Daytime running lamps?

[R650R]

They're making for some crap footage on these police reality shows too with the intense lights blowing out the highlight detail and smearing faces with solid blobs of colour, looks awful.
When they first came out I nearly ran over a highway patrolman on the Taupo waterfront in the truck.
You can't help but be a possum and stare at the new disco lights and they were all I could see. when I was about two metres away my headlights were finally close enough to make his yellow hivis brighter than the strobes...
I notice they seem to have a slightly toned down mkII version since then though...

[jonnyk5614]

Can you clarify please? As far as I am aware, no motorcycles have DRL fitted ex factory?

As the law states, you may not run your main headlight(s) at the same time as DRLs. One or the other and this law applies to both cars and bikes.

New R1.


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[Monsterbishi]

Both my 1994 YZF750R and 1994 YZF600R have a DRL, they even call it as such in the owners manual.

[rastuscat]

The Police ST1300s have DRLs.

They are pretty weak and ineffectual, but they are OEM.

[Bikemad]

yay or nay during the day Rastus......will i be ticketed?

[Gremlin]

yay or nay during the day Rastus......will i be ticketed?

Nay. http://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.n...ting/headlamps

You're changing colour, is light red or a shade of red? That would be a big no-no.

On the link, Performance, 12 (f), it would also be considered altered.

Also under notes:

Note 4

If a headlamp is fitted with a readily removable cover, other than a clear plastic cover, this must be removed for inspection of the headlamp.

[Bikemad]

Nay. http://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.n...ting/headlamps

You're changing colour, is light red or a shade of red? That would be a big no-no.

On the link, Performance, 12 (f), it would also be considered altered.

Also under notes:

so only clear covers allowed then?
i figured red would be a problem.......what about other colours.......grey.green?.....only on during the day......put clears on for night riding

[Gremlin]

so only clear covers allowed then?
i figured red would be a problem.......what about other colours.......grey.green?.....only on during the day......put clears on for night riding

If the covers are altering the white/yellow of the headlight, then I'd say you're pretty much confined to what light can be emitted in a direction, which is namely yellow/white to front and sides and yellow/red to rear, with no red on front, no white on rear (excluding lic plate light).

Blue is a no-no re cops, green lights are used for doctors/medics but mostly you're going back to just white or yellow lights facing forward... Basically it's about being able to tell what direction a vehicle is travelling. Night wise, I think I remember reading no tinted covers etc because of reducing the effectiveness of the light.

I see tinted covers during the day on cars (and some at night), but why you'd want to make your headlight less visible on a motorcycle is beyond me...

[rastuscat]

yay or nay during the day Rastus......will i be ticketed?

Red light to the front is a bad idea, and ticketable.

As Gremlin mentioned, it's about others being able to tell which direction you are travelling at night. Often the lights are the only clue, hence the code we have.

It's a bit like nautical navigation lights, red for port, green for starboard. People tell the orientation of the vessel at night by those lights.

[Daffyd]

Red light to the front is a bad idea, and ticketable.

As Gremlin mentioned, it's about others being able to tell which direction you are travelling at night. Often the lights are the only clue, hence the code we have.

It's a bit like nautical navigation lights, red for port, green for starboard. People tell the orientation of the vessel at night by those lights.

Red lights on the front have been all the rage here, especially jeepneys and tricycles. They also use blue, green, orange, and even, sometimes, white, sometimes flashing. Some have even replaced their main headlights with coloured lamps.
Pain in the arse at night when you see a row of red lights coming towards you. DOTC is finally clamping down on it but as with everything else here, it's too little, too late.

[russd7]

Red light to the front is a bad idea, and ticketable.

As Gremlin mentioned, it's about others being able to tell which direction you are travelling at night. Often the lights are the only clue, hence the code we have..

shame that the tractors that drive on the road at night with the plowlights on are not hammered a bit harder, bloody dangerous and often blinding

[Tazz]

shame that the tractors that drive on the road at night with the plowlights on are not hammered a bit harder, bloody dangerous and often blinding

Yeah, but you can see them coming sweet as can't ya

[bogan]

Yeah, but you can see them coming sweet as can't ya

*going, plows generally being attached to, thus lit towards, the rear of the tractor.

and yes, cops do pull you up for that shit; doing a runner not encouraged noticed

[AllanB]

There are plenty of cars running around CHCH with blacked out headlamp covers. I wondered how it affected the light at night.


The bit about retrofitted lights must be symmetrically mounted is weird. New BMW anyone ......

Basically if it is stock you are fine - my Ducati has two LED running lights below/either side of the headlight and run with the headlight. Factory. All good.

[Frodo]

I fitted Stonk running lights (http://www.fastbikegear.co.nz/index....oducts_id=6835) to my Shiver three years ago, hoping to avoid future SMIDSY incidents. These improve visibility and the triangle pattern improves depth perception by other motorists.
All good. So far...
Yesterday I failed my warrant because of these lights. The bike shop guys were apologetic and I followed up the rules (https://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt....-running-lamps)
I also looked at the rules regarding "position lamps".
In short:
- You can't have DRLs on when your headlight is on.
- Position lights can only be fitted to motorcycles wider than 1.5m

There is also the statement: "A vehicle originally manufactured with a daytime running lamp arrangement that differs from what is required or permitted in this section may retain the original daytime running lamps provided they remain fitted in their original position and perform as intended by the vehicle manufacturer."

So the bike shop was correct.
But this law is an ass.
The Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council commissioned a review of visibility (https://msac.org.nz/assets/Uploads/p...L-Report-w.pdf) and concluded:
"When considering the weight of evidence, both seem to be capable of improving conspicuity, when this is measured in terms of detection (under search and attention conspicuity conditions), and when measured in terms of a behavioural response (such as size of gap accepted in front of a given motorcycle). … In terms of lighting, although it appears that dedicated daytime lighting on motorcycles is effective in increasing conspicuity, this effect may be smaller when other vehicles have their lights on. "

The MSAC followed this up with a "validation trial" (https://msac.org.nz/our-work/visibility-project/).
They stated (in 2012 I believe) "The data analysis will be finished in early 2014, and we'll report the results to you as soon as they are available."
This information is not available on the MSAC website and I could not find it elsewhere.

I know one of the MSAC members and will follow this up.

PS I know that some of this is covered in this thread, but given the thread is 13 pages long, I thought an update might be appropriate.