Stinking Cager!!!

[slo-ride]

I just open up my face shield at every intersection and sing a few bars of the Gotterdammerung from Der Ring des Nibelungen just as loud as I can, myself. It sounds so bad everybody stays as far away as possible. Slo, you had your m/c license for one day, you're riding two up, and you're already on about "stinking cagers?" How did you feel about them the previous day? Wow, you must have been assimilated super fast. I don't like to see any m/c get hit or go down, but I think you need to do just a tiny bit of introspection here, my friend.

Good point(s) but I've been a dirt biker/3-wheeler/4-wheeler/street biker for most of my life. I got out of riding after college so getting back into it has not been that difficult and feels quite natural to me. Disclaimer - the FJR is more bike than the some total of all my previous machines put together so I did put nearly 900 miles on it , took a safety course, and got my license before I took anyone riding.

 

[Auburn]

Ah, now I laugh at all the comments from the people saying that adding lights to the backend will help you
Said it once, I'll say it again - PEOPLE DON'T LOOK! It doesnt matter WTF you have added to your bike - they will hit you.

Glad you are OK!!

I disagree. The lights and extra reflective materials are essential. I've seen the reactions of the drivers behind me, the ones who are actually looking, when I hit the breaks and they Hyper-Lites start flashing. They back off. They see me. They know I'm stopping. For that, those lights are worth it and are a 10 fold improvement over the factory light. To your point, it only works on drivers that are looking at you.

Get the lights.

Get the reflective material.

Get seen.

While I agree with all the bits and pieces to help make you stand out...I am not sure the precieved benefit is what you expect it to be.

My experience from years of building and repairing the stuff drivers hit along the freeway has been if they see it, they WILL hit it. I have seen car tracks that come off the freeway several hundred feet away from the only object sticking up with a nice flat run off area get hit. You'd be surprised how many times it is the case. WHen you look at the scene and say, all they had to do was turn slightly and they would have missed it. You would also be surprised how many times they didn't just hit it, they center punched it.

Target fixation is a concept we teach new road racers. Look where you want to go and you will go there. Watch the next club level race and see how many follow the guy the crashes in the turn off the track. The reason is usually they watched them and followed them off.

I think it is a double edge sword, you want to be seen and avoided, on the other hand, people's tendancy is to go where they look and if you have something that draws their attention you could possibly be increasing your chance of getting hit.

I don't by the excuse when a driver says they didn't see you. That is just and excuse hoping that somehow it will make the outcome different. :angry:

Just my opinion...ride safe - it is a jungle out there