very often? I don't know.

I had people stop to yield to my EMS rig, then watched other people plow into them from behind. Many of them were driving too fast to stop even if they HAD been paying attention, or if they had even cared. Some had to have seen my lights from a good ways off, sitting at the edge of the intersection waiting for cross-traffic to stop, yet they still didn't reduce speed.

Hi-viz and lights work for the drivers that care and are paying at least a little attention. They don't work for many that aren't paying attention and/or don't care. Stay vigilant to avoid THOSE people.

[jonnyc21]

Originally Posted by Kommando

Some people seem to get complacent once they start wearing hi-viz and/or adorning their bike with lights. I try not to, and I have both. I drove an EMS rig for several years, and even with BRIGHT strobing/rotating lights all over, a siren, an airhorn, reflective decals and bright paintjobs all over, people will still pull right into you.

Ride as if you're invisible, even if somebody handed you a bundle or roman candles, doused you with gas, lit you on fire, and shoved a trumpet up your bum. Some braindead people STILL won't have half a clue that they're on the road with somebody else...and some people just don't care.

I hear you there! Had on the hi-viz yellow Stich going down the interstate (still watching everyone like they are out to get me) and this big as pickup moving fast in the left lane starts to pass me, the next thing I know is his door is coming right at me like I wasn't even there. Next thing I know I am on the shoulder (lucky for me it was an extra wide shoulder) slowing down as fast as I can to get this guy out in front of me where I can keep an eye on him.

It was one of them wish I had a brick for his window moments...

[rut3556]

>>My pulsating head light is best safety device I have on my bike other than my brain.people notice you immediately. Who cares if they think you're an emergency vehicle as long as they wake up and see you.<<

My thoughts as well. To that end, I placed my order with Kisan just yesterday. I've been riding for over 50 years now, but perhaps we think more of our mortality as we get older.

[rjsurfer]

I hated to lose my Kisan headlight flasher but it won't work with my new HID front headlight.

If anyone needs a Kisan flasher with the optional daylight sensor (to turn off at night) let me know. I'll sell it for $50, you pay shipping. It's plug and play just unplug you're headlight plug this into the headlight then re-connect the cable and you're good to go.

Ron W.

PM me......