Passes & Canyons Blog

You can see how Bill doesn’t exactly stand out from the background in this picture.

A little over a year ago Dennis traded in his Indian and got a BMW that he had long wanted but finally found lowered enough so he could ride it. Dennis is kind of short. One of the benefits of buying used is you get all the extras already in place as part of the package. One of the extras on this particular bike is really powerful lights that do one heck of a lot to make you visible.

On this recent OFMC trip I was in the lead most of the time and when Bill was second and Dennis third I never had any trouble checking my mirror to make sure they were behind me. One quick glance showed Dennis’s lights blazing like the sun. I think these things could be seen from outer space.

When Bill was in the rear it was a different matter. I’d glance back and see Dennis instantly but I would have to search to be sure Bill was visible behind him. Not a big deal, especially considering that I assumed Dennis was keeping his eye on Bill, but the difference between the two could not be more extreme.

Bill, on the other hand, appears to have a very weak headlight on his Harley. Or maybe it’s pointed more toward the ground so it’s not as visible further ahead. I really don’t know about that. But I do know Bill does not stand out against the background and I had to search for him.

On one day, however, Bill had a close call. We were in Idaho heading south from having crossed Lolo Pass and Bill was in the middle. A pick-up heading the other way did the usual thing, turning left right in front of him. Everything worked out fine but that got me to thinking.

I wonder if the driver saw Dennis’s lights (of course he did see them!) but failed to notice, closer to him, this much dimmer figure that was Bill. In that case you could make the argument that Dennis’s lights, which make him unmissable, render others (Bill) less visible. That could be a real safety issue.

What it definitely points out is that Bill really needs more lights on his bike. He just fades too readily into the background. Plus, his bike is black and he wears a black leather jacket and his helmet is black. Not exactly conspicuous.

I know I don’t necessarily stand out all that well either, and Roy had mentioned that to me more than once. He has urged me to get an orange vest to wear over my jacket as many riders do. I probably will at some point when I’m in a store and think about it.

Meanwhile, I need to bring this up with Bill. I’m sure he has no idea how low his visibility is. But knowing Bill I really don’t expect him to do much about it. Maybe he’ll surprise me.

Biker Quote for Today

My bike is more demanding than my lover, she wants me to ride her every day.

Little Susan, on the left, was the most visible member of this group.

Conspicuity: the quality or state of being conspicuous

One of the really big issues when you ride motorcycles is being seen. We all know how this goes. How many times have we heard drivers who caused, or nearly caused, crashes with motorcycles say “I didn’t see him.”

They’re not lying. I myself have twice been in situations where I nearly caused an accident with a biker because I did not see him. So there are two things we all need to do: make yourself as visible as possible and then ride as if you’re invisible.

In the RMMRC there are a good many people who make a point to wear the eye-catching bright yellow or orange vests that go on over your riding jacket. Roy, the club’s safety director, has spoken to me more than twice about my black helmet and black jacket. Roy always rides sweep and he has told me that as he looks ahead he can see this rider and that rider but that I frequently blend into the scenery. Now, I do have reflectors on the sidebags of my Concours and a couple of my helmets but I guess that really doesn’t amount to much. I put more focus on riding defensively, as if I were invisible, as I said.

And so far that has worked out pretty well for me. The closest encounters I have had have generally involved people changing lanes without turning to actually look to see if there was someone in the lane they wanted to shift to. If you’re–even just for an instant–in their blind spot, and they don’t look, nothing you wear will make them see you. I pay a lot of attention to that sort of thing.

So I found it interesting riding with the RMMRC on the Colorado Cruise, hanging out in the rear of the group, that many of these guys in their fluorescent vests were barely visible, at least from behind. Why? Because they had dark top bags and such rising up behind them that almost totally blocked my view of their bright vests.

And who was the most visible of all? It was Susan, a very short lady on a small bike whose white helmet and fluorescent-striped jacket stood out vividly. And the funny thing was that Susan told me she preferred to be in the middle of the pack because she was afraid, being so small, that it was too easy for people not to see her. But in fact, nobody was more visible than her. And of course, she didn’t have bags stacked up behind her.

So who knows, maybe I ought to get another jacket, this one with blazing yellow stripes or something. Like I don’t have enough jackets. We’ll see.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if your only three piece suit is a leather jacket, leather vest and chaps.