Bloody Full Beam

[nasty]

Why is it that some bikers ride with their headlight beam on FULL at night????????????

Riding home from work tonight and passed through a toll booth, got caught in the queue at the other side of the booth (no room to filter), suddenly get blinded from my left hand mirror, can't see what it is though. Traffic starts moving and I get a little ahead enough to see it's something with what looks like 3 headlamps.
Sort of guess that it's not a car but maybe some kind of cruiser type bike.
Get some more ahead and I'm not blinded anymore until the traffic starts to slow, get seriously blinded this time as he pulls up really close - blinded long enough not to see the car infront slam the anchors on
Started to panic and slammed the brakes on by reaction, luckily I came within a couple of inches of the rear bumper of the car.
Glanced to my right as the road splits into 2 lanes and saw a stereotypical hairy biker on some sort of big cruiser type bike tootle past with 3 big beasts of lamps on the front of his bike.

DO people not realise that just because you ride a bike doesn't give you license to ride with your head lights on full beam - IT'S FUCKING DANGEROUS
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ZX6R F3

[TheDonUK]

Maybe not at night time but when filtering i often switch on main beam, would rather a pissed off row of car drivers than a oops i dident see you.

Actually got stopped by a bike copper a couple of weeks ago in central london who randomly told me to do this (was already).

Mind you i dont have very bright headlights, my mainbeam is probably only a fraction of a HID light on regular...

I read somewhere that actuaklly having main beam on makes drivers more likely to inaccurately guage your distance. In my head i imagine that bring annoyed or blinded makes you aware there is something coming up behind /shrug.

Bit of an asshole thing to do but TBH whatever helps you come home safe right? dog eat dog out there and all that.
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[ms51ves3]

My dad does it

[Kickstart]

Hi

Sure might make them notice you when you dazzle them. Just hope the bike before you hadn't tried the same thing and already blinded them.

All the best

Keith
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[Mystery]

yeah its annoying, i hate 4x4 with the hid standards that ride with them on full beam its soo annoying
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Carbon knuckles assure you maximum protect against debris and unfortunate accidents or if someone cuts you off, their side mirror.Mopeds are like chubby chicks.. they are really fun to ride until you're friends catch you on one

[TheDonUK]

Time and a Place...

At night in the stix is one thing

But during the day in town when everyone is starting to get a bit restless in traffic?
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[Kickstart]

[TheDonUK]

[Mystery]

[Kickstart]

[TheDonUK]

[Mystery]

[chris-red]

People that do it, day or night, are cocks. It's irritating, inconsiderate and dangerous.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
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[Darth]

Full beam is bad and annoying- fog lights at the first sign of a puddle though...
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Harold_Shand wrote: I suppose it's like anything, you get your fingers burned when you start out, you learn from it and eventually become a complete arsehole about the whole thing.

[27cows]

People who ride/drive on full beam with other traffic around are a total fucking menace. I've had to pull off the road in the past in the dark to let the after effects of a full beam blinding subside.

[DEN MONKEY]

Agree with the cocks statement.

I'd say riding with high beams on and then switching to lows as the distance is reduced will have the require effect of advising those ahead that you are around.

If someone hasn't noticed your headlights on normal beam at night then I think you're pretty much fucked already

It's funny hearing people jumping on board with the high beam scenario but if they're so focused on being seen they can always wear a hi-viz vest which serves the same purpose and is less likely to have any nasty side affects other then having their mates and other road users laugh and point.
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meh

[Barry_M2]

And to all those who insist on riding with your lights on during the day..... When sitting driving a car, it makes it harder to judge the distance a bike is away from you when its approaching as all you see is a light, rather than the bike its self. Side lights are fine during the day, but main or full beam is not needed, infact makes it worse!
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CBR1000 RR4 - For the track.
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[Skudd]

Many people do not have their lights adjusted correctly, so the lights may be on dipped but because they are not adjusted to the right level they dazzle. I know I was guilty of this without realising it and it was only at the MOT that this was brought to light ( excuse the pun) .
Those that run on full beam all the time usually are under the false belief that it makes them safer.
My pet hate, and I know there is not much you can do about it, is the one light off one light on when dipped for twin headlighted bikes, yet if both bulbs are under one lense, like my bike, you get both bulbs on.
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[Devils Advocate]

I get flashed quite regularly during the day without even using full beam due to the strength of the rsvr stock lights

If i come up behind someone at night they get dazzled beyond belief cos the beam spread easliy covers a 3-4 lane motorway...lol
Many times they`ll flick on their fog lights in retaliliation because they think i`m using full beam......so i oblige by showing them what my full beam really looks like

Do i care that i`ve got supersonic headlights??...do i buggery.
if i can see where i`m going with 100% clarity,and people can see me coming....i`m happy, and that`s what lights are made for.

[G]

As I've mentioned before, high beam does mean they'll see/be blinded by you from further away. But it also means they'll find it a lot harder to work out where you are.
If someone did crash into you, it's quite possible this could be used to push the 'blame' back on to you, despite your riding (apart from the full beam) being fine.

Just rude to my mind. Research from american trains many years ago shows the best method to actually /help/ people work out where you are is a triangle of lights. I may try something like this some time (lights on ends of bars and bottoms of forks I was thinking.

Dazzling other people is just rude to my mind - definitely I hope those that do don't complain when they /do/ get blocked by cars intentionally and the like.

[SimonB]

[Barry_M2]

[Barry_M2]

[27cows]

[27cows]