Why is motobike gear all black?

[Number One]

Agreed! Options here are limited for women and thats because we dont have the numbers for retailers to line their shelves with options.
PS im not blonde or milky skinned

Crikey yes! I am addicted to black and as a rule decided that I would try to be more visible on the road.

So of course I purchased a silver bike preceeded to get black pants...cos I just don't have the legs for white and got myself a jacket that I would best describe as a 'compromise' between plain black and garish baby pink or blue.

Nice jacket actually really happy wif it...Ixon Nirvana...can even kinda stand the embroidered flowers on the neck and one sholder... Man that sounds bad but they are pretty subtle...even though they are in sparkly pinky fushia thread....oh dear

Here's a review and piccie...and yes I am always interested in 'preserving my femininity' LMAO!
http://www.bikersweb.co.uk/Features/...?ArticleId=180

1 downer - not enough pockets and no zipper airflow vent do dads.

[Aero165]

Here's a pic of my new gear! Not so much black as it is black an white!!
Attached Thumbnails

__________________
Oh.... Aw, mum look!


Do you always wear ya gear in th bedroom and ask for mum

I had just bought the gear. You retard.

[Ragingrob]

Well my gf just bought one of those bright pink cordura jackets haha, so we'll see if people see her or not!

[AllanB]

Its not that long ago that bikes leaked oil everywhere (Thanks Honda for stopping this) and black was -well practical for this type of grime etc.

All my gear is black except my helmet - bike black as well - I always go for a coloiured patterned helmet as even I find a black helmeted rider hard to see sometimes. Bright helmets are the most visible indication of a rider in my books - for the anal note that I say in 'my books' and I have no other research to back this up

Also black is well ...... hard arse (unless you are at the blue oyster then watch ya arse).

[Hinny]

[QUOTE=MacD;1409826] vision is about contrast, not brightness. The human visual system can adapt over about 10e6 units of brightness, but is sensitive to as little as 1% contrast.

A black flag is more visible in low light conditions than a day-glo fluorescent one. Learned from commercial long liner. Light coloured flags have high reflective values but 90% of fuck all doesn't amount to much. It becomes a case of notice by exception with the black.

[Hinny]

as a freckled, auburn haired person ...
I've got all black . . . :

And I've seen you at the corners and cafes it seems.
Red hair and black leather, my favourite colour scheme.

Vincent Black Lightning 1952
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF61W...eature=related

[Mikkel]

Science funded by a company with a financial stake in proving a point isn't science.

It can be. But the conclusions should always taken with a grain of salt. If it smells too much of gland hugging - disregard it.

Hmm...funny you mention that. I noticed that the majority of bikers here wear black. Certainly a far higher percentage than in Eurotrashville.

Well, with the NZ market being fairly limited the stores don't take stock in, in colours that doesn't sell as well. So when black is the biggest seller they don't leave you much choice - except if you're willing to wait for a couple of weeks to have it shipped from overseas.

A black flag is more visible in low light conditions than a day-glo fluorescent one. Learned from commercial long liner. Light coloured flags have high reflective values but 90% of fuck all doesn't amount to much. It becomes a case of notice by exception with the black.

Indeed - black is by no means good camoflage. Contrary to popular belief - even night cameoflage is not black but a medium dark grey (yes, that goes for ninjas as well (not the bikes, stupid)).

Further more - most roads (except for the proper asphalt ones that we don't have many of around here or after rain) are not even close to being black. Black against a grey background actually stands out rather well. If you're going to complain about a colour for riding gear it should be silver or grey as that really matches fog...

And besides - how often do you actually look down onto a biker. Not that often I'd assume and then I guess matching the road surface also becomes quite irrelevant.

[Bonez]

I've taken some of the advice on this thread and have dressed accordingly for my ride this evening.

Will I be safe now? My legs and feet are so white they can be seen from outer space!

Nice looking pocket bike you have there.

[Hawkeye]

signiture ....

[n0regret5]

i find having two brothers pipes on my bike tends to help with visibility..though i must admit you're right about the black leather thing. i actually had a conversation with a co-worker a few days about this exact topic..hes just gotten back into riding after a 20-odd year hiatus (hes a good old chap, late 60's) and the only coloured gear he could find was the chicks gear and only in cordura/not leather..i have just bought a new jacket, old dririder beast thing and while its largely black there is a fair bit of red and white detail to it (TL is that awesome red colour) and it seems that more people notice me on the road.
maybe its time all the tough-ass harley riding wannabe leathers to make a quiet step off the runway..much like the Motor Company should..hah!

on a far more annoying note, i'm gonna be stripping down my TLs (look out for stuff for sale) to make a streetfighter and painting it satin black..:-D

[n0regret5]

[/QUOTE]Indeed - black is by no means good camoflage. Contrary to popular belief - even night cameoflage is not black but a medium dark grey (yes, that goes for ninjas as well (not the bikes, stupid)).[/QUOTE]

interesting factoid! thanks for this (i'm brilliant for knowing shit you didn't know, telling you, frustrating you and thusly entertaining myself) ninjas all used to wear dark red outfits as they would blend with the foliage, woodwork and stonework, and to hide the blood if they were hit/stabbed/cut/woman. all karate, judo and aikido uniforms were the same until the early 60's when the current ruling whatever decreed it was better to have white uniforms. bastards!

and now you know. pass this on to annoy someone else!

[enigma51]

Im sorry but all the guys in the thread is gay who gives a shit what color your gear is as long as does the job when you sliding down the road

[Jiminy]

Certainly a repost, but I like this link:
http://www.rideforever.co.nz/gear_up/visibility.html

If you get bumped by a car, say, once every five years (purely random number), then wearing bright colors will probably only change it to once every six or seven years. It is a significant difference, but not significant enough for you to notice it on every single ride. And of course, you might wear black and not crash for your entire life. Stats show tendencies, but don't predict the outcome for each individual.

I personlly find it re-assuring and cooler to wear a Quasi black-blue-gray jacket and a helmet with patterns instead of all black, but that doesn't prevent me to feel naked on the bike and to look all around like no one has seen me (or every one wants to kill). And sitting straight on a no-fairing no-windscreen cruiser, my jacket probably makes more difference than 'frogged' on a all-fairing sport bike. However, I don't feel that it makes enough difference for me to wear a high-vis vest and a white helmet.

What I *DO* find sad howevr is that some shops keep selling full black gear sets to beginners while rideforever.co.nz, RoadSafe (and probably other instructors), the road code and other bodies or sources of information recommend you to wear colored gear (especially a non black helmet). I believe colored gear is even more important in your first year(s) of riding until you have learned to read the traffic.

[McJim]

Nice looking pocket bike you have there.

Awww shucks - that's just a polite way of saying 'Oi McJim, you're a fat git!'

Chur.

[sAsLEX]

signiture ....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7190107.stm