verslagen1 wrote on 06/16/09 at 07:44:28:

Not to hijack the thread with a loud pipes debate, but I agree with V on this one. I'm living it every day with the Trapp, and I watch how drivers react when I'm approaching, especially on 2 or 3 lane roads, when people tend to jump lanes. There are blind spots in cars and trucks. So, they can be blind but they still have ears. Well, if they're not listening to music that's louder than my Trapp.

It does get their attention. Hey, it works for me when I'm driving my car and I hear loud pipes. I know that there's a bike approaching.

And what's with the new vehicle headlights? Did they get brighter the last few years? There are many times when I'm riding at night and a car is approaching, I can't see a thing until they pass, especially through unlit farmland roads. I'll hit the light switch and there's pretty much no response, so I'm guessing that their headlights are stock.

Yes, but sometimes that's the first warning that you get, and your reaction time to the brake light is delayed if you don't see it amongst other bright colors.

"have faith in your ability, its ok to think you are the best rider in the world, as long as you assume everyone else is an abysmal driver, with the occasional homicidal maniac thrown in, and who for no apparent reason will sometimes stop suddenly right in front of you or even drive straight at you. Oncoming traffic may even veer across the road to try and hit you."

PhilM, I love that. Gotta work on commiting that to memory.
I too have seen the dayglow paint jobs, and yes I think it is too distracting. Reading this thread, I stopped to think whether I would notice a brake light, or a slowdown for that matter; and if I'm honest, I might not be paying enough attention to that, over the loud paint job. Could be something to the theory of too much visibility.
Good thread. It's upped my consciousness quotient about how I look at the day glow squids out there. I'll work on noticing riding behavior, and try to tune out some of the visual.

PTRider wrote on 06/26/09 at 14:29:46:


Which is why those kind of lights are illegal in some states.