riding with high beams on

[cougar8000]

I've never had that problem with high beams behind me, however I do have stock mirrors on my Gen II, and I've never turned down a 2nd piece of pie.

Why I did not listen to my granny when she was telling me to eat another spoon of borsch it will be good for you later :yahoo:

 

[RonBB]

I guess I am in the minority here. I think our FJR lights will be seen on low beam if they are seen on high beam. I don't like meeting anyone with lights on high beam, day or night, & I certainly don't appreciate them being on high beam when they are behind me. Perhaps I am less tolerant than others-it just seems inconsiderate to me.

 

[SPORT]

I always adhere to courtousy first policy. I wouldn't want to be blinded so why would I deliberately blind someone else.

Besides, I feel these FJR lights are pretty bright to begin with.

 

[red2kcbr]

Low beam. I use the flash-to-pass button to alert/warn/attract driver attention. Oh wait, US-spec bikes don't have FTP. I do flash hi-beam to signal drivers. Got into that habit in Germany.

 

[Silent]

I guess I am in the minority here. I think our FJR lights will be seen on low beam if they are seen on high beam. I don't like meeting anyone with lights on high beam, day or night, & I certainly don't appreciate them being on high beam when they are behind me. Perhaps I am less tolerant than others-it just seems inconsiderate to me.

Gunny!

That and my FF50's are tied into my high beams, so that can really get annoying

 

[mmonroe]

I for one get highly irritated by folks who drive their cars or motorcycles with high-beams on or driving lights and whatnot whether it is during the day or night if they are driving towards me. We have cars and trucks around here that may be running their low-beams but they have a gaggle full of driving lights running and they are just flat irritating and dangerous.

Some folks claim that running high beams during the day is justified as a "safety thing". Just remember that blinding someone driving towards you - day or night - is as a good a way to get hit versus them not seeing you. If they cant see your low-beams - high beams aint going to make a difference and will likely blind some people.

What is double-bad is folks driving around with 80, 90 or 100+ watt low-beams. If you want a 80, 90, or 100+ watt HIGH beam that you use when nobody is driving towards you - fine - just dont be aiming that much wattage at on-coming traffic from your low beams...

Remember - there are all types of people on the road - many of which have big issues with brights on-coming lights - elderly folks, people with eye issues, etc. Dont just assume that everyone has eyes as good as yours and should just suck it up when you aim that much light at them. That person you blind on the other end could be someone's 85 year old grandmother or grandfather.

Mark

 

[jerseymike]

I did a search to see if this topic was covered before - if so, apologies.
Riding this wknd I was being followed by a bike with its high beams on. It was blinding in my mirror, and very distracting to have behind me. My eyes kept getting drawn to the mirror instead of the road in front of me. I waited at a stop sign for the individual to catch up and stop (turned out to be another FJR, but that is not the point), and mentioned it to him, in case he didn't know they were on. The response was that he knew they were on high.

I rode away, and we went diferent directions, or I would have let him pass so as not to be followed, and blinded. I remembered then that in a group ride once there was another person who had his lights on high all the time, and it was terible to ride in front of him.

So, I am just curious. Is this something like "loud pipes save lives" - people ride with highs on for safety? Seems like it would be less safe to me if you blind on-coming traffic?

What do others think? (maybe this is one of those topics like oil and tires that should be moved to the never-ending pointless threads)

I have taken several motorcycle safety classes including motorcycle training for police officers and there has been discussion in each class for and against this practice. The consensus was, if it helps one car see you better during the daytime, than it is worth using the high beams during the day. I happen to agree that it is annoying if the person riding behind you is blinding you with his high beams, but i suppose I always know they are there. If you are caravaning I would say its unnecessary unless your the lead bike.

 

[cougar8000]

I have taken several motorcycle safety classes including motorcycle training for police officers and there has been discussion in each class for and against this practice. The consensus was, if it helps one car see you better during the daytime, than it is worth using the high beams during the day. I happen to agree that it is annoying if the person riding behind you is blinding you with his high beams, but i suppose I always know they are there. If you are caravaning I would say its unnecessary unless your the lead bike.

There are as many opinions as .......

There is no safety material out there that states that driving with high beam is safer. All you heard was opinions that are passed on to people by whom ever is teaching the class. just because whom ever is in front of the class said it is right it does not mean that he is right.

When this topic comes up in my class I always make sure that I stress that if they do decide to ride with high beam they MUST turn off early enough for oncoming traffic and never have high beam when following someone. BTW this is not part of the curriculum.

 

[TheAxeman]

Taken from the New York State DMV Motorcycle Manual

HEADLIGHT

The best way to help others see your motorcycle is to keep the headlight on - at all times (motorcycles sold in the U.S. since 1978 have the headlights on automatically when running.) Studies show that, during the day, a motorcycle with its light on is twice as likely to be noticed. Use of the high beam during the day increases the likelihood that oncoming drivers will see you. Use the low beam at night and in cloudy weather.

 

[kenporider]

I don't do it myself but I do recall my MSF instructors advocating high beams during the day.

People are so oblivious they aren't even aware of an ambulance or fire truck, let alone my high beams.

 

[feejer222]

I am amaized at how many ride with full beam on. I was one of few who rode with lights on 30 years ago and would be ridiculed by my macho mates. Recently I was chatting with a mtorcycle courier who has been pulled out on 3 times in the last few years and written off 3 bikes. They were all fairly low speed and he has escaped with only cuts and bruises each time. He works in and around Edinburgh. He said he rides with his high beam on permenantly now and was stopped by a cop, not to book him but in case he had left it on by mistake. He said who's life are we talking about here?

I am not aware of any other biker over here who rides with high beam on. I might consider it now after reading through this thread.

 

[Foxhuntr]

I ride with mine on high during the day. I've only had one car flash at me since I got the bike.

 

[Fred W]

Pissing off a motorist should be the least of our concerns when on a bike.

Making sure that the braindead cagers are AWARE of your presence is one HUGE step toward avoiding a "close encounter" of the worst kind.

While some might be "annoyed" they will certainly not be "blinded" since the amount of light put out by even the best headlights is miniscule compared to the intensity of sunlight. The eye's pupils will close down enough that the lights will not cause any interruption of vision. OTOH at night when the pupils are dialated there is a real danger of dazzling the oncoming driver and causing temporary vision loss.

I think people are just so used to being upset by high beams at night that it carries over into their daytime driving habits, even though there is no sound reason to be annoyed. I have had several cagers flash their headlights at me during bright sunlight because I had my high beams on. I chuckle and say to myself,"I guess you saw me and will only hit me if it is intentional."

I have no statistics, but just "seat of the pants" experience. I have had no cars pull out on me at turns, or worse turn left in front of me, since I started running high beams during the day. Before that, it was a fairly regular thing.

Obviously, dim your beams in the evening. I usually start dimming at about the same time the cagers start turning their headlights on. But I still switch to high beams as soon as reasonably possible when traffic passes and then dim to low beam as late as possible to ensure the other drivers are aware of my presence.

 

[Scab]

Okay, I'll play the devil's advocate. Does ANYONE have any real scientific data to support or deny the high beam advocate claims? Or, is all this just one opinion vs. another?

I'm just sayin'.

 

[suicideman]

I pretty much ride with high beams on all the time unless I get a signal from others on the road that they are bothersome. You know they see you at that point. I find that I ride alot more at nite because of the FJR'S excellent lighting. Previously, I owned a Honda Valkyrie and the lighting was no comparison.

 

[Fred W]

Okay, I'll play the devil's advocate. Does ANYONE have any real scientific data to support or deny the high beam advocate claims? Or, is all this just one opinion vs. another?I'm just sayin'.

That's a very good question. I'm inclined to believe it's the latter.

Loud Lights Save Lives!!

 

[sawyer0413]

I did a search to see if this topic was covered before - if so, apologies.
Riding this wknd I was being followed by a bike with its high beams on. It was blinding in my mirror, and very distracting to have behind me. My eyes kept getting drawn to the mirror instead of the road in front of me. I waited at a stop sign for the individual to catch up and stop (turned out to be another FJR, but that is not the point), and mentioned it to him, in case he didn't know they were on. The response was that he knew they were on high.

I rode away, and we went diferent directions, or I would have let him pass so as not to be followed, and blinded. I remembered then that in a group ride once there was another person who had his lights on high all the time, and it was terible to ride in front of him.

So, I am just curious. Is this something like "loud pipes save lives" - people ride with highs on for safety? Seems like it would be less safe to me if you blind on-coming traffic?

What do others think? (maybe this is one of those topics like oil and tires that should be moved to the never-ending pointless threads)

MSF teachs, at least my instructors did, to use the high beams during the day as a way to significantly increase visibility. Having said that, I am very aware of other riders when I approach, and their body language is generally very clear if my high beams are bothering them.

 

[Scab]

You know, it seems logical that high beams would be seen better... But it also seems logical that a frigin' human on a bike would be seen...

And we all know logic means litttle. Human nature is a strange and fickle monster. I just don't know if I'm buying any of this. You may have to put it on sale.

You know, it is also logical that cage operators keep a beter eye on things that pose the biggest physical threat. And I don't think that motorcycles register in the psyche as a large physical threat. Maybe that's why they don't watch for us. All I know is that I don't know.

 

[Huck Fonda]

High beams on during daylight hours. Low beam when it's dusk/dark. If the light bothers a cager, that means he can see me. As for being an annoyance in a rear view mirror, I try to keep a good distance behind what's in front of me, and also vary my lane position according to road conditions.
Jill

Stole my post! I guess thats why I like you.

All it takes is being seen by the one car that could kill you. Sorry if I'm making your kid's DVD hard to see...

I can also see other bikes behind much more easily, and can adjust lane position and/or speed as necessary.

I use it like a horn at night, when most bikes really almost dissapear in the throng of headlights.

 

[Scab]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here. I'm calling the placebo effect. If the high beams make you feel safer, then you FEEL safer. Ya'll knock yourselves out and blaze those high beams.

But, I get to ride in the back of the pack.