Need to be seen better

F

firewhisky61

New member
Backoff Brakelight modulator (WIG WAG version if you have tour pack with brake lights in the tour Pack). Have the units on all my bikes and have purchased and installed them for several friends. If you ever ride behind a group of bikes, the guys with the modulator will stand out. You cannot miss the flashing brake lights. That being said, your fear of getting run over by some idiot on a cell phone will never go away. THEY WILL NOT SEE YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO! Making yourself more visible is a great idea, but not a substitute for keeping the bike in gear, keeping an eye on the mirrors, and having an escape route planned.
 
I agree with the above. Hi Vis gear will improve your odds but don't get complacent because I've seen cars pull in front of big red fire trucks with flashing lights and sirens. I wear a Hi Vis jacket every day when I commute to work but I'm always fully aware of the idiots around me. I frequently see a driver start to pull into my lane but suddenly back off when he sees me, but I'm always ready with an escape route in case he doesn't see me or if he just doesn't care that I'm there.
 
Being seen is good if other drivers are looking for you or looking at all. Being heard is good too so get the right pipes. However, getting noticed is imposible with the stock horn. I'm looking to upgrade that audio attention getter to increase my changes of survival.

No matter what, driving to survive is the most important thing you can do, so practice that swerve and quick stop and don't forget to SEE.
 
I come to stop at least 3 to 4 bike lenths in back of the car in front of me, and either inside or to the outside of the lane, depends of the type of road
(2 or 4 lane). Watch my mirrors like friggin' hawk. I don't take my eyes off my mirror, till I see the car come to a complete stop behind me.
 
I got rear-ended 20 years ago and am still paranoid about it. I installed a Kuryakyn module that flashes the lights several times when the brakes are first applied, and also added an LED tail light assembly that is 3x brighter than stock when braking. I still watch my rear-view mirror when coming to a stop, though.
 
I installed the HD fog lamps prior to riding to Texas. There were many times when a cager would start pulling out in front of me and then abruptly stop. I can only attribute it to the lit fog lamps. Of couse the EG also has the running lights but I believe the addition of the bright fog lights helped tremendously.
 
During the 13 years I was a firefighter I can assure you that no matter how many lights and how loud your pipes are there will be ocassions when people will pull out in front of you. I had it happen numerous times during emergency runs with every light and strobe running along with a 130dB siren. A 747 could be tasxing down a road and someone would hit it and claim they didn't see it.

I use a Kisan front and back which unscientifically seems to work very well but I'll also weave if approaching an intersection with a car waiting to turn. The motion seems to increase visibility.
 
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