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Thread: No lights on bikes riding at dusk and in the dark

  1. #1
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    No lights on bikes riding at dusk and in the dark

    Spent the day doing return trip to Rotorua in the car. Very pleasant day but noticed an outstanding thing on the drive home. Two riders, one leaving Tirau, the other (with a pillion) joining SH1 to head north in Meremere riding without any light on the back of their bikes. One of them I guess felt it wasn't quite dark enough to have his lights on so he faded into the dusk very quickly with his black bike, black gear and no lights. The one with the pillion had his headlight on but it was very weak and the reflector on the back was so pisspoor (again black gear and dark bike) that barely a few car lengths ahead his bike merged with the darkness against the back of the car he was following and his "reflector" blended with the lights from oncoming traffic.
    If it wasn't for the fact that we'd seen him join the traffic flow and were looking for him, he would have been invisible from behind.

    I guess each to their own in terms of taking responsibility for being visible, but these guys were next to invisible. And I don't think it was just that they wanted to be ninja invisible. If you're going to play suicide jockey with your profile on a bike please at least don't do it with a pillion on board! Wipe yourself out - hey, your prerogative; wipe out a pillion as a result and that's not your prerogative!
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    Katman to steveb64
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    That's crazy, the risk of being rear-ended is high enough as it is, without riding with no lights at all... at night! I've seen cyclists ride at night with no lights or reflective items as well and I wonder if they know the risk they're taking.

  3. #3
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    I have a theory about this - light flare off windshields vs bare eyes for cyclists and visors for bikers.

    Windshields get dirty, have scratches from the wipers etc. Street lighting, headlamps etc scatters off the dust and scratches, the lighting tends to fog or flare out any dark, low-contrast areas. Try winding a window down (not while driving please), see how much more detail you can see into the shadows vs when looking through the windshield.

    I honestly think most of the cyclists you see at twilight or after will think that drivers can see the night the same way they see it. Not true, the windshield makes a big difference.

    These bikers should have definitely known better, though, there's no excuse for that sort of thing. Specially carrying a pillion.

  4. #4
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    Ah - who has a bike that you can turn off the lights? Was it 1984?



    Cyclists. Worse are those wankers with led lights strapped to their heads pointing directly at on coming cars. Friggen blinds you.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by AllanB View Post
    Ah - who has a bike that you can turn off the lights? Was it 1984?
    I do - the mid 90's Supersports will let the rider do that.

    [/QUOTE]Cyclists. Worse are those wankers with led lights strapped to their heads pointing directly at on coming cars. Friggen blinds you.[/QUOTE]

    I checked a while back. For road use, if I remember right, 50 watts mounted on the handlebars is about the limit. Helmet mounted lights verboten, possible exception for signal lights of 5 watts or less (Not sure, would have to check).

    You're right though, I see heaps of commuter cyclists using this. Guess it's one of those rules that isn't publicised or enforced very well.

  6. #6
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    Aaahhh, another "I'm better than other bikers because I do stuff different" thread. Haven't seen one of these for a while.

    How's about ya just concentrate on your shit, and let the rest of the world concentrate on theirs. If ya didn't say something to the riders you saw at the time, all you're doing here is yelling "LOOK AT ME, I'M PERFECT".

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    Fuck off Drew


    Oh and, since I'm obviously on a "I'm better than you" tangent at the moment, learn to spell properly.
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    Katman to steveb64
    Quote Originally Posted by Katman View Post
    I'd hate to ever have to admit that my arse had been owned by a Princess.

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    Quote Originally Posted by OddDuck View Post

    You're right though, I see heaps of commuter cyclists using this. Guess it's one of those rules that isn't publicised or enforced.
    Fixed it for you.
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    Quote Originally Posted by AllanB View Post
    Ah - who has a bike that you can turn off the lights? Was it 1984?



    Cyclists. Worse are those wankers with led lights strapped to their heads pointing directly at on coming cars. Friggen blinds you.
    i do, 1999 zzr1100, had to have the switch put on so i could turn the lights off, almost instantly stopped fuckwits pulling out in front of me. my theory was that because of so many dickhead car drivers using their headlights in full daylight i believe other drivers thought my one headlight was just a car a long way off. then they went and changed the law to say we have to ride with headlghts on

  10. #10
    Lights go on with the armoured leathers and the Showy - sweet, they can see me now, and if I crash I won't get hurt anyway.
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  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Motu View Post
    Lights go on with the armoured leathers and the Showy - sweet, they can see me now, and if I crash I won't get hurt anyway.
    Well at least with lights on you won't be actively contributing to your invisibility. Stupidity in other areas may still be factors that outweigh being easily seen though.
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    Katman to steveb64
    Quote Originally Posted by Katman View Post
    I'd hate to ever have to admit that my arse had been owned by a Princess.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by russd7 View Post
    i do, 1999 zzr1100, had to have the switch put on so i could turn the lights off, almost instantly stopped fuckwits pulling out in front of me. my theory was that because of so many dickhead car drivers using their headlights in full daylight i believe other drivers thought my one headlight was just a car a long way off. then they went and changed the law to say we have to ride with headlghts on
    The double headlamps certainly do give that impression.

    How about bikers having yellow lighhts instead of white ?

    Just a thought

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    Actually the yellow lights is a bloody good idea. Every now and then you see one (oddly I recall a GPZ550 or similar having yellow) and it really sticks out. Far to sensible a idea to consider really - if it was adopted and worked the ACC portion of rego may have to lower .....


    Yesterday I was out in the car with the family on the open road and a bike with two extra fork mounted little bright lights came towards us - very noticeable. Other than the extra light I occurred to me it may have something to do with the light triangle.

    Years back when the third high mount brake light for cars became law there was overseas studies proving the triangle of lights had a greater affect than two or four.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by YellowDog View Post
    The double headlamps certainly do give that impression.

    How about bikers having yellow lighhts instead of white ?

    Just a thought
    or how about fuckwits in tin cans only using their headlights at dusk or dark or in poor visibility, they do not need them to be seen

  15. #15
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    I ride with no headlight as not required to on my 79 Brit bike, besides the electrics being short on handling it even though iv'e fitted relays, never had an issue with tintops trying to skittle me on that, and I reckon it's because I wear an all white helmet and the upright riding style, could be the lazier speed of the bike? Helmet recognisable from a fair distance in all directions where as high viz is only seen from side on to a car.
    Have a mate has fitted a blue dot light at front of his bike, although not cosha you can see that from miles away, if it were legal i'd fit one.
    Other steed is crouch rocket and all time lights on, and appears to be a car magnet or have I forgot to take off the sign up front that reads " have a go, hit me".
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