Motoblag

Motorcycles need front conspicuity improvements.  The left-turning car is the leading cause of multi-vehicle accidents with motorcycles, due to the driver claiming they did not see the bike.

Let’s look at some potential aids:

• Running lights: additional lights on forks, fairing or having front turn signals double as running lights.
• Big fairings: make the bike appear larger
• High-vis garments: bright yellow vests or jackets.
• Headlight modulators

Effectiveness of aids:

Running lights are my favorite conspicuity enhancer.  They work day and night, have a proven track record and additional benefit of more light during nighttime.  However, they can be the most expensive item to buy.  A nice set of running lights will run between $100 and $200, but worth every penny if any riding is done in low-light situations.

Big fairings on a motorcycle may or may not help.  Having them brightly colored does appear to have an effect (see the Olson report from the NHTSA), but it’s not as effective as wearing a bright color.  Adding a fairing to a motorcycle may be difficult and adding enough to make your bike more visible and you’ll suffer from Windjammer syndrome: waaay too much plastic.

One of the best options is a high visibility jacket or vest, like this guy here:

These handy items, slathered with retro-reflective strips, work well during night and day.  They work better than a brightly colored fairing, probably due to drivers knowing how big a human torso is but not how big motorcycles are (Olson report).  They also carry the benefit of being very inexpensive to pick up.  Icon sells a “Military Spec” vest you can find for around $50.

If you’ve read my previous entry on headlight modulators, you’ll know I’m not a fan.  However, despite the title of this entry, modulators do work some of the time with a potential to be less and less effective the more drivers see them.  These can be pricey at $60 to $150, plus installation if you don’t want to spin your own wrenches.  Federal law mandates the light stays steady during low-light situations, so it doesn’t help one lick at night.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.