“Human looking” bikes improve safety

**Bob** · 14th March 2008, 01:22

According to Canadian researchers, motorcycles that “Look human” are more likely to be noticed by car drivers approaching from the opposite direction.

Study by scientists found that motorcycles that resemble a human face - especially an ‘angry’ one with diagonal headlights - are ‘significantly’ more visible to other drivers.

“People see not just motorcycles coming at them but motorcycles with human characteristics and faces," according to Charles Kenny, president of Right Brain People, a consumer psychology firm specializing in motor vehicles.

"It connects to something very basic in the psyche that goes back to when they were little children."

**BadCompany** · 14th March 2008, 05:15

My defensive dricing instructor also said that people spot bikes with two front headlights better then they do a bike with a single headlight.

What a load of bollocks though.

**lordandrevv** · 14th March 2008, 07:31

so we finally understand why anyone would ever put a headlight like this one their bike:

**Mental Trousers** · 14th March 2008, 10:30

Years ago when I worked in the Psychology Department at the local uni me and 2 others made a driving simulator that the department used for studies. They found things about car drivers like:

they recognize cyclists, pedestrians, dogs, horses etc because their vehicle is a threat to those people/animals
they recognize other cars, trucks etc because those vehicles are a threat to them
they don't recognize motorbikes because they're not large enough to be a threat and they don't see anything to identify the rider as human (and therefore place them in the 1st category), especially because of the helmet (can't see the head/face)

So the best thing to do is to make your bike and yourself either look like a threat or make drivers think they're a threat to something living, like and animal (hence why the headlights like eyes works).

**sugilite:Me** · 14th March 2008, 11:19

So if I put a decent set of latex boobs above my headlights, and a firm latex male shaped butt below them, I'd be seen by all and no worries?

**007XX** · 14th March 2008, 11:45

Originally Posted by sugilite

So if I put a decent set of latex boobs above my headlights, and a firm latex male shaped butt below them, I'd be seen by all and no worries?

This post is useless without pics

Anyway...hubby and I came to observe the same thing when he went from riding a blue Speed Triple to a black Daytona...

Cagers were noticeably getting out of our way with the Daytona, which was back then a more "aggressive" looking bike...

**fireball** · 14th March 2008, 11:52

that must be the reasoning behind the new ZX10 the whole front end is nasty.....

but i do agree i was more noticable on my FXR than Rawberry...... but that could also be because i was higher off the ground and looked like a tool on it