SuzukiSavage.com - reflective stuff!?

kikuchiyo Ex Member	reflective stuff!? 09/28/05 at 13:52:59 Soon it is going to be getting darker pretty early. Is any one using reflective gear of any sort (vests, patches, reflectors?!) I am thinking of putting some reflective tape on the bike. My bike is black and I would prefer a black reflective tape over the white/yellow ones (but I do not know if they work just as well).
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Savage_Rob

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Re: reflective stuff!?
Reply #1 - 09/28/05 at 14:11:07

kikuchiyo wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:09:

Soon it is going to be getting darker pretty early.
Is any one using reflective gear of any sort (vests, patches, reflectors?!)
I am thinking of putting some reflective tape on the bike.
My bike is black and I would prefer a black reflective tape over the white/yellow ones (but I do not know if they work just as well).

I use the black reflective tape and I like it a lot. I got it from http://www.reflectivelyyours.com/.

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babbalou

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Re: reflective stuff!?
Reply #2 - 09/28/05 at 15:08:29

http://www.streetglo.net/
I got some reflective stuff from the streetglo folks. Yellow flames for my black helmet, black tape for parts of the frame & some white & red for the front & back. The black reflective tape is nearly invisible against a black background but glows a silvery white when light hits it, though the white tape/decal is slightly brighter.

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Tony Full Member 2004 No Login Offline Posts: 102 Saugerties, NY Gender:	Re: reflective stuff!? Reply #3 - 09/28/05 at 19:52:01 I use a Joe Rocket Ballistic jacket with a refelective stripe on the front and back. Very comfortable and it has built in "armor" pads.
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AndyC YaBB Newbies 2005 No Login Offline Posts: 28 Norfolk, VA Gender:	Re: reflective stuff!? Reply #4 - 09/29/05 at 01:46:31 I'm really new to riding. I thought it might be a good idea to get something for improving my visibility at night, so I was considering one of those geeky reflective orange vests. Only I didn't really want to look like a crossing guard. So this was a good find. I can wear it over my normal padded jacket.
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Savage_Rob

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Re: reflective stuff!?
Reply #5 - 09/29/05 at 06:07:00

AndyC wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:09:

I'm really new to riding. I thought it might be a good idea to get something for improving my visibility at night, so I was considering one of those geeky reflective orange vests. Only I didn't really want to look like a crossing guard.

So this was a good find. I can wear it over my normal padded jacket.

As much as it's possible to say so, that 2005 model is better looking than the new 2006 model, though the 2006 is cheaper and comes in either yellow or orange.

2005 Model

2006 Model

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Ed L. Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline "We All go a Little Crazy Sometimes" Norman Bates Posts: 2808 Sunny Florida Gender:	Re: reflective stuff!? Reply #6 - 09/29/05 at 06:09:47 I've been wearing a First Gear mesh jacket with the soft armor. It has reflective strips across the back and on the arms. That vest would help a lot but always remember that the cagers don't look for you, ride like you are invisible to everybody else on the road.
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PerrydaSavage

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Re: reflective stuff!?
Reply #7 - 09/29/05 at 08:59:36

I agree about cagers not seein' ya ... I was cut off by a grey-hair on Sunday past and I had about 250 other Bikes behind me on our local Toys for Tots run.
I kinda like those Icon military-spec reflective vests ... much better looking than a "crossing guard" vest ... besides, I know that cagers don't see us, but every little thing you can do to make yourself more visible is OK if it makes you more comfortable ... a nervous Rider isn't neccessarily safer either ...

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Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure you are not, in fact, just surrounded by arseholes!

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torque Serious Thumper 2005 No Login Offline 2008 nightster,flat od green and black Posts: 748 rock hill,S.C. Gender:	Re: reflective stuff!? Reply #8 - 09/29/05 at 09:18:41 this should get the cagers attention! http://www.flamethrowers.com.au/
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vroom1776 Serious Thumper Offline Posts: 2110 Gender:	Re: reflective stuff!? Reply #9 - 09/29/05 at 09:42:40 torque wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:09: this should get the cagers attention! http://www.flamethrowers.com.au/ Well, I know what I'm saving my money for.
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Savage_Rob

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Re: reflective stuff!?
Reply #10 - 09/29/05 at 09:49:01

The main problem with this stuff is that you need to be in their field of view, which often means in front of them (possibly even requiring flashing lights and sirens). Most of the time I've been cut off it's been from someone to my side or in front of me. This morning while traveling in the far left lane of a 3-lane, 45 MPH street a cage cut across all the lanes and stopped in front of me so he could make an illegal U-turn at a break in the median. I had screeching tires and swerved around him with my horn blasting. He never even looked in my direction.

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vroom1776

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Re: reflective stuff!?
Reply #11 - 09/29/05 at 10:00:52

Savage_Rob wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:09:

The main problem with this stuff is that you need to be in their field of view, which often means in front of them (possibly even requiring flashing lights and sirens). Most of the time I've been cut off it's been from someone to my side or in front of me. This morning while traveling in the far left lane of a 3-lane, 45 MPH street a cage cut across all the lanes and stopped in front of me so he could make an illegal U-turn at a break in the median. I had screeching tires and swerved around him with my horn blasting. He never even looked in my direction.

Most people are idiots, me included. You absolutely cannot trust cagers to watch out for you or expect anyone to obey traffic laws or yield whne you have the right of way. Angry

It's your butt, and you have to watch out for it. I never ever stay in anyone's blind spot, and I won't let anyone stay in mine. I never tailgait (around town I try for at least 2 car lengths). I never let anyone tailgate me (pretty rare with my cherry bomb, anyway). Gotta keep your eyes moving, espescially looking for people who want to sneak into traffic. Also very important, esp. in a town with long lights, is to pay attention when stopped at a red light; people love to rear end you here; keep it in first and keep eyes in the back of your head. I also like to pump my brakes lightly to flash them. When making a turn at a stop sign or light, I turn around to see if the folks are looking at my hand signals (no blinkers).

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torque

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Re: reflective stuff!?
Reply #12 - 09/29/05 at 11:02:48

i absoulutely hate it when im going 50 in a 45, and from nowhere a SUV is three inches from my back bumper(,when im in my truck i slow down to 15mph just to p!ss'em off, then when they try to pass me i'll speed up so they cant pass me,then when there behind i'll flip em off)but this is just [glow=red,2,300] stupid [/glow] on a motorcycle the suv is way too big to mess around with,i just let them pass and if its dark i'll turn my high beams on so i can see there stupid faces Grin

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kikuchiyo Ex Member	Re: reflective stuff!? Reply #13 - 09/29/05 at 13:34:33 The icon vest is great. However, I almost always got a backpack on, so the vest will not increase visibility from bihind. Any backpacks with large reflective areas?
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PerrydaSavage Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Riding "The Rock"! Posts: 3522 Republic of Newfoundland Gender:	Re: reflective stuff!? Reply #14 - 09/29/05 at 14:34:51 Dress up your backpack with reflective tape! 8)
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