dangers of twin headlight bikes?!

[lukey]

Just been reading this terrible story this morning about the death of a rider not far from me. The driver thought the bike was a car in the distance as it had twin headlights.

Made me realise how vulnerable you can be on a twin head light bike!

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/display.var.1895032.0.inquest_hears_of_bid_to_save_motorcyclist.php

[TheDonUK]

Not only that but twin headlights are usually weaker than their single lamp versions...

I have a horrible twin setup on my hornet, I will be changing mine asap....

[MarJay]

I think its a non-issue and its used as an excuse for accidents. I've never had a problem.

From that distance it would look like a single light anyway.
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Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Kal]

If it isn't that then it's someone thinking that a single light is a car with a light out or is part fo the car behind you etc etc.

Unless they decide to give bikes a seperate colour of light then this kind of thing will always keep happening, probably even then.

It is something to keep in mind when riding at night though, for the first couple of years I didn't think how I appeared at night to other road users.

Now I tend to assume that even with the headlights on and working other roadusers cannot see me.
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Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[craigs23]

On post 2002 (or so) bikes were required to only have one 'side' of their lights on at a time, both lamps coming on when on high beam. I've never had an issue either (most of my bikes post Bandit 4 came with dual lights).

Even with one side illuminated (main), my R6 far exceeds the pitiful cigarette-lighter-blowing-through-a-letterbox comedy light fitted as standard to my Hornet.

[Scotch Bonnet]

How 'required' is it - Would it fail an MOT if you overrode it?
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Hmmmm..... is it supposed to do that?
2001 CB500

[Polarbear]

I have 2 H7's on when on dipped and 4 H7's in use when on full and I've still had SMIDSY so how can you ever win
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Victory Cross Country American tractor.

[the grim reaper]

I have experienced this first hand and it is surprisingly easy to do. My mate had a slightly dodgy CBR400 and he was following me down the M3 at night. I looked in my mirrors at one point and saw nothing but cars, a long way behind me. My first thought was that his bike had broken down (again) and he had pulled over but I thne checked again and realised that one of the 'cars' was my mate about 100 yards behind me.

If I had been looking directly at him and the traffic then I would have spotted him as a bike but, in my mirrors, his twin round headlights looked like a car, a long way away.

Cheers

Grim
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[Itchy]

Stacked lights perhaps? ,

but I think it is a case if didn't look and used this as an excuse to absolve oneself of responsibility , considering the triumph pilot isn't exactly there to defend himself or offer his point of view you can say anything you want.
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[Finglonga]

[doggone]

I never heard that excuse for mis-judging speed and distance before.

Knowing the road I would bet the bike was doing 100 or so in the fast lane - at legal speed (70) he should really have had time to react to the car not quite getting into the central reserve.

[G]

[iooi]

[the grim reaper]

[GazzaThePiagg...]

I suppose he does have a good point to some extent though, glad I am getting a normal Bandit headlight for the NSR now instead of a pair of Dominators.
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[Polarbear]

[Reppyboyo]

Sounds like a load of crap to me.

Looking straight at a bike with duels is easy to spot and judge distance IMHO.
Looking into your mirrors however its a different story as people have said above.

[the grim reaper]

OK, here's an example, it's late at night and you're looking in your mirrors, are the third lights in these two pictures a car a long way away (forgive the crap art, I'm at work and don't have time):

https://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/paul3011/carlightsSFX.jpg

Or a 92 Fireblade filtering between the two cars:

https://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/paul3011/bikelightsSFX.jpg

And remember that the lights will be moving. I'm not condoning the driver's actions and some poor bugger is dead but things aren't always black and white and, even though it sounds like an excuse, it's not impossible.

Cheers

Grim
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Adverts don't always work: Remember that advert, where the army are running across the desert and they have a wounded man on a stretcher. They get to a ravine, the bridge is down and a caption pops up that says, 'What are you thinking?'. I don't know about you but I was thinking, 'Christ, I'm glad I'm not in the f***ing army'.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[iooi]

It was a crossing of a D/C, so it will have been a good clear view out of his side window.
Could be he just rolled up and saw the lights and went on 1st impression, rather than waiting and seeing how they change over a few secs. That would have been the giveaway.

Its really time that these crossing on D/C were closed off, like they have done on the A1 and other major roads.

What i do feel sorry for is that the guy realised what he had done and tryed to get others to avoid the fallen rider, without success.

the grim reaper, got to be a car, distance between them is to great. I can see what you are saying.b
But you have got to say if not sure don't go.
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[the grim reaper]

[Shay HTFC]

I've never understood why bikes can't have a different colour light to distinguish them from cars at night.

For example a bright set of red LEDs (or any colour thats not used).
Just something to remove that element of doubt.
It would also stand out when some driver just glances in their mirrors and knows that its a bike that might be filtering etc

[iooi]

[Kal]

Doh!
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Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]