What can I add to the bike to improve safety?

Headlight modulator, Brake light flasher, Louder horn, Etc etc

Please dont answer with better training and/or gear. I understand those are most important. Thanks,

 

A bright-colored fairing to increase frontal area and conspicuity. Improvements to the front brake system such as new hoses, an EBC floating rotor, and EBC pads

 

I personally hate the modulators. Ridiculously distracting--helps the guy using them, hazardous to everyone else on the road. (Maybe I saw a bad example and others have a more gentle strobe, but I've only ever seen one).

The stock horn is already pretty loud if it's properly adjusted--enough to hurt my ears (though I do have sensitive ears).

Brake light flasher is a definite yes.

Big bright loud obnoxious fairing is a HUGE yes. Will almost anyone do it? Very few. But it's one of the most significant safety additions you can make--the number one reason motorcyclists get hit is because the cage driver didn't see them. (They're only looking for cars.) This sticks it in their face and makes them see you. The HURT report had a lot to say about big bright fairings.

A bright colored helmet is good as well.

Adding disc brakes to the front instead of drum. Steel lines.

Engine guard bars weren't found to really do anything for you (though they are good for the bike) in the event of a crash.

Keeping the engine in good running order is huge, as is being certain of frame and fork integrity. Just running out of gas in a busy highway can be fatal.

 

Need it be said? Safety starts with the rider. You can run blacked out on a busy road as long as you keep your focus on everything around you...Yes, nine times out of ten it's the four wheelers fault so with that in mind learn to anticipate what the normal distracted driver will probably do next and adjust...

 

just get yourself one of those road worker safety green vests with the reflective stripes. and aim your high beam up so it hits car drivers in the eyes, use it in the daytime

 

IMO a 650 Maxim is almost invisible. Comparing to my wife's 84 750 Shadow which I think is way more visible I suggest these:

1) Replace the headlamp with a halogen. You can get a 7" halogen sealed beam at the auto parts store for under $20 if you don't want to do an H4 conversion. Way more visible than that dull yellow thing Yamaha put on.

2) Front running lights make a big difference. You can stick new 1157 sockets from the auto parts store in your stock signals. Then wire the second filament to your tail light circuit.

3) I put one of THESE around her license plate. Unbelievably visible. Another for my Venture is in the mail.

 

I've had rather outstanding results with headlight modulators. They really DO work. I'm finishing up a piece on the ones Len has available; suffice to say they're pretty much "plug-n-play."

I'm not personally as sold on stoplight flasher/modulators, but they do function as designed. My personal reservations are based on my own reaction to them on other bikes and emergency vehicles. If you like the idea, then I would highly recommend one as I do a headlight modulator.

-and-

Upgrade the brakes so you can stand that sucker on its nose.

 

I have to say I have seen a number of modulated headlights while driving (on bothe 2 and 4 wheels) and they drive my eyes crazy so I wouldn't recommend them. The tail light modulators don't seem to be as bad but I have only seen 2-3 of those so some may be just as bad as the headlight ones. Extra lights and bright colored gear would be my personal choices.

 

First off make sure the bike is up to the task. Don't go out on old worn out tires or brakes. Keep the engine running as peppy as can be. Those three items will help you out if you find yourself in a sticky situation. Start looking for cars that are out there that you don't normally see. Look for the cars without blinkers that are sitting under a shaded tree just ready to pull out in front of you. Remember that you are invisible and that no matter how visable you make yourself, people will still never see you and you need to be prepared for that. Spend a morning at the local parking lot and start some panic braking tests. Learn from that, and do it more than just a few times... You will find out very quickly on how your bike handles under heavy braking and what starts to slide first. Best to find out in a controlled situation than in a panic!!

 

6 letters in BOLD print P O L I T E on your white fairing with a flashing blue or red dome light would probably be most effective.

 

And THAT is the whole idea. You CANNOT ignore them. People don't "not see" bikes; they SEE them alright, but it just doesn't register in their brain. A headlight flashing at the proper rate WILL register; it can't be ignored.

Yes, they're irritating. That's the whole idea-- to be not only seen but be recognized as being there.

 

EXACTLY. I would rather momentarily annoy someone or even BE the one being annoyed as long as it prevented someone from not seeing and hitting ME, or even worse, me not seeing someone and hitting THEM.

If it saves/protects my life, i really don't give two shits if i annoy you for the 10 seconds it takes for me to go by you. just saying. 8)

 

Do you know how much he is charging? I dont see anything listed in the "catalog".

 

Drop him a PM, I honestly don't recall and the info is buried at home somewhere.

 

when I say drive my eyes crazy I mean the modulation makes it hard for me too see well and would increase the likelihood of me having an accident. I might not hit the bike but someone in the line behind me that has to swerve to avoid my accident might.

 

i ordered the 32 mode or something, brake flasher module.
I have a black piece of polycarbonate attached to my fender and my license plate is attached on there

I angled the polycarbonate so it's vertical off the ground and it has plenty of room under the plate so I started fabricating and now have one of those oval LED brake lights which trucks have. At least up here in Vancouver.

Then I wired the "park" to license plate bulb which is also converted to led. And brake to my brake lamps VIA THE BRAKE MODULATOR.

Conventional brake light bulbs do give off more light than LED in general, unless you have SUPER bright leds or a lot of them. And they also disperse light in all angles unlike LED's.
Which is why I left the original brake light untouched and have only the led lamp wired to the module. Also LED flashes much faster and crisp, thus catching the attention of other drivers.

So now I nearly doubled my brake lighting. But also increased the area which is lit and that is also important. Two brake lamps are better than one that is twice as bright.

Next is customizing a couple led 5050 chips into my turn signal housing. Just enough to have them "glow" at night to make the orange visible, making it obvious I'm a motorcycle to lousy drivers who are distracted or braindead. (plenty of them here)
But not too bright that my turn signal won't be nice and crisp and flashy. Which is one thing I find with dual filliment bulbs, the dim is too bright that the flash is not nearly as eye catching

 

oh and I replaced my horn with a honda accord high.
No good. Wiring's too old.
I'm going to relay it soon. No time.

And I'm not sure if I want to do air horn. Plus I doubt I have power for that either. And two horns on my fork crown is kinda sexy. Most cars have two horns, one is a lower tone and one higher. Makes it sound much louder and meaner. Hopefully when I'm done my custom electrical work, I will have them blasting full power as they would off of a 2003 accord (i believe... junk yard deal) except without the bumper to cover them!!! which means plenty of loud horns!!!!

And if I'm at it with a relay, I MAY leave a third horn option for a european low tone horn. (honda's use disc type which i find distinctive and pierces through noise well. Makes it obvious it's a motorcycle honking too) I grabbed some horns off a junked GTI and wired them up via relay to my friend's civic and it sounded MEAN with that high piercing horn still wired up. I may do that as well.

 

I also recommend getting E-code headlights to minimize glare on other drivers so they can actually see you as a motorcycle. And also wire up something to the front turn signals too.

Ditch the flasher module. If anything, hook that up to your turn signals or an aux headlight.

I always flick my high beams when i have to.

LED strips are huge. Under the tank or along the side or anything. I have drivers staring at mine at every red light. They see it alright.

infact, sadly, my mother is one of those lousy drivers who really shouldn't have a license. And when it comes to prepping myself for other lousy drivers, I just ask her to follow me with her car and ask her oppions. It helped me angle my led brake lights. Set my flasher module to a slightly slower speed (apparently the fast strobing which I thought was VERY noticable didn't look like it flashed at all to her.... she noticed the slower flash MUCH more)


and the ONE THING she noticed the most was my white/hint of blue LED strip under my tank. She said she'd look at that every time i turned cuz it's stands out SOO much. she can't explain why. It's not even THAT bright. But she just said when I turn, she can't help but look at it. I say it's the fact that you don't have blueish lights on the streets too much and the only blue you get would be from the police so instincts tell you to pay attention to the blue!