What is it with black bikes?

[steeld]

Why do so many people lust after black bikes? OK, they look good on the drive and maybe they're OK if you only ride on sunny weekends but for somebody who rides every day in all weathers, black is the worst color not only from the point of view of keeping it clean but also from being wiped out from some car or truck that "didn't see you".

So, is it black for posers and polishers and any other color for practical bikers? Or is it a case of getting more kicks from looking at it rather than riding it? Discuss while I dive for cover.

 

[zzkenoman]

Probably only a trend in the UK, here in the USA color is wanted to get attention.

 

[steeld]

Probably only a trend in the UK, here in the USA color is wanted to get attention.

I don't think it is a UK thing. It's more a USA thing as I see it. I also peruse the BMW forums (this is another option for my next bike) and am continually being surprised by the number of people wanting black bikes and much of the demand seems to be from US riders.
I also think the UK and US bike culture is different. In the UK, a bike is often a daily commuter vehicle and kept pretty much as stock and we expect to get value for money i.e. it's got to be comfortable and usable straight off the showroom floor without spending big bucks. In the US, a bike seems to be mostly a leisure thing with the expectation that lights, seats, screens, shocks, tyres etc. are all upgraded from stock and many people expect to do this with even a high-value/high-cost bike. Just an observation.

 

[MikeYork5]

Got a black car, a black bike, and a black dog. Black just looks good on bikes, cars (and dogs). Yep ya need to keep it clean though. When it comes to visibility, I doubt the color of the bike makes much (if any) of a difference. Without researching, I would asume most collisions result from a car pulling out in front of the bike which they didn't see (with a very visable headlight on and the small frontal area of the bike visible). So, what would the color of the bike have to do with it?

 

[bmwhd]

Love the black bike! FJR is my first "street only" bike that's not been black. Had to make an exception! I even painted my KLR650 with black bed liner!

 

[red2kcbr]

Black bike, black car, black truck. When properly cared for, they look MEAN. The wife drove a black '99 GT Mustang, lowered with Eibach springs, using MAC upper and lower rear control arms, and a MAC 3" cat-back exhaust, with a 5-speed manual transmission. Nice car. She, or we, OK, I kept it clean, usually.

There's a black Z06 'vette in town (doctor's car, driven by a hot blond trophy wife, go figure) that looks awesome. Of course, 500 horsepower looks good in any color. Come to think of it, so do hot trophy wives.

Anyway, black is cool. If you don't mind washing often. And no, I don't own any black vehicles anymore.

 

[Bike Effects]

Black cars and bikes always look good to me. If I were doing a custom paint job, it would be black, even though my silver '03 has to be the most practical color out there.

 

[radman]

Black is beautiful.

Prof Rad, Board of Diversification and Inclusionary Practices Et Al.

 

[NoCage]

I also think the UK and US bike culture is different. In the UK, a bike is often a daily commuter vehicle and kept pretty much as stock and we expect to get value for money i.e. it's got to be comfortable and usable straight off the showroom floor without spending big bucks. In the US, a bike seems to be mostly a leisure thing with the expectation that lights, seats, screens, shocks, tyres etc. are all upgraded from stock and many people expect to do this with even a high-value/high-cost bike. Just an observation.

I think more riders commute and consider their bikes as primary transportation in the U.K. due to higher petrol prices, tighter roads, and limited parking. That seems to be the case everywhere else but the U.S. We do seem to farkle our bikes more than other countries... probably due to being around so many Harley's.

 

[daviddowns2000]

From the summary of the Hurt Report:

"Any effect of motorcycle color on accident involvement is not determinable from these data, but is expected to be insignificant because the frontal surfaces are most often presented to the other vehicle involved in the collision."

" Conspicuity of the motorcycle is a critical factor in the multiple vehicle accidents, and accident involvement is significantly reduced by the use of motorcycle headlamps (on in daylight) and the wearing of high visibility yellow, orange or bright red jackets."

A study from New Zealand published in the Br. Med. Journal in 2004 found reduced risk of injury accident for white (and to a lesser extent, other bright colors) helmet color and headlight use, but did not find any association of clothing color or motorcycle color.

So, daytime headlight use and hi-viz jacket and helmet seem to be more important than the color of the bike itself. However, faired bikes and those with big windshields were under-represented in the Hurt statistics, so frontal bulk may be a factor...or the fact that more experienced riders tended to have faired bikes and big shields back in 1981. I wonder if the same relationship would hold today with all the kids on faired bikes.

Anyway, I like black best.

 

[donaldb]

My previous bike was black, an 02 vstar 1100 w/silver metallic pin stripes. It was a good looking bike, but Gowd combine black and chrome, it was a constant cleaning fest. Never again will I go w/a black bike of any kind. Had my 04 silver fjr for a year now and washed it only once. Rather spend time riding than washing and polishing.

 

[zzzzip]

Don't you know Americans are vain: black dosen't make their butts look as big!

Speaking of pain in the ass-- this dark blue '06 is almost as bad as my black bikes to keep clean.

Another reason to be missing my '04 C-blue.... I could ride it half dirty all the time and nobody noticed.

B)

 

[nidan]

I've had red/silver/dark blue/light blue and black .. I like black for it's simple elegance

 

[Scab]

Not a fan of black. I like RED. Bright, hurt-your-eyes RED.

I think I might paint the feej...

 

[twowheelnut]

My '98 ST1100 was black. Holy swirl marks and water marks, Batman. Ditto the Wing. Yuk, never again. Hell, I was even hesitant to get the Galaxy Blue... :blink:

 

[user 213]

You wash your bike????????? You're kidding, right? Silly rabbit, bikes are for riding.

 

[twowheelnut]

You wash your bike????????? You're kidding, right? Silly rabbit, bikes are for riding.

Well, every now and again you gotta find the gas cap, no? :blink:

 

[jimbemotumbo]

Gotta wash the ass-print off the seat.

 

[bikerskier]

You got it, Scab!

Red is my favorite bike color! Really, really good hot red!