I’ve noticed on overcast days that a car that is the appropriate shade of grey to blend with the light being thrown will disappear quickly into the background as soon as you take your focus of it and try to keep track of it in your peripheral vision. I only mention this because I know motorbike riders are a touchy bunch and I thought I would highlight the limitations of the rod and cone vision system we rely on as cause for the following suggestion.

I noticed someone changing lanes as they went past here on a new BMW bike of fair size. It had markings on it that I noticed I was glad were there because the colour of the rest of the bike made it difficult to pick out in the dark. I have been surprised how often someone even in a car can creep up into your blind spot when driving. Obviously most people will learn to minimise this blind spot with the angling of their mirrors but once the vehicle is a bike it can become difficult to keep track of during the day let alone at night.

Because most bike riders have enough manners to angle their headlight so that it illuminates the road in front of them and not the interior of your vehicle the headlight is not reliable enough to ensure a motorbike is sufficiently visible while in a blind spot area while overtaking.

Are bike riders required to have a blinker on while overtaking?

Postpocelipse said:

Are bike riders required to have a blinker on while overtaking?

Yes

Thomo said:

Postpocelipse said:

Are bike riders required to have a blinker on while overtaking?

Yes

I suppose that is not always obvious during the day. hhmm

Postpocelipse said:

Thomo said:

Postpocelipse said:

Are bike riders required to have a blinker on while overtaking?

Yes

I suppose that is not always obvious during the day. hhmm

They are very obvious

Thomo said:

Postpocelipse said:

Thomo said:

Yes

I suppose that is not always obvious during the day. hhmm

They are very obvious

Depends what you are driving

Postpocelipse said:

Thomo said:

Postpocelipse said:

I suppose that is not always obvious during the day. hhmm

They are very obvious

Depends what you are driving

Depends on your looking , if they are not obvious to you that is a refection on you not the trafficators

Thomo said:

Postpocelipse said:

Thomo said:

They are very obvious

Depends what you are driving

Depends on your looking , if they are not obvious to you that is a refection on you not the trafficators

indeed.
there is an ADR governing the placement of lights on a motorbike, if you cannot see them from your vehicle, it is more likely your vehicle isn’t within the rules

stumpy_seahorse said:

Thomo said:

Postpocelipse said:

Depends what you are driving

Depends on your looking , if they are not obvious to you that is a refection on you not the trafficators

indeed.
there is an ADR governing the placement of lights on a motorbike, if you cannot see them from your vehicle, it is more likely your vehicle isn’t within the rules

tell that to the guy in the 4wd that changed lanes into my car and ran it into the gutter. It was raining but still.

Postpocelipse said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

Thomo said:

Depends on your looking , if they are not obvious to you that is a refection on you not the trafficators

indeed.
there is an ADR governing the placement of lights on a motorbike, if you cannot see them from your vehicle, it is more likely your vehicle isn’t within the rules

tell that to the guy in the 4wd that changed lanes into my car and ran it into the gutter. It was raining but still.

Strawman

Postpocelipse said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

Thomo said:

Depends on your looking , if they are not obvious to you that is a refection on you not the trafficators

indeed.
there is an ADR governing the placement of lights on a motorbike, if you cannot see them from your vehicle, it is more likely your vehicle isn’t within the rules

tell that to the guy in the 4wd that changed lanes into my car and ran it into the gutter. It was raining but still.

I’m sure the police would have when they charged him with not remaining in his own lane and inattentive driving.

btw, what does that have to do with the lights on motorcycles?

stumpy_seahorse said:

Postpocelipse said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

indeed.
there is an ADR governing the placement of lights on a motorbike, if you cannot see them from your vehicle, it is more likely your vehicle isn’t within the rules

tell that to the guy in the 4wd that changed lanes into my car and ran it into the gutter. It was raining but still.

I’m sure the police would have when they charged him with not remaining in his own lane and inattentive driving.

btw, what does that have to do with the lights on motorcycles?

Just been a question in the back of my head about various vehicle visibility limitations.

If a bike’s in your blind spot then you won’t see an indicator, also if it’s overtaking the right hand indicator will be on, which is probably obscured from you anyway.

Thats why people are taught to look over their shoulders in addition to looking in a rear view mirror

Thomo said:

Thats why people are taught to look over their shoulders in addition to looking in a rear view mirror

Yes I understand. The best that can be done is to have rear view cameras to minimise head turning.

you would find that properly adjusted side mirrors cut out the blind spot.

ChrispenEvan said:

you would find that properly adjusted side mirrors cut out the blind spot.

If you drive fast enough, rear view mirrors are superfluous :)

ChrispenEvan said:

you would find that properly adjusted side mirrors cut out the blind spot.

Yes mostly. You can get caught while adjusting your torso position etc.

pommiejohn said:

ChrispenEvan said:

you would find that properly adjusted side mirrors cut out the blind spot.

If you drive fast enough, rear view mirrors are superfluous :)

true true. tyres and fuel are making that a little difficult to afford

pommiejohn said:

ChrispenEvan said:

you would find that properly adjusted side mirrors cut out the blind spot.

If you drive fast enough, rear view mirrors are superfluous :)

I was reading a review of a Lamborghini or something and the tester said rear and peripheral vision was hopeless, the solution he said was to stamp on the throttle for a second cos guaranteed there would be nothing beside you.

AwesomeO said:

pommiejohn said:

ChrispenEvan said:

you would find that properly adjusted side mirrors cut out the blind spot.

If you drive fast enough, rear view mirrors are superfluous :)

I was reading a review of a Lamborghini or something and the tester said rear and peripheral vision was hopeless, the solution he said was to stamp on the throttle for a second cos guaranteed there would be nothing beside you.

That radial engine truck had good peripheral vision. I really would like one of those for christmas, which is good cause it I like to have unlikely dreams,

Postpocelipse said:

AwesomeO said:

pommiejohn said:

If you drive fast enough, rear view mirrors are superfluous :)

I was reading a review of a Lamborghini or something and the tester said rear and peripheral vision was hopeless, the solution he said was to stamp on the throttle for a second cos guaranteed there would be nothing beside you.

That radial engine truck had good peripheral vision. I really would like one of those for christmas, which is good cause it I like to have unlikely dreams,

wrong again..

they have a massive blindspot on both sides

i wonder how that truck would handle with a rotary instead of a radial?

;-)

stumpy_seahorse said:

Postpocelipse said:

AwesomeO said:

I was reading a review of a Lamborghini or something and the tester said rear and peripheral vision was hopeless, the solution he said was to stamp on the throttle for a second cos guaranteed there would be nothing beside you.

That radial engine truck had good peripheral vision. I really would like one of those for christmas, which is good cause it I like to have unlikely dreams,

wrong again..

they have a massive blindspot on both sides

Would be handy in cornering in one direction with that massive torque twist.

stumpy_seahorse said:

Postpocelipse said:

AwesomeO said:

I was reading a review of a Lamborghini or something and the tester said rear and peripheral vision was hopeless, the solution he said was to stamp on the throttle for a second cos guaranteed there would be nothing beside you.

That radial engine truck had good peripheral vision. I really would like one of those for christmas, which is good cause it I like to have unlikely dreams,

wrong again..

they have a massive blindspot on both sides

Not if you put the extenda-mirrors on it!

AwesomeO said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

Postpocelipse said:

That radial engine truck had good peripheral vision. I really would like one of those for christmas, which is good cause it I like to have unlikely dreams,

wrong again..

they have a massive blindspot on both sides

Would be handy in cornering in one direction with that massive torque twist.

meh give it it’s head, see where you end up…….

Postpocelipse said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

Postpocelipse said:

That radial engine truck had good peripheral vision. I really would like one of those for christmas, which is good cause it I like to have unlikely dreams,

wrong again..

they have a massive blindspot on both sides

Not if you put the extenda-mirrors on it!

extenda mirrors make no difference, there is a huge gap between what the interior mirror covers and what the exterior mirrors cover.

they’re a prick to reverse

ChrispenEvan said:

i wonder how that truck would handle with a rotary instead of a radial?

;-)

rotarys don’t work to well on heavy vehicles

rotary radial that is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYc-H8Wg-MQ

one of these.

ChrispenEvan said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYc-H8Wg-MQ

one of these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGeSIM_8BHY

stumpy_seahorse said:

Postpocelipse said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

wrong again..

they have a massive blindspot on both sides

Not if you put the extenda-mirrors on it!

extenda mirrors make no difference, there is a huge gap between what the interior mirror covers and what the exterior mirrors cover.

they’re a prick to reverse

cameras lots of cameras. my dream after all.

Postpocelipse said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

Postpocelipse said:

Not if you put the extenda-mirrors on it!

extenda mirrors make no difference, there is a huge gap between what the interior mirror covers and what the exterior mirrors cover.

they’re a prick to reverse

cameras lots of cameras. my dream after all.

you’d need one on the front as well.
to be road legal in Oz you need to be able to see the road 11m in front of the vehicle from a seated position in the drivers seat

Could probs fit one of these on the back. Very Steampunk Batman.

Postpocelipse said:

Could probs fit one of these on the back. Very Steampunk Batman.

an ICE is very much more steampunk than those…

stumpy_seahorse said:

Postpocelipse said:

Could probs fit one of these on the back. Very Steampunk Batman.

an ICE is very much more steampunk than those…

got one handy?

Postpocelipse said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

Postpocelipse said:

Could probs fit one of these on the back. Very Steampunk Batman.

an ICE is very much more steampunk than those…

got one handy?

ottomh, 10 of them atm

Postpocelipse said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

Postpocelipse said:

Could probs fit one of these on the back. Very Steampunk Batman.

an ICE is very much more steampunk than those…

got one handy?

Got one in my car. Also two steam engines and three metho powered heat difference engines.

Maybe I was thinking more Mad Max..

Mig 15 engines used as snow blowers.

Postpocelipse said:

Maybe I was thinking more Mad Max..

That’s more dystopian punk than steam punk.

ChrispenEvan said:

Mig 15 engines used as snow blowers.

works if you have them lying round

AwesomeO said:

Postpocelipse said:

Maybe I was thinking more Mad Max..

That’s more dystopian punk than steam punk.

Yes. This is true. Not so many frills on the ladies.

Thomo said:

Postpocelipse said:

Are bike riders required to have a blinker on while overtaking?

Yes

1001 ways to avoid accidents with motorbikes? Take 1001 motorbikes off the roads, the more motorbikes taken off the roads the more accidents will be avoided, the number of accidents with bikes can be reduced to ZERO if all bikes are taken off the roads schimple.

Thomo said:

Thats why people are taught to look over their shoulders in addition to looking in a rear view mirror

exactly… you don’t have to do it enough to get make and model, just enough to see something there… same with cycling

I’ve noticed that there are two types of motorbike riders.

There are those that stay in lanes with cars, and accelerate and brake as the cars in front of and behind them.

And there are those that drive along the lines between slow moving cars, and are not averse to driving down the wrong side of the road if it suits them. Extremely dangerous.

I’ve only come close to having an accident with a motorbike once. I was changing lanes – driving a truck – a hire truck that I’d never driven before. Motorbikes need to avoid hire trucks.

mollwollfumble said:

I’ve noticed that there are two types of motorbike riders.

There are those that stay in lanes with cars, and accelerate and brake as the cars in front of and behind them.

And there are those that drive along the lines between slow moving cars, and are not averse to driving down the wrong side of the road if it suits them. Extremely dangerous.

I’ve only come close to having an accident with a motorbike once. I was changing lanes – driving a truck – a hire truck that I’d never driven before. Motorbikes need to avoid hire trucks.

I wonder if sex has anything to do with it, as in risk taking?

CrazyNeutrino said:

mollwollfumble said:

I’ve noticed that there are two types of motorbike riders.

There are those that stay in lanes with cars, and accelerate and brake as the cars in front of and behind them.

And there are those that drive along the lines between slow moving cars, and are not averse to driving down the wrong side of the road if it suits them. Extremely dangerous.

I’ve only come close to having an accident with a motorbike once. I was changing lanes – driving a truck – a hire truck that I’d never driven before. Motorbikes need to avoid hire trucks.

I wonder if sex has anything to do with it, as in risk taking?

lots of young male drivers weave in and out of traffic

CrazyNeutrino said:

mollwollfumble said:

I’ve noticed that there are two types of motorbike riders.

There are those that stay in lanes with cars, and accelerate and brake as the cars in front of and behind them.

And there are those that drive along the lines between slow moving cars, and are not averse to driving down the wrong side of the road if it suits them. Extremely dangerous.

I’ve only come close to having an accident with a motorbike once. I was changing lanes – driving a truck – a hire truck that I’d never driven before. Motorbikes need to avoid hire trucks.

I wonder if sex has anything to do with it, as in risk taking?

All of sex is risk taking. I assume you meant gender? If so, boys are generally greater risk takers.

mollwollfumble said:

I’ve noticed that there are two types of motorbike riders.

There are those that stay in lanes with cars, and accelerate and brake as the cars in front of and behind them.

And there are those that drive along the lines between slow moving cars, and are not averse to driving down the wrong side of the road if it suits them. Extremely dangerous.

FWIW in a few states here in Australia, you are allowed to ride slowly between cars stopped at the traffic lights. It’s called lane filtering. In Queensland you are also allowed to ride down the left side of the road on roads with a speed limit of 90 km/h of higher, if the traffic is stopped or moving very slowly.
The bike is limited to 30 km/h in both situations.

mollwollfumble said:

I’ve only come close to having an accident with a motorbike once. I was changing lanes – driving a truck – a hire truck that I’d never driven before. Motorbikes need to avoid hire trucks.

Funnily enough as a bike rider I much prefer sharing the road with trucks than cars.
Sure they chew up a lot of lane , are slower , dust and grit flys off the back and bully you a bit but
In general they drive to the conditions , have much higher skill levels than car drivers , but most importantly are predictable and they let you know what they are doing.