Pimp My Helmet...
http://www.powerbronze.co.uk/5752998/899674/831890/LIGHTS---FIBRE-FLARES---RED.item (http://www.powerbronze.co.uk/5752998/899674/831890/LIGHTS---FIBRE-FLARES---RED.item)
LOL
I've never had much of a problem with people behind me seeing me, it's the bar-stewards in front of me that are the problem.
Doesn't seem to matter if they are heading towards me, away from me or about to pull out in front of me. They are all blind or brain-damaged in such a way that motorcycles become invisible, even large BLACK motorcycles with funny headlights and loud-ish silencers with a great big behemoth of a man riding it.
I am seriously thinking of replacing the 2 small lights with blue LEDs even if it may be illegal.
One was or another I need to be seen by people who are not really looking.
And no, Hi-Vis clothing does NOT work.
I find it disappointing that a UK based company such as Power Bronze are selling such tat and actually put a disclaimer on saying....
Always check your local laws for appropriate vehicle lighting regulations before use.
You must not use any lights in a way that would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.
And....
(Green and Blue Power Rods are for display lighting only and should not be used on the road.)
So you are supposed to check your local laws etc, they've just quoted them themselves, ::) . Basically wer'e very happy to sell you them but dont use them on the highway. :o
hahahahahaha!... i am Cylon raider..Pffft ::)
What strange stuff !!!!
Why on earth would you put that rubbish on your helmet ..... ????
Mainly to help the &$%?!@'s on the M5 see me at night when I'm commuting home during the winter / darker months.
I don't think I'm going to get one - looks a bit too bulky for my liking. I like the idea though and will be in the lookout...
Quote from: cpettifer on January 12, 2012, 10:53:01 AM
Mainly to help the &$%?!@'s on the M5 see me at night when I'm commuting home during the winter / darker months.
I don't think I'm going to get one - looks a bit too bulky for my liking. I like the idea though and will be in the lookout...
You can do whatever you want.
They still won't see you because they're not looking in your direction.
Quote from: mecki on January 12, 2012, 01:17:39 PM
They still won't see you because they're not looking in your direction.
What? Did you say they are looking in another direction?
That's better than the muppets we get in Essex.
They drive with their eyes closed when they aren't TxTiNg ThR M8s. >:(
I have always ridden as if everyone was actually TRYING to kill me.
It seems to work, despite their best efforts, as I am still here after over half a million miles on motorcycles.
There have been some injuries along the way but the only serious one was caused by a diesel spill.
Hey Boomer, you hit the nail on the head.
When I started riding bikes the best advice I ever got was to always assume that everybody else on the road was out to kill me and as long as I keep that in mind my changes of survival would increase many fold.
And hey, it seems to work for me too.
You are both so right ! ;D
Hence my quest to try and attract people's attention to me being on the road by looking at lighting products...
I've always tried to ride like this too. I haven't covered nearly as many miles as you guys yet (probably around 40k maybe), but my closest times to coming a cropper have all been my own fault, well in my judgement. This is partly because when someone else does something "unexpected" I've always kind of been expecting it, if that makes sense.
Yesterday was my first time out for a few weeks (for various reasons, such as having lifts to work) and really enjoyed my commute, even if it is 50 miles of motorway. :)
Quote from: cpettifer on January 13, 2012, 11:45:53 AM
Hence my quest to try and attract people's attention to me being on the road by looking at lighting products...
To make it easier for them to kill you? ;D
CP ... ANYTHING that will help you be seen by the idiots we call drivers has to be a good thing ...strange looking but if they attract attention then it can't be too bad ! ;)
Quote from: Rusty on January 13, 2012, 03:05:55 PM
CP ... ANYTHING that will help you be seen by the idiots we call drivers has to be a good thing ...strange looking but if they attract attention then it can't be too bad ! ;)
The question remains if extra lighting actually makes any difference at all.
Especially on a big bike like the GTR with those big double lights.
You can be lit up like a Christmas tree but the cage jockeys will still try to kill you, run you over or cut you off.
Come on, they also hit other cars and even lorries, and those are bigger and more visible than any bike.
All that extra lighting may on the contrary result in letting your guard down because it may make you think that everybody must now surely see you.
I rather rely on the paranoia method. :(
It has kept me save and sound so far.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you!
I don't think i'd have the patience to plug another accessory at travel time
Quote from: mecki on January 13, 2012, 05:37:06 PM
The question remains if extra lighting actually makes any difference at all.
Especially on a big bike like the GTR with those big double lights.
Anecdotally, after riding for a month now with my extra LED lights front and rear, I would say they do make a difference.
Perhaps strangely, I consider the double lights to be a significant part of the problem. I think in the pitch black, it is easy to confuse a GTR approaching with a car on full beam far away. Having the extra LED lights adding as an extra, unusual light pattern really helps.
Martin.
Quote from: MJJ_ZX6RR on January 16, 2012, 11:32:08 AM
Anecdotally, after riding for a month now with my extra LED lights front and rear, I would say they do make a difference.
Perhaps strangely, I consider the double lights to be a significant part of the problem. I think in the pitch black, it is easy to confuse a GTR approaching with a car on full beam far away. Having the extra LED lights adding as an extra, unusual light pattern really helps.
So how far away do you have to be to be mistaken for a car with high beam far away? 300m, 500m or maybe half a mile?
Just admit it, you're a big kid who loves showing off by adding shiny gadgets to his favourite toy. :D
There's nothing wrong with that really. :-[ Just don't try to sell it as improved safety devices. :(
I'd rather spend my money on mods that really improve safety, make my ride more comfortable or at least save me some money in case of a mishap like crash or theft protection. :P
Quote from: Kwikasfuki on January 13, 2012, 09:24:55 PM
I don't think i'd have the patience to plug another accessory at travel time
Lol, I don't think you'd have another socket left to plug anything else in! ;)
Quote from: mecki on January 16, 2012, 01:39:25 PM
Just admit it, you're a big kid who loves showing off by adding shiny gadgets to his favourite toy. :D
Guilty as charged ;D , but there is a fair bit of statistically significant research that supports the extra lighting benefits.
One US study, just as an example - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811507.pdf . Paraphrasing the conclusions, extra lighting does not help others judge distances, but does attract the eye for longer and thus registers more in the mind of the observer.
I am absolutely convinced that at night, car drivers confuse a bike 100m away with a car 300m away. Thus, they deem it safe to pull out. Extra lights make a bike look unusual, and cause the driver to double take.
Car drivers look right through us, as they are expecting to see cars. Their brain is actively looking for cars. Just like that video with the basketball players and the gorilla, you don't see what you are not looking for.
Oh, and they are shiny too ;)
Martin.
They just look so strange and awful BUT perhaps that is the secret ... something different catches the car drivers attention and you are saved ... that has to be good ! perhaps i could have done with them last week ... approaching a junction, fast road near Guildford and the driver far ahead and to my left at said junction has, instead of going forward into the middle of the road to turn right does an immediate right turn thus going into the wrong carriageway and head on towards myself ....to be fair I had seen what he had done and was almost stopped and pulled over by the time he got close but only then did he realise what he had done .... a simple mistake in the dark and someone gets proper hurt, and it will always be worse if it's you or me .... :( :(