Garmin introduces radar for XT2

bdalameda said:
But how effective is the reflective tape during the day? Bright lights can be seen and command attention during the day.
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It depends. ;)

If you're looking for bright lights that can be seen...you're putting your faith and trust in the wrong place. Fire trucks and ambulances get run into all the time and they even have loud sirens on as well. If you think some little light on your motorcycle will do better???....

You can roll your eyes, but I just know this works for me. I use my brakes very little. I use compression braking 90% of the time. It's only the last 10-15 mph when coming to a stop that you might see my brake light come on. Oh My Gosh?!?!?! He should be dead by now!!! News Flash...I'm not dead.

Here's why. What is your reaction when you come across a car with no brake lights? Do you tail gate it? I doubt it. Instead, you back off. You might actually back off enough to let someone else pull in front of you. Let them be the one with their eyes glued to my brake lights. You can then relax a bit because you're back in the "normal" driving environment. Having to watch my back end for the possibility I might brake hard...is a strain after a minute or so. Let someone else deal with it.

Before retirement, I commuted on I-5 from one end of Seattle to the other twice a day. Mornings especially proved this technique out. The HOV lane was moving. Not fast, but better than the parked cars in the other four lanes. Everyone was trying to drink their coffee and wake up. All they wanted to do was to go to work on autopilot.

The first year, I tried to give the drivers behind me a bit of a warning. Even though I was using compression braking, I'd lightly touch the brake lights to give the driver behind me some advance warning. The "reward" I got was the driver tailgated me. I was taking care of him. Giving him some warning. He took advantage of that. I also used up my brake pads a lot quicker than I thought I should. If the brake light is activating, the brake pads are slightly engaged.

Then one day, I just used compression braking...and found the driver behind me backed off...a lot. Like six or more car lengths behind me...at 45 mph. That's not by accident. That's someone who is afraid I'll stop and they won't see it till it is too late. I started paying attention and noticing it happened time after time. I quit trying to give the drivers some warning...and found they backed off...and my brake pads lasted three times as long.

You can call me crazy, but it works. I put most of my mileage on during the 4-5 months of the year when I do cross-country trips. But I ride year around. And I never worry about being hit from behind. I can count the times someone has tailgated me over the last 20 years...on one hand...and have lots of fingers left over.


So if you're looking for flashy blinkie lights to save your bacon...you're out of luck and putting your trust in the wrong thing. Instead, think in terms of the other guy...and play on those instincts.

_________________________

At night or in low visibility... the other drivers around you will probably have their headlights on. If so...you'll light up like a Christmas tree.

And it requires no wiring, nothing to break and it works.

Chris
 
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It's back to the same old thing - if a driver is not looking nothing helps.
That doesn't mean that stuff is not good because it does help in some situations.
It just means we need an option with a hand that extends off the bike rapidly and slaps drivers to wake them up! :biggrin:
 
A number of years ago a customer (also a rider) of mine went missing for about a year. When I talked to him he told me he was run over from behind on a secondary highway by a senior. He had no chance to avoid this and it nearly killed him. So when I saw this stuff about rear radar, I wondered if it could help in a situation like that, maybe give you a tone in your blue tooth helmet. But I mused how to set the radar distance, as you wouldn't want it going off in traffic constantly, and set close would not help with someone approaching at speed. I'm not against new technology, but I think I will keep depending on my mirrors and situational awareness for now.
 
I think there is no one answer to the effectiveness of any of these ideas. One has to be always alert and keep aware of your surroundings and that is your best insurance in preventing an accident. Any of these ideas may help in certain circumstances and my feeling is to enhance safety by using light or reflective gear, and any device that adds visibility including better lighting or reflectivity or blindspot mirrors would be a plus. I do know that the blindspot safety system on our newer Volvo saved my bacon when a car suddenly changed lanes as I was about to pull into traffic. I could not have reacted fast enough to prevent a major accident.
 
My 2023 Hyundai Kona has the same blindspot features and it is pretty handy.
I would not mind adding that 'warning' to my ST1100s, but even the Innov option is pretty pricey when multiplied by 4. ;)
And I already have the reflective tape on the back of my ST1100s plus a Whelen emergency flasher when I hit the brakes.
It seems to work pretty well if the driver is paying any attention as they usually stop aways back from me when it fires off. :biggrin:
I leave it on flash all the time as I am not really bothered by whether it is 'legal' or not.
I figure it's not legal to hit me from behind with another vehicle but that doesn't seem to stop some folks ...
 
Uncle Phil said:
Chris - You are assuming that the driver behind you is paying attention ... ;)
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Would any of these ideas work if they weren't paying attention? Besides, I know where I'm going when I die. ;)

None of these ideas removes the responsibility of ours to pay attention to what is going on around us...including behind us. When I come to a stop, I'll glance in my mirrors to see if the driver behind me seems to be slowing down. My bike is in gear and my right hand will often alternate squeezing the brake lever just to have it go on. Note...when I'm using compression braking, I like to make sure the brake light comes on when I do come to a stop. It's sort of a wake-up call to the driver behind me...I came almost to a stop without activating my brakes...but my brakes do work. And I'll notice that they will let me get maybe six car lengths ahead even on city streets. They simply won't want to take a chance of hitting me.

@ST1100Y 's reflective tape idea is even better than mine. :) The only problem I can see with it, is if the driver coming at him gets target fixation. :D

Chris
 
Daboo said:
The only problem I can see with it, is if the driver coming at him gets target fixation. :D

Chris
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That's part of the problem with this stuff - it makes you an easy to see target ... :nuts:
BTW, I know where I'm headed at my end also - it's just the stuff I might have to go through between here and there! ;)
At the end of the day, there is no replacement for 360 degree situational awareness when you ride.
I firmly believe all the stuff helps to some degree so anything that might give me an 'advantage' I am interested in considering.
Because some days you are just not on your game 100% but you are on your motorcycle.
 
I take a very proactive approach to being seen. In the winter months from September 15 to May 15, the sky is grey. The road is dark gray. The cars are gray. And the part in between the gray road and the gray sky is grey from road spray. If you don't show up, you're just a speed bump on the highway to Heaven. ;)

Chris
 
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