I don't get it

[ainsworth]

thanks for your comments about my english. I use a trick to revise my spelling, I write in a box in google translator to don´t fall in a mistake confusing words. ::008::
For example, today here in Argentina is the lawyer day, and you know the joke. Many times for foreing people the pronunciation in enlgish is very simillar between words with different meaning

 

[Checkswrecks]

Deer in the East, open desert in the West, and to just be able to see if I'm doing high speed on a long distance night.
The stockers are adequate, but I sure don't think they are as good as what is on the FJR or VStrom. And we supplemented those for LD rides.

 

[autoteach]

English is one of the toughest languages to learn, the hardest being where you place adjectives and the multiple meanings of words or HOMONYMS, HOMOPHONES,
HOMOGRAPHS, and HETERONYMS. A lot of this doesn't translate, so I will say we get it. I cant speak any other language enough to get on with life anywhere but the USA or an english speaking country.


As for the lights, and the "probably won't use them"... This reminds me of the dude with the small wanker talking to the girl enamored with the idea of huge would trying to convince her that she shouldn't bother with it because she won't be able to use all of it. What I am saying is this, there are plenty of people who purchase a bike, say a S10, that don't want to mod it or can't afford it and have envy of those modified bikes. Instead of jumping in the deep end with the rest, they try to convince others that there huge...bike... just is too much for any road to even use. It may even wreck the sides of the road, leaving it loose and with a lack of "feeling" for the next guy. So, for those of you (us) modding our bikes, your making it tough for others to find pleasure in riding there lesser bikes. Ronh, whatcha think?

 

[fredz43]

Good on you guys that ride at night and I hope that your aux lights help you see the critters. I gave up night riding after hitting a deer one night in November 1992. It ran out into the road from the woods to my left and there was no way for me to stop in the distance between me and where he came onto the road. At 60 mph you are travelling 88 feet per second, so if it runs out 100 feet ahead of you, you don't have much of a chance. I braked vigorously, but tee boned the deer and as the bike went down I went airborne, leaving boot polish on my gas tank as I flew off, landing face first on the asphalt. I decided that in a case like that any lights may light up the road very well, but they won't light up the forest and cornfields on the side of the road where they may be running from. I can see where it would be a big help if one were standing way down the road, or even at the side of the road, way down the road, but that isn't always the case.

So, having survived that with a broken collarbone, some road rash and a totalled Concours, I decided that I really don't need to ride at night. If I can't get to my destination by nightfall, I will be stopping overnight. I tell my friends that if you see me riding at night, you have made a mistake, 'cause it ain't me. ;D

 

[caveman]

I probably tend to agree that a lot of the farkles people go to a lot of expense on are there for looks alone but you have attracted some response here about lighting. There is no doubt if you ride at night outside town limits in many countries you will eventually hit something that will cause grief. In many parts of OZ, just stay home, the wildlife wins at night and I have still hit Kamikaze animals with 4 bull light on a vehicle. The lights still cant pick up something coming fast out of thick timber or bushes or from a table drain.
Deer and Roo are too fast in your peripheral vision but at least you give yourself a chance and can spot animals grazing on the side of the road, the next decision on which way they are going to jump is the important one.

 

[ainsworth]

Fredz43
your option is "the best". I agree with you.
The point here in the south of Argentina (Patagonia) many times you don´t have another city or town to reach with daylight and then you must ride 1 hour or less in the night. For this moments is a good idea have a set of auxiliar lamps.

 

[autoteach]

now, I haven't hit an animal, but here in wisconsin it happens in the daylight just as easy as the dark. I ride regardless of that risk. If crashing was going to stop me from riding at night, it would stop me from riding altogether. So, with that, I am getting a bigger...I mean auxiliary lights.

 

[The Rotund One]

A couple of points...

As far as Bambi goes... Round one: Cotton truck-1, Bambi-0. Round two: Bambi's daddy-1, Chevy van-0. Both last September three days apart and I almost rode a bike rather than drive the van that morning.

As soon as I decide which ones I want, I'll have them on both ends of my S10. Aside from seeing the wildlife, like ainsworth said, to look bigger than you are as well as just being seen. I've read that the reason you see the lights on a locomotive in that triangular pattern is that the brain wont disregard it. A pair on the crash bars solves the front. A pair on the pannier mounts solves the rear.

And yes, I don't have a problem in the world being obnoxious as opposed to being dead.... I assume everyone is trying to kill me and ride accordingly.

 

[autoteach]

And this is where I agree with you, all that gawddam crap. You know, risers make as much sense as different sized and shaped helmets and riding gear.

 

[ainsworth]

Deve
if you have some article or note about distribution of light to improve attention please tell me.
I can´t remember if sometime I said I started to ride motorcycles at 40 years old, then I don´t have a lot of experience about motorcycles and for this reason I´m very interested to improve safety. Last week I bought 2 reflective vests.
My side boxes have reflective bands

My bike setup of lamps is 2 daylights at the top of crash bars in the most open position (most external side), if you see from front are 30cm from center line (60 cm between lamps) and 40 cm below main lamps, look as a kind of triangle. The other auxiliar lamps are 5 cm below main lamps and are switch on with the high beams.
In some countries are creating laws to force to use reflective vest France for example http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/france-about-the-hi-viz-law-for-motorcycles.htm
I don´t argue about if is 100% necessary all kind of gadgets to improve safety but think if 1 of them prevents a trouble all gadgets are justified
PS: what is gawddam? (I said, I don´t know all words and dictionary and google translator failed)

 

[Don in Lodi]

Interesting replies.

I don't live in rural America, although I don't have streetlights on the roads here either. They are paved though...

Personally, unless I was going somewhere where I knew I would be riding in rural/dirt areas at night, I don't think I would ever need them.

As for burning them just to "be seen," I don't think I'd do that either. It's kind of an asshole thing to do if you are riding in traffic, blinding the person in front of you. That's like riding with your high beams on... I don't see the point, other than to be obnoxious.

Ok, I think I'm seeing where you're misunderstanding of the use of auxiliary lighting is coming from. Maybe a former Jeeper? Aux lights, Bright Aux Lights, are not a daylight running light. Most states outlaw running severely bright lights in such a way as to blind, daylight or dark. You've got a misconception that all aux lights are grass burners all the time. Most light manufacturers provide for a system that is off or dim on low beam, and only go high when the user desires it, when high beam is needed usually. Yes, that can be bypassed, not a friendly thing to do really.
There is a pretty well proven theory that I've heard called the 'Safety Triangle'. A single point of light heading towards you as a driver gives your brain no sense of depth, could be thirty yards or 300 yards. One distance is safe to pull out in front of, the other will kill somebody. Yes, we have twin lights, stand off half a city block, that's one light coming at you. What the 'triangle' does, using aux lights, be they the pin point D2's, or 35 watt 4" cruiser spots, is widen the seen light pattern. This gives the brain a sense of depth. Suddenly that light that appeared to be 300 yards away is much closer because now there is something to focus on. This theory is very applicable to the inner city rider. You must give others the best opportunity to see you, not as a single point of light 'somewhere ahead', but as a moving object getting closer. Swearing at them after a close call when you haven't given them every chance to sense you is your own fault.
Many of us are outside the city limits, or our journeys take us there. Not dirt roads, while it might be nice, pavement does not end at the city limit sign. Here things begin to go the other way. We want to be able to have every chance to see what may be in front of us at all times, be that 11am or 11pm. While we've conscientiously adjusted our lights so as to not blind oncoming traffic after dark, low beam knife edge at or below hood level, (right guys?), this doesn't usually lend itself well to seeing critters, pot holes, asphalt alligators, or the apex of a turn, let alone the exit. Here is where the Brights, the Grass Burners, come in to their own. My D2's are not grass burners on bright, but holy cow do they improve night vision. On low beam I have not had a single person flash me yet. On hi flood the shoulders come clear. Signs flash bright seemingly a mile out. The whole corner is lit up. I saw a skunk scurry away fifteen feet off the road at 45mph. Never would have even noticed the animal without the aux floods.

The 'Safety Triangle' is a proven. All we are to a cager (or another mc) is a single eyed cage 300 yards off without a bigger pattern to focus on. Since autos are now all coming with daylight running lights, it's just as important for us to be seen better in the day time as well. Have you seen some of the tail light stuff going on hear? More stuff for you to digest.

Should all bikes come with aux lighting? Probably, but then you might as well buy a car.

As always, IMHO.

 

[spasm]

mine definatley make me more visable, and riding through the very dark long valley and mouhtain roads through wales in the middle of the night was a god send, lighting up the embankments and wildlife was pretty helpful ide say ::001::

 

[autoteach]

I always get flashed the brights with just low beams and no additional lighting, and the
"gawddam" is actually a phonetically driven misspelling of God Damn, many times these types of misspellings are done to avoid "taking the lords name in vain", but by biblical standards they do nothing to exonerate the person. They can also be spelled phonetically to illustrate language variations of different regions. I hope this helped.

 

[Maxified]

Don't care about being seen, the highbeams and my gear are sufficient. I want to light up the night.

I concur, lighting up the dark is a good thing to avoid the live moving obstacles and the Clearwater Kristas do a fair job of that. Having the option to dial in a brightness intensity is a plus but there are a lot of decent lighting options out there.

 

[Don in Lodi]

I always get flashed the brights with just low beams and no additional lighting, and the
"gawddam" is actually a phonetically driven misspelling of God Damn, many times these types of misspellings are done to avoid "taking the lords name in vain", but by biblical standards they do nothing to exonerate the person. They can also be spelled phonetically to illustrate language variations of different regions. I hope this helped.

Wholy Cow! Your lights are adjusted incorrectly to be constantly flashed by oncoming traffic.

 

[autoteach]

my headlights work really well...

 

[Don in Lodi]

my headlights work really well...

HID? You can still bring that knife edge below people's line of sight.

 

[DinX]

I don't have them now but will get them soon.

I use my bike for commuting (120km / day) and here in Belgium we are allowed to filter through traffic jams (as long as the speed is below 50km/h). Sometimes I see guys behind me running aux lights and you notice them from a much further distance then the regular lights. You see this magic triangle of light coming towards you

Visibility: with aux lights > xenon lights > regular lights

Ofcourse it doesn't help against the realy blind ones which you encounter every day (or the ones that just don't want to see you)

 

[MidlifeMotor]

What's the deal with running auxillary lights? Be honest, you will probably never use them in the bike's lifetime. I can only think of one scenario in which they would serve a purpose, other than to make people think "wow, what an adventurer!" when they see the bike, and that is if you are riding trails at night. Am I wrong?

Adding auxiliary lights is like adding an inch to your wiener. Do you need it? No. Does it make it better? You be the judge.

P.S. I have an OEM wiener.

 

[MrTwisty]

Adding auxiliary lights is like adding an inch to your wiener. Do you need it? No. Does it make it better? You be the judge.

P.S. I have an OEM wiener.

A whole inch! ??? I've gotta get me some auxillary lights! ;D