Author Topic: For the bikers: Loud Suits Save Lives! (Read 1571 times)

811952 · « **Reply #60 on:** June 05, 2007, 05:05:00 PM »

Excellent stuff, Kevin!

kmh364 · « **Reply #61 on:** June 06, 2007, 09:33:15 AM »

You're welcome, John.

FWIW

I mentioned RLAP, here's the link:

http://ridelikeapro.com/

Motorman's got a new Dragon (Deal's Gap) DVD as well as touring and Police Motor Rodeo DVD's along with the instructional stuff.

Jerry and his wife Donna are tops! Ck out their site...they may be coming to a town near you. Their riding demo's are not to be missed!

cozmik_cowboy · « **Reply #62 on:** June 07, 2007, 02:47:55 PM »

Today on the way home I was behind a couple of bikes, and was reminded of a way to greatly increase your rear visibility. Get a bottle of Testor's Gloss White model paint (I disremember the color number). Take off your taillight lens & paint the silver reflector white. When it's dry, reassemble and be amazed at how much brighter it is - instead of a few weak red dots, that sucker will light up like a freakin' jack-o-lantern! (I thought of this because it was obvious the gentlemen in front of me hadn't done it.)

Peter

811952 · « **Reply #63 on:** June 07, 2007, 06:19:29 PM »

Definitely worth checking into, Peter!

I've also got Electro Pods on the taillight unit. They have 8 LEDs each and flash when the brakes are applied. Unfortunately mine have recently started just staying on, so I may replace them with Hyperlights, which are essentially the same, but more $$$ and better reliability. Those things really catch your eye..

John

kmh364 · « **Reply #64 on:** June 08, 2007, 10:47:06 AM »

Good ideas.

Personally, I take SEE and BE SEEN seriously. I have a 100W euro headlamp bulb, twin 50W halogen passing lamps (all with clear non-fluted lenses for max output). H-D keeps the turn signals illuminated as running lights as well. All this is blinding to oncoming traffic...I get the high beam flash all the time from oncoming motorists. When they do it enough, I give 'em the 100 Watter and it usually stops the flashing, LOL!

In the rear I have the old' Kuryakin Hot Flash kit: my turn signals double as running and brake lights. This really lights up the bike and multiplies the distance at which I can be discerned from the rear. When I hit the brakes, it's blinding...the turn signals are brighter than the taillight!

The only thing I don't have is something from the side. I loathe those lizard lights (LED pods that can be installed anywhere and flash/change color).

811952 · « **Reply #65 on:** June 08, 2007, 01:01:00 PM »

That's a lot of watts! The bigger Harleys are certainly visible coming and going. Sounds as though yours could probably blister paint with that headlight!

Have you looked into the black retro-reflective tape that Whitehorse Press sells? I think a bit of that on the frame might do wonders in the evenings and still be invisible during the day..

This morning I passed a BMW GS going the other way with a headlight modulator. It was extremely visible. I want one! Of course, Aerostich sells an HID kit that works on the KLR, but it's a bit out of my budget at the moment!

John

edited for grammar

(Message edited by 811952 on June 08, 2007)

kmh364 · « **Reply #66 on:** June 08, 2007, 05:12:05 PM »

Why, Yes! LOL!

The black R-R tape on the frame is an interesting idea.

FWIW, I have the Police alternator kit on my bike to handle the drain on the elec. system. The bike is a fuelie and besides the added illumination, I ride with full heated kit (Gerbings/H-D 3/4 Jacket, overpants, sox and gloves with dual thermostats) and I have a 1.2kW upgraded starter and the largest H-D sealed battery I could fit in the thing.

You're in luck: MCCN (above) just did an article on headlight modulators (why/how/how much/legalities, etc.) including installs on two Beemers that you might be interested in. I might do the same myself.

FWIW, while I was leery of LED lighting in the past...LED's have inherently poor off-axis performance...especially those screw-in LED replacement bulbs that take the place of std. incandescent light bulbs, the new Kuryakyn Panacea LED tail/turn system is awesome!

http://www.kuryakyn.com/category.asp?bn=harley&cn=Lighting&sn=Panacea

My buddy has 'em on his Ultra Classic and it is very visible. He got free install at Sturgis last year AND Michele Smith from the American Thunder TV show on SPEED was there and he met her and got some pix taken with her! She's a sweetheart and a knockout all rolled into one! That lucky b**tard LOL! I was getting my TruTrack stabilizer put on my Road King while he was hob-knobbing with biker royalty, LOL!

bigredbass · « **Reply #67 on:** June 08, 2007, 08:13:48 PM »

OK, maybe you guys can walk me through this to some sort of conclusion:

Bikes like Rami's HBomb or any of the current 600 or 1000cc supersports, offer a stupefying level of performance, yours for a song. Unfortunately for most people, they're too much bike. Last night a kid pitched his Yamaha R1 150 feet off a bridge not two miles from my home while street racing. Unfortunately he was still aboard and did not survive the flight. This is repeated all across the country. He THOUGHT he was ready after previously owning a 250 dirt bike. Naturally, street racing is not smart, but will never go away.

So here's where I'm torn:

A)

Part of me thinks it's a free country, and by God, if you've got the money, you should be able to buy whatever you want.

Or . . .

B)

After I got my driver's license, if wanted to drive 18-wheelers or motor coaches (for hire), there's ANOTHER license and some more training (I know, not much . . .). Hell, a lot of us had to drive at first with one of those Dad-in-the-front-seat-only licenses. So is it time for 'stepped' motorcycle licenses, ala Great Britain: You must spend a year (I believe) on a 250 street bike before you can apply for a license for the rest of the motorcycle displacement range (Deauvilles, GoldWings, RC51's, etc.?)

Along with this, my great disappointment: There's so few small bikes to learn on offered by the manufacturers these days, all the more galling inasmuch as for the rest of the world, they still offer tons of 250s, 400s, Honda still sells the Super Cub in most of the Third World.

I really want to begin riding again, and am truly terrified if I had to start off with a 600 Sport, and I look silly on a Harley or Harley-clone. I can't wait to see the new and improved KLR. But if I did not want something like that, I don't know where I'd start again.

Whaddya think?

J o e y

cozmik_cowboy · « **Reply #68 on:** June 09, 2007, 06:33:44 AM »

You're right Joey - I have often lamented the current lack of the starter bikes we all started on. Last year my youngest bought himself a non-running 1976 CB360T, which he spent the winter getting running (leaving me in the somewwhat hypocritical position of desperately needing another bike myself, while being scared s***less at the thought of him riding one - not helped by the 2 weeks in intensive care followed by brain suregery he collected on a bicyle last year). He commented on riding a friend's 750 crotchrocket, and I adamantly instructed him that he was to take a MSF course, get licensed, and spent at least 1 year on the 360 without ticket or accident before getting on anything bigger. Alas, he's 22 and a state and a half away, and its been some time since fatherly adviser was welcomed. At least he had the sense to find a smaller one to learn on - and to be terrified by the 750.
As an advocate of the step-up policy I recommended to him, and as the holder of a Class A CDL, I don't why I never thought of it, but you've now converted me to the cause of stepped MC licences (here in IL, they have 2 levels, but 1) the lower one is for 150cc or smaller - and as you say, where do you find a 150 these days, let alone a 90 or 50? and 2) its either/or - you don't have to get the Class L before the Class M)

Peter

811952 · « **Reply #69 on:** June 09, 2007, 06:41:10 AM »

Kevin, I'll look into those Kuryakyn Panacea LEDs. Thanks!

Joey, while I'm certain this makes me some sort of traitor to a lot of folks, I think I agree that a stepped mc license would probably save some lives here. When my wife and I took the Basic Rider Course, there were a couple of people who literally couldn't make the 125cc Kawasaki Eliminator bike go anywhere near where they wanted it to go, and made course work not unlike being the spaceship in a game of Asteroids, if you can picture it. These people had new Road Kings at home. To most all of our disbelief, everybody passed the class somehow (and there were more issues than just the riding) and these people are sharing our roads on a 1/3 ton of metal that they can't control.

As for my personal experience, I think if I'd gotten a KLR 250 or something similar, I wouldn't have been as much of a threat to myself and others as I'm certain I was when I first got the 650, and I'd spent a reasonable amount of time on motorcycles before (Suzuki 400 2-stroke when I was in high school, and sporadic riding in the intervening years).

If everyone was compelled by law to start out on a small bike, then there'd be enough available that they'd be cheap, instead of the present situation where there are only a couple of nice adult-sized 250 to 400 bikes around and new (because you can't find them used) they cost as much as or more than a used Sportster.

Of course, this applies to music as well. By starting players out with steps, or better still, half-steps, in no time at all (after a little practice) they'd be able to maneuver that minor or major third down the musical freeway without killing any innocent bystanders?

I present to the court Exhibit A:

http://moto.cled17.com/compil-de-chutes-de-stunt

Hope everybody's got a good gig lined-up tonight!
John

bsee · « **Reply #70 on:** June 09, 2007, 07:29:17 AM »

Buying whatever you want and being able/allowed to drive it on the street are two different things. I don't think you can draw the line at a 250, though. You can drive an older 750 and not be ready to handle a modern liter sport bike. A 600cc sport bike with decent horsepower and no weight is probably the cheapest way for a youth to commit suicide out of ignorance. It doesn't take an R1 to get you out of control at triple digit speeds.

Put someone on a 50 hp bike for a year and they'll learn a bit about handling before trying something stronger. For that year, they might only going 50 or 60 when they get off into a telephone pole instead of 90.

In short, I think restraint and training are the answer. The initial motorcycle license needs to come with enough education to do the job because I don't think restricting bikes will make that much of a difference for the guy that wants to wind it up. Any restriction you try to make will be too much and nowhere near enough.

Just my opinion...

811952 · « **Reply #71 on:** June 09, 2007, 04:56:15 PM »

Well stated, and true enough. *sigh*

As with all things, a little training goes a long way, as does a little experience.

It's been a lovely day, and I've seen several people nearly bite it just driving to setup for tonight's gig. I guess because I'm riding now I see how wrecklessly others sometimes ride.

John

rami · « **Reply #72 on:** June 09, 2007, 05:35:31 PM »

I only bought my H-Bomb for her stunning good looks. I'd never put her (and me) at risk trying to exploit her prowess on the streets. If I wanted to get stupid on a Hayabusa, I could have bought one 7 years earlier. Like I said earlier, there's alot to be said for age and experience. Besides, I think there's a MUCH greater problem of idiots who drink and drive - not to mention young idiots pushing their cars to their limits on the street. Realistically, how many motorcyclists do we see on an average day getting stupid compared to car drivers?

Rami

cozmik_cowboy · « **Reply #73 on:** June 09, 2007, 05:53:30 PM »

OK, let me revise my propsal. Take the MSF basic course and get licensed for 150 or smaller. A year (or 2) without crash or violation, and you take the advanced course and move to 350. Another safe & legal year & you can go unlimited. No way to be sure you're not parking it for a year, but really, if you have a bike, would you do that?
And as a professional driver, allow me to say that while I see amazingly reckless behavior from both cars and motorcycles, the dumbest stuff is done by city bicyclists. When I'm in the city (Chicago in my case) I spend WAY too much effort trying not to kill them. Not being aware of them, or making allowances, but actively maneuvering so as to avoid snuffing them despite their best efforts to die.

Peter

bsee · « **Reply #74 on:** June 09, 2007, 07:41:19 PM »

Peter, displacement doesn't say how dangerous a bike can be, but it is a start. Even so, there's such a big difference between the 30-50 hp of a 350 and the 150 hp of a liter sportbike. Rider size matters too. A 250 lb man on a Ninja 250 wouldn't be able to get on the highway, but a 120 lb woman would move pretty well on it.

If you're going to ride the big bikes hard, you ought to get a full protection suit and go to track school where you can learn some handling limits in a relatively safe environment. After that, you're on your own to ride intelligently.

I have to say I'm almost afraid to ride in this age where every motorist has a cell phone stuck to the side of their head. Bicylists may ride stupid, but no one is as clueless as the compulsive cell phone user.