I sold my bike and gave up riding because it was just too dangerous. It's not just that people don't see you, they're not even looking anymore, they're on their phones.
My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer
221–230 of 390 posts
Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer
#222When I was commuting daily in the SF fog, I discovered that putting on of these [1] on my helmet did wonders to keep cars further off my tail. It moves the brake light up to eye level for people in SUVs and also triggers on engine braking. Wish it were cheaper, but was a worthwhile investment for me. Also, consider looking into airbag vests if you ride regularly. Also expensive but (supposedly) make a huge difference…
I helped Alex invent that product! I built the first prototype that helped him get funding and hand assembled some of the first PCB designs. My (old) name is on the patent. I’m glad to see this was already posted. I wear mine when I ride my 1500w ebike around and I feel so much safer with it. It’s really bright too!
I got one for my birthday! What a great product. It does exactly what it says it does, and has no more complexity than required.
Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a smiley face rendered in retroreflective tape on the back of mine. I figure it's both bright and triggers the very sensitive human visual system for detecting faces. It's hard to say how much it helps, especially since I put it on basically the same time I started riding at all, but I don't often have people tailgating me. ed: and it was only a couple bucks, that's nice.
When I was into road cycling I find having a banana sticking out my rear jersey pocket would make drivers treat me better. I later saw a study that drivers think cyclists are less human, so my theory is it reminded them that I am, in fact, just a person using the road. Alas, even the banana stopped working, though. Road cycling is horrible now. Too many cars.
Riding with a pannier does wonders to reduce close passes. The more drivers see you as a person on a bicycle rather than as a vehicle, the better.
Another reason may be that they are more concerned about scratching their paint than they are about your well-being.
Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer
#224I like this! Have thought of it for both bikes and cars, I drive manual and occasionally just downchange coming up to lights or off motorways.
Also used to have a zx636 and bought an LED brake light that flashed obnoxiously when triggered (F1 style), I like to think the safety it added offset how annoyed I was probably making everyone behind me.
Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer
#225Earlier quoted context omitted.
I ride a bicycle, and I deliberately mount the rear light directly at the eye level of typical sedans and SUVs. It's not connected to the brakes, but I find that having the light pulse is enough.
If you have a hub generator system, they sell rear lights with controllers which detect changes in the frequency of the wheel rotation and start pulsing when you decelerate.
That is so cool! Do you know of any brands/models?
Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer
#226Earlier quoted context omitted.
heh, or you could join an OMC (outlaw motorcycle club) and get patched up * for an implied 'i will literally kill you if you get close to me' * don't do this
Ha, I have heard a couple motorcyclists sincerely recommend open-carrying a gun to scare off murderous asshole drivers (which, to be clear, absolutely exist). Neither of those options are on my to-do list though. :)
IMO, there are very few circumstances where "more guns" is an improvement. I don't think introducing guns to motorvehicle altercations is one of them.
Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer
#227When I was commuting daily in the SF fog, I discovered that putting on of these [1] on my helmet did wonders to keep cars further off my tail. It moves the brake light up to eye level for people in SUVs and also triggers on engine braking. Wish it were cheaper, but was a worthwhile investment for me. Also, consider looking into airbag vests if you ride regularly. Also expensive but (supposedly) make a huge difference…
Motorcycle fatality rates have been trending upwards, not downwards[1]. Brake lights on helmets may illuminate one of the culprits: An ever increasing number of American trucks with poor visibility. Sitting on a bike, you're even shorter than a pedestrian and more likely to be completely out of sight. Perhaps its time to start regulating for better visibility, as Europe has done. [1] https://www.iii.org/fact-statisti…
>Sitting on a bike, you're even shorter than a pedestrian and more likely to be completely out of sight.
Not true at all except for the lowest-sitting cruisers. Most bikes put you eye level with an SUV driver and taller bikes above.
Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer
#228Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not really. Outside of a few groups at places like Virginia Tech, motorcycle safety studies don't get much funding. Too niche. You can use insurance rates as a loose proxy- sportbikes are between one and three orders of magnitude more expensive to insure than adventure bikes, touring bikes or cruisers. But I suspect that has more to do with the average age of the riders.
And bike power. Sportsbikes are often road-legal versions of actual racing bikes, with all that it entails. If a third of cars on the road were tuned-down Ferraris and McLarens, you bet they'd crash left right and center.
Weirdly, an adventure bike with higher horsepower will have cheaper insurance than a race replica with less horsepower.
Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer
#229Earlier quoted context omitted.
An F750GS and a DRZ400SM are my main bikes (out of an entire garage full of stuff). For trucks I'm talking about F-150s and similar.
Do those two bikes have a higher / more upright riding position that a typical sportbike?
Yes. The DRZ especially is a dirt bike which is noticeably higher set than a supersports. You pay for it a bit in on-road manoeuvrability though.
Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer
#230Ooooh what a title In 2019 I was a bicycling a lot, and really wanted to get something with a motor, so I could be a bit faster/farther/not so sweaty with my trips. I had access to a car but rarely used it. I really don't like many inherent safety issues with motorcycles and never seriously considered obtaining one, but kept wanting a two-wheeled vehicle with a motor. I'd ridden a 50cc scooter in 2019 for a few days,…
> Scooters are vastly safer than motorcycles
Why make such a definitive claim with zero evidence to back it up?
The justifications in that section are nonsense and seem to boil down to a skill issue on your part.
Sure, around the city a scooter makes sense for a lot of people, though I believe they provide a false sense of security. The lower barrier to entry also lowers the "perceived" risk.
Feeling safer !== safer
Personally, I feel much safer on one of my motorcycles than a scooter. But that's because I am extremely comfortable on a motorcycle and can make it do exactly what I want, when I want.