High beam

[EJK]

I know some of you guys ride with high beam on during the day for safety reasons but, may I say it, damn some modern bike's are bright as hell! It's like riding with a small sun! Was chased by a Ninja 300 the other day and it was like driving while some kid with a laser pointer trying to shine at my eyes.

Some may counter-argue it's better to be annoying than not seen but still somewhat feels OTT (insert loud pipe saves lives here for good measure). Knowing this I never rode with high beam on during the day.

Thoughts?

[YellowDog]

Blinding your fellow road users will piss them off and make the want to run you off the road. Not really a wise safety manoeuvre in my view :no:

[johcar]

I know some of you guys ride with high beam on during the day for safety reasons but, may I say it, damn some modern bike's are bright as hell! It's like riding with a small sun! Was chased by a Ninja 300 the other day and it was like driving while some kid with a laser pointer trying to shine at my eyes.

Some may counter-argue it's better to be annoying than not seen but still somewhat feels OTT (insert loud pipe saves lives here for good measure). Knowing this I never rode with high beam on during the day.

Thoughts?Back in the day, when daylights on cars were uncommon (like only on Volvos), I used to ride with just my headlight on, except when on the open road, touring - then high beam. That was on my XJ900.

Today, riding a Tiger XCA, with daylights very much more common on other vehicles, even though the twins on the Triumph are pretty bright, I also use the running lights to be more visible.

Brights and hazards come on when I'm lanesplitting..

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

[Berries]

Blinding your fellow road users will piss them off and make the want to run you off the road. Not really a wise safety manoeuvre in my view :no:
What she said.

[AllanB]

Had the same recently. May have been OK 20 years ago with old tech lighting - now it's just fucking annoying and bordering on dangerous as it makes it even harder to judge how far away the bike is.

No doubt group riding with your high beam on is ultra risky.

[jellywrestler]

I know some of you guys ride with high beam on during the day for safety reasons

you spelt cause they're aresholes incorrectly

[2fst4u]

Not to mention illegal if you're not dipping them when approaching oncoming traffic.

[Graystone]

Fucking hipsters.


Some cagers have starting doing this too, though the drivers do seem to be fucking old so it may be dodderyness over cuntiness.

[Honest Andy]

It's a headlight arms race out there... Modern headlights are brighter than the sun and no competition for my old bikes, whos headlights used to be pretty good, but now are next to useless against the new tech :no:
As for high beam during the day? I agree with Jello, they're arseholes

[eldog]

While I agree about hi beam lights and blinding on coming as well as traffic in front

I support the use of extra positioning lights.

it makes me more visible to oncoming people:eek:

but it doesn’t guarantee they won’t get back on their side of the road.

the flash of the high beam sometimes helps.

[Graystone]

the flash of the high beam sometimes helps.

Going over the kaimais on the weekend, flashing headlights did fuck all to get people into the slow vehicles lanes; so much so that I had to check my lights still worked at the next stop. Are people simply becoming so used to this stuff it is losing effect light high vis clothing?

[eldog]

Going over the kaimais on the weekend, flashing headlights did fuck all to get people into the slow vehicles lanes; so much so that I had to check my lights still worked at the next stop. Are people simply becoming so used to this stuff it is losing effect light high vis clothing?getting people in front to move over, infringes on their right to do whatever they want. LOL

the Emergency services have a hard job getting a lot of people to move over.

The other day I witnessed a 'person' pullout in front of an ambulance which had been visible for approx 100m. The person had been stopped at a red light. The ambulance had just reached the lights with siren, lights AND INDICATOR ON. This 'person' then pulled out as 'he' had a green light. The ambo had to take evasive action. FFS.

https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/smilies/wallbash.gif

its all about me, me, ME not so much a community more what the individual believes.Yes there is so much hivis and signs etc,no surprises that people dont see them as important.I have 3 High Beam lights, that usually gets them moving, I can turn them up to blinding level if required.

https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/smilies/cool.gif

My main problem is on-coming vehicles on my side of the road, who dont seem to care that some poor sod is coming the other way.

[BMWST?]

no,no ,no and no for high beam during the day.Even with old skool halogens its bloody distracting and annoying.I belive double DRLs are more effective than even high beam.If you have HID high beams can i be even more emphatic with the no!.

[Jeeper]

High beams are annoying, particularly the LED/HID variety. Now add a bit of unadjusted aim in the mix and they are headache/rage inducing. I have sometimes let people pass while driving a car, and then given them the same treatment following them (only if they are a car). It's fairly quick that my presence is acknowledged. I don't do this as a habit.

[Graystone]

getting people in front to move over, infringes on their right to do whatever they want. LOL

the Emergency services have a hard job getting a lot of people to move over.

The other day I witnessed a 'person' pullout in front of an ambulance which had been visible for approx 100m. The person had been stopped at a red light. The ambulance had just reached the lights with siren, lights AND INDICATOR ON. This 'person' then pulled out as 'he' had a green light. The ambo had to take evasive action. FFS.

https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/smilies/wallbash.gif

its all about me, me, ME not so much a community more what the individual believes.Yes there is so much hivis and signs etc,no surprises that people dont see them as important.I have 3 High Beam lights, that usually gets them moving, I can turn them up to blinding level if required.

https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/smilies/cool.gif

My main problem is on-coming vehicles on my side of the road, who dont seem to care that some poor sod is coming the other way.

Fuckwits everywhere alright! Was getting pretty tempting to swing out and pass them on the left in the slow bay, done that plenty of times in passing lanes but slow bays on downhill corners seem a bit dodgier...

[RedShiftRR]

The LED headlight on my MT-09 Tracer is already so bright, I don't even ride with high beam on at night.

[Honest Andy]

The LED headlight on my MT-09 Tracer is already so bright, I don't even ride with high beam on at night.

Good man, high beam is for pussies...;)

(have you checked your adjustment? And I don't mean passed a warrant, I mean can you see the backs of peoples heads in the car in front?)

[FJRider]

Good man, high beam is for pussies...;)

(have you checked your adjustment? And I don't mean passed a warrant, I mean can you see the backs of peoples heads in the car in front?)

Probably blinds himself with their RV mirror ... :devil2:

[GazzaH]

"The flash of the high beam sometimes helps."

That's the crux of it. If you already have high beam on, how do you up-the-ante to warn someone about something exceptional? Toot your horn? Flash your flashers? Gesticulate wildly or shout "I say, you, yes you sir!!" at the top of your voice? Or frantically dip then flash while plummeting towards impending doom?

I'll be fitting a laser to mine. One of those nucular-powered satellite-busting mil-spec laserers to blast things out of my path, without also blasting the path.

[Jeeper]

Are air horns legal on bikes in NZ?

[BMWST?]

Are air horns legal on bikes in NZ?

of course.The problem is finding the space fo th comprssor or the trumpets.The stebel nautilus is more compact (example) (https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/interior/other/auction-1538156072.htm)

[eldog]

"The flash of the high beam sometimes helps."

That's the crux of it. If you already have high beam on, how do you up-the-ante to warn someone about something exceptional? Toot your horn? Flash your flashers? Gesticulate wildly or shout "I say, you, yes you sir!!" at the top of your voice? Or frantically dip then flash while plummeting towards impending doom?

I'll be fitting a laser to mine. One of those nucular-powered satellite-busting mil-spec laserers to blast things out of my path, without also blasting the path.

If they are on full, I still have more light available :yes:

they start to worry when the red dot appears on the dash.....

[eldog]

Fuckwits everywhere alright! Was getting pretty tempting to swing out and pass them on the left in the slow bay, done that plenty of times in passing lanes but slow bays on downhill corners seem a bit dodgier...
On coming vehicles in your lane are hard to move no matter what you have.:bash:

[EJK]

Are air horns legal on bikes in NZ?

Yes, so is full Akrapovic exhaust system... I think.

[Jeeper]

Yes, so is full Akrapovic exhaust system... I think.Not on LAMS bike. Exhaust, I mean.

[eldog]

of course.The problem is finding the space fo th comprssor or the trumpets.The stebel nautilus is more compact (example) (https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/interior/other/auction-1538156072.htm)
Add a relay and double it onto the original horn(can get double slip on crimp connectors) this enables the signal from the horn button to trigger the horn. Relay so you don’t burn out the flimsy switches most bikes have. Some heavy fused line direct from the battery.

you can remotely mount the horn from the compressor if you so choose.

www.fastbikegear.co.nz is one source.

[eldog]

Remember it’s YOUR safety in question here.

you are not located in a steel cage

you are exposed even wearing ATGATT

SHIT can and does happen anytime, anywhere, any speed.

warning or not, time or instantly often you are only a participant

what you do before, during and after you cannot undo.

Use your high beam to effect, vision on the road, alert others etc.

not to annoy fellow road users.

we need more people who are concerned about motorcyclists, not complaining about those reckless bastards.

trouble is Kiwibiker is only a small sample of NZders who ride. And we are usually the converted.

[Swoop]

Are people simply becoming so used to this stuff it is losing effect light high vis clothing?
A lot of tin-top wheel-turners (certainly they are not "drivers" in any way, shape or form) have their head downwards towards their phone nowadays...

[Berries]

Add a relay and double it onto the original horn(can get double slip on crimp connectors) this enables the signal from the horn button to trigger the horn. Relay so you don’t burn out the flimsy switches most bikes have. Some heavy fused line direct from the battery.
Have you any idea how hard it is to get the full Dukes of Hazard from a GSXR750 without the pipes sticking out of the fairing?

Very nearly gave up.

[eldog]

Have you any idea how hard it is to get the full Dukes of Hazard from a GSXR750 without the pipes sticking out of the fairing?

Very nearly gave up.
Glad to hear you didn't give up:headbang:

[russd7]

just recently had the ole load pipes save lives and "i ride with my headlight on full beam", my experience in more than a cpl of decades of riding and driving is that load pipes scare the shit out of most people because most of the time they don't know you are there until you are flying past and the modern headlights on bikes on full beam during the day can be very dazzling, but hey lets blind the fuckers in tin tops so they have an excuse to run into you, also causes target fixation and can make a bike seem a lot further away than it really is.

honestly in this day with so many cars now driving with headlights on then i would rather not have to have mine on. as a young fella my headlight was on all the time and then round the late nineties i seemed to have more cars pulling out in front of me and i figured they were misjudging my distance so i had an off switch fitted to the zzr and started riding with the light off and those instances stopped almost immediately then they went and changed the law.

[granstar]

Going over the kaimais on the weekend, flashing headlights did fuck all to get people into the slow vehicles lanes; so much so that I had to check my lights still worked at the next stop. Are people simply becoming so used to this stuff it is losing effect light high vis clothing?

Valid point at work if you don't wear hi- vis people see you. A lot cars notice drive about with park lights on and not low beam.
Myself not required to have a light on anytime of day as pre-1980 bike (never been stopped once by :Police: to check why no light on in all these years). My white helmet stands out more than any Lucas candle albeit upgraded with solid state elecys, relays and a halogen for night riding and possibly has been my saviour as stands out 360 unlike hi-viz which only visible side on or close up, from behind would be hidden by top box. Dawn and dusk i'll use the low beam.