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My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

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Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#371

Post by illiac786 »

mech9879876 wrote: post #369
illiac786 wrote: post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t understand the voices against it: even if it’s recuperating, the car _is_ decelerating, which is why it triggers (and it should). What’s the problem according to them?

The threshold can be a problem- you don't want the threshold to be too low, or else the brake lights come on when even slight deceleration is occurring. This would give an annoyingly too-common signal that would possibly be disregarded/ not be an effective form of visual communication.

Ok, the threshold should be correctly set, but recuperation doesn’t change the threshold, it just makes it very visible when the threshold is too low…

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#372

Post by 1234letshaveatw »

NegativeLatency wrote: post #199
markbnj wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an almost-daily motorcyclist with 15k miles on my current machine (Suzuki DL650), I absolutely agree that the increased proportion of pickup trucks on the road increases the risks for riders, however I suspect it is mainly because the larger, heavier vehicles aggravate the effects of a general deterioration in driving skills and attitudes. One thing about riding a motorcycle is that you are, unless you have a deat…

It's a really complicated issue, but you might find some of stuff related to Strong Towns, 15 minute cities, and sorta general modern urbanist things interesting. If we had better transit, more connected communities etc, people who are less interested in driving and driving well would have other options than hours long commutes.

I find those authoritarian "people should live their lives how we want them to" sites more annoying than anything. They also tend to be overly dismissive of residential solar, EVs, rural life and homesteading

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#373

Post by haiku2077 »

bigfudge wrote: post #285
haiku2077 wrote: post #192

Earlier 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.

I think you mean one and three times more expensive. 3 orders of magnitude is 1000 times more expensive!

Yeah... I've gotten quotes with that kind of spread between "old man" bikes and very fast sport bikes. IIRC if you buy a cruiser or certain ADVs the insurance company expects to never hear from you with a claim, while certain sport bikes, the insurance expects you to total it within 18 months.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#374

Post by noahjk »

actionfromafar wrote: post #362
nemacol wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a general deterioration in driving skills Is that a measured observation? Not trying to nitpick - genuinely curious if this is your observation from experience or there are some studies that you are referring to.

My gut feel is that people drove very badly in the before-times but often also very slowly and cautiously at the same time. Speed felt dangerous in old vehicles. Modern computers with wheels are like living rooms with great acceleration and decelaration. Maneuvers which would had taken great skill to perform with an old rear-wheel drive car with bad tires, are now executed routinely like it's nothing, thanks to antis…

this is definitely a big part of it. in the past, cars were either small with tiny engines or big "boats" with massive engines and super soft suspension. those old suspensions weren't really about control - they were for comfort or just trying to deal with all that weight. now basically every car, no matter the size, comes with lighter parts, way smaller but way more powerful engines, smarter computers, better tires, and most importantly, way better suspension. all that means a lot more grip, way faster acceleration and braking, and a much bigger feeling of control - even for people who might not be paying full attention (or really know what they’re doing).

we've kind of made every car a sports car, and that means when people make mistakes, those mistakes get out of hand way quicker before physics wins.

then there’s the whole manufacturer's arms race - the classic prisoner's dilemma. trucks and suvs just keep getting bigger, faster, heavier, packed with screens and gadgets. all the old luxury stuff is standard everywhere now. so everyone is more and more isolated from the actual consequences of bad driving ... until they're not.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#375

Post by d_k_f »

illiac786 wrote: post #371
mech9879876 wrote: post #369

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The threshold can be a problem- you don't want the threshold to be too low, or else the brake lights come on when even slight deceleration is occurring. This would give an annoyingly too-common signal that would possibly be disregarded/ not be an effective form of visual communication.

Ok, the threshold should be correctly set, but recuperation doesn’t change the threshold, it just makes it very visible when the threshold is too low…

As I understood it, it's less of a real problem and more of a perceived annoyance. People accelerate, let go of the pedal, realize that a deceleration sets in, accelerate again, etc. so their brake lights are flashing all the time (instead of just using their cruise control to have this happen much more smoothly and ideally below the relevant thresholds).

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#376

Post by tenacious_tuna »

SilkRoadie wrote: post #344
rossng wrote: post #333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Easy to say when you don't live next to a road frequented by drivers with ridiculous modified exhausts.

MOTs already have a decibel limit. I don't understand how these vehicles can be road worthy considering how loud they are. This technology feels like an engineers solution to a trivial legal issue.

I used to live in downtown Chicago, where the worst violators where high end sports cars, though we did get the occasional quartet of motorcycles ripping down the roat at 3am.

Illinois doesn't require vehicle inspections, so there's no opportunity for exhaust modifications to be discovered.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#377

Post by mmooss »

smadge wrote: post #294
mmooss wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just connect them to the hand brake levers?

That would be more difficult, expensive, and unreliable. The light is powered by the rotation of the wheel so it already has a reliable braking signal.

How is that difficult, expensive, or unreliable? What could be simpler than a switch that closes when a lever is closed, and turns on a light?

That sounds much simpler, cheaper, and reliable than "detect changes in the frequency of the wheel rotation".

Also, it works like a car's brake lights, which drivers are accustomed to, rather than "start pulsing when you decelerate", which is when you stop pedaling (unless going downhill).

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#378

Post by noahjk »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #13

The author did a great job actually building the project, doing a layout and custom design rather than just stitching together off the shelf modules. Good work. That being said, in 20 years of riding motorcycles and being an ATGATT (all the gear, all the time) kind of rider, I'm mixed on the need for this. It's something I have thought about doing with a direct hardwire to the throttle, but I can't come up with a sit…

I agree with you - situational awareness is what keeps us safe, and not engaging with poor drivers but rather creating distance.

for braking, I use engine braking at stop lights, and can easily slow down almost all of the way without any brakes applied. Motorcyclists should definitely be taught to drag the rear brake when engine braking to let others know. Most people are unaware of how quickly a bike can slow down, or rather, how so little mass reacts much differently to situations (ex. even going downhill, unless in 5th/6th gear, bikes generally don't pick up speed coasting but rather slow down).

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#379

Post by smadge »

mmooss wrote: post #377
smadge wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would be more difficult, expensive, and unreliable. The light is powered by the rotation of the wheel so it already has a reliable braking signal.

How is that difficult, expensive, or unreliable? What could be simpler than a switch that closes when a lever is closed, and turns on a light? That sounds much simpler, cheaper, and reliable than "detect changes in the frequency of the wheel rotation". Also, it works like a car's brake lights, which drivers are accustomed to, rather than "start pulsing when you decelerate", which is when you stop pedaling (unless goi…

The light is already by necessity hooked up to the wheel for power and adding a switch and wires to the brakes adds another point of failure making the system less reliable, makes installation more difficult because you have to wire up to the hub generator and the brakes, and more expensive because more components.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#380

Post by cbull »

stronglikedan wrote: post #124
braunshedd wrote: post #71

When 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 wonder if that's the one the author refers to when they say, "I purchased one of the few similar products on the market. To my surprise, it relied solely on a basic tilt switch, rattling excessively during rides despite claims of “advanced technology."

I have one of the Brake Free lights and it uses an accelerometer, it's NOT just a basic tilt switch. Nor does it rattle when riding, it's a very solid unit.

I've had friends following me (both in cars and motorcycles) who comment later they can't believe how much more visible it makes me.

It does attach to a helmet and require that you periodically recharge the battery but I'm very happy with the purchase (as opposed to just flashing the brake lights on the bike when slowing)

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