Question about lights

[Foran]

Hello.

Had a little question about lights while riding.

I saw a Youtube video in which the guy who seemed to be fairly experienced remarking that it was always a good and safe idea to use your high beam all the time as it increases your visibility and what not.

Now, I do have my full car license and I know it's not recommended to do this in a car (obviously) but I wondered if it was actually an 'OK' thing to do on motorbikes (not sure if it has the same kind of blinding effect that a car has).

Appreciate it.
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AJS Daytona 125, Custom Cruiser

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

*bets most bcfers don't dig it*
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[map]

[Bendy]

Don't do it.

It makes you no better than the boi racers who drive around with their fog lights on cos it looks well phat innit bruv.

[whitedevil]

Just used dipped lights in the day.
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GPZ500 sold ~ CBR600FS-2 sold ~ ZX6R sold ~ Street Triple R

[Foran]

Glad I asked.

Thanks muchly!
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AJS Daytona 125, Custom Cruiser

[Teflon-Mike]

No.
Using Hi-Beam into oncoming traffic is actually an offence I believe.
It also has little benefit.
If a car driver isn't going to take any notice of you, doing something that is likely to annoy or distract them to get some attension, probably isn;'t going to get you the kind of attension you'd like anyway!
Variouse studies into the use of 'Day-Time-Running-Lights' have given a lot of mixed results; and there's little conclusive evidence that they help conspicuity anyway, and thats even more detatched from whether they help save accidents.

One of the few nuggests to come out of studies has been that while more drivers may notice DTRL's.... they also more often mis-judge speed and distance of vehicles with DTRL's... especially motorcycles, where there is only one lamp, or ca pair of closely mounted lamps, offering little perspective change.

While from personal observation; using a dipped beam, which creates a very bright 'blob' of light for another driver to look into... let alone using main-beam, that is known to 'dazzle'... CAN actually make a bike LESS conspiciouse, as the driver ONLY see's indistinct bright blob of light, not a shape they can easily interpret and recognise.

Using side light, or pilot light, a dim, maybe 5w bulb over a 55w one, and more likely a more orange hued tungsten bulb rather than a whiter more brilliant halogen.... makes the headlamp bowl 'glow' enough to make it easy to see, and that more orangie colour, more 'distinct' and recogniseable, and leaves the oitline of the bike and rider without the 'dazzle' and hence more easily interpreted AS a motorcycle and something to not pull out on.... we hope!

Chances are if they see you at all, they will do the wrong thing anyway... so its largely in the lap of the gods regardless of what lamps we choose to use, or day-glow to wear; BUT, our objective is not merely to be seen, its to be unharmed! Being seen doesn't garantee not getting knocked off! And if we want to help other drivers not knock us off, we dont JUST have to help them SEE us, we have to help them UNDERSTAND what it is we are making them look at..... Dazzling them with powerful main-beams aimed at and burning out thier retina, closing thier iris so they cant see fuck all else in shaddow, would NOT then seem a great way to achieve our real objective!
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Matt B]

[Teflon-Mike]

[Matt B]

Highway Code also states the relevant law if you have a look, and in this case it's RVLR reg 27.
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[banditjohn]

I must admit I've had this conversation with a very experienced rider who seemed to think it was OK "knob" is what did and still does spring to mind. If you were riding down a country lane and a car had it's main beam on you would be screaming for him to turn it off, much the same would apply if it was a bike so why would you deliberately cause any form of dazzling to other road user's
Please don't take any notice of the youtube bloke who has clearly got issues and need's some type of help.

John

[Teflon-Mike]

[Matt B]

Yeah Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations

27. No person shall use, or cause or permit to be used, on a road any vehicle on which any lamp, hazard warning signal device or warning beacon of a type specified...

Blah blah...

1 Headlamp (a)Used so as to cause undue dazzle or discomfort to other persons using the road.
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[Tungtvann]

Not that I agree, but surely being dazzled is subjective and dependent on many factors.

[Teflon-Mike]

[ADSrox0r]

I leave my main beam on during the day but that's only because the headlight on a 125 is an afterthought, tea-light in a jam jar. Chances of 'dazzling' someone are absolutely fuck all.

I find it's useful for filtering though, a good wiggle while making progress soon gets cagers to notice something flashy coming up the side of them.

[Rogerborg]

[Teflon-Mike]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]