BestScenicRoutes.com

Posts Tagged ‘Motorcycle’

What color is your motorcycle, car or truck? Your paint is likely a color that is pleasing to the eye. Perhaps it is even your favorite color. Ugly paint jobs don’t sell automobiles.

What color is your riding gear? Perhaps your gear is black from head to toe. Looks cool, right?

Aerostich encourages the use of high-viz colors. This graphic from their site explains the benefits.

Riders need to stand out among the river of pleasing colors used to paint the SUVs, pickups and cars that flood the road everyday. As a motorcyclist, pleasing colors could also be explained as colors that don’t stand out in traffic. Personally, I prefer riding gear that will burn a hole in the eye’s of drivers all around me. Fluorescent colors such as blaze-orange, lime-green or high-viz yellow won’t be splashed on the wall of my house anytime soon. At least that is what my wife tells me. Fluorescent colors aren’t found in nature and really stand out in traffic. That’s exactly why they are perfect for motorcycle riding gear.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nearly 55 percent of fatal motorcycle crashes involve more than one vehicle. The overwhelming majority of those crashes involved a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle, i.e. car or truck. In the battle between motorcycle and car, the riders lose. Yes, there’s a stat to back that up. Approximately, 98 percent of fatal motorcycle versus car crashes results in the death of either the rider or passenger, and not the passenger-vehicle occupants.

A side-by-side comparison of the black and day-glo fluorescent colors for the Firstgear Kilimanjaro jacket.

If you have been involved in a motorcycle crash or heard stories, then you likely heard that the driver “didn’t even see ‘em.” The very characteristics of motorcycles that make them fun and economical lead to them being hard to see. That is exactly where good protective riding gear can come to the rescue.

Riding gear helps to protect you in a crash. For me, the most important part about the gear is its ability to help prevent a crash in the first place. A high-viz yellow jacket or riding suit may be just the ticket to having a driver say, “Phew, that was close, I’m glad that I saw them.”

Patrick Hahn from the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center stated in a June 2010 interview on the SideStandUp podcast that a New Zealand study shows that simply wearing a white helmet instead of a black helmet reduces your chance of a crash by 24 percent. That stunned me when I first heard it. What a simple way to save your life!

If changing the color of your helmet helps that much, just imagine what more real estate could do. The New Zealand study also showed that riders wearing a fluorescent reflective vest were 37 percent less likely to be involved in a multiple-vehicle crash than riders without one. That’s almost the same risk reduction as not drinking and riding. A $25 fluorescent reflective vest isn’t going to get you a date, but it is a very cost-effective way to avoid a crash.

Even hi-viz patches on my Roadcrafter improves visibility.

Of course, there are ways to add conspicuity and remain somewhat fashionable. My Aerostich Roadcrafter riding suit has high-viz patches at the shoulders, elbows, knees and shins. It is an option to have the entire suit in high-viz. At the request of my pillion, I went with the patches because it was easier on her eyes while staring at me lovingly for hours on rides. She can’t get enough! The downside of this is that there are fewer square inches of bright fabric to catch drivers’ eyes.

The main thing is to find a balance. As you’ll hear in MSF courses, manage your personal level of comfort and risk. You may be comfortable in all black or all fluorescent colors. I am comfortable with some retina-burning color on my suit.

The end goal is to avoid being laid out on a stretcher hearing someone in the distance saying, “I didn’t even see ‘em.”

What is your gear comprised of? Do you wear a helmet and jacket? What colors are they? Post your responses in the comments section. I’d love to have a full-blown discussion on this topic and perhaps learn a thing or two from you.

©BestScenicRoutes.com. All rights reserved.

Side by side comparison of no lights, lights.

As with most motorcycles, my bike has a small single brake light that only garners moderate attention. I want a light that Las Vegas would be proud of to get through the traffic and nail drivers behind me right in the eyes.

After watching a video for Hyper-Lite LED lights that overwhelmed the camera, I decided that these could be the ticket to a flashy hind end. Service was prompt and within a few days of contacting Hyper-Lite my new U32 LED brake lights arrived.

Hype-Lite U32 LED Lights Build Quality = A

A simple plastic housing encases the LEDs and protects them from the elements. Each light protrudes from the case. The lights include long leads, Posi-Tap, Posi-Connect and industrial grade adhesive pads to power and attach the small LED lights to a motorcycle. Everything that you need is right there in the package.

Hyperlites U32 system out of the package.

Hyper-Lite U32, Ease of Install = A

After removing the seat and assessing the rear of the brake light, installation is an absolute cinch. The lights were attached to my license plate holder and I drilled small holes to allow the wires to pass through the fender. The Hyper-Lite wires were then cut to length. The Posi-connects and Posi-taps connected the Hyper-Lite LED wires to the bike’s brake light wiring. The fender and seat were then re-installed. Easy as pie. Turning on the ignition revealed bright running lights. The running lights only use 30 percent of the available light to give you a good triangular pattern (two sets of LEDs down low and one brake light up high). Squeezing the brake lever really brought the Hyper-Lites to life. At most, these lights pull 1/3 of an amp. Technology has come a long way since motorcyclists first rode at night with candlelight.

When the brake light is applied, look out! Especially in the dark of night.

How bright are the Hyper-Lite brake lights?

In the words of George Takei (of Star Trek fame) in the Sharp TV commercials, “Whoa! Ohhhh my!” The Hyper-Lite U32 LEDs are bright enough to send an SOS to passing jets 30,000 feet  in the air. They should do just the trick to get the attention of the next Mercedes SUV driver paying too much attention to a phone call to notice the fine and narrow rear end of my Suzuki V-Strom. Hopefully, this is enough to keep drivers stopped safely behind me in traffic.

Hyper-Lite U32, Bang for Your Buck = A

The U32 system sells for $75.95 with brake light only and $93.95 with brake light and running lights. Hyper-Lites offer several options to help get your butt noticed. They range in price from $55.95 to $98.95. A small price to pay to make your vulnerable side more conspicuous.

There are cheaper LED lights on the market. The extra cost of the Hyper-Lite LED lights is justified in that they operate as advertised, are easy to install and are backed by a responsive company. I have not found another brand that offers this combination of benefits at the same cost.

I skipped on the license plate bracket ($10.50), but would recommend that you buy it. I spent too much time creating my own and it doesn’t look as nice as theirs. I’ll likely end up buying it to make the installation look better. The U32 system has two options, running/blinking brake light or running/blink-then-solid brake light. Mine blinks incessantly in order to heighten visual stimulus.

Was this product review helpful? Let us know by posting in the comments section and supporting the site by clicking the button below.

©BestScenicRoutes.com. All rights reserved.