A Big Fear!

stookahh:

Here's a link to the folks who make the reflect stuff to sew, glue, velcro... to your pack.... just don't apply the stuff to the tread area of your tires.


http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...otchlite/product-information/product-catalog/

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_GB/Scotch-Lite/Home/ (U.K.)

there is some need info on visibility on the site as well if you have time to look through it.

 

Here is another link to reflective gear/tape: http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Visibility--Reflective-p-1-c-362.html

I plan to get the Adhesive 3M Solas Grade Reflective tape as I have this helmet:

Which is very muted. I plan to cut the tape to exactly match the "HJC" lettering.

 

Olympia makes a nice neon green/yellow vest.

it's not the old people as much as its the cellphones.

I've had more near misses with knuckleheads on those things.


and bear in mind that speed is life.
most of the escapes I've had were made possible by the throttle.


stay low, keep dry, ride safe.

 

Hmm, I red a red VFR with a bacl and red jacket.
My helmet is also bright orange, in talking no one seems to mention red as a color. Why is this?

Also on the gen 6 i found from behind we where hard to see in the rain as all we have is a small light, a tiny reflector and a huge black tire...my rain gear happpened to be black...i was invisible.
Added reflective tape to the rain gear(not true rain gear actually intended for golf, but since my pants and jacket are good it keeps out enough).

Also i work at an RV manufacturer so i have access to reflectors. Some simply stick on, i added 2 large red reflectors to my rear licence plate. as well as one per side. I may add additional one's along the side.

At night not to worried about front visibility as the light are plenty bright. But for day what can you do...reflectors don't help and since most of my riding is done dring the day when arguably we are the least vissable(at night we glow and stand out more)

 

I agree that wearing a helmet is critical period. I spend vacations in Florida...I know its hot, but it is foolhardy to ride in FL without a helmet around all the old people that can't see and have lost some motor function. As to not mattering how careful you are around cagers, with respect I reject your thesis there. Reaction time is a function of road speed. The faster you ride around cagers the greater likelihood you will be turned in front of. That is why it is critical to slow way down through intersections. This gives not only an inattentive cager more time to even see you, but to judge the speed of a smaller moving object. It also increases your chances for survival if riding slow through an intersection and crashing. Cagers not only are not schooled to look for motorcycles but they can't judge their speed. Many times a cager will turn left in front of a motorcycle that is riding 5 over through an intersection and IMHO yes it is the cager's fault but some blame rests with the rider. It is all about speed and reaction time. The slower you ride around cagers, the longer they have to not only see you when they aren't paying attention but to judge your speed which is critical to whether they decide to turn in front of you versus not.
I am all for going like hell when the road opens way up but around cars, ride sensibly my friends.
George

 

I ride with a yellow Shoei and flourescent yellow Olympia Motosport jacket.

 

When riding a bike it is important to understand that drivers find it difficult to judge the speed and distance of a motocycle. They are used to seeing larger vehicles so motorcycles seem further away than they are. Simple physics really. Therefore in my opinion it is the riders responsibility to allow for that. I try to say to myself "if that car ahead turns left in front of me what will I do to avoid it?" If the answer is "I can't" then I change the way I am riding. You can't avoid all risk because sometimes s--t happens but you can sure improve the odds by assuming the car driver will not get it right.

 

This is the primary reason I plan to install hyper white alternating strobes in my headlight. They might not like it, but I bet they see it.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I hadn't heard of the Olympia jackets before.

 

I didnt make a thesis statement. I stated a fact. If you are able to control what someone else does I would like to shake your hand, because this would make you super human. Im not saying ride like an ass hole. Im just saying there is always a risk of getting hit no matter how safe or alert you are riding.

 

You completely miss the point as you did with your blanket statement initially. You do have dominion over cagers...you just don't know it. Your influence to their judgement is riding at a speed they can process not only your presence but rate of speed. So you do have more control of their thought process then you think. Of course you don't have nth degree control of what they do.

I have been riding motorcycles for 35 years. This summer I was crossing a road on foot and waited for the traffic to clear. When the road was clear in both directions, I started my walk across the street. There wasn't any presence of any motor vehicle in either direction. All of a sudden, I heard but didn't see a sport bike coming at full song...and then saw it out of a corner of my eye to my right. He btw likely didn't see me either as he was no doubt scanning for cars. This guy was riding well in access of 100 mph or over twice the speed limit and had I not bolted for the curb, he would have struck me. I heard him before I saw him. Had he been riding the speed limit, I would have had plenty of time to see him. I thank my lucky stars for my hearing versus my sense of sight. Time is the critical aspect to a cager seeing you and judging your speed. Time is a function of speed which "you" control on your motorcycle. So in effect you do have control over cager's judgement. You just don't acknowlegdge that fact.
If I rode my bike without understanding this fact, I would have been maimed by an inattentive cager a long time ago.
George

 

take it from someone that has had more accidents that can even be dreamed up (growing up in SoCal.).

The only thing that will Help (not keep you from) getting in accidents is always being aware of your surroundings, always keeping the mind frame your invisible (wear all the reflective crap you want, but unless it's a M/C rider in a cage they most likely still won't see you ).


There is only one thing I've ever worn that cages took note of me was when I worked in AZ for 8 months, I got tired of being cut off. So since it's legal to carry a firearm there open carry, I strapped my 10" barreled 44 mag hunting handgun to my side in a shoulder holster :biggrin:

So when they looked @ me, now it caught there attention more than being on a M/C:wink: even got a thumbs up from a M/C cop, that said: I bet that works :biggrin:

But can't do that in all states, so back to what I said, "YOUR INVISABLE" & ride & act that way & you will lower your chances of a accident.

OH as to reflective gear (what I used to wear) I had a reflective vest on & a cage turned in front of me into a Target with no turn signals, & I slammed into his front end & up & over the hood.
The cop asked the guy, how he could not see me(bright orange vest & white reflective tape), his reply was I saw the vest & thought he was a road worker, I didn't realize he was on a M/C coming towards me

I don't wear reflective gear anymore & actually since I've been wearing my all black gear I haven't had a accident (don't count race /track incidences:redface: ) since then (since 1989), because I'm invisible & I ride that way.
1000's of close calls from hair adjusting, make up putting on, newspaper reading, "CELL PHONE USAGE", lap top using, eating/drinking, Mindless morons, but again, what I was wearing wouldn't of made a differance since they were busy were busy to there personal needs than what was on or next to them on the roads/freeways:frown: .

Good luck & ride as safe as you can.


p.s. Do you know what phrase is taught @ every Police M/C accadamy in the country.
If you ride a M/C you have gone down, or you will go down !

 

Samething happened to me except it was a younger driver in his car with a bunch of friends. He made his left in front of me to pull in to a driveway. I almost made it around him but he slowed down in front of the driveway and I hit his passengerside quarter panel. I was ejected from the bike landed on my back(thank God for back protecters).Went to the emergency room and was down for about a month, totaled my 600 thats why I got the VFR figured the 600 was to small and quiet to see.

 

SAFEST STRATEGY:

DON'T let other traffic around you, especially SUVs , vans, trucks HIDE you from oncoming traffic turners, so DROP BACK from other traffic to stand out. However it's also good strategy to have other cars in intersection act as blockers by being next to you. You need to adjust your position constantly to not ride in hidden areas to oncoming cars.....

dangers are ALWAYS greatest around the typical arrival time at work, like 8am or 9am: some loser late for work and desperate to make that turn in front of you......

no one yet mentioned flicking from hi to low beam near intersections if potential turners are near or raising a flat-palm "stop, hold it!" hand above your windshield.

another thing you need to ask yourself is " how LONG has this oncoming driver had to see and notice me approaching?"
Too brief and he hasn't had time to react....you need to do an ongoing study on the psychology of perception .
approaching an intersection pull to left side of lane if you are behind other traffic and SHOW HIM YOUR HEADLIGHT!!

 

Thank you Taz,

Finally someone who is realistic about riding. Not some nut that thinks he has mind control over other drivers.

that is all.

 

Squirrelman raises good points and strategy for intersections.

 

Ok, I agree with the first part of what you said. As riders we have to pay attention and expect the unexpected. But the last line you wrote is just flat out wrong !!! A person is dead because someone, that he had no control of, pulled out in front of him and killed him. How Dare you assume that he was listening to music, or speeding, or doing anything else other than riding his bike to home, work or where ever. No where in that story does it say anything about him listening to music or speeding!! I guess the rest of us will just have to take our chances until we learn to walk on water like you!!

 

Just FYI, go to www.thinkbike.co.za and see what we are doing over here, we are so sick of the carnage on our roads. Yes loud pipes save lives was good but not any more. Visibility is overcoming the loud pipe story. I will not, nor will I let my family ride without a Thinkbike vest on now. I have seen them in action and people do see you. I also have a modulater and have also fitted strobes to the inside of the VFR's indicators.

 

Although you didn't direct your coments toward me, another rider flamed me for writing what is true. Guys...lets dispense with the rancor and have a civil discussion about something most of us are a bit defensive about because of the perils of riding a motorcycle and so called lack of control of our fate. The nature of what we are discussing is why so many are sensitive about it...controlling one's destiny. I wrote something that I believe to be quite simple. Ride slower around cagers and:
a) Gives them more time to even see you due to inattention.
b) Gives them more time to judge your speed

The average cager in my 30+ years of riding do a very poor job relative to each of the above. Speed influences cager acknowlegement, reaction time and therefore judgement of how to respond to a motorcycle presence in their space. Loud colors, helmets and pipes I believe helps also as mentioned.

If a motorcycle rider is riding 10 mph over the speed limit which I believe to be common not only on a two lane road but through intersections and a cager turns in front of them...my view is the motorcycle rider is of equal blame. This is coming from a guy who has raced both cars and motorcycles.
Cagers basically suck at not only seeing motorcycles but judging their speed and therefore how to react. This precarious fine line can literally be the difference between life and death and why it has struck such a chord with those that have responded.
George

 

Statically, most multi-vehicle accidents that involve a motorcyclist are at intersections when drivers turn left in front of incoming motorcyclist. The most common response from the motorist that turned left was "I didn't see him coming".

As for the biggest cause of single motorcyclist accidents, statically it is failure to negotiate a turn due to misjudging or excessive entry speed.