Motorcycle gear - Who wears all black? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Motorcycle gear - Who wears all black?

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DECIMIS said:
I think all cars and trucks should be hi-viz, then that will reduce accidents, right? Why all vehicles dull earth tones? SO dangerous!!!
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Cars already have increased conspicuity via DRLs and they do reduce accidents. Bikes also have DRLs for the same reason though reduced size and spread means they're only fractionally effective. Given the seriousness of a motorcycle/car collision, why reduce your conspicuity by running in stealth-mode gear?
 
A light coloured Helmet makes a world of difference and something I considered when buying a new one.

Black is very common for jackets and pants. When I commuted, the HiViz vest I wore did make me more visible, but you know what, those other drivers will STILL pull out infront of you etc. Doesnt stop the morons from being morons
 
I wear black but being XXL limits the choices.
I wear a reflective yellow safety vest at all times, day or night.
I rarely ride at night, but the bags have 2 1/2 inch wide reflective tape on the back.
 
All black when it's all leather. Otherwise, black jacket with kevlar jeans. Helmet is flat black with hi-viz yellow accents. Reflective vest if i ride at night.
Don't feel any more or less safe.
 
It's my first season, pretty much wear all black. Black bike too. I don't feel invisible really. I'm actually surprised by the way people drive around me. they gernerally give me quite a bit of space, unlike when I'm in my car... Strange. At night I throw on a reflective vest to help out. I'll probably always wear black or grey. Colours can be cool for a couple years then can be cheesy the next. Black is timeless. Doesn't help I work with colour all day as a designer.
 
As a Harley rider, everything I wear is pretty much black. But the shiny chrome on my bike is hi-viz, so no problem.
 
I wear all black and ride at all hours. I choose not to wear high viz stuff, don't need any false sense of security.

Pay attention out there and ride like your invisible.
 
Currently wearing a red, black and white jacket, black pants, and a dark red helmet, for convenience and because the pants and jacket are mesh.
My leathers are white orange and black. I'd have white gear if it was readily available.

I'm not sure about that study. I would think that between cities in Israel, that one would want to be less conspicuous on a bike.
Also, how much do the pictures of a bike in the distance, relate to the real world?

Blackfin said:
And where do the majority of motorcycle accidents occur?
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Out on twisty roads; riders missing a curve. Most are single vehicle and go unreported.
 
Baggsy said:
Out on twisty roads; riders missing a curve. Most are single vehicle and go unreported.
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I thought it was clear since we're talking about hi-viz and conspicuity (and thus the threat of other vehicles/drivers) but I guess I should have been clearer: Where do most two-vehicle motorcycle accidents occur?
 
I have multiple sets of gear. Black, white high-vis.
I had a on-coming car pull a left turn on me last second. Bounced of the side of the car. I happen to be wearing my high-vis jacket at the time. You know the first thing the drives says? "Sorry dude didn't see you". It was a clear sunny day just before noon. Pretty much no excuse as to why he didn't see me. He just didn't. So in my personal experience I don't know if high-vis makes any difference.
I think reflective gear at night is beneficial, but I'm not sold on the high-vis.
 
I think high-vis is better than regular-vis for seeing stuff but can't back it up with any hard data.
 
I think it's pretty funny that warehouse forklift drivers are made to wear hi-vis vests... sure, I can't see the yellow or red 5000kg machine he is on, but that square foot of hi-vis clothing on his back is going to make all the difference!
 
Matt Rain said:
Here's a study that shows that there is no one right choice - black can be more visible than white or colours depending on the surroundings.
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I find that all-black can be quite visible and provide good contrast with the background, when the background is mostly snowbanks. Otherwise, naw, it just acts as a solar cooker in the sun.
 
I had all black including helmet and a dark gray bike, black rain gear...out in rain and fog and realized I was invisible.

Went out a bought a very hi-viz rain jacket. Now with a Hi-viz helmet too....helmet seems to make the most difference.
 
komodo said:
...I had a on-coming car pull a left turn on me last second. Bounced of the side of the car. I happen to be wearing my high-vis jacket at the time. You know the first thing the drives says? "Sorry dude didn't see you". It was a clear sunny day just before noon. Pretty much no excuse as to why he didn't see me. He just didn't. So in my personal experience I don't know if high-vis makes any difference.
I think reflective gear at night is beneficial, but I'm not sold on the high-vis.
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Motorcycle conspicuity is more complex than just attire, involving human psychology and physiology. Look up SMIDSY "Sorry Mate, I didn't see you" and inattentional blindness. If the problem was simple riders would have solved this major problem years ago. The problem is also well documented, and initially involved pool life guards not seeing kids at the bottom of the pool.

If a cage cannot see a headlighted 400-500lb machine coming at them, they're not going to see a hi-vis jacket. Still, if you like the look, then ride with it.
 
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TorontoBoy said:
Motorcycle conspicuity is more complex than just attire, involving human psychology and physiology. Look up SMIDSY "Sorry Mate, I didn't see you" and inattentional blindness. If the problem was simple riders would have solved this major problem years ago. The problem is also well documented, and initially involved pool life guards not seeing kids at the bottom of the pool.

If a cage cannot see a headlighted 400-500lb machine coming at them, they're not going to see a hi-vis jacket. Still, if you like the look, then ride with it.
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"A" cage, sure. Not far from where I live a guy in an SUV turning left while exiting a local parkway off-ramp pulled out into the path of a dump truck, was T-boned and is likely still in hospital. So sure, no matter how big, bright, noisy and flashy you are there are just some people who just won't see/register you.

But I feel like these are corner cases and that increased conspicuity still increases the probability that you will be noticed by the majority of drivers. And after all, it only takes one instance where a guy saw you before turning left into your path of travel to make the hi-viz worth it. The problem is, of course, that you're rarely aware that hi-viz just saved your bacon; the fact that you made it through the intersection unscathed could mean the opposing driver was on the ball but it could also mean that your hi-viz caught his eye just as he was about to go...

In addition to being particularly sensitive to certain colours (it's no surprise that the colours used for hi-viz fall very close the area of the spectrum where human colour sensitivity is highest...) I've read that human visual perception is also particularly adapted to sensing movement and is likely the result of evolution selecting the ability to detect predators moving in tall grass etc. To me, this makes the "SMIDSY Weave" a must-do tactic when approaching an intersection.

There's no one fix for the problem of others not seeing/registering you. To me it's about probabilities and reducing the likelihood of dying or being in a life-altering collision by increasing the chances of drivers seeing me.
 
-JERICHO- said:
All my gear is black. Except my helmet. Which was black, but I got a white one with my new bike. People not only see me because my bike is bright as hell, but I am also louder than stock, so they can surely hear me as well. Its best to use more than one sense of perception.
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What new bike do u have that is bright as hell? Lol
 
defeater905 said:
It's my first season, pretty much wear all black. Black bike too. I don't feel invisible really. I'm actually surprised by the way people drive around me. they gernerally give me quite a bit of space, unlike when I'm in my car... Strange. At night I throw on a reflective vest to help out. I'll probably always wear black or grey. Colours can be cool for a couple years then can be cheesy the next. Black is timeless. Doesn't help I work with colour all day as a designer.
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If your a designer doesn't colour appeal to you
 
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