BD43's mod saved my butt today!

[Rumpole of the Bailey]

Thankyou BD43 for the time, effort and ingenuity of making that harness piece for my bike. If anyone out there has a Fazer with only one headlight burning, listen up.
You need to get both low beams working.
My theory was the more light I put out from the headlights the easier it would be for old ladies to see me at intersections.
The practical result is that theory works!

I was riding to uni today, dull, overcast, we have had a lot of rain this last week and it is also cold, midwinter. My wet weather gear is dark, my helmet also. So, at 9am this morning, whilst I was travelling at 60kph on a main road, an old lady went through a give way sign on my left. Her vision was partially obscured by a parked car, she didn't see me and I didn't see her until it was very late. Once out on the road she saw me and panicked, her panick saved my life. She slammed on the brakes and stopped in the middle of the road allowing me to do a countersteer and glide past her. I knew I couldn't do an emergency brake because the road was wet and slippery.

What saved me was the fact she saw my bright lights.
Everything happened in split second timing and for the next 2 minutes my heart was beating and I had a chance to think about what went down.
Sure I didn't anticipate her coming through that give way sign, she was hidden by an illegally parked car.
I just kept saying to myself, BD43's mod has saved my butt.
And that at days end is what I am thinking now.
Ride safe friends.
Learn from out near misses.
Expect the unexpected and..............
Get those lights both working.

Rumps

 

[Humperdinkel]

WHOA !!!!!! Hows the brown stain ?? ... Glad your still here to tell the story mate , a big :thumbup: to the headlight mod i say :rockon:... Now go settle back infront of a nice warm fire , sip on a nice smooth port , relax & thank you lucky stars it wasnt worse

 

[Wh0M3]

I'm glad it worked out for you. It's a scary thing when someone pulls out in front of you, even when they have seen you.

I've wondered if there is a down side to riding with the brights on during times when it is light out. It wouldn't seem that bright to everyone like it would at night.

 

[Wolfman]

Sounds like it could of got very ugly....this sort of thing has me thinking about investing in one of those dayglo riding vests for at night....

Same thing...maximise your visiblity.

Cheers for sharing Rumpy!

 

[Senior]

glad you spotted each other just in time . . . .

thanks for the reminder to expect the unexpected :thumbup:

I'll second the suggestion for Hi-Viz, my gear is all dark grey/black with a metalic gunmetal helmet, but I always wear my Hi-Viz [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=midnudaQRog"]nerdy vid of me revving my fazer with my hi-viz on and bd43 dual headlight mod. . .[/ame]

 

[necrotimus]

Another thing that works well with BD43's harness is two different intensity bulbs to get different 'colors'. Even if slightly different it does a lot to catch someones attention. I have a normal white one and one that lookes orange/red in the housing. People have said it is easier to see me because of it.

 

[Maverick]

Good story Rumps!

I've wondered if there is a down side to riding with the brights on during times when it is light out. It wouldn't seem that bright to everyone like it would at night.

Highbeams during the day are NOT a good idea.

They are distracting to other drivers and may result in someone target fixating on you (particularly close to dusk). It is harder for people to judge your approach speed and is harder for people to see your marker lights and/or signal lights due to the highbeams blazing. Were I live it is illegal and will cost you $ and three demit points, if charged.

In the last year or so I added a high vis yellow vest and run low beams only...

 

[Wildcat_drvr]

I wear a Scorpion XDR Commander jacket(which I HIGHLY:rockon: recommend) in Hi-viz florescent yellow and even cops look at me like I'm some kind of a good guy, which I am, but I do "crank it on" on any road with a snake sign! I also will be doing the BD43 thing as soon as I can as the deer are out of hand around here. Rich

 

[psnbye]

Got to be one of the best all-round mods you can do! It has saved me some pain also. Glad you didn't get squished!

 

[foxbass]

Very glad you are still here to share bro! I too have shared your experience and found that the brown stuff on the saddle peels off when dry :thumbup:
The story does make one wonder just how big we have to be before cagers actually see us.

 

[tcmalker]

Loud Pipes Save Lives

forget the headlight, get yourself some leo Vince or Two Bros. They'll hear you coming and I think that's more safe.

 

[mxgolf]

I have the BD43 headlight mod and it's great. I also put in a bright yellow bulb in the right side the High Low side and keep it on high. It's super bright yellow and seems like everybody notices me. I'm kind of suprised I have not been pulled over by the cops yet for it. I've got a feeling they are thinking it's my driving or fog light and not the normal headlight. I also have the Leo Vince titanium exhaust to help with the hearing me.

 

[mcteague]

Re: Loud Pipes Save Lives

forget the headlight, get yourself some leo Vince or Two Bros. They'll hear you coming and I think that's more safe.

Not again.:banghead:

Tim

 

[joe1971]

Re: Loud Pipes Save Lives

forget the headlight, get yourself some leo Vince or Two Bros. They'll hear you coming and I think that's more safe.

That is not true, they don't hear you coming till you right on top of em then all you do is piss people off. Follow somebody around for a while that does have loud pipes and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Evitzee]

Re: Loud Pipes Save Lives

forget the headlight, get yourself some leo Vince or Two Bros. They'll hear you coming and I think that's more safe.

The old 'Loud pipes save lives' mantra doesn't do a damn thing except make the public anti bike. Cities are becoming increasingily very bike unfriendly because of complaints of LOUD pipes. The aftermarket pipe industry has finally tweaked unto this fact after selling loud pipes for years and are now being marginalized by action to pass laws prohibiting any change in the muffler system. Keeping the sound down and driving defensively is the way to survive on the street. Relying on aids to make you think you are safer is a prescription for danger.

 

[tcmalker]

I'm speaking from experience here...many times saved by Leo Vince. As an example, some lady was trying to change into my lane, I gave a little throttle (vroom!) and the lady quickly went back.

P.S. I could careless what the public thinks about my loud pipes. I care more about my life than what they thinks.

P.S.S. I think I should make a poll.

 

[tcmalker]

Re: Loud Pipes Save Lives

That is not true, they don't hear you coming till you right on top of em then all you do is piss people off. Follow somebody around for a while that does have loud pipes and you'll see what I mean.

You obviously haven't heard a Leo Vince with the baffles out. You can hear it a mile away.

 

[joe1971]

Iv'e heard a 1700CC meanstreak with strait pipes, pretty sure it's a bit louder, but you can't hear a damn thing in a car until it's right on you, so all loud pipes end up doing is scaring the crap out of cagers when you get next to them thus pissing them off. But hey if you want to play bumper cars with your scooter.............. Me? I have the dual headlight mod and pay attention to whats going on around me, 31 years on 2 wheels but hey what do I know.

 

[aziebell]

I wouldn't put my trust in loud pipes to be seen. The sound will be dampened a bit inside the vehicle and they also probably have the radio on. Quite possibly a van full of screaming children, too. Being seen is better than being heard in my opinion. I would figure both headlights and Hi-Vis gear to be more helpful. I also remember seeing a video, possibly posted on here, that whenever you suspect a cager may pull out from a side street, because they don't see you, a simple quick swerve in your lane helped being noticed by the driver as a linear path gets lost in the background, but breaking that path catches the driver's attention.

 

[novaks47]

Re: Loud Pipes Save Lives

You obviously haven't heard a Leo Vince with the baffles out. You can hear it a mile away.

I have nothing against loud pipes, despite my not liking them on my bikes(kills me on a long commute). And you have to think about in terms of what THEY can hear. Sure I can hear sport bikes/harleys with pipes coming from miles away when I'm standing outside. But when I'm in my econobox, with no sound insulation, in the city? Not until they're practically next to me, or directly behind me. If there's someone with a booming stereo(very common), or a car with pipes, or I have my music going, forget about it. And that's in the city. On the freeway, I NEVER hear loud bikes coming. Way to much wind noise. Now factor in higher end cars, where the goal is to block all outside noise. Then factor in brain-dead morons that don't take notice of exterior noises. I've had people that tried to move into me, when I was next to them running at 7K with my unbaffled Two-Bros exhaust(back when I had that exhaust anyways)! There's so much noise pollution in these cities now a days, that a loud bike is just more noise to be ignored by the masses.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not anti loud pipes. If you want to run them because you like them, go for it! But don't think or hope that they'll wake people up. Ride like your're invisible, and WATCH those blind fools! If you pay attention, you can learn to predict their moves, and avoid disaster by a nice, comfy, wide margin. Remember, all these steps we take in regards to visibility, should be considered as precautionary. The rest is up to you. Stay safe out there! :thumbup: