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Why aren't bikes offered in the most visible colors?

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6.8K views 52 replies 21 participants last post by  mike721  
#1 ยท
Being highly visible is a real asset when on a motorcycle, especially with car and truck drivers half immersed in the smart phones while driving. I've worn reflective jackets and white or yellow helmets for years to add visibility, but the bikes themselves are rarely available in the colors that would enhance visibility. Most commonly bikes are black, or other dark colors, and even when red or green, at dusk or dawn such colors are not much different than black. Riders might choose day glow orange, or bright yellow, or at least white if such were normally offered by the manufacturers. Over the years I have seen a few OEM white motorcycles, but the only day glow orange one I have seen was an aftermarket paint job. My current ride is a type of metallic dark blue (I don't recall what BRP calls the color) but I would have bought one in white or yellow had it been available. Having a "cool" looking bike is secondary to safety in my opinion, and while riding, the rider hardly notices what color the bike is anyway.
 
#3 ยท
Granted a vibrant highly visible color probably would reduce deaths especially in Countries where day time running lights aren't mandatory, which are mandatory in Canada. Riding a motorcycle isn't a safe mode of transportation and 30 times more dangerous than cars.

There are sports and activities that can be avoided to ensure a longer life, so the reason people ride motorcycles, parachute, rock climb, ski etc is because they assess their acceptable risk levels. It would be a boring and insane world if we were afraid to walk out our front door incase we were put in a possible dangerous situation.
 
#4 ยท
IMO, a lot of motorcycle accidents/incidents involving other drivers/riders are head on or rear ended - very few are T-bones.. Doesn't matter what colour your bike is, it's still has very little visual impact to other motorists. We now have lights on regulations which just make it difficult for other drivers/riders to judge the speed and distance of an approaching motorcycle.

Doesn't matter what colour your bike is, or your hi-viz gear - "I didn't see him officer" will always win the day.
 
#5 ยท
Enjoying the riding of a motorcycle is not contingent upon the color of the bike. To some degree, we can have our cake and eat it too if we ride but try to reduce the unnecessary risks as much as we can. In warm weather I wear a jacket to be a bit safer. I always wear a helmet and boots. And I try to enhance my being conspicuous as much as reasonably possible. That was my point in this thread. I understand that some want little more than to look cool and "bad", but to me, riding a black bike, dressed all in black and with a black helmet is less cool than it is foolish.
 
#6 ยท
I get what your saying and it won't HURT to be a bright color, but I have story about this not being as much help as one might think.
I was T-Boned in my CAR 2 years ago, the woman that hit me jumped out, said, "WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? I NEVER SAW YOU UNTIL I HIT YOU!"
Want to guess what color my car is?

Image
 
#38 ยท
I get what your saying and it won't HURT to be a bright color, but I have story about this not being as much help as one might think.
I was T-Boned in my CAR 2 years ago, the woman that hit me jumped out, said, "WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? I NEVER SAW YOU UNTIL I HIT YOU!"
Want to guess what color my car is?

View attachment 72538
Kind of like the "loud pipes save lives" myth. Around here, one of our largest fatal-collision scenarios features a car versus either a logging truck or a train -- both of which are not only enormously larger and more visible than just about anything else on the ground, but also much, much louder.

Would a bright color be more visible? Certainly. Will it make any difference in those situations where the driver's brain is simply not engaged to spot motorcycles? Nope...
 
#8 ยท
The color of your motorcycle's paint job is pretty much irrelevant when it comes to front-end and rear-end view. From the side, yes, brighter colors make you more visible. For conspicuity from the front and rear you need lights.
 
#9 ยท
I think motorcycle sales will, and are suffering already, because of all the useless stuff they have. Ugly colours would further kill sales. Headlights on has helped a lot IMO. Looking at a pic of a bunch of guys all in hi viz gear, in a safe environment, looks silly to me. UK
 
#10 ยท
I seem to recall the train industry did a study for what would make an engine more visible, and is that big enough to see, and they concluded that 3 lights in a triangle form could make those engines more recognizable. I donโ€™t know where I saw that though.
 
#11 ยท
Add to all this that lights on when at or near sunrise/sunset actually makes your bike less visible, as the lights make it blend into the backlight. Guess when many head-on collisions occur.
@hogcowboy: I saw that same study somewhere, too. At least trains have the advantage of more limited access to their roads.
 
#14 ยท
Modulating head , tail and stop lights are likely the most attraction getting and thereby the best safety features a bike can have .
That's only considering a bike and not the rider . The best overall safety 'feature' is a defensive rider .
 
#20 ยท
Annoying ... exactly the reason . It's better that they know you're there long before they are close enough for a collision to occur .
And , it's likely everyone gazes at the sun and everyone knows to stay away , too . LOL
 
#16 ยท
I met a guy at the Dragon, whose bike was lit like a Christmas tree, and also modulating lights. He said it made no difference in the close calls he had, and his one wreck, the other driver's first words were, "I didn't see you". Flashing tail lights do, in some cases, keep a following car from driving up your tail pipe, and the Missouri rider's handbook recommended tapping your lights on a few times before stopping.
 
#17 ยท
You have a valid point Vito, we aren't real big and being brightly colored may help but honestly I'll take my chances. I know many adventure bike guys wear the bright riding gear and that seems to help. Personally, I enjoy the look of the bike as much as I enjoy riding it. Factory color schemes often add to an older bike's appeal too.
 
#18 ยท
I don't disagree with many of the comments made about color not making a huge difference, but even a small difference in visibility could help, and certainly doesn't hurt. I've been on group rides where I can spot a specific rider half a mile ahead of me because of the white helmet which stands out among all the other riders with their dark or darker helmets and bikes.

Now that I am riding a Spyder, I do seem to have fewer close calls of people making a left turn in front of me. I think that having the bigger front end, with two wheels, registers in drivers minds more like a car coming toward them than does a motorcycle with a narrow profile. And since that type of situation is the most common accident for motorcycles, I have not felt the need or desire to add a modulating headlight as I have had on the last several 2 wheelers that I have owned. But I still would have liked the option of a brightly colored vehicle over the attractive, but not overly visible, blue that I own.
 
#19 ยท
Wot Wintr said about tapping the tail light, is promoted by the defensive driving school I attended. When stopping, and stopped with a vehicle coming from behind.
One time a cage pulled out of a side street in front of me. Said he did not see me. Meanwhile his girlfriend was thumping him and pointing at me. I had already swapped lanes to avoid him. He located me on the ferry and came over to apologize, and provided the details. A first.
 
#22 ยท
Yep, NINJA green, can't miss it! Well, it probably helps anyway. I even had a bicycle painted NINJA green at the factory in order to help with conspicuity. ๐Ÿ˜Ž ๐Ÿ‘
Image

Yes, I still miss my green NINJA 250r....
 
#24 ยท
Iโ€™ve wondered the same about moto gear. Thereโ€™s so much plain black stuff when really it should be obnoxiously reflective hi viz stuff. Even worse if you have a big olโ€™ head like me - once helmets go above 2x your option is black or black.

I agree about the modulating the brake light thing. I tend to โ€œtapโ€ the brakes a few times to remind cars behind me to pay attention basically every time I stop.
 
#28 ยท
I tend to โ€œtapโ€ the brakes a few times to remind cars behind me to pay attention basically every time I stop.
I've been doing that for many years and have also installed pulsating LED brake light globes in the Aprilia and my wife's little under-bones.

A few people here have commented that they are distracting/annoying. MANY riders/drivers here have them and I think that they are quite effective in gaining your attention.
 
#25 ยท
People DO SEE YOU. The real problem is they don't recognize you as a potential problem. People no longer take driving seriously and concentrate on driving. They have several other things on their minds and driving is the last thing they are concerned with.
 
#29 ยท
Wuz going to say the same thing. They see you in black or any colour. If they can not see you in daylight, even without the headlight on, they should not be driving. We have had headlights on for quite a while, and it has helped IMO. Having cages pull out in front of me, has decreased a large amount. It is the brain fart of the cage driver that is the problem.
You are viewed as an annoyance, but do not pose a threat, so carry on as planned. Coupled with the thick skulls of the bike riders, who think it will not happen, or bright colours will prevent it, or they are in the right, so WTF. Bright colours or hi vis get silly, when workers wear it, when walking amongst other walkers.
Taking a defensive driving cause, and practicing defensive riding, is the best defense. Sometimes cage drivers have trouble calculating your speed when you are doing twice the limit, This is a sound defense. So if you are speeding and get cut off, nothing good can result. UK
 
#27 ยท
I'm what they call 'fashionista' here. I like colour co-ordination. For my Aprilia, I have my modular helmet painted in matching colours and my mesh jacket also matches the paint scheme. Both are white, red and black colours, with the jacket having reflective strips in many places, although I never ride at night here.

I have a black open face, but it has red reflective strips all around the bottom edge.

Frankly, I don't think that it matters what you are wearing or what colour your bike is, or even how big it is - if the driver/rider at fault is not paying attention, then you become another 'didn't see him/her' statistic.
 
#37 ยท
I wasn't going to address a replacement. Another truck if you can even find one is going to cost a bunch if you go newer. You have a nice truck, keep it. Turbos going south can and will be a big problem. You do let it cool down a bit before shutting it off. I have a Cummins also, my first one was over 250,000 when I upgraded. The drive train was fine, the rest was beat. It was a ranch truck before I got it so it was well used.
kk
 
#40 ยท
Back to colour. Yami is an ugly brown red. I have collector plates on it. Rules say I have to keep it original. Some upgrades are allowed, like 4 in to 1 pipes. Somethings most would not notice, Like a change in brake calipers.
So I phoned mission control at the insurance office. I can use any period correct colour, 2 years before and after 1979.
No more ugly brown red, switching to red red. A search for XS1100 78 to 81 will reveal the original colours. UK