Hola everyone. I think I should have clarified further. I keep getting responses as if I'm expecting to look like a glo-worm day and night and expecting cars not to hit me. That is very so much not the case.
I don't think any amount of hi-viz I would have been wearing at the time of my accident would have prevented it from happening. What would have prevented it is if I had better lane positioning and traffic reading skills. I assessed the car at the time, and was dismissive of its position as being static when I shouldn't have.
If you reference the list of hi-viz items I listed, they are primarily what runners/cyclists use at night for visibility. I was wondering if the same things could be used for night visibility - on the freeway or the hills. So my concern with hi-viz that I am interested in is visibility to a car approaching from behind. When I see other motorcyclists ahead of me, when they are wearing all-black, sometimes their tail/brake light aligns with the car ahead of them, and I don't notice them. And I noticed when I would follow another motorcyclist wearing white or light colored clothing article didn't make a difference either; only thing I could see was their tail light. Unless there was a light or very reflective material, I could not make out the shape of the rider ahead of me.
I genuinely appreciate the advice overall. But PLEASE stop assuming that I am de-emphasizing the
importance of defensive riding. As I stated in one of my first replies to this thread, I want hi-viz for
night visibility. I don't want to have to state this over and over. For those new to the forum and otherwise, I think the additional visibility that hi-viz provides is great, and I would add more day time visibility if possible.
Yes, ride like you are invisible. The point is you don't HAVE to be invisible, especially at night, and for the attentive motorists who ARE paying attention to the road, it is a beneficial safety + for both parties. At night, even to those who ARE paying attention, motorcyclists can be hard to see. Perhaps some of you might state that being visible to the vehicle behind you may not matter as much, but I want to be more visible if possible. I don't see a negative to more visibility. But once again,
never have I thought hi-viz reduces my personal responsibility as a motorcyclist, and nor have I ever made a statement suggesting as such.
The replies in regards to aux lights, retroflective tape and visibility techniques are what I am looking for. As for the additional info on hi-viz, I think it's great stuff to learn about.
The retro-reflective tape to my bike and possible retroflective panels for the back of my backpack are what I think I am going to add to my current riding gear. I was looking at Reflexlite V92 tape on amazon, has anyone tried this one? Marine microprismatic retroreflective tape is the same thing as SOLAS tape, am I right?
I haven't had the time to research carefully through the suggested tapes and visibility solutions, but I will look them up online. Thanks again everyone!
The below link does not work for me
Also on a negative note, I have tried wiggling my headlights lane splitting once, since my exhaust is quiet and I wanted to alert the car in front of me that I was behind him, as he was very close to me. He got upset and proceeded to pretend to hit me. But yes, I do use this method at times (perhaps better suited for roomier situations).
I use a white helmet and Denali micro LEDs (front) to help those who are putting at least some effort into paying attention. I have used a high-viz jacket in the past, but didn't feel it was that effective. As a newer rider at the time, I think it may have been counterproductive, because on some level, I probably
expected drivers to see me. Now I wear a black 'Stich and always ride like I'm invisible.
If your spidey senses tell you someone who should be isn't "seeing" you, any bike can be made
higher viz, without spending a dime, by:
1. Wiggle your handlebars for threats ahead of you. This can create an effect similar to (but not as pronounced as) a headlight modulator.
2. Flash your brake light several times if decelerating rapidly/unexpectedly, or at a stop and uncomfortable with the closure rate of a vehicle behind you. But don't waste time with this if it is time to GTFO of the way.
3. The SMIDSY weave. I think of it more as changing lane position than a weave.
http://http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/the-smidsy-maneuver-revisited.875219/
Bottom line is that half of drivers out there may not "see" you, even if they are looking at you, because they do not perceive you as a threat. Like, say, the guy in the lifted bro-dozer. Do what you can to be conspicuous, but always have an out.
Are there any alternatives to SOLAS tape and aux lighting that you can recommend? This is exactly what I want to address - avoidance of blending in, whether blending into the dark, or into the sea of lights.
Furthermore at night where we blend in the most is our headlight getting lost in a sea of car headlights, and reflective stuff doesn't help there (at least for traffic moving our direction, no headlights on us)--aux lighting solves that.
