Non typical lighting a hazzard

[whittrated03]

its our responsibility to make ourselves be seen. We are the minority , and the one who will get hurt, so its up to us as riders to remain visible at all times. A seasoned rider will ALWAYS: Aim high in steering,
Get the big picture
Keep your eyes moving
Leave youreself an out
MAKE SURE THEY SEE YOU

These are the "5 seeing habits" that will keep you safe on the roads. If a rider will use these, he/she will not be put in a situation that could result in an accident.

[abhibeckert]

My dad used to drive a bus (full of hari krishna's) in india. They would preach all day, and drive all night.

Apparently in india (at least back then) truck drivers didn't give a shit about anyone else, all they cared about was being able to see cows/etc on the road. So they would run modified high wattage headlights, and never switch to low beam.

After several months of that, my dad and his friends bought a tight beam focused searchlight, and they'd have someone hang out the window of the bus shine it straight into the face of the truck driver. It would literally light up a two foot circle just where the guys head was... usually with a comical expression

Some of the people in this thread reminded me of that story... no concern for what anyone else is doing, just themselves. The fact that lights are highly noticeable also means they're distracting, and I don't want other road users to be distracted by my presence.

It's just common decency.

[Sutherngintelmen]

I have a few additional features which increase the safety of my non typical lighting system.

First - on/off switches. These are fantastic additions which allow the driver to choose when the aux lamps are lit.

Second - dimmer. The top aux lights' output may be adjusted down to 20% of full on. There is an additional override connector to factory high beams which instant synchs to 100%.

Third - glow pop. This highly visible feature is above the roof line of most autos and gives would be left handers the option to see me when I'm not first in line.

See and be seen - I'm a fan.

[bwalsh]

I would hope anyone using aftermarket lighting would have it installed so they could dim them or cut them off when approaching another vehicle. I like aftermarket lights because face it, stock lighting sucks.
I have a set of PIAA 520i's on my truck. They light up the night for close to a half mile ahead. Good for riding at night in deer country but I also have them set up so I can cut them off as soon as, or just before another vehicle comes into view.
I'll have a set on my next bike too! I'd have them on this one but they would probably kill the battery in three minutes.

[randyo]

I went on a ride once that one of the riders had a modulating headlight with a high temp (color) bulb, pretty bluish tint to it

NEVER AGAIN, my friend had only purchased the bike the day before, the modulater and bulb were the first thing he changed

any safety of visibility it gives you is far outweighed by the dangers of road rage

[ttpete]

Originally Posted by randyo

I went on a ride once that one of the riders had a modulating headlight with a high temp (color) bulb, pretty bluish tint to it

NEVER AGAIN, my friend had only purchased the bike the day before, the modulater and bulb were the first thing he changed

any safety of visibility it gives you is far outweighed by the dangers of road rage

Never had that problem here. I'd turn mine off if I was in New England, Eastern New York, or New Jersey. Too many rude argumentative East Coast Assholes there.

[dwoodward]

Originally Posted by abhibeckert

Strobing high beam HID lights

Erm, no. Dunno what you're seeing, but it's not HID.

HIDs don't have filaments- it's an arc discharge thing. You can't strobe them on and off like filament bulbs. High/Low beam is typically by moving the capsule so the arc is moved to where it should be for the high or low beam filament. That solenoid isn't designed for a constant 80 hz duty cycle.

I have also been pulled over by an unmarked traffic patrol car which did not have any blue/red lights,

In the USA, that dog don't hunt. Every cop vehicle has lights. They may be hidden behind the grill and inside turn/tail lamps, but they're there.

Originally Posted by ttpete

Yup. Clutch it and bounce it off the rev limiter. Better and quicker than a horn.

So you're saying you can execute two large muscle functions (clutch and throttle) and get your engine to accelerate from mid-RPM to redline faster than one small motor function (thumb) and near speed of light to make a horn generate noise.



Not that I'm going to rely on any of that.

[dwoodward]

Originally Posted by randyo

any safety of visibility it gives you is far outweighed by the dangers of road rage

Bad enough with BDCs mistaking a bike with aux lights (off), 'stich, and modular with the chinbar up as a cop.

[ttpete]

Originally Posted by dwoodward

In the USA, that dog don't hunt. Every cop vehicle has lights. They may be hidden behind the grill and inside turn/tail lamps, but they're there.

Maybe where you are they do. I started driving/riding in 1957, and I can assure you that there are lightless unmarked cop cars. We have them where I live. They are used for surveillance purposes. There's a program in place that looks for individuals who cruise neighborhoods looking for houses to burgle. They're also used in an anti-drug program. Some are odd makes and up to ten years old. It's stupid to use absolute terms like "every", because they make one look silly when they backfire on one. Insinuating that someone's a liar isn't very smart, either. One might get told to go and fuck ones' self.

So you're saying you can execute two large muscle functions (clutch and throttle) and get your engine to accelerate from mid-RPM to redline faster than one small motor function (thumb) and near speed of light to make a horn generate noise.

Yes. I habitually ride with two fingers on the clutch, anyway. So, I don't really have to do anything other than squeeze and twist what I'm already holding. Most drivers consider a horn blast as an aggressive move and a challenge. A rev limiter shot usually scares the crap out of them.

But then, WTF do I know, I've only been doing this for more than fifty years.......

[khager]

Originally Posted by ttpete

Yes. I habitually ride with two fingers on the clutch, anyway. So, I don't really have to do anything other than squeeze and twist what I'm already holding. Most drivers consider a horn blast as an aggressive move and a challenge. A rev limiter shot usually scares the crap out of them.

But then, WTF do I know, I've only been doing this for more than fifty years.......

And if the noise don't wake them up, you can always release the clutch and get the hell out of dodge!

[Ginger Beard]

Originally Posted by ttpete

One might get told to go and fuck ones' self.

That's the most polite insult I have had the pleasure of reading in quite some time.

[abhibeckert]

Originally Posted by dwoodward

HIDs don't have filaments- it's an arc discharge thing. You can't strobe them on and off like filament bulbs. High/Low beam is typically by moving the capsule so the arc is moved to where it should be for the high or low beam filament. That solenoid isn't designed for a constant 80 hz duty cycle.

You could be right, I don't know if they're HID. But they are *much* brighter than any normal car headlight. The headlights don't flash on and off. They pulse quickly but smoothly between bright and low, perhaps the filament is sliding back and forward between high and low beam. It alternates between the left and right headlight as well, so clearly it's custom engineering and probably a total waste of tax payer's money (grr).

Whatever it is, I can see the pulsing headlights on a police/ambulance/fire vehicle long before the blue/red lights. Especially at night in a rural highway, where the whole bloody sky is lit up and pulsing for five minutes before you reach the scene of an accident.

Originally Posted by dwoodward

In the USA, that dog don't hunt. Every cop vehicle has lights. They may be hidden behind the grill and inside turn/tail lamps, but they're there.

Fair enough, but this is an international forum, and police departments differ. When I commented on not realising it was a police car behind me, he told me point blank if they have lights (even turned off) then serious offenders will be able to see them, and will be on their best behaviour. They have unmarked cars with lights, and others without lights, and they can absolutely tell the difference in behaviour of some drivers depending which they're driving.

And an emergency situation doesn't always involve the police. Another rider might be warning you about a dog that's wandering around the road around the next blind corner, who knows.

Originally Posted by dwoodward

So you're saying you can execute two large muscle functions (clutch and throttle) and get your engine to accelerate from mid-RPM to redline faster than one small motor function (thumb) and near speed of light to make a horn generate noise.

Who said that? Seems like you're putting words in other people's mouths. I don't like loud pipes at all, though I tolerate them for performance bikes that are rarely ridden in the city or especially suburban areas. But there is no doubt in my mind that loud pipes do make you more noticeable (that's why they are annoying!), which can be a positive effect sometimes.

(for what it's worth, the horn on my dirt bikes often don't work... so every now and then I have to resort to throttle blats to get another rider's attention. It's perfectly effective)

[bwalsh]

Originally Posted by abhibeckert

Who said that? Seems like you're putting words in other people's mouths.

Who did he quote? Not you. The reply to that post has already been posted. Try and keep up!

[SteelJM1]

How does a cop sans emergency lights pull someone over? I'm not stopping for any white/black/blue crown vic with no lights just cause the driver wants me to.

[abhibeckert]

Originally Posted by SteelJM1

How does a cop sans emergency lights pull someone over? I'm not stopping for any white/black/blue crown vic with no lights just cause the driver wants me to.

By driving next to you, winding down their window, and telling you to pull over? Maybe with a horn blast to get your attention?

It might take a while before there is a safe point to do that, but they'll just patiently follow you until then.

If need be, they'll follow you all the way to your destination.